I didn't black was so good at showing errors!

[Terry, NJ]

About an hour ago i finished shooting my coupe fender. WOW! The PPG enamel went on like a dream./ God! it looks good! Not a run or sag to be found! However, (There's always a However) Suddenly the fender is showing all sorts of small dents and other small imperfections. I'm sure if it were a lighter color, they wouldn't show so much. Over 60 Hrs, 5 coats of primer and Evercoat, Rage and there's still some stuff I missed. Dammit! I sure didn't see it when it was primer.
Terry

[flatford39]

Did you block sand it or just use your hand???

[wrndln]

I have learned to use a piece of ABS, 1/8" thick plastic (wont easily break) cut to about the size of a paint stiring stick and then wrap some 80 grit sandpaper around the ABS. The ABS will flex evenly and conform to the compound curves of a fender. I use it to X sand the filler. The fenders come out very nicely. Of course you should use a shrinking disc/heat and hammer & dollie to get the fender (or any sheetmetal) in good shape first before applying the filler.
Rusty Nelson

[Phil Brown]

Actually even white paint will show bad spots or missed areas really bad by shadowing really bad,so its not really any different bodywork for a "black car" vs "white car"
If your going to try and hide bad bodywork I think light tan color works the best

[Tinbasher]

Try using a "Guide coat" on the next panel. Right from the body work through to the last coat of primer. This will show you anything you've missed. You can buy it as a powder or just spray a contrasting colour of paint over the work. Just watch that you don't use a paint that will react with whatever your going to put over it.
John Poole

[Dollar Bill]

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I'm with Tinbasher, a guide coat is absolutely worthwhile.

Black is absolutely the most difficult color to paint. It's hard to see when applying and as you've discovered, it shows every surface flaw.

[Marshall V. Daut]

Learn to trust your hand. Run it flat over the surface you intend to paint. The palm is better than the fingers for this. If you feel a low or high spot, the eye will see it.
I use guide coats, too. In the long run, you save money and time by spraying a guide coat and then lightly sanding with a fine grit sandpaper attached to a sanding block. Shiny remaining spots mean high areas, darker shiny areas mean low spots. Repair accordingly.
Marshall.

[Terry, NJ]

The fender was a POS when I started! It had several Bumps from underneath when I started. Better a low spot than a high spot! I managed to get the actual "fender" part of a nice, smooth continuous arc/surface. That came out good! The problem came with the "Supporting" angle from the chassis to the fender, that's where all the glitches are and with 60+ hours on this nightmare, I ain't gonna restart it. I'll just live with it! But I'll know it's there. Also, I use different colors of primer for a guide coat, I alternate between light and dark. I now know that I should have gotten a better fender to start with. Live and learn!
Terry

[Marshall V. Daut]

But consider this, Terry - You saved an original fender that might have otherwise been carted off to the recycler. Also, look at the experience you gained! The next fender will be easier because you'll know what to do and what to avoid. Nobody is born knowing how to do this kind of work. Only experience and trial and error will teach you. You are richer for what you have gone through.
Marshall

[700rpm]

Use a soft cotton cloth, like an old t-shirt, under your hand as you pass it over the sheet metal. For some reason this increases the sensitivity of your touch and you will feel every ripple and bump. I also do this when inspecting a car to buy. It doesn't hurt the surface and it tells the truth.

[midgetracer]

Model A front fenders have to be the biggest challenge in body work. There is a mile of sheet metal in each one and it is all curved. The only part that I find harder is the cab back of a pickup.

[mike657894]

white paint has the best hide but is the worst to match black is the easiest to match but loves to show the flaws. primer does a great job of hiding flaws i was always a little confused on that.

[glenn in camino]

Something shrunk.

[Terry, NJ]

Thank God the weather's holding off. I can still paint and not get chilled or fried. The PPG shop Line paint seems easy to use. And yes, The H.F. "Purple Gun" seems to be doing a good job with the slight modifications (From You tube) A few Thousandths of an inch larger nozzle and slight enlargement of the small air ports, .020 - .025 seems to be working well. A slight increase in pressure at the gun to about 25lbs seems to have helped. It seems , from what I've heard, this gun likes pressure 20 - 25 lbs.
Marshall, I'm consoling myself with exactly that. I saved an original part! It's a California car so the rust issues are small. How did the fenders get so many dents from underneath?
Midget racer, I was wondering about that! In fact, I was trying to think of a bigger challenge. Try as I might, I couldn't come up with a more exposed part, with more arcs, and radii and curves and seam lines and I could not. Oh well, mine's not as bad as some I' ve seen and it's shiny!
Terry

[Marshall V. Daut]

"How did the fenders get so many dents from underneath?"
If your car had seen heavy-duty, year in/year out service as a farm vehicle, it probably picked up all those dents from rural gravel roads. Once the car was no longer new, the next generation or two of teenagers drove the heck out of the old $25 beaters and didn't worry about the effects caused by flying gravel underneath the fenders. That stuff is dangerous! Lots of pointy edges to create dents and dings @50mph. If there is a H*ll, I hope people who drove their cars like that in life would be sentenced throughout eternity to picking and pounding out all those thousands of little dents they caused that we're now doomed to repair!
Marshall