OK boss here goes. I'll share what little I know.
Go to harbor freight or online and buy a long air sander, usually a foot long or so is standard. use this air sander for all flat panels and cutting bondo down, its fast and creates a really flat panel. remember you are working on an X,Y and Z axis meaning x) up and down y) back to front and z) the curveature of your fenders and hood... use 80 to cut body filler, 220 to cut high build primer and 400 to 600 to final wet sand before spraying sealer and base and clear. the goal is the flattest and least amount of filler to repair a dent/ ripple. blend any dents over a larger area so you will not see it at all - think pothole on the interstate - dont hesistate to grind it all down and start over if you are not happy with a repaired part, once you paint it its permanent and YOU will notice it EVERY TIME you walk up to your ride, use 220 to 320 and a long foam block and soapy water in a crossing pattern on the panel and front to back long sweeps over doors and quaters to get a nice flat smooth surface. short blocks and hands simply follow the (usually uneaven) contours of primer and body work so a long block is a must use plastic gloves, use prpoer ventilation and dust/vapor masks - most of this stuff causes nerve and brain damage(kinda explains me)
the oil in your finger tips will cause rejected spots and fisheye in the paint, use final kleen and silicone remover to wipe down finished body on paint day before tack cloth wipedown, USE top quality paints, materials and chemicals because they are more forgiving and allow a "fudge' factor beginners need. Chineese proverb say - good thing no cheap and cheap thing no good. Go basecoat clearcoat - its easy and forgiving and you can redo pieces as needed and they wont vary like the 1 stage enamels and urathanes. You dont need a $500 gun to do a nice job, a good 250$ will give comparable results as a SATA $800 gun. READ - alot - find a piece of cardboard/old fender and practice your application techiques. Go easy with lots of light coats of pigment and clear - runs are hard for beginners to fix.
Follow the instructions on air pressures - they are critical to the color coming out right, too low and it gets dark and heavy, splatters, too high and your pigment never gets to the substrate and what does is so uneaven the color tends to be light this is concerning metallics. Solid colors are more forgiving. If you are going metallic any color after you edge and plant 3 coats of pigment bump your air pressure 3 to 5 lbs and tripple your hand motion and apply 1 coat moving 3 times as fast over the whole car in every crazy direction repeating none of them if you can help it, this "blending" coat does wonders for metallic colors and makes the final product look like a robot put down the paint.
Use fans and filters to keep the air safe - safe from an explosion proof standpoint for a confined space such as a basement and once you start spaying you wont be able to see very well either if you dont have some kind of air movement. All of us started knowing nothing and if we can do this you can too bro, read, read some more and practice. Looks like you are off to a great start from your pics but a wet sand with 600 and wash the fender down, look at it wet and if you like it - move on. the water will show you how the body will look under paint and clearcoat. keep it up man, we will help you howver we can
Joe
