[toddman67]

I would sand the original paint smooth not necessarily to the metal, but I would still use a primer sealer and sand that stage as well. The primer will fill in all the sand scratches and provide a nice base for the color. 400 grit wet sand.
I would block sand the base color w/600 grit wet sand as well and add more color as needed.
Then I would shoot several coats of clear for depth and allowance for sanding and micro finishing of the clear coat. I used Dupont 7500 clear on my lasy paint job and this stuff is awesome!
I am not a professional body man but this process has worked well for me.