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Im going to use 800 then go down to 600...



Always sand with lower numbers first. Lower number paper is rougher and cuts deeper than higher number paper.

The trick is to reduce the visible scratches by making them smaller and smaller untill you cant see them.

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will this be enough to get back to the original paint?



If you sand long enough, you could get down to original paint with 2000 grit. It would just take a hell of a lot longer than 600 grit.


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I did sand the hood down before the first coat. although I forgot to wipe MS prior to the first coat.



Here is the thing: old paint can have just about anything embedded in it from normal exposure. Wax, bird droppings, oil, teflon... eventhough many of those items may not be visible - rest asured they can still be in the paint surface. Any contaminant in the surface you are trying to paint can be a problem. Lots of these new wipe-and-shine "wonder waxes" can be a bear to remove from the surface. Even if you haved owned the car from new, it is hard to know what has been applied. The dealer could have trated the paint with something that is no longer shiny, but still there.

To ensure that your new paint adheres properly, you want that surface to be as clean and virgin as is practical for you to get it. Washing with a mild degreaser, and then a thorough rinse, before sanding would be a good start.

Once you have sanded it down to where you want it you want to wash (or just rinse) it down to get the sanding residue (old paint)off. Let it dry.
Hit it with MS and let dry. Then hit it with a tack cloth before painting.

Your first coat should lay down smooth and uniform. It will look like absolute crap color and coverage-wise.

As mentioned by another poster it looks as if your first coat was reacting to something on the surface.

If you have orangepeel or runs, you are using too thick a mixture, or too thick a coat.

The picture of when you sanded after your first coat shows shiny spots in the valleys of the paint and dull spots on the tops of the peel. Ideally when knocking down peel, there should be no shiny spots left. You want the surface to be absolutely flat.

Just relax and don't rush the process. Take your time and you can have stunning results. That is the beauty of this method.