How to prepare body before paint?

[PoR2GeEzCamry]

This late spring/early summer my 1989 camry will be going to get painted at maaco.(yes i know, its a cheap paint job, i want it painted but dont want to spend too much) Im going to prep the body myself before bringing it to maaco, so im asking all of you that have done it before or have experience in this type of thing to instruct me on what to do. Like what steps to do first and so on. Also should i sand the body or should i strip the paint? What grit do i use? This is the kind of stuff that i am asking you guys to instruct me on and the next steps you take after this. Please guys help me out, i dont want to spend too much on my body, i just want it to look respectable and clean. thanks guys.

[88 LE]

Originally posted by PoR2GeEzCamry
Should i sand the body or should i strip the paint? What grit do i use?

If the existing paint is in pretty good condition, just wetsand it with 400 grit wet / dry sandpaper.

Your not trying to take the paint off, just scuff it up.

[PoR2GeEzCamry]

so just scuff up the paint wet sanding with 400grit wet/dry sand paper? Also this might be a stupid question, but how do you "wet sand"? Do you just moistine the sand paper or is there something different you do?

[CamNub]

How much does a maaco paint job cost 500$? And what do u mean its cheap, is it really bad to get a cheap paint job if your on a budget?

[DrtySthV6SE]

Originally posted by PoR2GeEzCamry
so just scuff up the paint wet sanding with 400grit wet/dry sand paper? Also this might be a stupid question, but how do you "wet sand"? Do you just moistine the sand paper or is there something different you do?

just hold a hose and sand it as you wet your car, 400 grit is perfect, scuff it up GOOD, make sure it is rough or the paint will run or look fucked up

[woody]

If you can find a body repair supply shop, get some degreaser first. Clean the car completely with it.
Then, take scotchbrite (green pads) and use it to scuff the surface of your car. You don't need sandpaper for this because of the maaco paintjob. Make sure that there is NO shiny surfaces on the car where you are going to paint. (cover your trim and chrome, etc. with tape when you do this.)
If you have any rust repair, you have to do this, maaco charges lots extra for this.
They will mask you car, but they won't remove any trim when they paint. Logos stay on, wiper sprayers, mudflaps, etc. So, remove what you can. If it easily unbolts remove it yourself.
As for base-clear paint, it might be extra, but well worth it when painting over existing paint. The single stage paint that they use is more likely to dull out faster.
Umm, what color is the repaint going to be? Same color?

[PoR2GeEzCamry]

thanks guys, my car right now is the original dark blue from the factory, i have no idea what its called. Im thinking of painting it blue, but not the same blue, im thinking a different tone such as the new generation camry blue. Also i called them up and there stage 1 paint is $250 dollars and i really need a paint job because, i replaced my front fenders and right now they are primer black, rust is needing to be fixed and when its fixed i want i one color car. Also my hood has a lot of little imperfections, like where debris or something has hit and you can see it went throught the paint, and through the primer because there is rust in the middle of these little imperfections. what should i do about this, should i get a new hood?thanks

[woody]

You can sand the hood with 400 if it has a lot of rock chips or take some 40 grit (rough) and with the point of your finger, scrape the rust out of the chips. Then get some putty filler (a finishing filler) and dab little bits in the chips to seal it. Then sand it out with 240 then smooth with 400. If you don't use the 400 grit or more, you will see scratch marks in the final paint job.

[PoR2GeEzCamry]

so the hood doesnt need to be replace, ii just need to follow those procedure. Now when i sand the body should i do it by hand with the 3m sanding pad i have or should i use an electric sander? And when i get the car painted, i want them to also paint my bumpers (right now they are the stock blackish rubber look from the factory) andi also want them to paint the side moldings. Is there anything i shuld do to these peices to prepare them or do they just apply the paint over them as it is?

[88 LE]

Originally posted by PoR2GeEzCamry
Now when i sand the body should i do it by hand with the 3m sanding pad i have or should i use an electric sander?

By hand.

And when i get the car painted, i want them to also paint my bumpers (right now they are the stock blackish rubber look from the factory) andi also want them to paint the side moldings. Is there anything i shuld do to these peices to prepare them or do they just apply the paint over them as it is?

I'm not sure about prep work on the bumpers. Maybe someone else can answer that.

The bumpers are polyurethane, so make sure theres a flex agent mixed in with the paint. Otherwise the paint will crack.

[PoR2GeEzCamry]

thanks for the help guys. Anyone else here no what to do to prep the bumpers?

[woody]

You can scuff the bumpers with the scotchbrite pad as well, and degrease it too. Just make sure they are really clean, and silicone free. If you have ever used armor all on these parts, you got a lot of cleaning to do. Lots.
They will have to spray a plastic prep chemical on the bumpers when you take it in. make sure they do it, or the primer will flake off.

[PoR2GeEzCamry]

will maaco apply the plastic prep chemical? How much do they usually charge?

[woody]

I don't know, they will have to paint it just before they paint the primer so its not a coating that you can apply yourself.