I've never primered a car before and I want to make sure I do it right the first time. What are the proper procedures needed to hand sand my 7? What kind of paper do I need? What about filler? Gah....

 

try and google paint forums?? they can give you advice based on the condition of the paint already on the car (original paint) and what you will need as far as paper and how to sand.

 

i used a rough grit 400- 800 to get the paint off mine i wouldnt use more than 800 as itll make big scars in the body 400 or 600 works good and is easy on the body it just takes longer then use a fine grit 220 works good to make everything smooth if any metal is showing make sure to use etcher sealer to prevent rust. any inperfections not removed from the sanding should be covered up smoothly by the primer. btw use a compressor to blow off the sandpaper evry once and a while itll make the paper last longer and save ya some money wet sand the rpimer if ur wanting it super smooth but is almost pointless unless ur wanting it perfect if ya have any question pm me i am a college grad in body work

 

btw way get u a nice sanding block makes things alot easier and leaves a nice smooth finish

 

Wait, the bigger the number the finer the sandpaper right? So why do you say never use MORE than 800 because it'll scar the body?

 

^^ ur right but you want to use a rougher paper at first to strip the clearcoat/paint. id say 450-550. Then wet sand it with id say 800ish, then primer. Then youll see any deep scars/holes that need to be filled and then touch them up. sand with 800 primer again and wet sand with 800-1000 grit if you want it to be super baby bottem smooth. Then you can lay on the paint. from there i think you should know what to do.

 

If I was starting from scratch I would first test to see how thick the paint is. If its between 12-14mils then you are going to have to sand it down alot. If the thickness is fine then I say start with 320.

320 is a good base to take clear and base off.If you use something higher than 320 it will take longer to sand as the paper will gum up. If you use lower grit it will work fast but run over with 320 at least. after the 320 I would use a 400 just to run over it fast nothing fancy. Then shoot 3 coats of primer.

After spraying the primer use "guide coat" or a black spray paint on top of the primer. This will help you find low spots or pits in the primer when you start to sand. Use anything higher than 400 by hand to sand the primer. I would stop at anything higher that 600 grit. Base coat can usually cover the scratches from there.

Remember if you let the car sit for more than 24hrs before paint then re-scuff the car with the last grit you used on the primer.

thats just what I would do.