Hi, I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I'm painting a Maisto 1971 Chevelle SS. It started out as a blue SS 454. I'm painting it the original 1971 color "copper classic metallic". He's what I've done so far.
1. Completely disassemble the car.
2. Wet sand the whole body with 400 grit paper to remove the clear coat.
3. Grind off the hood pins.
4. Prime the hood with automotive primer.
Here's a link to some pictures:
http://www.picturetrail.com/ysr_racer
The pic's are in the last album called "CAR" and the password is hotrod.
