[jcruz]

I've been plugging away at my first resto for almost a year now. Some things have come together surprisingly well, and of course, some haven't.

To keep my sanity and momentum going, I NEED to wrap up the body work and get it painted. I'm shooting for this Fall, perhaps in October.

Despite all the time, sweat, and energy, when I look over my handiwork on the 1/4 panels, I'm somewhat dissapointed. I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET THEM COMPLETELY SMOOTH! One minute I think they're smooth -- can't feel any bumps, looks good under a certain light, and then I see them under different lighting conditions, and I see all kinds of bumps, low spots, small cracks, etc.

My goal is to restore it to driver status. So, I can live with some minor imperfections, but still want a quality paint job.

I guess what I don't know is how perfectly smooth do they need to be? Will high-build primer and paint cover a lot of blemishes? What techniques do you use to achieve a quality finish? How do you know when sections like the 1/4 panels are "good enough"?

Help!

John