i have read numerous threads about paint and i know that preparation is crucial to a good paint job but i have not been able to find out how exactly to prep for paint i added an attachment of my car that is desperate for paint i know i would like to start with the front nose can anyone help me out?

 

to do it right you should really remove the front bumper cover.. i am just throwing that out there first of all. they suck to remove but nothing worth having comes easy. anyway.. you should then sand it with a d.a. sander and 320 grit paper..you want to try to feather the edges of flaking paint but if there are cracks in the paint it will have to be taken all the way down to the plastic.. but BE CAREFULL not to dig into the cover with the sander! you could wind up causing more problems for yourself. the areas that you can't get with the d.a. you could either get by hand with sandpaper or use a scotch brite pad to scuff it up. when you are done you will want to prime it well using a flex agent in the primer then block sand the whole thing with 220. then primer again and wet/ block sand with 600. then you should be ready to paint.

hope this helps you out.

 

The only problem with using a DA is it makes the flat surfaces, by the emblem, look kinda caved in. I would try to do that spot by hand with a long block.

 

there is alot involved and i comes down to how far are you going to take it. color change for example. these would be the things to think about first. if you change the color every thing should come off, fenders, hood, doors, bumpers. Get the car taken apart and down to bear metal, use a spray can primer at first to keep flash rust to a minimum. work one panel at a time. if you have rust cut it out and add your patch panels. assemble the car, so all line are right.work your body filler. spary a high build primer and block the car. i would suggest a guide coat to make sure all of the dings and dents are gone. its a long process, but be patient and take your time. the more time spent on doing the prep right makes for a hell of a nicer car when you are done. if you have time, and garage space do it. there are alot of helpful guys on this site that will help you through the process

 

i agree madhatter.. but if they are wanting a quality job i think the car should come apart regardless of a color change. that way you don't get paint build up in the lines between the bumper cover and fender.. spoiler and hatch.. etc. it's just a lot cleaner.

 

you do not have to go to bare metal to change color. just sand the current paint to 400 grit, seal it, then paint it.

 

not for color change specifically, but in general if you really want to get it perfect you should take it all the way down. you never know what is under the paint. unless he was the original owner of the car, you never know what is under the paint. the way i found that my car was hit by a semi is when i called the guy i bought it from after i stripped it down. he did a great bondo job, but the back of the car was absolute **** when i got the paint off.

in body and paint work you got your A,B,C,D, and f jobs. you got to decided how nice you want your car and do the work accordingly

 

Thanks for the info guys! I got a picture of how much i have gotten sanded, ill post better pics tommorrow, and i will remove it before it gets painted.