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Well into the paint now!

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simon1966

simon1966

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I really have no idea what it takes to get a great paint job, so am happy to post the latest update photos from this week. Things are coming along. I thought, somewhat naively that the car would be completed soon. I asked Kaye at Fourintune when I should expect it to be done. Tom's response was "It will be done when it is done" was perfect :encouragement: we are guessing some time in November.

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You know that old joke about why divorce cost so much .... because it's worth it? Paint jobs are the same way. I did all the bodywork, priming and sanding on my Healey before taking it to a pro to shoot the basecoat/clearcoat. You can't imagine how much handwork and time goes into a good quality paint job. You spend many hours putting on primer, filling in imperfections and sanding it smooth. You might do this 4 or 5 times on a pro quality paint job and most of the sanding is done by hand, not by machine. I'll be doing the same thing with my louvered hood and I can assure you I'm really not looking forward to sanding between all those sharp-edged louvers:

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"... I'm really not looking forward to sanding between all those sharp-edged louvers"

Wish I could offers some time/energy-saving tips, but, nope.
 
One of the responses on the hot rod forum suggested smoothing the metal's edges to avoid getting cut. But beyond that, you want to smooth those edges to improve the paint job.

Paint won't stick well to sharp edges and burrs. You'll get much poorer adhesion and film build. It will never look its best and will be the first place that the finish will fail.

As for machine sanding verses hand, you want to use machines as much as possible. Machines are far more consistent than human hand can ever possibly be. There will always be nooks and crannies where you simply can't use a machine. But everywhere else, the machine will give you best quality finish when used with an emphasis on skill and precision.

For hose tight spaces, you can use foam and rubber sanding blocks to avoid the inconsistent pressure of your fingers. They can also be cut and sculpted to match the specific contours of your project.

The abrasive themselves also come foam-backed to improve contour sanding. Meguiar's, 3M, Mirka, Norton and others all make foam-backed abrasives.
 
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