Technical sanding body panels

Any tips on sanding a car body? Rear quarters, molded headlights? Do you go up and down or lengthways? Headlights , how do you do rounded parts? Guide coats help, but still frustrated. Working on 54 chevy car. Rear quarters are a bitch. Any tips will help. Thanks

 

I sand at a 30 degree angle one way, and then 30 degrees the opposite way on the same area. Use a good quality sanding block that is as long as the area being sanded will allow. I also keep 3 rolls of 3M "sticky" paper on hand-120 grit, 220 grit, and 500 grit. Take your time, using guide coat as needed. There are some excellent You-Tube clips out there. While his name escapes me at the moment, an ex-navy guy that runs a body shop in Texas produced a bunch of how to videos on there. Your 54 is similar to my 53 Mainline with the speed ribs, just continue at it.

 

How I was taught...
If you applied your filler up and down, you sand up and down to get the shape, then at an angle.
If you spread right to left, you sand right to left.
Sanding with your board length 90 degrees to the bondo spread lines. this helps it knock it off flat, instead of ridged like the bondo spread may be. Then each subsequent sanding would be at approximately 90 degrees to the last time.

There are places you just cant do that, but for the most part.

Rounded parts, incorporate the length of your board into the curve.