Auto body repair & detailing: sanding primer, paint stick, stone chips

Question
hello rich. my question to you is this. i recieved a car from a friend that had the body work done somewhere else. it dose not look to bad but the car is all in primer. i sanded it with 600 grit but still could'nt really tell how good the bodywork was.it seemed ok but i still could;nt see the way it would look untill i wet sanded it with 1200 grit which made it so shinny it could have past for a paint job.now i could see it as if it was painted and found some body work which will have to be redone.my question to you is can i paint it or should i reprimer the car after all body work is complete.the 1200 sure made it easy to see all minor repairs that i would not have caught due to the fact i was almost looking at it as if it was all ready painted due to the great shine.will the paint stick to the car in this stage.thanks,ron

Answer
Hey Ron! I would consider blocking the entire car by hand with a long sanding block or hand file board  with some 220 on it. Re-prime the entire car, then wet sanding it with 600. The paint, or primer for that matter, won't get a good tooth over 1200 grit sand scratches. Blocking is just plain a good idea, especially if you didn't do the work, and found some things you weren't satisfied with. Even after sanding with 1200, you won't see every wave or imperfection, like dished areas where they may have sanded out stone chips. These will leave a low spot in the paint, one you will probably see- especially if the car is painted a dark color. If the car is something special or you intend to do a show vehicle I would consider spraying the car with a coat of black paint before proceeding with the paint job. Maybe even just a heavy coat of basecoat black, something to give it that mirror shine black give off- even if only  temporarily. If it looks good in black, it will look good any color. Bill