Where to start on repaint
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Where to start on repaint wanting to repaint my car and want to do all the prep work first. It is a 81 Trans Am and have some questions. How do I remove the bird decals. Have some areas with small paint chips. Do I need to sand them down or first fill with putty and smooth out. Then do I just i just scotch brite the rest of the car. Other than the paint chips, the body is in excellent condition. The plastic bumper has spider cracks in the paint. Do I need to sand down and what grit paper?
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: springfield, il
sand the paint chips out with 220 grit, sand the spider cracks out with 220 grit as well, there are a few different ways to prep the rest of the car, you could wet sand the whole car with 500 grit, yes you could scotch brite the whole car, or you 500 dry sand on a DA with a soft prep pad on the DA
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: springfield, il
at work i just use an eraser wheel, but if you dont have access to one of those, you could use a heat gun/hair dryer, heat up the decal and peel it off, or you could always just sand it off with 220
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 2
From: Springdale, AR
Don't sand the decal off unless you're planning to primer. A rubber wheel would be your best bet. They sell kits at harbor freight for pretty cheap. If you aren't planning on using sealer then anything between 500-1000 grit wet or dry is all you will need. The rock chips just need to be feathered with 240-500 grit and then primered over. Same for cracking. That will be a good start. Are you taking it to a shop for paint? If so let them block sand the primer.
