pinball411 Posted May 8, 2008 Report Posted May 8, 2008 Hey guys I started to redo my hood and bumper today. I used my palm sander with some 80 grit and stripped all the paint off to bare metal. What is the best coating to use now? I have never done body work by myself and need to know what I have to go out and buy. I don't need the car for a few days so all is good. Also do they sell a flexible body filler for the bumper? I had tried to sand all of the paint cracks out and now I have waves in the front.
BXX Posted May 9, 2008 Report Posted May 9, 2008 If you put waves in it from improper sanding, it will take less time and money to get a decent bumper from a junkyard and start over... You CANNOT use any type of filler on the bumper. You could get away with something like a flexible duraglas, but it will crack pretty quickly... A palm sander is not what you should be using. You need a flat board to hand sand, it is the best. Why did you sand completely to the bare metal? I have a hard time believeing your underlying paint/primer wasnt stable enough to be blocked to a stable point... i.e. the factory primer layer or primary paint coat... If you sanded the bare metal with 80 grit. You will need to go over it with a quality filler (not bondo products) until all the scratches are filled or you could use some high build primer. You want the primer stage to be sanded smooth with 320 grit. Then its time to spray you base coat (dont sand inbetween) and then clear it (assuming you are using 2 stage paint)
Venom Posted May 9, 2008 Report Posted May 9, 2008 Hey guys I started to redo my hood and bumper today. I used my palm sander with some 80 grit and stripped all the paint off to bare metal. What is the best coating to use now? I have never done body work by myself and need to know what I have to go out and buy. I don't need the car for a few days so all is good. Also do they sell a flexible body filler for the bumper? I had tried to sand all of the paint cracks out and now I have waves in the front. I think you should do some more reading on body work before you go out and start using power tools on your car again. No offense man, but all your posts lately have been making you out to be kind of a dumbass. I dont know anyone (even non-car guys) that would take a palm sander to their car for body work.
1tinindian Posted May 9, 2008 Report Posted May 9, 2008 After sanding it with 80 grit, I can see why you are down to bare metal, factory paint jobs are not very thick. You will need to get some self etch epoxy primer on the bare steel, ASAP, before you get any flash rust taking place. If you have not properly prep the bare steel before you prime it, it will rust again. And don't leave it in primer too long, and not outside, because primers are porous, and will let moisture soak through. If you are painting just the bare steel without any body work, then you can spray two good coats of base coat on the epoxy, and let it dry over night. Then wetsand with 400 grit, dry it off, spray your final coat of base coat, and then clear it. If you are fixing minor dent with plastic filler, then I would use a high build primer over the mud, let dry to sand with 180 grit, then epoxy, base, sand base with 400 grit and then clear. Trust me, this has worked for me for years with no ill effects. Now, you bumper can be fixed with the right filler. You will find it at your auto body supply wholesaler. It is a two-part mixture that will be of the same material that the bumper cover is made out of. Just ask, and I'm sure they can point you to the right stuff. If you have a crack, you should "V" out the crack, before appling the filler. Let it dry over night, and then you cansand it to the shape of the bumper, then its ready to be painted. I hope this wasn't too much for you, but for me, it's what I do, as I have been a painter/bodyman for over 20 years, and it comes to me very easily, the hard part is putting it into words, so others can understand.. Leon
pinball411 Posted May 11, 2008 Author Report Posted May 11, 2008 Looks like I need a new hood I tried some high build priemer on it and it is full of waves. Is it possible to block sand this out?
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