69 Impala: Body Work

[Anavel]

I'm somewhat new to doing body work and would like to know how to strip down the old paint and such on the car.

The paint is peeling at several places through out the car (looks like someone just painted over the first layer of paint) and the car has some rust spots too.

Would it be best to sand the car to bare metal? If so what grit of sand paper should I use? What tools are preferred/needed?

Also how do I remove the moldings on the sides of the body?

So far these are the steps I know of.

1) Sand
2) Add fillers to dents
3) Sand filled areas until smooth & even
4) Add primer (how many coats of primer?)

Thanks.

[bobss396]

Hit your local book store and try to find a basic body work book. Petersen Publishing used to make a good one years back.

Be prepared to pick up about $100 in assorted supplies, not counting sanders and an electric drill. You don't necessarily have to go to bare metal unless you're dealing with rust. Use a good primer, Duplicolor in the spray cans is nice stuff. You may want to go to a jamb type gun and a compressor and use real body shop type primer for big areas. You will also need some spot type putty when you get into sanding the primer.

These are the bare bones basics but along with a good book, you should be off to a good start.