Just purchased a glass hood for my elcamino. am wondering how to prep hood before painting, grade of sand paper, etc.

All fiberglass hoods need some work to get them 'straight'. There's a layer of Gel-coat on top of the glass. It should be about 1/16" of an anch thick. Keep this in mind when blocking out the gel-coat. You must use a flat sanding board or block when sanding. A good 16" sanding board is the best. The longer the board, the straight the surface will end up. Auto-body supply shops have them as well as some well stocked auto parts stores. Buy the sand papaer to fit the board. You can also use a regular sanding block or a large (5 gallon-size) paint stick cut in 6" pieces for the smaller areas and curves in the hood. Start off with 120 grit. Once you have the surface as smooth as you can wothout going thru the gel-coat, See if you still have any big dips in the surface. If you do, it's time to use a filler such as EverCoat. Use the same method for smoothing the filler. Use light, long strokes. Too much pressure will cause waves, even though you think you're doing it quicker. Now, it's time to primer the hood. Use a good quality high-solids urethane two-part primer surfacer. A good heavy two coats will do. Now block sand the hood again starting with 180 grit. Once you think it's level, apply another coat of primer. Block sand again with 220. This should put you at the point where the surface should be flat providing all of the previous steps were done correctly. Next, get out a small rubber squeegee and 400 paper. Wet sand the entire surface a square ft at a time. Squeegee the surfce often, looking for sand scrathes. Once the whole hood is done, I suggest you apply one more light coat of primer and repeat the 400 sanding again. Always remember when sanding fiberglass to use a lighter hand when sanding. It flexes more than steel and it's easier to make it really wavey. Especially a hood. Take your time and don't try to rush anything. A slick, smooth finish is never a race. The more time and care you put into it, the better it come out. Good luck.

------------------
Triple Black 69 SS 396