Allright guys, I know this doesn't look much different AND most/all of it won't be seen anyway, but all the pole repair/reinforcement is hidden and smoothed over. I'll go over the inside of the pole mount ears one more time just because I can't stand the "half-assed bodywork" look.
I'm finally happy with the nose and overall symmetry of the shape. And I got that left side wave straightened out too. I THINK I'm finally ready for high build (2k) primer.
WHEW!! All this sanding by hand! Got the hood sanded down, found a couple low spots right off the bat. Will fill those and maybe primer the hood tomorrow.
First round of block sanding is complete. The guide coat did it's job and we needed more than just spot putty. There was a large low spot towards the rear of the hood. The left side still had a several slightly low spots in a row. The nose also showed a couple HIGH spots that are actually just LOW in front and behind that area. The pole basically needed a full skim coat it was so bad.
And here are some more close-ups of a bunch of little areas that the black guide coat helped to bring out. This is what the guide coat is for.
As of last night all these areas are fixed and ready for another layer of filler primer.....then another round of blocking.... and THIS is why custom paint jobs cost THOUSANDS of dollars boys and girls! TONS of hours in prep work.
AaallllRIGHTY theN!!! Several hours of block sanding and filler later.......I've just finished up the last bit of filler work. I wanted to share with everybody how I get a super straight smooth finish.
Once you THINK everything is sanded and smooth, grab a flashlight and turn out the lights! Here is a pic of my light sitting on the left rear rail shining forward. And an area I added a bit more filler to that was a tad low still. You can see how a very light skim of filler stands out like a sore thumb. You want to go around the whole thing holding the light very close to the panels and letting it shine across the length of the panel. This REALLY helps find highs and lows that might NOT have shown up with guide coat.
Here are a couple tiny areas I wouldn't have otherwise seen. About 1/2 the size of a pinky fingernail.
The first is deep sanding scratches in the body line of the left hood side.
The other is a spot at down by the rail about center of the left side.
In the light both of these areas just DID NOT show themselves.
When I go around with my flashlight I use a pencil to circle the areas that I find. What I'll do is mark them with an 'A' if they need filler Added, and with 'X' if it needs sanded a bit more.
Here's a few more pics finding things with the flashlight. Just a tad more blocking out the filled areas and I'll be ready for filler primer AGAIN.
**Side Note** This flashlight method works great for finishing drywall mud work also.