What would be the best grit sandpaper for the body of my car? I'm probably just going to rattle can it to get one solid color on it. Also, what would be the best grit sandpaper to use for wheels?

 

All depends on how nice you want it to look. 2000 grit for somebody who really takes pride in their work. For rattlecan? I guess 1000 would be sufficient, maybe 800? I'm sure others would say even that's going overboard.

 

400 then 600 the body and start at 400 and work your way up to 2000 on the wheels

 

sandpaper for prepaint or post paint?

 

prep for paint you must follow the directions of the product you are using, some paints may say 600 grit, some may be 220-320. Use too coarse and you will have a very scratchy finish, use too fine and the paint wont adhere. You would NEVER use 2000 grit for paint prep.

Same goes for sanding and polishing, some paints you would sand with 1500 or finer, some would barely get the surface scratched with 1200.

 

Ok thanks guys I wasn't very sure. It doesn't have to look great I just want to rattle can it black and get the camo off. Also the wheels have a little pinkeft cause at some point somebody sprayed them pink and then white and you can still see the pink in places.

 

I don't believe that pink paint can be removed with any sort of sandpaper.
You'll probably have to use the hair from a My Little Pony to get it off.

 

I have a My Little Pony for sale. PM me if interested.

 

Send picsof My Little Pony to Mistertstyx69@Idon'tbelieveyou.com..lol!

 

oh man, this brings me back hehehe https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-non-technical-pictures-198/finished-my-%2430-paint-job-728009/

Seriously, if I'd spent a couple more hours and used better paint the car would have looked much better. Do yourself a favor and experiment on some spare panels first.

And don't go below ~250 grit or you'll have a hell of a time getting those scratches out.

Have fun and wear a respirator with the right cartridges.

 

Awesome thanks for the pics and advice.

 

pre: 320
good post: 1500-2000 (if any), rubbing compound, then swirl remover.
sucky post: Guessing you don't care about quality anyway. Start low (320-800) to remove the major flaws far more easily, then work up 1 step at a time as high as you want. I'd go for minimum effort since I don't see the point of a lousy job except to prevent rust.

 

That's kind of my goal. It is painted camofluage right now from the previous owner and its started to peel. I don't really have the money to get a good paint job or pay anyone, so I figured I would just do it myself until I could get the money to get it done right.

 

LMAO

 

hahahaha ^^

 

boby work and paint prep r 2 dif things paint prep 320 to 800 pre paint good post paint 1000 to 2000 to cut. bodywork can start as low as 36 and a BFH and go 40,80, 120,220 320.400and 600/800 .I have seen some rattle can jobs that look good from 10 ft away base color when dry hit with 800 wet tac it hit with cear!!!

 

I have to say, 320 or 400 would be a good place to start...but use a block or a sanding sponge. It'll never look right if you try and do it freehand.

if youre keeping it rattle can black, id say sanding afterwards is overkill, but you could hit it with 800-1000 if you really wanted to. It is spray paint after all.

I personally would probably use scotchbrite (red or gray) on the wheels. But thats just me. It would remove far more paint, and far less material than any sandpaper in the comparison IMO.