Hi..i'm about to do the body work on my 92 hatch. I just need some info like how many grits of sandpaper to use and how to bondo and just things like that. Steps that i needa take before i paint it. Any info will help. Thanks

I'm also thinking bouts spraying painting with can paint, which i hope will turn out nice, but a lot of people been telling me it won't no matter how good you are. Just wanna know what ya think bouts this. And again..thanks for any info..

 

i wouldnt use any sand paper less than 400 because it will scratch the metal under the paint, then it wont look good when its repainted. im telling you from experience that it looks terrible if you dont get the right grit the first time. Wet sanding is also much better than dry sanding, and i would say do three grits with the numbers getting higher everytime. as for spraying it with a can thats fine temporarily to cover up the body work till you get a paint job.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Davidjai916 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hi..i'm about to do the body work on my 92 hatch. I just need some info like how many grits of sandpaper to use and how to bondo and just things like that. Steps that i needa take before i paint it. Any info will help. Thanks

I'm also thinking bouts spraying painting with can paint, which i hope will turn out nice, but a lot of people been telling me it won't no matter how good you are. Just wanna know what ya think bouts this. And again..thanks for any info..</TD></TR></TABLE>

First off body work is NOT easy. How quality of a job are you looking to do? For it to look OEM quality forget about doing it yourself. If your just looking for a fix go for it. Anyway let us know what your trying to repair and well help you out. Its different to fix dents and dings then a rusted rear quarter panel.

Also my friend spray painted his car (the whole thing). It doesnt look amazing but its not that bad. The only thing is youll go through 10+ cans easily. Also we found out krylon sucks and drips but rustoleum works 100x better.

 

Try to get the correct shape you want by straightening out the metal as much as you can before resorting to bondo. The thinner the bondo layer you use, the better. You can rough up the metal with 400 wet-n-dry to get the surface ready for bondo and to get the shape you want with bondo on. Move to 800 wet to get the 'scratches' out of the metal that the 400 put there and go over it a couple of times with 1200 or so to polish it a bit. The bare metal surface shouldn't have swirl marks or lines by the time you are ready to paint. Let dry and clean the area with Metal Prep (alcohol) to remove the grime. Use a tack cloth on the area before you paint to get the fine particles. In between layers of paint, wet sand with 1200 and tack before applying the next coat.

Not exactly the 'bible' of painting but that should get you started.

 

Well..this is what i was gonna do...imma just fix the dings and dents in the body(nothing major)..and i was told that first..i needa sand it down to the metal with like 80 grits sandpaper. This way..the bondo will stick to the car and then i just smooth it out as possible and then sand the bondo down with 1000 grits. After the bondo is smooth and line up with my body..i will needa primer it..After i'm done with all the bondo and sanding down..which my friends told me to use 1000 grits to sand down the whole car to get rid of the clear coat...i will then take parts out one by one and spray it with T100 UNIVERSAL BLACK spray paint can. How many times will i need to spray it? My friends told me to go over it like 2-3 times. Also..once i'm done with the black..my friends told me to go over it with clear coat from the spray paint can like 2 times. These are the steps i was told to do for my body work.

Just wanted to know what you guys think of it or just give me more info that will help me out..Thanks a lot

 

If you're just painting the car a solid black with no metallic flakes in it, you should be able to get to look not too terrible. Painting a metallic color from a spray can will always look like crap no matter how good you are. The nozzles on the spray cans just can't produce a consistent spray pattern so you see lines in the flakes. If you have alot of bondo work to do, don't waste your time with 400 grit. Jump to 80 to get the old paint off. And make sure you use some sort of sanding block when you go to remove the old clear coat. If you just use your hand, you'll wear finger grooves into the paint and it will look terrible when you finish. If you have the time it's best to spray the black and let it sit for a good 24 hours, then give it a good wet sanding to even out the paint before you spray your clearcoat on. Then do the same after you've cleared it. A final wet sanding and buffing job will get alot of the trash out of the paint from dust and crap sticking to it. Good luck!

 

i am an experienced body man. its all about the time you put into it.

first get the right tools, body hammer, dolly should be a start. dont get cheap bondo, get some good stuff. never use a layer more than 1/16". get the old paint off or scuff it up with some 80 grit. remeber to always use the biggest block posible and sand in a "X" fashion, not horizontal or vertical,the metal and bondo work should always be started at 80 grit and then 180 then finish at 220 0r 320. by the time you are at 320 the whole car should be ready for primer.

primer time, with the car smooooth and straight a good filler primer goes on. wait 24 hours so it fully cures then use a guide coat and block the hell out of itwith 400 grit. this will show low or high spots. if its good and straight then prep the surface with cleaner and then a tack cloth, ready for paint

 

sand dent down to bare metal. then apply bondo. you're NOT gonna be able to sand down a bunch of bondo with 1000 grit. sanding block is your friend. when doing the edges of the bondo, sand in an X patern. that means...sand up/down for a little bit, then sand left/right for a little bit to "feather" out the area and make it smoother.

best to wet sand clear coat. i'd use 400, and work your way up. you'll go through a lot less sheets of sand paper if you wet sand. get a bucket of water, a rag you can most and use to drip water with over the area you're sanding, and use a sanding block.

with rattle cans, i always find it easier to use my thumb instead of my index finger to spray. maybe its just me, but my index finger gets tired if spraying for too long, and sometimes I dont end up spraying evenly. when i use my thumb to spray, i can get a lot more even coats.

hit me up if you have any questions, hit me up. check the thread in my sig.

edit. whoops had my grit's wrong for sanding bondo.

 

Thanks a lot for the info...i'll just try things out and see how it turn out..if i have anymore Q's..i'll just ask..thanks for now

 

question built562, I have a civic that has been through 2 different body shops cuz they keep f'en up my car. I now have a car that has baby blue epoxy primer all over it but there stil is some parts of the car that need to be smoothed out. Also I am scared that the stock color might not have been sanded as good as it should have been before they layed the primer. What are my options to save some money before paint. I am gettin it professionaly done but would like to save a little money in the process. What would you or any EXPERIENCED body guy recommend me doing to the primer and the paint underneath that MAY not be prepped correctly?