S
Sanders7981
I finally picked up a Dewalt 849x polisher and began making the General Lee shine. Here is the backstory on my paintjob and steps. This is my FIRST attempt at a full paintjob from start to finish. So I did lots of reading to get spun up on what all was required. Last summer I used Rage Extreme filler, blocked, painted over it with slicksand, blocked some more, then painted white epoxy over all that... then used the rest of the epoxy as a sealer coat. I applied 4 coats of Big Bad Orange in Nason basecoat. The base layed out NICE and FLAT all over the car. Then came 3 coats of SPI Universal Clear, which got some runs and trash (lint, hair, etc). I didnt think I had enough left to do another coat. I did all this in my garage, which I turned into a paintbooth using plastic sheeting and wood to build a frame extending from the garage door with fans sucking out the overspray at the front and fans pushing in fresh air on the side. Of course I wasn't expecting a showcar finish job. I got some runs and orangepeel, not too worried about it because I figured I could just cut and cut/polish it out. Then it sat for about 4-5 months before I decided to wet sand it... plus I had some exercises and training that kept me away (Active Duty Marine) off and on. I began wet sanding with dura block boards and a ruler using 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit. I ONLY used 600 to level out the runs and was very careful to not hit the recessed clear around them, but they are still somewhat visible. I was more concerned about sanding through the clear so I didn't press too hard. Anyhow, I was advised by my local paint guy at Napa, who has been a tremendous help through out this project with guidance, to get the 3M blue waffle foam pad and Perfect-It Ultra Machine Polish to buff out the wetsanding scratches. It looks good from 5 feet away, but the polish is not gettign out all the scratches. I thought I had leveled it all out pretty good, but there are a few areas that look like pinholes but is actually deep orange peel, I think. See the pics below for details. I probably could go back over this and wet sand some more, but again I was afraid of burning through the clear coat. I do have just under half a gallon of clear left over, but I don't think its enough to do a "Flow Coat" over the entire car... and I no longer have the garage set up as a paint booth, so I dont think spraying another coat without getting A LOT of trash in it is optional.
So my here's question.... Since it has set for about 5 - 6 months, what should I do to try and get out the little pin hole-like orange peel? Do I wet sand more..., get a polish with more cutting grit, or respray the areas that are like this? I know that it has aleast cured and hardenend lol...
So my here's question.... Since it has set for about 5 - 6 months, what should I do to try and get out the little pin hole-like orange peel? Do I wet sand more..., get a polish with more cutting grit, or respray the areas that are like this? I know that it has aleast cured and hardenend lol...