any suggestions on prepping and painting the small things?

for instance, lets start with the headlight brackets, i've pulled them and removed all the road grime with a wire brush, no rust to speak of other than surface rust where nicks and scratches were.

should i wire-wheel them down to bare metal, prime and then paint?

(what determines if you should go down to bare metal or just sand smooth?)

also, i'll want too use rattle cans for these since it's such a small project.

thanks

A smooth under surface is the key to a nice smooth final paint job.
As long as you don't have any rust and no peeling, you can have a smooth finish by painting over the existing paint. Otherwise, strip it all the way down. jmho.

I usually bead blast my small parts if there are any significant chips, it saves sanding time.

i'd like to add that you should use a good quality paint or the heat from the lamps might roast the new paint off.

This seems to consume huge hours of my projects. My methods depend on the actual part.

I love to use a wire wheel on the end of my cordless drill. I use this in conjunction with my bench vise.

However, before I wire wheel or sand I will toss them in the sink with some degreaser (shop sink), or outside with the water hose. After good and dry I will wire wheel in cases where there is some surface rust.

In cases where the original paint is fair, I will simply 80 grit, 180, 220 grit the part with sand paper.

always use a primer to promote good solid adhesion of the paint and good quality final finish.

Epoxy spray paint is awesome and very strong.

You will also want to get some wire and hang your parts from the garage door ceiling tracks or other item for good painting.

On non-original (custom parts), I love to use builders cast color paint topped off with clear coat. This makes a super cool looking color and glossy finish that is easy to wipe clean later. This works great on suspension parts, hinges, engine brackets, etc.

In most cases I use a clear coat over the color to provide an extra layer of protection and shine.

You want to feather edge any chips or cracks in the old paint with hand sand paper.

One more important trick. You want to get a gallon of final clean or prep solvent. This is important to wipe the part down just before and after you sand it to make sure all grease, wax, etc is removed.

Your final product will look fantastic.

thanks for the tip guys!