primer/paint

Ok so I started out replacing the steering head bearings and have moved all the way down to the brakes.I just could nt do the one thing! As my mind went into the what if mode. well heres my questions.

What is the best way to block the gas cap hole and the pet cock off to keep them safe as I am sand blasting the rear,front fenders and the gas tank. Rear fender is already done..

Also im thinking of the colors red or smoked grey for the colors,so should I use red primer with red and grey primer with grey? or does it matter.

finally do I sand the primer coat like The paint coat. with 400,800,then 1100 to get the primer preped. I know this is a lot of questions, but believe me I only want to do this once. Thanx to any and all responses I get on this thread.


Ridz safe! Ridz 8)

 

I can answer a couple of your questions, I believe.

For the blocking of the petcock, I just cut out a piece of sheetmetal, rounded it off on the edges, drilled some holes and sealed it up with some liquid electric tape (just in case there was some gas left in the motor - and because i knew it would be easy to take off...).

Using grey primer on grey paint and red primer on red paint is not pointless. But if it means masking off areas of the same part in order to get it all the same than it's really not worth it.
If you're using spraycans than sure, spray the parts individually - but if you have to spend money on different primers for a gun... Just go all Grey. The red will cover it just fine.

If you sand your primer nice and smooth it will def make your paintjob look great. I sanded the primer with an 800 wet paper before I painted the base coat.
I wouldn't go all the way to 1100 grit because the paint still needs something to stick to - but the pro painters on here can correct me if I'm wrong.

Don't forget the wax and grease remover... you have to remove the cleaner (as you put it on) with another clean cloth - before it dries.

Here's what I got out of my shed (that acts as a woodshop when it's not a paintbooth):


I gathered this info from a local paint shop as well as from people here on this forum before doing my homejob (check out my gallery for the results).

Hope it helps!

 

When I did my tank with rattle cans, I wet sanded after the first coat to see where the high spots were with 600 grit. Then I sanded with 1000 and 1500 grit between clear coats. I ended up with 8 coats of clear before I was happy with the finish. I wanted to make the edges of the flames and pinstriping were smooth.