hey joel, this might be of some interest
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/cheap_paint
kinda a amatuer guide to amatuer painting tech

good luck getting her ready b4 next week

3/5/2005 7:14:43 PM

Oh yeah that helps a lot man. Thanks.

I have to admit I havent touched the car today due to some circumstances beyond my control but I did verify that the resin cured overnight. Seems fine now. I think I will head out now and put some sanding time in this evening.

3/5/2005 7:47:11 PM

^That's the cool thing about polyester resin. It WILL cure, but the question becomes WHEN. It's about the only resin (maybe vinylester) that gives you flexibility in that you can use a little hardener or a lot to vary your "kick" time. Epoxy, if not mixed just right, just won't fucking cure.

If you run into a slow-cure situation again Joel, you can raise your shop temp to get it to kick faster. Don't add too much MEKP, though, because you don't want it to kick really fast, almost all of a sudden. Shit can burst into flame. Curing overnight is perfectly fine. Just cuts into your work schedule.

3/5/2005 8:32:34 PM

Yeah its still a little tacky, I must have used too much juice on the first batch of resin and not had enough left over for the second. Tomorrow I might point the propane heater in its direction for a while on LO if it hasnt improved much. I finally got all the primer off the roof from where the car was repainted years ago after they pulled the vinyl top off. I dont know what that shit was but it was really on there. I also got some filler in the gaps where the roof seams are at the tops of the quarters and the A pillars. I think a lot of sanding to feather it out and maybe one more small coat and they will finally be decent looking again. I still have to fill in some pinholes in the left side and of course finish the quarterpanel mess. I am to the point now where I am about to start slapping a layer of filler on it every hour on the hour till it looks like a cutlass again.
The more I think about it, it seems to me that I ought to actually prime the car before i hit it with the semigloss. It would give me a chance to get used to the sprayer too. More shit I have to buy, oh well. I need to clone myself, start doing speed, or both in order to get this finished. It is stressful... but to be honest, working on this car is the only thing keeping me sane with everything else I have going on right now. I will probably change my opinion on that when it comes time to mask it off. I hate doing that.

3/5/2005 11:58:30 PM

OK, another update with some pics from the past couple days.


Here is the expanded metal that I used to provide the structure for the fiberglass. It is thicker than the original sheet metal and still pretty easy to cut and bend to match the contour of the quarterpanel. This is steel and was $9 at Home Depot. I riveted it into place along the bottom and where it goes behind the existing metal at the top, but in these pictures I only have one rivet in . In the second picture you can see the other metal I used to form a structure, some of that $2 aluminum gutter guard stuff that they sell also at HD. Very easy to trim and also riveted into place.


After applying the resin/mat like I did on the section of trunk floor the other day and letting it cure, there were still gaps from the existing metal to the stuff I had just worked on so I used some Bondo-glass (fiberglass reinforced, stronger than regular bondo, also called kitty hair) to fill these in. Also this stuff was applied to the curved wheelhouse sections on the inside of the repair that I didnt feel like trying to use the fiberglass mat on. It looks rough at this stage but at this point you can beat on it and it is just as sturdy as the metal sections of the car. Plus, this wont dent and shouldnt rust.


Working with bondo is a chore. The concept is simple, the application is almost too easy, and it cures nice and fast. The problem is the sanding. Depending on how good you are you might sand off 80% of what you just applied to the car just to fill in a few spots. Finally I seem to have gotten the hang of it and the quarterpanel/roof seams are looking very nice. Keep in mind that even though you may see 3, 4, or 5 layers, when you close your eyes and rub your hand over it, its smooth. I should have taken some close up before shots so you could see how rough it was.


Ok this is a test:

Hmm looks a little brown dosent it? Definitely different though. I will have to think about this one a little more.

[Edited on March 6, 2005 at 11:44 PM. Reason : wtf]

[Edited on March 6, 2005 at 11:45 PM. Reason : k]

3/6/2005 11:42:38 PM

'Tis coming along nicely, from the looks of it.

3/7/2005 1:54:20 AM

Sidemarker hole looks a little rough at this point, no worries though. Should be finished with this tomorrow.

3/8/2005 8:34:54 PM

lookin good Joel. When ya gonna swing by ?

3/9/2005 11:15:36 AM

When I get the engine back and get it installed I guess. I should be going by the builder's shop today to check on it. I got those bearings and restrictors from M&J.

Has anyone ever used the bondo gold stuff? Is it any different?

3/9/2005 11:41:08 AM

OK made some progress again today even out in the wind. I need some input though on a couple things, Ill get to that in a minute.


Doors are ready to go, all glass is masked off, trunk weather stripping is taped off and rear bumper is off car. Must buy 2 new bumper bracket to frame bolts.


This is the quarter panel as if about 8pm. I just slapped some more bondo on there to fill in those pits and to even out the sidemarker hole. Overall it is looking pretty good. I still have to finish the other quarter and thats pretty much all the bondo I need to put on the car. I could go back and work on 3 or 4 more spots, and about 5 little dents and dings, but I dont have the patience or the time at this point. Finishing that sidemarker hole will be enough. Also I found some rust in one of the front fenders that is worse than I had thought. WARNING: POR 15 isnt worth a shit.

My painting problems are becoming clear as I finish getting the car ready to spray. At first I planned on just working on the roof, doors, quarters and trunk for now and then finishing with the fenders and hood later after the engine is back in the car. That way no risk to newly painted fenders. What are the odds that my paint dosent quite match up after I get the rest of the car painted? With no radiator support on the car, there is less to mask off but I cannot close the hood. That means to strip it down and work on it and then paint it I have to carry it in and out of the garage and set it up on saw horses. I could always strip, prime and paint the fenders now, and the hood later on...

I still need to know how much area I can expect to get out of a quart. Will I need 2qts primer and 2qts enamel to do the whole car? If I am working in temperatures below those listed on the paint can as ideal, should I thin the paint more?

3/9/2005 8:43:33 PM

noone reads this thread anymore do they. even though it gets updated every day.

3/10/2005 12:00:57 AM

i read it, but i'm not much help on body stuff. just haven't had much experience with it. what's your problem with POR-15? we've been using that stuff on subframes and shit on the novas for a while now and haven't had any problems.

3/10/2005 12:11:02 AM

What problems did you have with por-15?, and dont thin the primer more that recomended to comp for the temp or it will run onto the floor. See if you can find a space heater ...the hotter the better. Good luck

3/10/2005 7:09:27 AM

i really don't know how far it'll go. I used almost a whole gallon of red on my cars base coat, but its a different kind of paint. ditto on the space heater, EXCEPT make sure you u unlplug it before you paint!! atomized paint is like gasoline, it WILL explode

3/10/2005 8:18:29 AM

I applied POR 15 to the backs of my fenders and my trunk floor like 5 years ago. You saw the trunk floor and one of the fenders is rusted through from the back. In the trunk I can just peel the shit off in big strips. The rustoleum I used on the floorpans had held up 10 times better than the POR 15. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but I probably wont be buying it again.

3/10/2005 10:59:18 AM

did you clean it and prime it first?

3/10/2005 11:02:02 AM

I cleaned it but you are supposed to apply it to bare metal. And it says if the metal is a little bit rusty it said that would work even better.

[Edited on March 10, 2005 at 11:15 AM. Reason : http://www.por15.com/faq.asp#POR-15overother]

3/10/2005 11:11:37 AM

i thought that was just the newer stuff that you could directly apply, they changed the formula up about a year or two ago, added some agent that neutralizes the rust and keeps it from advancing. i thought the older stuff had to be put on a primed surface. oh well, atleast your getting around to fixing the proplem the right way now.

3/10/2005 1:03:57 PM

10 day forecast looks like shit. Guess Ill have to paint Sunday.

3/10/2005 11:16:31 PM

bummer

3/10/2005 11:46:45 PM

OK quarterpanel is finished. Here it is step by step, a pretty good repair, it is as solid and sturdy as the rest of the body and from 20 feet you probably wouldnt notice any difference. Good enough to last me until I can afford to weld on a whole new quarter.

3/11/2005 3:18:21 PM

you are the bondo master

3/11/2005 3:44:56 PM

Damn this weather! Damn this dust! Damn this 35 year old green paint on this fender!

3/11/2005 8:54:24 PM

Yea, I said that word alot when I tried my hand at bodywork.

Looks good though man. I don't know why but the back fenders of A bodies always rust like that.

3/11/2005 10:15:00 PM

man, that's a shit ton of mud you've got there on that rear fender!

by the way, i found my Olds a couple of months ago...my mom just happened to move in right down the road from the dude who bought it! he's really let the car go, unfortunately.

3/11/2005 10:21:41 PM

Yeah compared to how it looked in high school I guess some would say mine is looking pretty rough right now too. I always liked the color of your Supreme- that vinyl top looked great on it. The '72 Olds station wagon my parents had when I was growing up was that same brown color as your car.

3/11/2005 10:50:56 PM

OK I just tried to paint some and IT LOOKS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

3/12/2005 4:24:58 PM

at least you know you could get a job at maaco.

3/12/2005 4:28:51 PM

The Maaco in downtown mexico city wouldnt even hire me if they saw this mess. I have no clue how to use this paint gun. Its not easy like a spray can is.

3/12/2005 4:39:02 PM

the instructions usually give quite a few hints as to what does what to the pattern

3/13/2005 2:15:05 AM

haha word! new pics within the hour!

3/13/2005 3:39:42 PM

3/13/2005 5:08:16 PM

word, lookin good.

3/13/2005 5:58:38 PM

Quote :

"word, lookin good"

cant wait to see it finished

3/13/2005 8:34:38 PM

EPA be damned.

3/13/2005 10:18:36 PM

yeah, and ignore those tailpipes too- they sound pretty nice but are getting rusty and the over the axle pipe sucks. I plan on shortening up the exhaust system considerably, a la CRX

3/13/2005 10:26:54 PM

turndowns off the mufflers, only way to go

3/13/2005 11:12:54 PM

3/14/2005 10:25:05 AM

I returned the Adonized Bronze Semigloss this afternoon and picked up the Sunrise Gloss Red. I think when I repaint the stripes they will be silver. Tomorrow I start wetsanding the primer.

3/14/2005 6:24:33 PM

After that work right there, you can call yourself a CBT - Certified Bondo Technician.

let me know where to ship the Tshirt.

3/14/2005 8:19:34 PM

will it match my Clevite Engine Builder's Club hat?

3/14/2005 8:21:50 PM

Quote :

"OK I just tried to paint some and IT LOOKS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT"

clearcoating is what gives the most hell, in my limited experience. i could get the color to look ok, but there seemed to be a fine line between orange peel and runs when it came to clearcoat.

3/14/2005 8:30:48 PM

I dunno.


ours looks strikingly familiar to a cleveland browns jersey.

make it work


oh and getting it to look "showroom" comes down to two things - two or three part paint, and WET SANDING BETWEEN COATS

[Edited on March 14, 2005 at 8:32 PM. Reason : .]

3/14/2005 8:31:09 PM

so I get a real shirt?

3/14/2005 8:48:47 PM

im so lazyyyyy

looks like I need to get off my ass today and finish the wet sanding and mask the car off for tomorrows nice weather. then some more prep saturday, color coats sunday and maybe monday morning I will have pics of a red cutlass. maybe.

[Edited on March 17, 2005 at 6:34 AM. Reason : DAMN RAIN AND SNOW TODAY? AGAIN? WTF?]

3/17/2005 6:32:04 AM

looks good Joel

[Edited on March 18, 2005 at 7:12 AM. Reason : .]

3/18/2005 7:12:14 AM

Heres mine.

3/18/2005 12:11:29 PM

those are the thumbnails from the gallery view, you have to be looking at the fullsize one when you get the location




by the way, wetsanding SUCKS

and the spray control screw on my gun is rounding off

but I got the stone shield, headlight housings, and mirrors primed a little while ago

I am really getting tempted to leave it in this satiny white primer color instead of the gloss red

[Edited on March 18, 2005 at 4:09 PM. Reason : sdfhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

3/18/2005 4:05:41 PM

small parts primed (same primer as on the car, only from a spray can)


small parts get first coat of red (same paint I will use on car, only from a spray can)


close ups after second coat, dont look to bad (my camera kinda sucks)

3/18/2005 5:44:47 PM

whats the temperature of the space you're letting the paint set?

if its to low, it'll take to long to cure and give you fisheyes and runs.

3/18/2005 6:00:47 PM