Paint Job Prep?!?

i have a 66 and i am beginning the prep for it. I am using grade 400 wet sandpaper to get the paint off. when i sand, i sand in the same direction (that is the length of the car). am i doing this right?

should i go all the way to the metal and then prime it or should i leave as much primer on as possible? even with that old of a primer should i still leave it on? what type off primer should i use to fill in the spots that need it? and lastly what in the heck does feathering mean? (something to do with painting the car?)

What are is the state of your body and paint? Is the paint just faded or is thier some rust on the body? Once you give me some more info I can give answer ya questions better.

it has just a little bit of surface rust on it. pretty much just oxidation. there really is barely any rust on it. the paint on it is the original paint so it is abou 38 years old. the paint is peeling in a few places like on the bumpers. the paint is in pretty good condition in some places. the wet sanding seems to be working pretty well. i got down to the first coat of the primer and stopped becasue i was confused on what to do. i hope i gave u enough info so you can help me

i forgot to mention the state of the body. the body is in great condition. there is one dent about an inch in diameter on the hood and another one about the size of a quarter on the passengers side door. apart from those dings there is nothing wrong with the body. not even any serious rust.

Feathering, is sanding out a small dent, ridge, or imperfections in the paint, so you cannot tell its there.

If you have a lot of imperfections in the paint, I would go down to 320. In fact I would not use 400, it will make the paint or primer too smooth. Paint needs something to hold on to, if you paint a completely smooth surface, the paint will flake.

I would try not to go down to the metal, but if you do. You will need a self etching(sp) primer to bond with the metal, to prevent it from rusting.

When I paint a car, I start with 240, then go up to 320.

Everyone has a little different way to paint. I have talked to a bunch of guys that paint cars for a living. And they all seem to have a different method. When it comes down to it, its just time, and being a perfectionist to get a great paint job.

Ok well obviously were you have rust you need to take it down to bare metal and treat that rust before you even paint it. Also like Skyline said 400 wet sanding is kinda light for what you doing. I would have started much more agressive dry. When you go to spray the car with primer scuff the whole car with a grey scotchbrite pad to give the paint something physical to ashere to. Now wether you take it to metal all the way or just down to primer is a decision you have to make. Now usually it's not a problem but you can't always guarantee that the primer you spray next is going to adhere to the old primer and paint your.

Although more expensive than self-etching I swear by expoy primers. Exopy primers cost more but they allow you to be a lot lazier in your body work and that shit basically sticks to anything also it's a good sealer. It's the best primer for the job you are doing where some old paint and primer are left.