Sanding

Great question! Regardless of what step you're in when sanding I personally recommend sanding all the way down to a 12000 grit. Some will say its too much or a waste to time but with the body you're looking for a super smooth surface. This will help you accomplish it. CustomMuscle has mentioned, there are kits you can buy that will help you get most of the grits that you need when sanding. I would look into getting one of those kits. The more coarse the grit is, the more paint, bumps and dirt stuck under paint/primer it will remove. And last but not least.....patience and be careful around corners. Paint doesn't stick well to those area so if you sand those places more, you'll be removing paint super fast.

 Let's see. Where to start..
When I first wash and prep the body: I use 600 if there is not alot of fine detail that could be lost.
800 if detailed..
Primer a few good shots: I use duplicolor fill and sand.. Then wet sand with 800.. Prime again...
Then sand with 1000... If using these grits. Go to an auto paint store and ask for finish sanding paper. You will notice the grit feels different than the grit at auto zones and such..
  Next step after you wash the body again before paint.  Paint and clear.. Trick here is no or very little dirt or dust..
Helps in finish sanding.. Smoother the finish less you work in end result..
  Finish sand on clear.. I start with 1200 and go to 1500. Here is the trick. Wet sand and keep it wet..
 Back and forth. not across the edges.. Lightly.. If you are scared of cutting through. and you know the paint is stuck good.
Strip of tape over the edge will stop ya... Blue painters is not as tacky....
  This trick works. Then you can sand back and forth over the quarter edge or fender edge..
  If you sand front to back on the sides and such it is easier to polish.
This is due to if you sand up and down and scratch it fine.. It is harder to polish out and might burn through the paint when polishing..
    For a polish I use meguiars, or mothers.. 3M makes a great micro fine also..
These are all the tricks I also use to paint auto's.. smileyCA9464IN_zpsd9ee499f
There is all kinds of tricks that can be used..
 When sanding clear. always wash off and make sure cleared enough.
Let dry and the haze on the clear will give you signs of sanded or not enough.
enough: nice even haze. hold up to light and look across it. Look semi shiney.. Great..
sand more; Wash off and let dry. Look across for shiney spots or shiney dimples(aka orange peel). Sand more...
Sand paper seems to clog up or drag... Little drop of dish liquid in sanding water helps lube paper and not clog as bad...

Lord, PBMan, if it were only that easy... I'm so scared of sanding I won't after shooting the 1st coat of color. You didn't mention time, so I'll ask this. Let's say (since I've just received my 3rd Nova body courtesy of Ice), I've shot 4-5 coats of color with only a little peel as a result; no big deal. How long should I wait (Using Testors "One Coat") before I attempt any sanding? Or do I just move on to clearing 3-4 coats? How long then should I wait before the method of sanding you mention?

Is sandpaper and sanding cloth the same? When you say wet sand, do you mean just dipping into a dish of warm water with dish soap? I know you must be laughing at all my questions, but I'd rather shoot the color (successfully), let it dry for a week, then clear it (successfully again) be happy with shiny results than start the polishing process and end up in the purple pond for the 3rd time!!!

BTW, Ice knows all to well the reason for my paranoia!

Very great tips. When I first started sanding I went to the auto supply store and got the sanding kits there. They even number them like 1 through 4. Wet sanded with all of them after I primed the body. To me after the first few times you sand you may get a feel for it and start gradually going up on the sand grade. Everyone will have their desired look, but the biggest issue is training yourself to be patient enough so that you don't rush through it. I could spend up to 2 hours on my first sanding.

I picked up on a neat trick because sometimes I get too comfortable and will end up applying more pressure than needed while sanding. grab a sponge and cut to desired shapes and sizes. wrap the sand paper and staple away from your sanding area. Just remember you have a staple so I usually hold it on that end. If you find yourself pressing down on that sponge, then it's probably too much pressure. Try it out. Might work?