questions for the autobody pros

[5gluder]

I made a fiberglass box for my sub. Now i have bondo and sanded with 150 grit. What i would like to do now is prime and paint it the same color of my car. What i was thinking of doing is prime the box, sand with 250, then prime, sand with 350, prime and then sand with 400, then paint and clearcoat. Would this be the best way?

My second question is how would i find out how much paint i need? what would the best place to buy the materials from?

Also i would like to do this myself, is there still any garages that you can rent a paint booth?

Thanks

[Weapon_R]

You don't have to prime with every level of sandpaper. Keep going up to finer paper until you are satisfied.

If its just a box, go to any body shop supply shop and ask them to put some paint in a can for you. You can do it yourself and it will look good if you can hold a can steady.

[Gonthro]

you can get the paint code off your car and buy the automotive spray cans of touchup paint if you want.

but yea, that much primer is not necessary.

[5gluder]

Okay, that's understandable. Would there be a difference if i were to use a spray can or spray gun for the primer? I would like the finish on the paint to be perfect, due to the fact that i had spent too much time on this project. I would hate to finish it off with a bad paint job. I would like to use a paint gun for the paint and clearcoat.

So 400 grit is a good enough finish?

Thanks

[Gonthro]

if you want it to be flwless i'd suggest a wet sand at like 1500

[Weapon_R]

It will look just as good if you take the time to prepare. I've seen countless spoilers and sideskirts painted with spray cans and they look great.

400 grit is okay, but you can do better. Go for 600 grit wetsand and you should be fine.

[BuknBronco]

You can use a spray bomb can for primer, make sure you sand it good for imperfections, then use a good gun for the paint. Get your paint code off your car and take to an autobody supplier and you will probably only need a quart to do it. Some suppliers will pre-mix it for you, or you can try ICI just add water type paint.

[hjr]

400 is just fine. You will get a nice smooth finish with 400, an im assuming thats what your after. for a sub box 600 wetsand it a bit much, plus filler and water dont nessisarily jive too well.

[5gluder]

Well i had a thought and decided if i'm painting the box i might as well paint my hood. I currently have a cf hood and would like to paint the side and front(leaving the middle exposed.) Obviously i can't do something like this with a spray can in my garage. I'm assuming i will have to prep the hood and paint it in a booth. I read there is a place caller "u-paint" or something similar where you can rent a booth which would include all the tools.

I realize i can pay someone to do this, but i like doing these things myself for self knowledge.

Thanks

[Weapon_R]

Really, if you want to do your hood, please contact someone professional. Painting is really an art that takes years of experience to make it look good. I've seen your car and it deserves just that. There is NOTHING more disappointing than having a spec of dust fall on your hood while painting and having the imperfection. My 2cents...

[BBMac]

if you want the box to look really nice. use a paint gun, sure a spray bomb can look good but a good spray with a proper gun wil be 10 times better!!! also if you are going to paint your hood consult a professional. I have done about 5 full cars now and countless prep jobs and i am only now figuring stuff out!!!

Also if you decide on a professional for the hood you may as well get him to do the box to!!

for the prep of the box do 2-3 decent coats of primer start with 240, then go 320, and finish it with a 500 grit or a 600 grit wetsand. IOne of the best ways to determine what the final paint will look like is to take some wax and silicone remover and spry it all over the box as if you were painting it and while it's wet use the light and look for imperfections!


also don't use that water born garbage. when you see all those ford exploders hoods peeling it's mostly becasue of a waterborn primer(cdn tire shit).

[eeseen racing]

all you ahve to do is prime and then resand with 400 when your done that you can sand with 600 your choice but no need and dont reprime unless the bonda is shnowing through after you are done that go ahead and paint if you sanded properly and primed and painted decent there wont be any scratches thats what we do at the body shop i work at just one way man and

ps wet sanding with 1500 thats ridiculous dont even waste your time

[mlander]

If you finish prepping in 1500 you can gaurantee that it'll peel and chip off due to lack of adhesion.

If you finish with 400 you'll have to be ok with seeing some sand scratches come through as the paint cures up over the first month.

Before priming...the finest grit you can go to is 320 as per guidelines from the manufacturer.

So do your knock off with a heavy grit and finish your bodywork with 150-320(I'd meet in the middle and go for around 220). Then use a primer surfacer with around two medium coats. Certainly using a spray gun will be a better job.

Knock off the primer after it's cured for the proper amount of time with 400 and then finish off with a wetsand with 600.

BE SURE TO CLEAN THE SURFACE WELL WITH A WAX AND GREASE REMOVER BEFORE PRIMING AND PAINTING.

Tack cloths will help clean off the minute dust particals if you really feel the need. But for a kicker box...I wouldn't bother.

And yeah...if you wanna paint your hood. Get a pro to do it or you'll probably regret it.