well i have a 75 corvette with some small nicks. i want to sand it down and paint it. what are the materials and steps that i need to do in order for it to come out good. any help is appreciated. thanks

 

Wonder how many books have been written on this subject?

 

Or recent threads asking the same question....

 

Does the phrase.."CAN OF WORMS"...ring a bell.

Embarking on this process is just that....a "can of worms". It would take me a VERY LONG time to type what you need to know. And knowing that on the forum there are many posts that will answer some of your basic questions...do a search and read them. many of which I have responded to and answered questions about the other members concerns.

But BEFORE you start...do you have: A garage to work in, an air compressor, air tools and hand tools, basic knowledge on how these tools work. You post came across as like this is going to be "prep and painting 101". SO some knowledge is needed... because if you are NOT mechanically inclined...it is still possible...but may be time consuming and require PATIENCE on your end to achieve what you are looking for in the end. If you DO NOT have PATIENCE, FOCUS, ATTENTION TO DETAIL and DEDICATION...then you might want to re-think this. Because this can easily start out "being fun" and then turn into a NIGHTMARE very quickly. ESPECIALLY if this is your VERY FIRST attempt at repairing, prepping and painting a car. Like I mentioned...it is do-able...and everybody has to start somewhere....but it will all depend on YOU.

I see in your near future that you will be reading a lot.

"DUB"

 

ive searched on here and have read a lot but have not seen the steps required. and yes i do have 2 2 car garages right beside each other i was gonna do sanding and stuff in the one and paint in the other i have a big air tank and its connected to both garages. i have 2 paint guns one is a kobalt and the other is a 20 dollar gun from harbor freight for primer. i have das and sanding blocks. im also putting an ls1 auto in it i built the harness myself and i know enough about cars to get around one. i have been around corvettes for around 15 years beacause my boss owns 3 69 big block vettes and makes me work on them. but i want to learn to do body work and paint so that i can do my own cars in the future. so any help is appreciated. thanks

 

Knowing that you have some knowledge to be able to get around a car without much grief...is great. Then starting on your car will be a step by step process...so when you strip or sand the paint off...and notice an issue...post a GOOD photo of it and then the forum members can advise you on what ways it can be repaired. If this method does not suit you...then either enrolling in a community college paint and body class...or reading a book on it my be required.

"DUB"

 

Just to add a little to Dub's advice: There no "the way" to paint a 'vette. Everyone has their own process and you can get to an excellent end result in a myriad of ways.

Start at the beginning (strip the old paint off) and take it from there. Post pictures of what you have and let folks give advice. Realize the advice will differ and pick what you feel comfortable with.

For instance, how to strip the paint off you have options:

1) Razor blade
2) Sanding
3) Chemicals

On my '71 we used chem strip with excellent results. Others say chem strip is a recipe for disaster...

 

Since you desire to learn body work, you'll get plenty of practice by taking it all the way down to bare glass. This was the advice given to me, and I'm glad I listened. You'll see what foundation you have to build on. The method I'm using is:

Strip
Structural repair (cracks, rips, repairing factory panel misalignments, frame rust, etc)
Cosmetic repair (smooth panel alignment, gaps, beauty lines)
Prime
Block
Paint.

 

I would add two more,

Prime
Block
Prime
Block

 

ok iv e used the chemical stripper once before on one of my bosses 69s and i didnt like it 2 much. what is the razor blade method? sanding will probably be my best bet. but before i pulled the car apart the doors didnt align with rear piece bottom of the door between the door and wheel well. it stuck out about a quarter to half an inch farther than the door. what grit sand paper should i use to start sanding with. 80? and what grit shout i finish off with before priming? and thanks for the help so far.

 

Look on the current posts in this section...for the one saying "Your razor blade method"...in this post...I posted a link to buy the type of razor blade knife that is my first choice in stripping paint off using a razor blade. I have several types...but the one I mentioned is the one I feel is the best for me. Once again...make your own decision.

Depending on how much paint is on a car (layers)..I have started by using 36 grit ( due to excessive layers of primer, paint and clear)...but never allowing the sandpaper to reach the body and grind on it too much. Something that you need to be conscience of at all times. Warps, buckles and such in the body that are severe enough....often times require filling INSTEAD of BLOCKING them out... because the thickness in the material that makes up the panels structural integrity is a given...and sanding away this thickness...to get the panel flat...in certain areas can be a recipe for disaster because you are weakening the panel.

Depending on what type of primer you are planning on using...will be the determining factor on what grit you stop with....so once again...it all depends. Some primers you can apply over the 80 grit and it will fill it in...while others would require numerous coats...then blocking...then re-priming...and so on. I use gelcoat ( on cars that can accept it)...and high build polyester primer on top of that...or directly on an SMC car.

AS STATED: Everybody has their way of doing things...and by no means is my way.... THE WAY. You will be figuring this all out step by step. BUT one thing for certain...there are A LOT of members here on the forum who can give you their thoughts...and I would be more likely to take this advice/suggestions and try to implement them in some way...versus...listening to someone who HAS NEVER painted a Corvette.

So...if someone says to you..: "I did it this way 20 years ago"...I would take that comment and communicate with those who are more up on procedures and materials that have advanced so much in the past 20 years...that there may be better products and procedures out there now...versus that of what someone told you they used in the past. This IS NOT ALWAYS the case...but can occur.

"DUB"

 

when doing the razor blade does it matter what the temperature is because its like 20 degrees in my garage right now just wondering if i should hook my torpedo heater up

 

The paint won't care but your hands will. Get the temperature up to a comfortable working zone and don't make this more miserable on yourself than it will be anyway. Body work is not exactly most folk's idea of fun... even though I think it is as long as my paycheck does not depend on it!

 

well i did a little bit w the razor blade and seems to be only one layer of paint. hopefully the rest of the car is that way