Bodywork Question

[Jim]

Well,I'm Finally close to putting some color on the Chevelle,I put quarters on(83inches of weld),patch panels on the fenders and fixed 36 years of dings.I want to insure everything is as straight as I can get it,I used a 10 in sanding block on the flats and a 1 in. thick piece of rubber foam but,what can I use on the rounded areas?I sprayed a guide coat of contrasting primer,It looks good to me but,I want to be certain before shoot it.Any tips to check my work ?thanks,jim

 

[MPAVLAS]

HAVE 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE WORKING IN A COLLISION CENTER AND 23 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THROUGH MY FATHER, THE CONTRASTING PRIMER METHOD IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO CHECK YOUR WORK. FOR ROUNDED AREAS POINTING A WAY FROM YOU YOU CAN USE PVC PIPE DIFFERENT SIZES WILL FIT DIFFERENT NEEDS....FOR ROUNDED AREAS FACING YOU A LONG SOFT BLOCK IS YOUR BEST BET BUT ITWILL STILL REQUIRE YOUR SKILLS AND PAYING ATTENTION BUT THE GUIDE COAT WILL LET YOU KNOW YOUR MISTAKES THE BEST

 

[rex]

Gettin down to the fun part aren't we buddy.MP had some good ones.One thing I used alot of was a good straight paintstick.If I was doing rough cutting I'd put one layer of 40 or 80grit on.When I started to get into the finer papers with lighter backing paper I'd wrap a few layers for cushion to avoid dig tracks.I liked to wrap a 1/2 of a 9x11 sheet on a stick cut to 9".You can bow it a little by pushing down on the ends and keeping some pressure in the center but the tube is best for convave areas.When you're down to the final fine sanding right before basing I like the soft foam handpads.These work good on areas that are completely round like the corners of the roof As long as you don't bear down on it you basically have a small block.

 

[ckoski]

when you think you have it good, try wetsanding the areas you are concerned about, then get it wet, stand back and look down the sides, anything other than straight will stick out!

 

[Jim]

Thanks for the quick replys!I think it's ready to go ,my last sanding was with 400 but,just wanted some ideas,When it's wet,it looks pretty good to me but,I know I'm gonna miss something.Maybe I should be sober when I look again Huh?Thanks again,Jim

 

[rex]

NO,NO,not sober!A few beers and you'll see the stuff you normally don't

There's an old saying,when it's sanded and ready,walk around it again to double check.I guarantee you'll find at least one spot in 2 checks.The water check is always a good quick check as long as water isn't flowing off the panel creating illusions.I put my prep solvent on out of a 'sure shot' sprayer and you can wet it evenly and look across the surface to double check,I look anyway to see the amount of contaminants it's lifting so I know if I should wipe it down another time.

 

[Jim]

Thanks Guys,I used a paint stick (a thick one) and I didn't have PVC so,I used a couple of hard plastic bottles I had,both ideas worked great,I put on another guide coat and found and fixed alot of spots I would of otherwise missed,thanks for the great tips!!!!!!!!!!