[1963-Impala-SS]

Does anyone know anything about wet-sanding with high grit (1500 grit or higher) paper to get rid slight imperfections or orange peel? I've heard/read that you can do this for a mirror finish, but I'm afraid of taking too much of the topcoat/clearcoat off and completely screwing the paint up. I'm sure it's alot of trial and error, but it's the error part that scares me....Anyone have experience with this?

 

[77Impala]

Do you know how many clear coats it has? If three or more then yes you can. I have used high speed buffers with polishing componds on paint before with great results. These are generaly easier on the paint then the wet sanding. Keep the polisher moving, don't let it sit in one spot or you will "burn" the paint.

If your's only has one coat then I would use a good quality wax and leave it alone.

 

[impaladreamer_30]

if im not mistaken, don't all cars come with a orange peel look from factory?

anywho, if u don't know how many coats and ur worrined about messing up, then you should let a professional do it .... at least you can blame them for the mistake and then you can let them fix it at no extra charge

 

[SWIFT SS]

The key here is knowing how many clear coats you have on your paint job..... Some professionals will not take a job like this for the lack of knowledge on how many coats it has... And even if you have this info they don't want to take the risk of " burning" through!! If its a little spot you want to fix, my best bet would be to start with 2500 grit,, and see if that gets rid of the orange peel,, if not carefully work your way down,,, 2000,,1800 and so forth,,,

 

[jakeaw87]

If its a little spot you want to fix, my best bet would be to start with 2500 grit,, and see if that gets rid of the orange peel,, if not carefully work your way down,,, 2000,,1800 and so forth,,,

no... don't ever work your way down, this is a bad way to finish sand. If you have no experience with this, I wouldn't recommend starting on something that you can't refinish (repaint). 1500 should be used for taking out small runs or a first sand just after being painted when you know how many coats of clear are on the car, not orange peel. orange peel is a natural paint reaction and 99% of vehicles come from the factory with it in them. if you want to sand some imperfections out i would recommend a soft sanding block (dont use your hand) and some 2500. use lots of soapy water so you don't get ANY sand between the block and the paint. once you are done sanding out the impurity use a buffer with some polishing compound. If you don't have any of this equipment, and don't intend to use it a lot, you might be better off going to your local body shop and asking them to take care of the problem if it is only a small imperfection you are looking to handle.