Body and paint SOS-911 help

[Hideogumperjr]

Hi folks, I am currently on the horns of a dilemma and feelI have come to a crossroad on my 63 Dart convertible rebuild. I have rebuilt thetranny and am working on the engine but I don't want to put the engine back intoa nasty old engine compartment so I have been trying to get the body paintedand of course I need to get the body ready at the same time you know body work done and paint stripped so its all ready to paint.

I have been working by myself atgetting her ready for paint, I have tried sanding with my DA and chemical stripping and thework is just kicking my hinny-butt. It does not have a lot of body damagefortunately but there was some frontend damage at some point and some poor bodywork done and some cheesy paint put on. The paint was obvious so I wantedto go to bare metal there. The rest seems to be original paint. Thereis some dents and dings on the front of the hood and the left fender has a fewbends. There is obviously some rust in the usual places such as the front doorlower panels, etc.

I have gotten the hood and theleft fender stripped down to metal but I have found that the work is just toophysically demanding for my 64 year old body but for some reason my brain stillthinks its 35 and it says "you can do it!" However I think nowthat I have got to get some outside help if I ever want to drive this girl again. It feels like giving up and it sucks but reality can be prettyconvincing. I vacillate on getting a sand blaster but I have to do it inmy driveway and figure the neighborhood will not like it too much plus it meansI have to paint there.

So I am looking at taking thestripped down body to get sandblasted and I found a place in Marysville I canget it done for $800-$1000. Then I thought I'd take it to a paint shopand have the body work and paint sprayed on. I have contacted KustomCollision and Rods in Marysville but haven't heard back from them.

I am wondering if anyone has anyexperience and suggestions for places in the Marysville area or Seattle area ofcourse great work reasonable price. I figure the outlying areas arebetter (read that more affordable.) I would like to find some help from aforum member who does the work if possible but sure do want to get my girl backon her new wheels.

Thanks and I appreciate anysuggestions and help guys.

John

 

[Dartnut]

Whatever you do, DON'T sandblast the exterior panels of the car. They will warp the panels and be a big mess.
Media blasting with soda, walnut shells, or something not as aggressive as sand will strip the paint off of the exterior just fine. Even if you turn the pressure down on sand and ''fog'' it at the car, you will still run the risk of warping the panels as it is very abrasive and builds up a lot of heat.
Sand blasting works good for wheels, frame rails, and strong areas of the body, not on thin flat panels like the side or the roof of the car.
I know what it's like to be older and try to do things you could do easily when you were in your 20's! It's all about pacing yourself. Know your restrictions and deal with it accordingly as well as pace yourself.
I hope this helps, and good luck with your project.
How about some pictures?
Tom.

 

[4spdragtop]

If you are anxious to get the engine and tranny in, why dont you just have the engine bay prepped and painted?? Then drop engine and tranny in and you can do the rest of the body work later when its not such a "rush"....just a thought. Sorry cant give you feedback on bodyshops in your area.

I agree with Dartnut on the sandblasting too....you had better be very careful who you select to blast the car

 

[1968FormulaS340]

Absolutely no need to completely strip a body that has mostly original pant and minor dings.

Taking a car to a custom shop to be painted could run $10,000 so be careful and be prepared to spend some money.

 

[Hideogumperjr]

I hear you on the panel blasting. I have read many posts on the panel prep and painting and at times think Oh I can do this, then Oh S**T! I cant do that! We humans are peculiar creatures at times. Here is where I sit presently picture-wise. Got the car in the driveway when we have sun here in the Seattle area.
I did get a quote from one guy to go through the entire car $14k, too rich for my blood. I just want a decent paint job and a good running car so I can have some fun, not for shows.
Thanks for the input!

 

[Hideogumperjr]

And the rest of them.
Cheers yall!

 

[12valve]

Contact Ross (res1vw21) here on the board. He lives just south of you in Kirkland. He works in a body shop, while he may not want/have time to do the work himself, he might be able to steer you to some people he knows.
I wouldn't blast that car if your not looking for a perfect 10 finish. From the pictures it looks like most of the original paint is still holding on tight. I am not an expert by any means but I would scuff it real good with something in the range of 100-150 sandpaper and get a couple of coats of epoxy on there and go from there. The epoxy is not a forever solution but it definitely will buy you some time. Concentrate on the engine bay, get that complete and get the motor in. With the rest of the body in epoxy you can still enjoy the car and break down the body work into sections so that it doesn't seem overwhelming. Just make sure you seal up your recent body work with a couple of coats of epoxy before exposing it to the elements. It will cost you more in material over the long run to do it this way, but you won't lose interest in a non-driveable, half assembled car taking up space in the driveway either

 

[Hideogumperjr]

Yeah that's kinda my thought. I would like perfect but I am realistic and would not complain in driving around in a "gray car!"
Thanks 12!

 

[Hideogumperjr]

New question for yall. I have my fenders and hood down to metal. I used both sanding and chemical processing.
After the stripping I washed down the parts with soda water and then pressure washed the parts especially the cracks where the stripper may have gotten. I have been working on sanding down the little sandy pecker tracks which is a pain and am getting ready to spray some primer.
Question is do I need to use a self etching primer on the bare metal or will epoxy primer be sufficient? Should I use a sealer? Any thoughts or warnings?
I appreciate all the help.
John

 

[CudaChris67]

New question for yall. I have my fenders and hood down to metal. I used both sanding and chemical processing.
After the stripping I washed down the parts with soda water and then pressure washed the parts especially the cracks where the stripper may have gotten. I have been working on sanding down the little sandy pecker tracks which is a pain and am getting ready to spray some primer.
Question is do I need to use a self etching primer on the bare metal or will epoxy primer be sufficient? Should I use a sealer? Any thoughts or warnings?
I appreciate all the help.
John

Hi, wishing you the best of luck on your good looking car.

Most epoxy primers nowadays are for direct metal application. There are many systems and even more products. Whichever you choose be sure not only to read the can, but get the technical data sheet from the manufactred website.

I used Dupont and PPG when I worked at a body shop (doing complete restorations and collision)

For Home I still use PPG Deltron for base, but their primers and clear are expensive, so I using products from here:
http://southernpolyurethanes.com/index.htm


of course these guys are trying to sell you a product, but I think their write up called "The Perfect Paint Job" http://southernpolyurethanes.com/perfect paint.htm
contains a good bit of wisdom. I do not work there or anything, but so far I had a good experience with them(even free shipping), and I read on many forums about their awesome products and customer service.

Their tech sheets are also up on the website, as well as a user forum. If you want to geek out on paint and prep, take a read!


Take a look at my build thread (link in sig) for more details on getting into primer.

 

[Hideogumperjr]

Thanks CC. I have been reading posts and websites for the past year and my head is spinning. At times I think I should have kept my senses in the computer network world! Working on my cars in the 70s was so much easier, I guess at the time ignorance is bliss!
Will keep yall posted on progress and other issues.
John

 

[subcom]

I kind of wish I had sent mine off to be media blasted and sealed. It IS a lot of work to sand these things down. Ultimately I mostly sanded mine down to the original paint and primer. I'm a newb also and it was a lot of trial and error. Money/time-wise it probably would have been cheaper to have it blasted. Your car looks really good and if it doesn't need a ton of body work, then maybe you should do as others have suggested. Seal it and then work on it as time and motivation permits. I also like the idea of doing the engine compartment first and then focusing on the exterior later. Best of luck!

 

[Hideogumperjr]

Thanks Sub! Learning experience eh?!

 

[gerahead]

I have tried a number of things with assorted levels of success. My project has a conglomeration of all sorts of paints/primers on it, so I have relegated myself to complete strippage. Inside the cabin and trunk, I used a heavy gauge wire wheel on an offset grinder to strip all the old paint and other crap that was in there down to bare metal. I works pretty quickly and can get into most of the pretty tight areas. These areas and the engine compartment are better reinforced that the exterior flat panels so are a little more tolerant of this brute force method.
I started stripping the deck lid with a DA and 60 grit and got nowhere very slowly. I switched to a 3M stripping wheel on an offset grinder and it worked very well without removing metal. I was careful to keep the machine moving so I didn't generate unnecessary heat. I finished it off with the DA once most of the paint was gone. This was much faster. Still a fair amount of work, but faster than what you were trying. You are only a couple of years older than me, so I can relate directly.
Careful if you use etching primer, so of your follow on products may not be compatible with that stuff as a substrate. Good luck. L8r

 

[Rob]

stick with the epoxy primer, it has zinc in it for rust prevention, etch doesn't and living where you do and driving it in just primer you need that.