This is my first attempt at painting a car (1980 MGB). Below the introduction I am listing what I think I need to do and would like some input confirming or correcting my intended procedures. INTRO-I used NAPA / Matin Seynor products. I took it down to bare metal, repaired the bad areas with new metal or bondo. I Primed it with an epoxy primer then 2 coats of FP410 HS Urethane Primer, Sanded it, then a coat of FS512 Primer sealer. Then the base coat using martin Synor Pro/Base paint with Pro/Base PB2203 reducer. Clear coat is FC720 Overall Clear coat and FH612 Hardener. The car is on a rotisserie with the hood, trunk lid, doors and front fenders off the car. I painted the base coat and clear coat panel by panel. Some came out OK. But it seems that the pieces that I put on a lot of clear coat gave me a lot of runs. The pieces that I don't think I have enough clear coat dont have runs but a lot of clear coat. Now to cut and buff stage. I started with 1,000 grit paper using a flexible foam and a durablock sanding blocks. I have enough sand thru's on two panels that I think I need to respray. I am pretty certain that my sand thru's are not becasue of over agressive sanding. I think my clear coat is just too darn thin and should have been applied with more coats. What I think I need to do:
1) Spray some primer on the sand thru's. I broke the clear coat and in some areas I broke thru the color but I did not break thru the primer. No bare metal. Think I should put some primer down as insurance?
2) Sand the panel again using 1,000 grit to put a tooth the remaining clear coat.
3) Respray the entire panel with base coat to get an even color over the entire panel
4) Respray clear coat - probably three coats this time

Does that look like the proper way to do this?

Am I correct, I can spray base coat over clear coat but I can not spray clear coat over clear? I guess I should add that I painted the clear coat last spring and set the project aside over the summer until now.

Thanks in Advance for your assistance and help.

Jim

first what color are we working with is it a solid or metatic? i don't know where to start. the first problem you had was the clear running after to many coats. what was your wait time between coats? you should be able to touch the previous coat with your finger and have it be just tacky, for a beginner a slightly dry tackiness. same with the next coats. now your sanding the runs off? you can't sand runs off with 1000 grit you need something heavier first to cut the runs off, 400 - 600 wet. on a HARD block. runs are hard to deal with its just a fact of life. it really depends on how bad they are ther are several ways to attack them. getting ready to recoat. spot prime all the sand throughs
#2- i would sand with 600-800
#3- yes you can shoot the complete panel if you want.
#4- if you plan to cut and buff apply 3 coats med wet coats and remember the wait time.
yes you can spray base over properly prepared clear coat sanded with 600-800
yes you CAN spray clear over properly prepared clear 600-800
the color is going to have a huge effect on what i said if it is metalic.
it was kind of hard for my old mind to follow some of this, i may have missed something. feel free to ask more questions.
Jay D.

Thanks basis for early reply. Color is a solid, dark red. When applying the clear coats I waited the time specified in the data sheet plus maybe a minute or 2. I blame the runs on operator error. Just bad technique and I will need to practice some more. To remove the runs I start with a razor blade and carefully scrape the run down. I think I actually did that pretty well. But I only have done two of them so far on the panel that I already decided must be redone. I will sand it with 600 grit and redo the panel. But first I'm going to clear coat some scrap pieces for practice.

THERE YOU GO!!!! smart idea, practice some and get the feel of the gun and gun set up. What's the temperature where your spraying?
Jay D.