Paint Color

[Frankenstang65]

6T9PONY is exactly right on this one, dark colors and the gloss of the fresh paint job (even a cheap one) will cause any door dings or other un-repaired (or poorly repaired) bodywork to stick out like a sore thumb.

If I were you, I'd throw a couple more coats of primer on it and block sand the the doors fenders and quarters. If you're gonna take the thing down to metal in a few years anyways, don't hesitiate to use a little bit of plastic filler on the low spots that won't block out. For the price of the primer, and an afternoon in the garage, you can have that thing looking a whole lot better. I mean, you're still going to have to look at it for the next 4-6 years right? Might as well make the most of what you got.

Also, you mentioned that you want to sandblast the car when you do the final paint job. Actual sandbalsting will warp the body panels and cause waves in the final product. You're gonna need to soda blast it or use walnut shells or some other less "harsh" material.

good luck