Rep Power: 305

Hey all i was wondering since im painting my front grill i had a question aboout sanding... like after i pain it, wouldn't the clearcoat make it smooth? or do i still gotta paint, sand, paint, sand, then clearcoat just to get it smooth?

 
Rep Power: 321

i'd say let a shop handle it, but if you really want to DIY, you should sand it. make sure that you sand it down before you start painting it so that the paint will stick to the grill. i DIY'd my lip paint and the clear coat does make it shiny, but the paint will be rough if you dont sand between each coat.

 
Rep Power: 305

i cant let a shop do it, just becuase im not willing to pay 90+ dollars for a 40 dollar grill :/ all the shops here wanna rape me in fees... so yea i said nay. as for sanding it down before hand.... i just primed it well, shouldn't that be alright?

 
Rep Power: 321

nope, its not going to be alright. as soon as something hits it, the paint is going to chip. i know this because i didnt sand my lip before i primered it and there are chips everywhere. i need to redo it. and why are you having such a hard time find shops? how many have you asked for a quote from?

 
Rep Power: 305

ive asked for quotes, told them the lower prices of other shops, told them what i was willing to pay, tried to haggle, yet all of them here in nashville wanna give me the high prices. I have gone around about 14-16 body/paint shops.

I even asked some places how much if i provided the paint, and it all still came out to about 95(avg) dollars.

So then i just said screw it, and ordered the paint myself and decided to Do it myself

btw, i should not sand the clear coat right...

 
Rep Power: 0

Sand away on the clear coat, just do it lightly and let the paper (1200 grit at the point) do the work. Give the primer a quick once over with 400 grit (as long as everything looks good) and then hit it with 2-3 color coats with a light sand in between. Then 2-3 clear coats, again light sand in between coats. Its a pain but will come out really nice in the end.

 
Rep Power: 305

alrighty then... thanx guys... i will post up pics on how everything turns out

Edit 'finished guys':https://www.civicforums.com/forums/4...6k-warn-3.html