A few well-chosen tools will make the job easier and produce better results. There are hundreds of specialized tools for auto body work, some of them pretty expensive. The good news is that we don’t need anything fancy, and there are only a few things that you really need.
I usually buy tools because I need them for a specific project. When I’m trying to decide what to buy, I look at the options from piece-of-junk, I’m-throwing-this-away-soon quality to overbuilt, use-it-for-the-rest-of-your-life quality. People can be very opinionated about buy cheap vs. buy expensive. I try to think about
- how big the price difference between the options
- how much the quality difference will impact the results
- how much the tool will help me immediately
- and how much I’ll use the tool in the future
My point is that I initially bought a couple cheapie sanding blocks. After spending some time using them, I went to an auto body shop (Wesco) and spent a little money on good quality sanding blocks (and paper). The results were way better with the higher quality blocks and paper, and they were only a few bucks more. Even though I don’t use them everyday, my advice here is to buy some decent sanding blocks!
Hand Tools
Here’s the collection of sanding blocks that I found most useful and produced the best results for prep work. (I have another collection of blocks for wet sanding.)
Long Board
The long board is great for leveling large areas.
Medium Board
There are places where the long board is just too big to be effective. Edges and curves in a panel will help you decide when to use the medium board.
Short Board
There always seem to be spots that need a small block.
Power Tools and Attachments
Sample of useful power tools for surface preparation
Drill
It doesn’t matter if it has a cord or a battery. I found a couple different attachments useful for removing paint, along with an “eraser” wheel that worked wonders on adhesive left behind from some removed trim. Do your eyes and lungs a favor when your are tearing paint off your rig: Use safety glasses and a dust mask!
Abrasive Pads
These attachments are made out of a material that is basically a Scotchbrite pad. I tried a couple of these to remove paint and eventually gave up. However, they did work pretty well for scuffing glossy surfaces to give primer or paint something to grab on to.
Wire Wheels
Wire Wheels are usually made out of brass or stainless steel. You can find wheels that have wire that is attached in a radial pattern or at a slight angle to the chuck, in the shape of cup. I used the more aggressive stainless steel wheels shaped like a cup because I found it was faster, especially on a fender that had been repainted improperly and was badly cracking. I did use the “radial” wheels for body line creases.
Orbitals
An orbital polisher/sander with a course sanding pad removes paint fast. Don’t use one unless you want to remove quite a bit of material! If you have a decent compressor, you can pickup a pneumatic sander cheap. But if you don’t have the air supply, a variable speed electric polisher/sander is a great choice. You’ll need a polisher for the final buff-out.
