Here we go. IM just starting to do the car over. It has three coats of paint on it now. The last two coats have been red in color. The last one being a pearl coat finish. Now IM gonna do it right. It will have a inferno red color with possible ghost flames. My questions are simple to the experts of Team Chevelle. RUST...What is the best way to rid rust. Example. Rust around the door drip rails. Im thinking a wire brush but don't know what to use as filler. IM not sure if a wire brush is correct. Any suggestions. I also have the rust in the typical places. Rear fenderwells, quarter panels and so on and so on... Now my other big question. How far down should I sand the vehicle. With a couple coats of paint do I take it to bare metal, or what. Most importantly what grade of sandpaper should I use. I also plan on using an electric sander. Is this OK. This will be my first complete paint job. I want it to look good. I also want to be able to say I did it myself. Sorry about the novel guys. Thanks Don... smile.gif

Just a couple things from my experience,...I'm not a body guy.

Electric sander...likely won't cut it especially with there layers of paint. Either chemical strip it (less work, goopy mess, but fast) or get a DA air sander.

Look for media blasters in your area. $300 for bare metal from a plastic strip job is worth it.

Paper, good quality paper from a Car Paint store lasts a WHOLE lot longer than cheap paper.

If you go to metal, you need to spray etching primer.

Drip rails, need striped, and some kind of rust encapsulatir because hard to get every bit. Maybe spot sand blast.

No aerosol cans. Work on only what area you can strip and prime in a day.

Are you suggesting I go down to bare metal. :eek:

If you want it done right I would say yes bare metal. Its a great feeling to have knowing in the back of your mind that there are no old crappy layers of paint underneathe your new flashy paint job. Its more work and its going to cost you money either way. But atleast you'll know what is under your paint job. It also gives you a better chance to seal the metal against surface rust properly instead of relying on what someone else did many years ago.

if your not a body man dont bother to try and do it your self it just wont be right us bodymen gotta eat to

Sorry Storm...I have already started. I hired a body man about ten years ago. I still have a beer can ring on my roof from his beer. Seems he sat it down on my roof before the paint had dried. He also did a good job of hiding the rust. He did not remove it as he said he would. I just want to be able to say I did it. My daughter thinks IM crazy. I just got everything running great and now IM tearing it all apart. She wants to go to car shows next year. So there you have it. We will be at some local shows. Should be fun. I have taken the front end off. Removed the wiring. I have a new painless harness to install. Found some rust on the firewall that is hidden behind the fenders. Sounds like a great place to test my patch panel skills. What is the best way to stop rust dead in its tracks. I will cut out what I can. Thanks Don.

I didn't know all body men got drunk and did sloppy work...... :rolleyes:

Yeah, you want to take it to bare steel because with three paint jobs & three primer coats you would have to be real good to get it to come out straight. When you bring it to bare steel you are dealing with straight metal and it's allot easier to get good results. I'd strip the straight stuff and sand the bondo areas. Dig out your drip rail gutter sealer/putty and wire wheel it good and prime. Go back with some seam sealer there to replace the stuff you dug out. It takes twice as long as you thought it would but when your done you will have a great feeling of acomplishment and ready to find something else to paint.

Yes, stripping the car down to bare metal is a must . I did my 69 SS a few years back. I used the aircraft stripper in a gallon can from a good local auto. paint shop.Stripped the car down in a weekend with a little help from my son-in-law. Then sanded down any debris left that the stripper didnt get with sander and also by hand,then used all the same brand of stuff from then on (this is very important) in my case I used all PPG stuff. Then used metal wash on entire body, then a good epoxy primer,then do any other work on body at this time,in some cases you may need to use a primer surfacer also ,depending on having to do any body work or not, then you may use a primer sealer next just to seal everything up, followed by a lot of block sanding, and also using a guide coat.Be patient and make sure you take the time to do the block sanding and guide coating because this will really pay off (and look super straight) in the end. Also before spraying any primers,sealers paints,etc. be sure to blow of the entire car and use a wax and grease remover,(this removes any finger prints left on car also )then be sure to use a tack rag.I painted mine with PPG basecoat/clearcoat and it turned out great. If you have a good air compressor and some air tools this will greatly speed up the process.Take your time and ask any questions because you will be spending alot of time and money on this and you want everything to be right. Hope this helps. Mark