Man o man, you gotta be VERY careful if you are going to put an angle grinder to your truck. The big problem with an angle grinder is that it only spins in one fixed motion, that's to say that if you hold the sander(angle grinder) in one spot for even a secodn you will dig (sand, grind, etc) a huge pit in the body. Simply because they spin so fast and only in one motion makes this happen. It will usually happen on the outer edge of the sanding disk, this is where the disk spins the fastest and the edge of material just wants to bite in!.
Get a D/A wich means Dual action sander. This is not an orbital sander. It is a spinning and orbital in one tool. IT spins one direction(counterclockwise) while it orbits in another direction(clockwise). This strange sounding motion allows you to use the sander without fear of biting into the bodywork.
I have a craftsman da that I bought rebuilt at the SEARS repair center for $40. IT was a $120 tool then. I'm sure there is a sears repair center near you. They sell all kinds of great rebuilt tools, I have a few and all have performed very well for me.
My da is electric, you can get air powered as weel, all about what set up you have/need.
The da's all have differnt ways of attaching sandpaper(buffers, etc). Some are sticky pads, some are velcro. You can get anywhere from 24 grit all the way to 400 or higher for the DA.
a word of advice, all powered sanders will be prone to making high and low spots. as the sander goes over the surface, it will pretty much mimic the surface below it. if it's wavy gravy you'll end up with the same. I don't know what kind of finish you are looking for, but if you want it smooth as glass, then you will need to hand sand WITH A BLOCK.
Invest in some good sandpaper and a long block and it will bring those high spots down in no time. you can get special paints that dry incredibly fast that are called guide coats. you spray a contrasting color of a guide coat over your work, and as you block sand it will hit the high spots first, leaving you with low spots that still have that guide coat on them. hit them with some body filler, spot putty, or glazing(your choice) and guide coat it again till you get it right. But again, this method will bring you a show car glass finish. IT does take lots of effort and time, but is usually well worth it.
You can go to your local auto-body supply store and they should be able help you figure out which tools and supplies to best help you out.
Oh and remember flat paint hides the imperfectiosn, glossy brings them out!
|M|
