Light wet sanding

[JerZeyStangz]

I figured this is the best place to post this question because we all have 10-20yr old paint jobs. Has anyone wet sanded with 1500-2000 grit sand paper on their car, and was it a metallic single stage paint job like mine?!? One of things that always held me back when detailing for the spring/summer is wetsanding problematic areas. Our ford paint jobs are thin correct, or should I pass on this idea?

 

[CC'S95GT]

If you still have the stock paint, you don't have single stage paint. You either have 2 or a 3 stage paint including the clearcoat top coat.To verify this yourself, take your 1500/2000 grit paper and in a place NOT in plane sight lightly sand (in a straight line) a 3" spot. Is the dust white or your paint color? If it's white, that proves you have a clear coat on top. If the dust is body color, then you have some other type of paint, ie: old school laquer or enamel.You can wetsand any of those type of paint jobs. And YES the factory clearcoat is very thin.Why do you think you need to wet sand the car?

 

[Saint]

Honestly I'd leave it alone. You can end up trashing your paint job. Just be patient and get the thing re-painted one day

 

[JRad405]

^+1 on that.

 

[JerZeyStangz]

Your right its 2 stage, clear coat and base coat. Yeah the car is so old that I'll just stick to polishing until I can afford to get it repainted.

 

[justinschmidt1]

Ive done it and burned through on the stock clear coat. After 10-15 years that shit is THIN.

Ive worked as a professional detailer and wetsanded hundreds of cars so I know what im doing.

I was using 2000 grit as well.

If I were you I would just grab a porter cable and polish it up. Wetsanding should only be used on thick after market clear IMO. Stock clear coats are just way too thin on these cars.

 

[JerZeyStangz]

Ive done it and burned through on the stock clear coat. After 10-15 years that shit is THIN.

Ive worked as a professional detailer and wetsanded hundreds of cars so I know what im doing.

I was using 2000 grit as well.

If I were you I would just grab a porter cable and polish it up. Wetsanding should only be used on thick after market clear IMO. Stock clear coats are just way too thin on these cars.

Heck yeah, thanks this is exactly what I needed to know. Call me suspicious, i'm not a master detailing more like intermediate lol...but just looking at the clear on this car looks thin. Especially on the top portion for example, roof, hood, trunk deck.

 

[96TANGERINEGT]

2000 is good but like justin said u can burn it quick , talk to a local body shop and see what they recomend

 

[2v_takeover]

Is your paint really bad? Maybe just try to polish it as good as you can. If you happen to be really happy with the results, buy some optimum opti-coat v2. New clearcoat for your car basically. But it is rather permanent, so make sure the paint is looking really nice before you apply that stuff.

 

[JerZeyStangz]

Nah the paint is not bad at all. People say it looks like glass, but when your a perfectionist you know that the age of the paint is really thin to work with.