This is what I do for painting in general. Where appropriate, I use flexible primer and paints. Use a respirator or charcoal filter when painting to avoid breathing the fumes and particles. They are hazardous to your health.

I started out by wet sanding the entire area that I was going to paint with 400 grit paper if the area was burned up followed up by the sun and 600. If the area was already in good shape I used 600 so that the new paint would stick properly. Getting a perfectly smooth surface is very important. Every part you wish to paint should have at least 600 over it. Do not use soapy water.

I use Duplicolor primer and Paint. Get the primer that most closely matches the color that you will be painting your car so that it will not be noticeable if your paint gets thin over time.

When you are getting ready to spray cover everything that you don’t want paint on. (glass, trim, tires, etc.) Seal it good with plenty of paper and tape. If there is a gap where overspray can get in, it will.

Painting – start with a thin coat then wait at least ten minutes to let it dry a little. This will help prevent runs later. Build the thickness up slowly waiting between passes. Do lots of coats rather than a few heavy ones.

The final coat is the one that will make the whole thing look good. Previous coats were to build the layer up. Each pass with the spray should blend with the previous one. The center of the spray has more volume hitting the surface than the edges so overlap each pass so that there is not a dry area between them. If the passes are too far apart there will be a drier area between them. This leads to the tiger striping effect that is a dead giveaway that something was painted with a can. The paint should flow (not run) on a very small scale before it starts to dry so that it all blends smoothly with the last pass.

Taking the tape off is a critical time in your project. Don’t wait until your paint is totally dry. It may peal paint off that you want to stay. I usually do it when the paint is still soft. Make sure that you don’t get anything into your new paint while you are doing it.

Avoid Windex in your paint room for days. – Tiny particles may remain in the air and it may cause the paint to not stick in certain areas. It would give the effect of little craters in your new paint.

Do your actual painting in the daytime not the evening or night. If the temperature and dew point are too close your paint will take too long to dry and it will run. Also make sure that it is not too cold when you are spraying. The can will tell you what the minimum temperature for application is.

After you are done the surface of your paint may not look perfect. It may have an orange peel like surface. Don’t worry about it yet. The paint may also glow rather than shine. I let my car sit for a month before I touched the paint again so that it could fully harden. Now is when you get the 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper. What you are trying to do is knock the tops off of the orange peel. This time soak the sandpaper in soapy water for several minutes and begin sanding to make your paint perfectly smooth. Be sure to keep the surface wet continuously any time you are wet sanding.

Be careful around edges and pronounced corners. - Do them last because you could sand through your new paint if you do too much. This is why you built up so many coats when you were painting. When it is all mirror smooth use rubbing compound and a good electric buffer to bring out the shine. Don’t push too hard or you could actually friction burn your new paint. After that wax it and go.