Restoring my 74 swinger

as for the sanding, the cheapest way is to block sand the whole car with 600 grit but don't break through the original paint, then a coat of sealer then your base & clear I stip all my cars down to the bare metal with paint stripper or sand blast (minus-hood & trunk lid) then you have a clean base to work with any questions feel free to pm me (cawley) good luck with it

I'm staying away from the chemicals, but do you use sand as the media? Do you prefer sands, walnut shells, plastic, or soda blasting?