gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
LOL! You certainly didn't look closely at the floor! Thanks for checking in! L8r
Jim
Jim
Gerahead's 71 Dart
- Thread starter gerahead
- Start date
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abdywgn
dismantler
you mean that little bit of wet sanding debris? at least you can see the floor.
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
True, but there is so much stuff packed into the garage, that I usually have to spend about 15 minutes moving stuff around to make room to work before I can get anything done. I also have a woodworking hobby and some of those tools take up a lot of floor space! Disassembled cars take up a whole lot more room than one that is put together!! Thanks again! L8r
Jim
Jim
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
I took a couple of weeks off to spend some quality beach time on the Florida panhandle. It felt great to do nothing but relax and charge up the motivation batteries! All jazzed up to mask off the body and prime/paint the interior. Well . . . now the catalyst for the primer and sealer I'm using is backordered and the supplier does not know when they can get what they have ordered! 
The weather here is also starting to turn to crap, so it is becoming a race with Mother Nature. Grrrrr.
The weather here is also starting to turn to crap, so it is becoming a race with Mother Nature. Grrrrr.
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Even though I can't get the catalyst and don't know when I can get it, I figured I might as well weave a cocoon for the body so that I can seal and paint the interior as soon as I can get it. I have never worked with this film before, it can be kinda frustrating!
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Still can't get the catalyst, so it looks like I may be done for the season, unless I can get some soon! My backordered hood scoops finally got delivered the other day. I couldn't resist the urge to drop them onto the hood to see what they looked like. I'm impressed with their quality. Still have to drill the holes for the engine tags and seal them.
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
I was finally able to track down some catalyst for my sealer. A wholesale supplier was willing to sell me enough to finish what I was trying to get done. I have gotten the door interiors sealed and the passenger compartment sealed. I had to re-bag the body first because the tape I used didn't hold on the window pinch welds! I hope to still be able to get the sound deadener applied to the trunk compartment and inside the quarter window openings for the new quarterpanels, then spray sealer over that. Running out of time soon. Winter is on it's way!!
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
I got the interior side of the quarter panels in the trunk coated with sound deadener. I used the 3M paintable, rubberized undercoating, part number 08882. It took a full 17 oz can to do both sides from wheel well to taillight panel. It isn't the same sort of texture as the factory material, but I'm not doing a concours restoration either. I masked off the openings and around the side marker lights and fuel inlet opening per the Faxon manual and let 'er rip! I applied it pretty thick and there were some runs, but I believe there would have been runs in the factory deadener so I intentionally created some runs without trying to overdo it. It dried overnight to a pretty hard finish.
The 3M product instructions said that if it wasn't overpainted within 24 hours, it had to be lightly scuffed first. I wasn't really interested in doing that, so today I applied sealer over most of the trunk interior.
This will wrap up what I will be getting done before winter. I intend to re-hang the doors and fenders to free up some garage space, but that is about all I will be doing in the garage until Spring.
The 3M product instructions said that if it wasn't overpainted within 24 hours, it had to be lightly scuffed first. I wasn't really interested in doing that, so today I applied sealer over most of the trunk interior.
This will wrap up what I will be getting done before winter. I intend to re-hang the doors and fenders to free up some garage space, but that is about all I will be doing in the garage until Spring.
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Looking good Jim, what was your plan on paint on the outside? We’re you going to attempt it yourself or did you find someone to trust it with?
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Hello Danny!
I am planning to use a single stage urethane for the exterior, minus a black vinyl top. Color will be lemon twist (I think that was the factory name for the bright yellow). My intention has always been to attempt to paint it myself. I will now have the winter months to devise a plan for constructing a paint booth on my garage. I have been trying to decide if I should leave the body on the rotisserie or put it on some telescoping casters that I built for it long ago. Pros and cons to both. Good to hear from you!
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Sounds like you have a plan Jim, if there’s any insights or knowledge I can provide from 40 years of spraying feel free to ask. I can tell you that I chose to take mine off the rotisserie and put back on my casters since I had sprayed all the insides and underneath and would not need to spin the car to do any of that. Other reasons were on the rotisserie it was pretty high and would make the roof a real nasty reach and with my telescoping casters I could lower it down to a nice comfortable hight and messing around spinning the car while your trying to not stir crap up and the paint is flashing and you don’t want to lose your wet edge and this being your first time it could be overwhelming. I know many guys would like to spray their own cars but I think you need to consider if it makes sense with all the hours of labour that it took to get to the paint stage and some expensive paint and risk a result that could be pretty disappointing. I did a ton of small jobs to gain some feel for it before my mentor allowed me to tackle a complete car which was the correct decision and I had a nice result, there’s a fair bit of skill and equipevent involved. I always incourage someone that wants to give it a try to get a panel or two damaged panels and try it out on them to get a sense of how the paint flows and how fast it flashes off. What ever route you choose again feel free to ask if you would like my opinion. Cheers brother.
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Thanks for your reply Danny! Your rationale for taking the car off the rotisserie is the same for my thoughts of taking it off as well. I will also have the inside completely painted and the underside is already done. Besides the rationale you stated, not having the rotisserie installed will shorten the whole thing by at least 5 feet. Not to mention the extra weight that I will likely be wrestling by myself! My plan has always been to paint it myself, at some point you have to do the first one, right? I frequently refer to your thread of your 72 resto, which was very detailed. I am very likely to take you up on your offer, thanks! L8r!
Jim
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
It looks like winter here might finally be over, so time to get back into the garage. I have been stockpiling some parts in anticipation of milder weather. I have all the big items for the interior (except for the seat covers that are backordered), leaf springs, front suspension rebuild kit and lower control arms. I blew apart the k-member that I have been kicking around and tripping over for years in anticipation of getting the new goodies. Power washed 50 years of greasy, oily grime off the k-member. I found that weld for the sleeve in the thru-hole for the passenger side lower control arm pivot bolt had broken all the way around. So I dropped that off at a local fab shop to get repaired. In the next day or so I plan to get the last of the sealer applied to the engine compartment areas that still need it. Then to start converting the garage into a paint booth. Any wisdom to share? I'll appreciate any recommendations. L8r
Jim
Jim
It’s a good thing you’re not in a hurry! lol
Nice build!
Bill
Nice build!
Bill
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Thanks Bill and thanks for checking out the project thread!
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
I didn't get the last of the sealer applied as fast as I thought I would. When I got into it, I still had some seam sealer to apply before I could spray the paint sealer. It's all done now! Every square inch of metal that I could get at has been stripped to bare steel, covered with epoxy, wet sanded to 400 and sealed. All surfaces that are hidden have had POR applied to them.
Since I have the engine compartment all masked off, I'd really like to paint it the final color so I don't have to go through that again. If I was to do that, I want to make absolutely sure that I have as much paint as I need. Don't want to end up having to get some more because it is guaranteed not to match. I still want to go over everything one last time to make sure I fix any boo boos that I didn't catch before. Now I gotta start building a paint booth in the garage!
After I got the K-frame back from the welder, I cleaned all the accumulated grime from it and found that the holes where the front end of the strut rods go through had egged out.
At some point, the bushings must have really worn out and weren't addressed! I fired up the welder and built up the worn area of the holes and ground it back to its original shape. I dragged out a ball joint press that I have had for an eternity with little use to take out the upper control arm bushings. It worked like a champ, but you need to be an octopus to hold everything in place until there is enough pressure on the set up to hold it in place. When I got the first one out, I was surprised to find an "extra" ring on the inside of the bushing. I looked at it closely and it didn't appear to be a piece that broke off the control arm. This was a great time to have a service manual! As it turns out, this spacer is not part of the control arm, but is only used on models with 10" brakes. Whew! L8r!
Jim
Since I have the engine compartment all masked off, I'd really like to paint it the final color so I don't have to go through that again. If I was to do that, I want to make absolutely sure that I have as much paint as I need. Don't want to end up having to get some more because it is guaranteed not to match. I still want to go over everything one last time to make sure I fix any boo boos that I didn't catch before. Now I gotta start building a paint booth in the garage!
After I got the K-frame back from the welder, I cleaned all the accumulated grime from it and found that the holes where the front end of the strut rods go through had egged out.
At some point, the bushings must have really worn out and weren't addressed! I fired up the welder and built up the worn area of the holes and ground it back to its original shape. I dragged out a ball joint press that I have had for an eternity with little use to take out the upper control arm bushings. It worked like a champ, but you need to be an octopus to hold everything in place until there is enough pressure on the set up to hold it in place. When I got the first one out, I was surprised to find an "extra" ring on the inside of the bushing. I looked at it closely and it didn't appear to be a piece that broke off the control arm. This was a great time to have a service manual! As it turns out, this spacer is not part of the control arm, but is only used on models with 10" brakes. Whew! L8r!
Jim
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Had a little bit of a break in the project. I had out of town visitors for a couple of weeks, but I am back at it. I made the mistake (?) of going over the car with a critical eye to see if I had missed anything up to this point. I found about 18 minor flaws to take a look an additional look at. I needed to do additional work on a couple of areas that didn't cut the mustard. These areas have now been filled and sanded to 240. I will shoot some additional high build, sand them down to 400 and re-seal. I will embark on converting a portion of the garage into a paint booth for applying the color. In addition, I took the previously cleaned and stripped k-frame and acid etched it, brushed on some POR-15 and overcoated with a good coat of gloss black paint.
I finally put the ball joint socket that I bought about 20 years ago to use and broke down the upper control arms so they could be refurbished. I wire wheeled the upper control arms, the spindles and the drag link. after the wheeling, I bead blasted and acid treated the upper control arms to prep for POR. I applied self-etching primer to the drag link and then applied a couple coats of Seymour Cast Blast paint. There were yellow paint daubs under the grease and gunk at the top end of the spindles.
I finally put the ball joint socket that I bought about 20 years ago to use and broke down the upper control arms so they could be refurbished. I wire wheeled the upper control arms, the spindles and the drag link. after the wheeling, I bead blasted and acid treated the upper control arms to prep for POR. I applied self-etching primer to the drag link and then applied a couple coats of Seymour Cast Blast paint. There were yellow paint daubs under the grease and gunk at the top end of the spindles.
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Yesterday I got the upper control arms and the "bottom" side of the k-frame POR'd and then overcoated with a couple coats of gloss black. I also got the steering knuckles bead blasted, painted with etching primer and painted with Cast Blast. I think it all turned out really great! I have tried unsuccessfully to find replacements for the white foam seal that gets sandwiched between the knuckle and the front brake backing plate. Anyone have any ideas where they can be found? I am considering trying to find a similar sheet material and making by own. What have you guys done to replace these seals? The lower control arms and strut rods are next!
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
There has been a little break in the updates. There have been a number of distractions and delays, but I hope to be back at it in earnest now. In the meantime, I got the bodywork that needed touching up done. When I resprayed the high build, I got a lot more overspray than I anticipated. I ended up re-sanding the entire back half of the shell and the doors with 400. Sometimes a guy just can't stay out of his own way!!!
I also broke down the front brake assemblies, cleaned, bead blasted and repainted all the parts that will be reused. I found that there are a lot of daubs of yellow paint on the backing plates and hardware attaching them. I assume that these are indicators that torque or adjustments have been completed for QA checks. Am I correct? I have gotten all new hardware, adjusters, shoes and hoses to reassemble them. As I think I said a while back, I intend to take the shell off the rotisserie to paint it. It will be a lot easier to move around and take up less space to boot. Following that strategy, I picked up a quart of the intended final color to paint the area of the engine compartment that is easier to get at while it is still on the rotisserie. I shot three coats on all sides of the frame rails and the lower portion of the core support. I was really worried when I first opened the can because it didn't look anything like what I was expecting. After stirring and application, it isn't as bright as I was anticipating, but I am happy with how it looks. I would like to see it out in the sun, but that will only make it look brighter I think. This is a single stage, mixed to the 71 Lemon Twist recipe. I plan to paint the insides of the front and rear valence panels and the hood hinges within the next couple of days and I should then be able to see the color in natural sunlight. Yesterday I picked up some of the materials to start conversion of the garage into a spray booth. Now to shuffle the current contents around so I can build the frame. I have a lot of work ahead of me!!! L8r!
Jim
I also broke down the front brake assemblies, cleaned, bead blasted and repainted all the parts that will be reused. I found that there are a lot of daubs of yellow paint on the backing plates and hardware attaching them. I assume that these are indicators that torque or adjustments have been completed for QA checks. Am I correct? I have gotten all new hardware, adjusters, shoes and hoses to reassemble them. As I think I said a while back, I intend to take the shell off the rotisserie to paint it. It will be a lot easier to move around and take up less space to boot. Following that strategy, I picked up a quart of the intended final color to paint the area of the engine compartment that is easier to get at while it is still on the rotisserie. I shot three coats on all sides of the frame rails and the lower portion of the core support. I was really worried when I first opened the can because it didn't look anything like what I was expecting. After stirring and application, it isn't as bright as I was anticipating, but I am happy with how it looks. I would like to see it out in the sun, but that will only make it look brighter I think. This is a single stage, mixed to the 71 Lemon Twist recipe. I plan to paint the insides of the front and rear valence panels and the hood hinges within the next couple of days and I should then be able to see the color in natural sunlight. Yesterday I picked up some of the materials to start conversion of the garage into a spray booth. Now to shuffle the current contents around so I can build the frame. I have a lot of work ahead of me!!! L8r!
Jim
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
I got the hood springs and the inside of the front and rear valence panels in color today. I was anxious to see the color in the sunlight and I am very happy with how it looks! Got the driver side front brakes assembled back onto the backing plate. Would have gotten the passenger side brakes done too, but when I ordered the hardware, I got two sets of the driver side self adjuster kit. How often can you handle brake parts without getting your hands filthy? L8r!
Jim
Jim
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Brake parts all sorted on the driver side. I had a short delay in acquiring the paint I needed because my supplier didn't have enough of one of the tints to mix up the quantity that I wanted, but that is now in hand. I had my rear seat upholstery kit delivered (backordered since March). I am switching to black from the original baby diaper brown. The patter is different, but I really like the pattern on the new covers. Ive spent the last couple days assembling the framing for my paint booth garage conversion. Thanks to help from my son-in-law and grandson, the framing is virtually complete. I still need to install the door frame, sheath the poly and mount the fans and filters. Who do you know with a garage inside their garage?
Its kinda hard to see it well, I should've taken the pix before I moved the stuff back into the garage. The large opening in the front is so that I can still move stuff through the front as needed. I built a removable panel to plug that hole that will also contain the exhaust fans and filters.
Its kinda hard to see it well, I should've taken the pix before I moved the stuff back into the garage. The large opening in the front is so that I can still move stuff through the front as needed. I built a removable panel to plug that hole that will also contain the exhaust fans and filters.
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
The booth is complete! Mop down the floor, move the extraneous stuff out of the way and ready to start applying color. Gonna start with the underside of all the removable panels and smaller detachable parts. Getting excited!
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Having lived in Fargo for many years so I totally understand the Winter Brawl! I love your paint booth inside, very creative. I took the lazy way and just hung visqueen hung some lights wetted the floor and squirted it. I was impatient as my build took right at five years, I just wanted it painted so the Farmer in me won, I had overspray on everything i owned in the barn for years. Rookie mistake! Great thread great build. Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Very nice! Will you break the booth down after painting and save it to reuse again? I'm considering making a space in my garage to hang a curtain type, that I can just pull back when not in use. It might not be airtight, but better than nothing. I already have a vent through the ceiling with a filter and a high volume exhaust fan. Rick
gerahead
Glutton for Punishment
Believe me, I had considered that approach as well, but I just could not come up with a way to "seal" off around the overhead door that made sense. This design seemed to be a good balance between cost and effectiveness. I will soon be finding out just how effective it is. Thanks for checking in!
Jim
DartMan,
Thanks for the complement! That was my intention when I started thinking about a design. The framing is virtually 100% screwed together to help tear it down without tearing it up. The 2x3 lumber is not prime material and I didn't predrill all the holes. As a result, the joints occasionally split. I used this material because it was about 20% cheaper than 2x4 stock. After hanging the poly sheeting, I used strips of tempered hardboard about 1.25" wide to reenforce the stud attachment. I chose this because it has a very smooth surface that shouldn't hold a lot of dust and dirt. These are stapled on and likely won't survive teardown. This was a fair amount of work to put together, (thanks to son-in-law, grandson and BossBill) so I would like to be able to use at least most of it again, I just don't know how well this will endure. I'm going to try to dismantle it with the intention of preserving as much as possible. I guess I'll see! Thanks for checking in! L8r!
Jim
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