[Dontsleeponit]

Originally Posted by Asphalt Rocket

The peel is in both, my friends paint shop we wetsand each coat of paint as he goes along. Yes you have to wet sand when finished to remove the peel. That is why he puts alot of coats of clear on so there is enough to remove safely to get a flat surface.

asphalt, is that because your friend is working with hand sprayed paint jobs he does, or is factory paint like this as well? That guys car from the thread I posted looked almost orange peel free in his pics, and he just wet sanded the clear.

[Nica]

Originally Posted by Dontsleeponit

Nica I wondered the same thing about orange peel. Is it in the paint (would need color sanding) or is it in the clear (just wet sanding). Im guessing it could be both, but with todays painting techniques its leaning towards mostly in the clear.

I know you have a paint gauge, have you ever worked on a GTO? Know anyone that can has and comment on the clear coat thickness/hardness?

I know there is a thread on the gto forum somewhere about someone using a paint gauge on one, I want to find it so you can see it and tell me what you think about the numbers.

Sorry Dontsleeponit I haven't detailed a GTO just yet

Originally Posted by Dontsleeponit

Here it is...
LS1GTO.com Forums - GTO Factory paint thickness (we measured)

between 5 and 6 mil thickness. But does that mean just the clear or is that paint and clear? Would you guys consider this thin?
Quote from the post: "Some factory vehicles arrive with as little as 3.5 mils thickness while others may have as much as 7-9 mils or more. Usually vehicles will arrive between 5-6 mil range." You see how inconsistent the paint jobs are? Mine came out extra sucky.

That test was done by tropi-care, a detailing product company who is a sponsor on that forum.

Well I haven't gauged many vehicles my self, but I'm used to hearing 7 to 9 mils is the norm I know my Lexus has an average of 8 to 9 mils

Originally Posted by Asphalt Rocket

The peel is in both, my friends paint shop we wetsand each coat of paint as he goes along. Yes you have to wet sand when finished to remove the peel. That is why he puts alot of coats of clear on so there is enough to remove safely to get a flat surface.

I'm honestly not a 100% on the paint having orange peal I'll have to ask my friend...I'll be heading down to his shop on Friday and I'll try to take pictures for you guys to see what goodies he has in his shop

Oh and yes my friend also was telling me that he puts at leat two coats of clear coat on vehicles he works on...I wonder how many coat can you put on a vehicle...I know show vehicles have a generous amount of clearcoat but I wonder how much..

[Asphalt Rocket]

It would be both.

[Asphalt Rocket]

Nica, yes the color does lay flatter. He still wet sands each coat to make sure everything is completely flat. You can put as many as you want, but after awhile it will cloud. Also he sands inbetween each coat of clear, I have seen him put down about 8 coats of clear on show cars, alot less on race cars because of weight. Some show cars he has put more.
I have to agree with you about finding a good bodyshop, there really isnt that many its all about quanity because of the insurance jobs they do, plus people are as picky as we are. As long as they get the vehicle back and it looks close to what it was to begin with they seem to be o.k. with it.

[sneek]

GREAT JOB ON WETSANDING THAT GTO
jkjkjkjk haha


I would highly recommend against this. Your factory clear is thin to start with. If you sand it down you will be loosing a measurable amount of clear. IIRC the UV protection that the clear gives the paint below it is in the top portion of the clear. don't do it unless you are prepared to get it resprayed.

Since it is your own car, you pretty much have unlimited time to work on it. I wouldn't go much more aggressive than 2500 if I was going to do it. 2500 or 3000. If you used 3000 grit it might take a while to do it. Sand in one direction. Straight sanding marks are easier to remove than X sanding marks. On show cars they usually spray on a few extra coats of clear so you can safely level it like Asphalt rocket said. Be very careful doing this if you do. It is worth investing in a Wet Wedge (water fed block) and some unigrit/Nikken papers. Also remember that you should NEVER sand anywhere you cannot get a polisher into safely. All too often you read about someone sanding under their door handle or something crazy like that. 8-10 strokes squeegee and inspect. There is a reason why they makr the paper so fine. It is so you can remove only as much clear as necessary. If you do choose to wetsand it, only use a bucket to soak your papers. (use Meguiar's #00 for lube). Use a spray bottle with a M00 and water solution to wet the surface.

It is really hard for me to explain how dangerous this is through a keyboard. There are pros out there that will do it for you, but I would just say....DONT DO IT...but if you don't listen to me, be careful!

[Dontsleeponit]

Lots of good info from everyone, much appreciated.

I am seriously not considering doing this to my own car, at least not anytime soon

Just from seeing the results that guy got, it got me thinking... but I guess Id rather have clear coat integrity.

[FMINUS]

I dont think its worth it either, I have MASSIVE OP on my Bimmers and the Bimmers I have worked on. If you simply polish correctly, it still brings out an awesome reflection!

IF a flawless finish is what you are looking for and if you are planning to dump the car after 2-3 years, SAND THAT SUCKER!

Otherwise I would just leave it.

This makes me want to sand my M5. I know Im going to dump it when the new one comes out.

[pirex]

Don`t think I would sand it, not worth the risk and time used. Buy a audi next time, never had OP on my cars

[Tonya]

Originally Posted by Dontsleeponit

Lots of good info from everyone, much appreciated.

I am seriously not considering doing this to my own car, at least not anytime soon

Just from seeing the results that guy got, it got me thinking... but I guess Id rather have clear coat integrity.

Joe you had me worried! Don't do it You don't want to be using this guy anytime soon hehehehehhe

[Dontsleeponit]

Honestly if I had a car that had a known good amount of clear coat, I would go for it after some practice panels.

I would start off on the wing, I could always go spoiler-less if I screwed up lol