Well, I dont exactly have access to a $10,000 downdraft paint booth with curing oven to do my $85 paint job in, so a couple fisheyes and a run or two will be okay. Better than it looked 5 weeks ago, not to mention all the rust fixed and the car totally stripped underneath. I know when it is too cold to paint period, and I know when it is warm enough to get by, and I know what temperature will be perfect... and its not looking like perfect any time soon.

Let me put it this way, this paint dosent have to get a diploma, a GED will work just fine. As long as it graduates on time.

3/18/2005 9:23:35 PM

> .<
=o=

3/19/2005 7:38:25 PM

I have perfected a new style of paint job. I call it "the drip".



All I can really say about this shit is that it is red. Really red. The masking was extremely tedious, the plastic wouldnt stay on the the tires, the mix wouldnt come out consistant from can to can, and the gun wouldnt trim out right. Paint literally ran off the car and puddled on the ground.

3/19/2005 7:56:29 PM

WTF

It looks even worse this morning. The only thing I know to try now is leveling the whole car back down with 220 and respraying it. I cant leave it like this.

3/20/2005 10:48:42 AM

unless the runs are just all over the place, I'd use 600 on just the runs and just slightly scuf the rest and reapply.

3/20/2005 11:00:38 AM

well, yeah between the color inconsistancy, the uneven coverage, the runs, and the trashy spots, the whole car needs to be re-painted.

3/20/2005 11:25:46 AM

OK I came up with the bare minimum, absolute easiest way to patch it up- I returned the 4 quart cans of paint I had left, and bought 14 more aerosol cans. After about an hour breathing atomized paint, the color is consistant and it is harder to see the runs. I know the overall gloss suffered but in a few weeks maybe I can take some light rubbing compound to it and get out the rough spots. Ill go take some pictures to illustrate in a minute. The tips of both my index fingers are NUMB. I have also coughed up about 10 red paint goobers, and probably ruined the clothes I was wearing OH WELL. This stuff dosent cause cancer does it?

3/23/2005 5:29:51 PM

Once you see it in person the runs show up a LOT more than through the camera. I might have it repainted in a few months. That would give me a chance to fix the dents that I did not get this time as well.






[Edited on March 23, 2005 at 6:04 PM. Reason : g]

3/23/2005 6:03:40 PM

looks good on film, congradulations. When is it going to hit the road?

3/23/2005 6:42:13 PM

If the oil pan came today, the engine is done- I just have to go pick it up.

Of course, I have to put the sidemarkers, rear bumper, door handles, trunk/door locks, mirrors, door panels, hood louvers, grill molding, and front end back together too. Ill probably work on that tomorrow, I have to take some paint back to HD and get some bolts.

[Edited on March 23, 2005 at 6:49 PM. Reason : forgot]

3/23/2005 6:48:48 PM

bling bling

3/24/2005 5:18:51 PM

Quote :

"This stuff dosent cause cancer does it?"

You and I will both find out in about 30 years.

[Edited on March 24, 2005 at 8:29 PM. Reason : looks pretty decent, will definitely be a good 25ft car for the meantime.]

3/24/2005 8:28:36 PM

got the wheelwell moldings installed today, looks great except on the bondopanel you can see where it isnt exactly the same as the original panel. i dont really care though.

3/30/2005 12:02:22 AM

looks like it could use a good wet-sanding..

nice, tho.. how long until you think it'll be done?

3/30/2005 12:21:59 AM

i need to drop by and check it out this weekend

looks bad ass

3/30/2005 12:23:18 AM

Lets see, my deadline was april first. Wednesday it will be the 29th so looks like I will be on the road for the weekend. I would say I will drive it tomorrow but the rear bumper and license plate are still off the car cause I was working on the lights- and I still have to put the front end back together. Both are a pain to do solo and I have been having back issues lately but Ill get it done.

3/30/2005 12:36:59 AM

At the last minute this afternoon I ended up replacing the actual sockets (and bulbs) on all the taillights and the reverse lamps. I had to do all this before reinstalling the rear bumper. The old sockets were gummed up and not springy enough to maintain the contacts on the bulbs if you know what I mean. So I picked up new sockets from the parts store and stripped the housings off the bumper. Then remove shitty sockets (some had been half assed replaced before) and toss the one cracked housing I had that let water in the past 8 years. Then wire brush the areas where the socket snaps in and grounds, then degrease and finally repainted them white like they came. No chrome reflectors on this, just straight up hardcore white taillight housings, a diffuser lens and the outer taillight lens.
The '71 and '72 Cutlass cars had the same physical tailight housings and diffusers, but they changed from a normal outer lens in '71 to a sectioned lens in '72. Or something like that, I dont know what to call it. It has three fucking sections per lens instead of one like the 71 does. Well they all had this nice argent silver paint on them from the factory and it really set off the sectioned lenses in 72, but mine had all worn off many many years ago. This next part I actually did like a week ago- some of the lenses that were on my car had gotten a dose of Tal-strip a few years back (on accident) and it really ate them up. Melted the whole outer surface and left some ugly craters where the shit bubbled up and all, which made my tailights look dim as hell. Well I tossed those lenses and replaced them with two others i had that were still smooth and all. Why I didnt do that before I dont know. Then I spent about an hour masking off the center sections so I could repaint the silver. I did that, then cleared the whole thing and they look freakin sweet. Next best thing to new lenses. And new lenses are like $150 a set. I already had the paint and the masking tape and the better lenses so this shit is FREEBIE FREEBIE! or whatever. With the refinished housings, and the refinished lenses it looks 10 times better than before and I am sure its safer since people will be able to see my brake and turnsignals now. I still need to figure out how to get the rust crust off the inside of the plastic on the reverse lamp lenses. Its only on the bottom half, like water had been building up in there for ages and just rusting. Its more of a stain really, Im afraid I might have to find some new lenses.
I am really dying to build LED boards to fit in the place of the stock diffuser lens. This car would look badass with 4 fucking big ass bright as shit LED lights.





Although you may not see it, both the bumpers on this car arent really straight. The front looks straight but is gay. Acutally its a metrosexual. HAHAHA I am so fucking tired. Anyway, the front bumper isnt really straight it is a little lopsided on one end and pushed up and in directly in the center. But you should have seen the one that came off of it before, the car looked like it had a big frown on the front of it or something. Years ago, some idiot must have had his mullet in the way and not seen the light pole he backed into in my baby cause the rear bumper is messed up bad. I mean, it pushed it (this is thick steel, not like chrome toyota pickup paper thin chrome bumpers) up enough on that one corner to shift the mounting points for the taillight housing and split the cast aluminum tailight housing pretty bad. You might see what I am talking about, its on the passenger side. The dent in the middle is from improper placement of the factory bumper jack. If you dont know what that is, its basically a ratcheting hook mounted on a post you set up and hook to the bumper to jack the car up to change the spare. No turning screws, no pumping a hydraulic cylinder noobs. Old fashioned leverage action using the lug wrench. Want to see how it works? Too bad I dont have it anymore. Dont know where it is right now, dont care. Its a rickety ancient inefficient tool that is more dangerous than any other jack ever. Dangerous to humands and big chrome bumpers.




Reinstalling the newly repainted front grilles and headlamp housings:



The front and rear window stainless trim should arrive via FedEx today, and I will either reinstall the hood vents or try to paint some stripes. Probably put the vents back in though... I dont know yet.



Seeing it all back together like this feels really strange. Like going back in time to high school or something. I like it though, looks much better than it did.



BEFORE:

4/2/2005 6:35:55 AM

there was apparently too much light for my camera?

4/15/2005 6:31:05 AM

There is always too much light for that camera...I'm gonna put the other one in my truck tonight so I can drop it off.

4/15/2005 10:07:59 AM

look nice, good work. Now go piss off all the honda ricers with their fartcans

4/15/2005 10:18:32 AM

lets try that again with the kodak

4/22/2005 11:06:34 AM

nice

4/22/2005 11:14:28 AM

why don't you try taking a picture during the day?

4/22/2005 11:26:11 AM

ok?

whats wrong with nighttime?



[Edited on April 22, 2005 at 11:47 AM. Reason : ?]

4/22/2005 11:46:19 AM

the lighting sucks?

any car can look good at night with the shadows hiding all the blemishes.

i'm not saying your car is going to look perfect, and i doubt you think that either, but it's hard to get a good idea of what it looks like when you are in low light using a digital camera.

put it in the sun, or atleast in the shade on a sunny day so we can actually see it and not just the refractions from the headlights and a glimps of what looks like red paint.

4/22/2005 1:26:48 PM

hahahaha bj's propane

4/22/2005 1:28:33 PM

5/5/2005 10:04:15 PM

looks nice. want to paint my motorcycle?

5/5/2005 10:16:10 PM

thats like me asking you to tint my windows

5/5/2005 10:30:37 PM

i can tint your windows if you can paint my motorcycle

you saying i don't have window tinting skills? i'm not saying i do, just asking

5/6/2005 12:06:15 AM

fucking gorgeous Joel, seriously. Tha'ts hot.

Mike

5/6/2005 1:10:19 PM

Yea, I'm sure the car still has its minor imperfections, but it looks damn good to me too.

5/6/2005 1:50:55 PM

Really needs 442 hood

5/6/2005 3:01:50 PM

i agree, sell me yours dave

7/24/2005 4:46:55 PM

Sure but it comes with a car attached.

7/27/2005 7:36:00 AM

HA right. that's the last thing we need- another car.

7/27/2005 6:40:42 PM

now its time for your custom license plate.

KRYLONED

7/27/2005 7:01:41 PM

^ Ain't that the truth.

Mike

7/27/2005 7:19:16 PM

whateva i do what i want

7/27/2005 8:44:55 PM

first real hand washing this afternoon, and the only good ting i have to say about my paint is that its better than primer.

9/28/2005 8:13:58 PM

everyone seems to be looking for a cheap paint job these days... you can come see mine if you want to see the cheapest way possible but its true you get what you pay for

12/26/2005 5:20:29 PM

Thinking about building myself my own tent-style spray booth/tent/what-the-fuck-ever-you-wanna-call-it...

using sheet plastic and PVC...or maybe electrical conduit.

12/26/2005 5:38:02 PM

^do it... i'll have a car for you to paint if things go as planned tomorrow.

12/26/2005 6:29:17 PM

might be testing that new paint technique.

3/1/2006 10:56:46 PM

old wheel

3/18/2006 9:52:20 PM

new wheel

3/18/2006 9:53:24 PM

old seats










new seats

3/18/2006 9:54:38 PM

why is it every cutlass comes with a flashlight in the floor?

3/18/2006 9:55:24 PM

Thoes seats look awfully familiar

3/18/2006 9:56:40 PM

hahaha

cause the dome light sucks

wait you didnt have a dome light in yours did you

3/18/2006 9:57:10 PM