[jdstefan22]

I am looking to change the color of my 66 Coupe, from the metal flake you see here to Silver Blue. I have done a bunch of reading on this, the pros and cons of several different methods.

I was sold on having the car stripped to bare metal, got some quotes for that, then having it epoxy primed. For just those two services, here in NJ, it is about $3000, then of course, that is before the final color is applied.

The body shop I checked out yesterday suggested I just wet sand the finish off the car, do whatever rust spot work I need to, then paint.

Obviously, this would save alot of money, but my time would be involved, which is fine.

I don't want to get myself in a quagmire, so before I consider more options, what are some opinions of doing this job myself. Here are the facts of the car body wise to help make the decision:

1.Car was blasted down to the metal about four or five years ago I believe, based upon the relative lack of thickness of the current paint and clear coat. (and, that was the body shop guys thought too, I didnt own the car then.)
2.There is mimimal rust and no damage to any of the body panels at all that I can determine, from looking at the panels on the outside and underneath the car.
3.Everything is nice and straight, no dents to worry about.
4.The car was painted in its current color in 2005, along with the clear coating, it is a nice paint job, decently done, just not my cup O tea.

Is simply wet sanding, the fellow recommended using 400 paper of this body shop enough to do the job- enough to allow a good sealer coat to apply to my current paint, then the Silver Blue?

Or, am I missing something obvious, or is the amount of effort to wet sand an entire car something I am going to wish I never tried to lay my hands on?

Pro and Con opinions are welcome, I am sure the photo attached will give you a clue what I am trying to tackle.

[02mingrayv6]

i like that color! !!

[FordGtMan]

It will be a real dog getting that paint off with 400 grit. I got mine all off an orbital sander with 120 grit and that took about 30 or 40 hours of work haha. Id take it down to the primer with a block sander with 220 just to be safe and once thats all over and done with, spray it with a half of a gallon of urethane primer to be safe and block it with 400 and wetsand with 500. Im using that primer now and it works great. I feel that just sanding off the paint will take off too much build and you will have bare metal all over. If this happens you need an epoxy primer to prevent rust.
I have over 200 hours i believe in sanding my car and blocking. This is not a project that will be over in a week. I thought it would take 2 or 3 weeks to complete my car but 3 months later im wondering wtf am i doing? But on the bright side, im saving thousands...

[66 restomod]

It really depends on the condition of the existing paint- especially a BC/CC system. It will be the foundation to the new paint and if the old paint flaking, chaulking or cracking, it is best to remove it. Your new paint needs a solid foundation so it will not fail.

Good Luck and BE Safe
Ron
Christophers 66 Mustang Restoration and Modification

[shagadoodle]

Hmm i have never personally heard of wet sanding the paint down but hey im only 17. Now You can take an orbital sander and sand away the paint untill its smooth with 180 grit sandpaper if the paint was good enough to stick in the first place (no cracking nothing wrong with it) If your going to strip the car down to bare metal you have several options

Sandblading/media blasting- Often the easiest way out of this as you take it to someone and for about $500 and up. This if done by a professional who knows that they are doing can be done pretty good and have primer go right over it.

The second option is the cheapo do it yourself option.
Aircraft stripper- this junk is nasty nasty nasty nasty. slap it on ur paint and it peels right off. It cost $20 for a gallon of it at your Favorite Local Auto Parts Store. This can hurt your skin and is potentially bad to breathe, but its super cheap and does its job and is pretty cool to watch. If you do this get the paint shop to wash it down and put wax and grease remover on it before putting epoxy on (which should be done anyways) don't want this chemical stuff under the paint.

And about the 3 grand quote they gave you. i personally believe thats rediculous unless thats a complete sandblasting and painting. (every nook and cranny under and inside the car) Epoxy paint with activator runs about $100 for a gallon. If you would like to save money try looking around the local high schools. to get the quote on how much they would charge to epoxy your car. They don't charge for labor bc kids are doing it. Hell this is what im doing right now in high school and we got the guy who owns the car im working on come in every day to watch our progress and how we are doing. (lol just a thought) look around though you may find alot cheaper prices elsewhere. or you may want to take it to 2 different people. one for sand blasting one for painting.

Good luck tho!

[Sick467]

If the car has one coat of paint that is in good shape. No peeling, no chipping, AND NO Rust Bubbles, Just wet sanding would be a great way to go. There is some confusion in this thread that should be clarified. You don't wet sand all the paint off, you just wet sand like you would normally do primer before painting. I would have to consider dry sanding, however, then fill priming, then wet sanding, then painting. But alot of that will depend on the condition of the exsisting paint job and if any blocking is necessary.

[silver69]

As stated wet sand with 400, then prime, wet sand with 600 and paint.
If there is no cracking, peeling, blistering, loose paint, clearcoat seperating form basecoat(white bubbles that will spread)
my reasoning is this, if the body is straingt - dont strip the car because you will have to refix any dings that are now not visible.
Budget
lots of work for nothing
lots more materials for nothing
the substrate must hold on to the body and it becomes the substrate for your new paint. sanding with 240/320/400 scratches the old clear to give the primersealer something to grab on to, then 600 wet with a long block to give the paint a smooth surface to hold on to and relect a smooth gloss, then clear that is your shine and protect coat.