okay guys i hope i can get some kind of answer/support. Alright i read all 147 pg's about the 50dollar paint job, i then bounced from my bed and started to buy sand paper a couple hrs later and a weight loss of about 3 pds(inside a garage) i wanted to give up. Mind you i dont know anything when it comes down to prepping a car; more of a mechanical guy. well didnt want to launch myself towards a job that is extremly hard so i already have my hatch gutted from the inside so that would be my starting point. i knew that much. Well the color to my hatch is green and would like to go black, so i started to sand and sand and sand some more. Okay my question's are _______- is their a topic on only prepping a car.2nd ----to get inside the bumps and edges where the replacement tire goes (sander cant be used here) is there a chemical or what number of sandpaper do i use wet or dry, and do i sand it down to bare metal or to the gray looking thing. Well thx for reading and please if you know the answer respond back

 

look at the sticky at the top of the autobody page!

 

LOL, if you are trying to sand down to the bare metal with sand paper I say you are going to loose more than 3 lbs after you are done with the car.
The best tip I can give you is:
First of all determine the condition of the paint/clear before tackling this time consuming job. Second, painting is about preperation; poor prep will result in poor paint job (not always true, but the lucky few). Third, sanding is more than half the battle. This is the best info I can offer you.

 

you just have to sand the clear off with 320, if you want to make it snappy.

You'll know you have the clear off when you clean it. it'll be all white.

I would suggest using a computer keyboard cleaner, to blow air out, if you dont have access to an air compressor.