Asdfga3

Dude!

Needs a good coat of wax, and putting the lights, decals, and trim back on will help it, it still looks damn good.

ssean92

iTrader: (10)

i have been watching this post for a few weeks know and this car has been done really well. its good to see you and your son working on the car together. hope my boy shows intrest in cars when he get alittle older. keep up the good work guys.

BumpaD82

WOW ! even with the poor quality pics, YOUR CAR IS GOING TO BE AMAZING

LOVE IT
LOVE THE FACT IT'S an '82
LOVE THE FACT your "restoring" it

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

Kind of reminds me of a funny story...one of the guys I used to work with at Year One decided to replace the windshield on his 70 Monte Carlo daily driver, and apparently ran out of time. He drove it to work, in the middle of winter, with no windshield, wearing safety goggles and a scarf! We were amused by it; the Dekalb County Police were not, esp considering they initially pulled him over for speeding (on 285)!

Guys, the car looks great!!! Keep up the good work, and let me know if you need any help on your new project!!!

kboehringer

TGO Guys,
Derek just went to bed (School Tomorrow)..... You can't believe how hard it is to not go out into the driveway, pull off the car cover, and start putting stuff on.....UGH
WISH WE HAD A GARAGE!!!
Kurt

kboehringer

I think we should wait a couple weeks for that? I usually takes a little while for the paint to get 100% hard? Doesn't it? The painter didn't give us any instructions!


Kurt

Asdfga3

To tell you the truth, I was talking asthetically, not realistically. I've never had a car professionally repainted before, and the rattle-can jobs my Dad and I did on his old junkers never needed waxing anyhow. I'd call your boy and see what he recommends.

Dark Mavis

Kurt & Derek,

Thank you very much for sending me the PM to remind me! I've been following all along and quite frankly i'm proud! It came out amazingly well, and i'm sure when we can finally see some full daylight pics, we'll be even more amazed. Is paint completely finished now? (GFX?) I can't wait to see more pics!

Mark

kboehringer

Mark,
All the GFX have been painted and unless we find some horrible run or streak (once we get to look at her in the daylight) I think we're done with the body. However, we forgot to drop off the 5-Spoke rims when we dropped off the car. Buster has them now and is going to paint them for us this week. We'll try and get the cover off late this afternoon and get a pic or two.

Derek is extremely excited. I think the kid went to bed and woke up (early) with a smile from ear to ear. He really had no experience with painting and I am certain he really didn't understand what it was going to look like. I'm real happy for him....He's worked very hard with me on this car from the beginning last year. I was really riding him during the last week or so of the prep. work.

Side-Note.....
Derek's little sister will be going to H.S. with Derek next year. She had previously stated that she "Didn't want to be seen in that thing." Apparently, those feeling have changed for her!

Sincerely,
Kurt

sellmanb

Those feelings will have changed for the rest of the girlies in high school too .... gunna have to put a 4500RPM Rev limit pill in there or you might become very friendly with the local tire store if you know what I mean hehe

Looks GREAT, I am so extremely jealous

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

WOW about sums it for me.She looks great in just fresh paint.Can't wait till all the GFX,stripes,fresh gold spokes and everything are back on her.Now I'm certain you have those fender & nose cover ready for her when you work under the hood....LOL.Kurt again it's great to see the work you and Derek have done together.And Derek what better way for you to appreciate something than having a hand in the actual work.It must give you great satisfaction I can believe the ear to ear smile.
Oh and I'm sure "little sister" will have to qualify for riding in her now.

kboehringer

Well........... It looks Very Good especially considering what we paid ($400)...... It's probably NOT GREAT.... That would have cost $3000+. It's a MILLION times better than it was and we are pleased, but there are a few flaws.

#1 - Removing the GFX was a GREAT idea.... BUT.... The painter was not given enough instructions. He probably didn't realize that the bottom edge of the rear spoiler (on trunk) would be visible when it was opened. There's no paint on the rear bottom edge.... Kinda strange 'cause the front edge is good?? Wierd. Also the bottom edge of the Driver's Door GFX (piece that actually attaches to the door) is unpainted. The Pass Side is fine..... Also wierd.

#2 - We didn't do as good a job as we thought on the Hood. It looks good...... but we can see a few scratches from sanding that we should have done a better job on. We also didn't do a perfect job on the side GFX (the big ones w/emblems).

#3 - A few little areas above the turn signals have very little paint (basically overspray) on that area. You have to be under the car looking up to see it so that's not a big deal......

#4 - There are a few dust spots here and there......

Overall..... Very Good Job.... We'll have to work with Buster to do a little touch up but that should be no problem and we're 1,000,000x better than we were a couple weeeks ago. Overall we're darn pleased! How can one complain for $400?
We didn't expect a $3000+ paint job.

Gotta go.....You know what we're doing tonight (Door Handles and Locks)!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Kurt & Derek

kboehringer

Thanks for the help (page #1) of this thread....

sellmanb

that's a sick ride if you compare photos of what it looked like when you guys got it, and what it's at now, it's just amazng that it only took you guys this long!

kboehringer

Bobby,
According to the Bill of Sale (I just Checked) we purchased this car 2/4/05. It sure has come a long way in one year. I don't think we missed more than a handful of weekends during the entire year. By the time we actually reach the one-year mark she should have received a little "Touch-Up" to the paint and might even have the stock rims on her.....Maybe on the rims....

We just received (today) the new center caps and the air dam/air deflector. I'm getting kinda interested in finding out what she'll look like with the proper rims, properly painted.

I took 1/2 vacation today to try and get some of the car back together. They're calling for rain this weekend UGH!

In the bright sunlight I found a few unacceptable issues that need to be resolved. I called the painter and we're gonna take her back to the shop in a week or two and he has agreed to re-paint the hood, the passenger fender, & the pillar behind the Driver's Door. We also need a little touch-up on the rear spoiler and Driver's Door GFX.

The remainder of the uh-oh's that I found are 100% related to poor prep work (my conclusion..... not the painter's). I really did a crappy job on a couple dings on the Pass door. When I took the door off to repair the rust I layed the door on a steel workbench and dinged it. I rushed the repair and it shows. We also did a crappy job on the GFX (rockers).

We're also still waiting for the T-Top seals that SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE A WEEK AGO......
Back-Order?


I've attached a non-adjusted daylight photo that more adequately depicts the actual color(s) of the car.... It may look fairly handsome with a few re-touches...

Sincerely,
Kurt

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

Kurt she looks VERY good now.I can only imagine how you're wanting to put the stripes back on.But getting the paint issues straight first is a good idea.Some shops say give the paint a couple weeks to cure before you install the stripes.And then the next big step will be adding the repainted factory 5 spokes.When I put the gold wheels,thankyou groundrat,back on mine it REALLY made a difference.And I don't even have center caps for them yet.Like you said I bet both you and Derek have ear to ear smiles...LOLWhat the 2 of you are doing together is an inspiration to the rest of us.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

kurt and derek

guys! it's looking awesome fellas! man it's come along way. i remember seeing that for sale from some kinda police/drug thing a little over a year ago....it's lookin absolutely amazing!

definitely going to need some before and afters now!

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

That's gorgeous! I love '82 -'84 Z-28s!

One thing I thought i'd point out, looks like your rear license plate 'overexposed' while taking that picture as the gas station.... That a coincidence, or can I take it that the photo radar spray you have works?

phess11

Amen!

kboehringer

Unfortunatley, we did not own a Digital Camera when we purchased the vehicle. We borrowed one and have a handfull of pics but as many as we would like.

They do have a special character. I think they actually LOOK older?

She's definately no where near perfect but definatley an improvement. This will NOT be the final painting.... BUT It'll do for a couple years...... Then we get the big $$$ paint job!

Sincerely,
Kurt

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

i love it i've read all 8-9 pages on your other thread plus these 3 in the past day or two and can't beleiv how far you've come in such a short time!

Unbeleivable job i'm glad you guys tackled it correctly.

My first vehicle me and my dad did a decent bit of work to but, all it ever seemed to do was brake things on me on countless ocassions. i thought it was great. heres a picture of it dirty after a few gallons of body puddy lost of sanding, some mild fab work, and a first time garage painting job.



Now that i've got a camaro i don't think i'll ever own another *truck*. I just can't beleive how well these cars handle, it's completely mind boggeling to me that they can stick to the pavement pulling curves the way they do.

I was just going to get gas today and went around a 90% turn at a stoplight at 30mph, without even a tire squeal or any serious body roll (wasn't paying close attention to the speedometer before the turn). It's easy to get carried away while running through curvy roads even with my 170hp puny little 305 (for now, i have a bigger *puny* 305 i'm putting together for it at the moment).

Here's a pic of that car after about 1000$ dollars spent on it so far,




Thanks a lot for all of the great reading material I hope that car treats you well and your son doesn't get carried away to easily. I myself am 17 (11th grade) and i get carried away much to easy still truth be told... Let's just say it's a good thing my first vehicle was a 300-6 4 spd pickup that topped out at 90mph downhill (don't ask i'm dumb.....)

Wow sorry i got carried away...

blk89 5.7liter

iTrader: (1)

Thats a sharp looking Ford truck Ive always like that body style Ford truck. Pretty nice Camaro too. Exspecialy the engine.

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

she's getting there i appreciate the props, i hope to squirt a couple more cans of gunk on it and buy some new wires, cap/rotor, get rid of the big windsheild wiper fluid bottle and coolant reservoir for some smaller tubed style peices that fit in front of the radiater out of the way and then relocate the battery to the rear. Should all be done quite easily once it's warm out i'm done working in freezing cold weather for winter...

Should get rid of a lot of the clutter. Doubt i'll do anything with the nasty manifold as this motor won't be in it much longer (i hope after 142k i'm sure it can't take much for 17 y/o abuse).

kboehringer

TGO Guys,
Derek has installed most of the interior. Since the Door and T-Top Jambs look very good there shouldn't be any risk of paint inside the vehicle when the touch-up is done by the painter.

We repaired the speaker wiring the previous owner(s) butchered and added some additonal leads for some speakers that came with the car.

We are not able to install any of the Dr. Door pieces as the Door GFX needs to be repainted.

Sincerely,
Kurt

kboehringer

TGO Guys,
As stated in the previous post the Interior is basically done. Derek painted all the interior panels/trim with Dupli-Color Vinyl Paint. They look very good. Besides the fact that a few of these panels came from J.Yard Donor Vehicles, the Georgia Sun really bakes the interior.

We had the speakers laying around from the previous owner and decided to install them into the cargo cover after we tossed the hideous "boom box". The stock '82 radio really cannot push these monsters and we have no intention of upgrading the radio. We purchased a spare Cargo Cover in case we later decide to remove them. We'll likely remove them and toss 'em aside.

A final project we hope to complete before the Gathering 10 in Marietta will be to take the 4th Gen Rear SeatBack to a local upholstery shop and have the rear Gray carpet replaced with black.

Sincerely,
Kurt

superGMman

Wow you guys have been thruogh alot . You are such a great father to spend this much time in helping create this beautiful car with your son.

I truly have enjoyed your threads, and keep the info comin',

Campi.

superGMman

I always thought the way cars stick to the road around a turn is pretty crazy too, it really is mind boggling

Asdfga3

You might not, but trust me, every young guy needs a damn good stereo system.

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

Something you might consider on the stereo is the hidden audio that some companies sell( http://customautosound.com is the one that comes to mind).That way you keep the stock appearance but also have the upgrades.Upgraded speakers can do wonders,even with factory head unit,and you don't see the change.And you could use remote amps to drive the speakers.A RF-mod input CD changer hidden in the back is another alternative.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Thanks to finding this thread, I've managed to use up my entire lunch break reading it! What a fantastic thread. Not only does the car look great, but the father-son time spent is priceless. Fantastic guys.

One note that I'd like to add, is that it would be worth while to have the car wetsanded and buffed. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, hire a pro. For the couple hundred bucks it'll cost, it'll make that paint job look a lot closer to the $3000 kind rather than the $400 kind.

I can't wait to see more updates. This reminds me of my own IROC that my dad and I spent an awful lot of time on:

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jim85IROC
[B]Thanks to finding this thread, I've managed to use up my entire lunch break reading it! What a fantastic thread. Not only does the car look great, but the father-son time spent is priceless. Fantastic guys.

One note that I'd like to add, is that it would be worth while to have the car wetsanded and buffed. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, hire a pro. For the couple hundred bucks it'll cost, it'll make that paint job look a lot closer to the $3000 kind rather than the $400 kind.

I agree. when i painted my truck it looked good but, never great like it would have with colorsanding and a buff job. If done correctly you'd be surprised how many $ people think you have i nto paint. It realy isn't that hard i've done some of it on misc. painted items over the past couple years. Just for first timers or those new to it tape all edges so you don't sand through them and be light with it, the idea is just to knock off the ridges then polish it out. Also be nice with your buffer! You can eat through paint if you go crazy from what i've been told.

kboehringer

Flaming-Ford,
Thanks for the response and for all the info you provided in the PM you sent. We kind of figure she's probably "somewhere around" 300hp probably not more....maybe a bit less. Many of our TGO Friends have gotten a kick out of this adventure...... we're glad your having the fun with us.

The Ford Truck looks good.... When I went to school (25+/- years ago) there were two groups, "The Big Truck Guys", and the "Hot Rodders". It appears you made a successful transition from the dark side. (i.e. Fix Or Repair Daily….LOL LOL!

I am comfortable that Derek will be responsible with this car. As many of our TGO friends have mentioned, having a hand in the repair and restoration process should bring back some memories of hard work and sweat. He will not want to be repeat that work just for a moment of "Show-Offism". Heck.... This car LOOKS fast sitting still and he's very proud of her. He also knows (as mentioned in the Engine Swap Thread) that bad grades or ANY sort of trouble and he can say GOODBYE to the Z-28! He's keeping up his end of the bargain with GREAT Grades & Civic Involvement Activities.

Thanks again,
Kurt

kboehringer

Jim85IROC,
Love the before and after pictures of your car. I have been scouring my hard drives (we have a few) for a good picture or two from day one. I wish we had owned a good digital when we purchased the car....darn! Unfortunately, the real mess was as much mechanical, as it was cosmetic. Sure she was pretty ugly and poorly cared for......but she was a COMPLETE mechanical nightmare! Those problems are hard to catch on a camera.

RE: Wetsanding & Buffing.
This Saturday is supposed to be clear and sunny. It'll be the perfect day to show the painter what we have found that needs to be corrected. Once the paint is "Corrected" how long does one actually have to wait to perform a good buff on the paint? We've read and heard MANY different theories/philosophies on this. We're under the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that it takes several weeks for the paint to completely harden?
Is that drying time true?
What grit for the wet-sand... 1600+?
What kind of polish? Plain old Turtle Wax?

Thanks,
Kurt & Derek

Klortho

Kurt, the Dupli-color vinyl paint you are talking about works great on carpet as well, mine was faded out pretty bad (almost white) and I got a can and went over it and it works like a charm, may be a better route than getting new carpet for the rear seat.

scottmoyer

I've had a few cars reapinted and all have been wetsanded within days of the paint. I wouldn't wait weeks to it. If you ever watch "OverHaulin", they paint and sand within 24 hours.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

My car, although it did run well with the stock running gear, has had the entire driveline replaced over the years. What started out as a TPI 305 automatic with a 26 spline peg-leg rear is now a TPI 350 5 speed with a 28 spline posi.

As for wetsanding and buffing, that can be done down the road if you dont' want to do it now. The parts of my car that got wetsanded got it a couple years after it was painted, and I still haven't gotten around to finishing that process, though I hope to this spring.

For the wetsanding, I'd start with nothing more agressive than a 1200 grit. 1500 would be ok, as would 2000. They may just take longer. You carefully wet sand and keep inspecting the area by drying it. Once you can see that you've sanded the orange peel texture away, stop. Then buff with a medium cut rubbing compound. This step I'd save for a pro unless you have previous experience because it's a real heart breaker to burn through your brand new paint. Once it's buffed, you can use an orbital polisher and go over the whole car with a swirl remover. I prefer the Maguires stuff. That will completely remove the swirl lines from buffing, and will leave the car looking very good. BUT, you can go one step further with a machine glaze. I like the Maguires stuff. After doing this stuff, it'll leave your finish as good as it's capable of looking.

Finish that off with a good protective finish, like a pure carnuba or Zaino II show car polish. Be aware though, that pure carnuba basically looks like a solid chunk of bee's wax. Anything that's a liquid, dispite what it says, isn't pure carnuba.

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

am hoping to see wetsanded pics soon! i'm glad you found the info helpful btw.

Gotta love a new paint job, just don't park her near other cars door dings kill the whole look imo lol..... then again i'm the same person who has been in trouble or yelled at countless times for taking multiple parking spots at school/mcdonalds/mall (pick your poinson) so on so forth. I always have the same response, show me the law that says i'm not aloud? Seems to work, either there is no law or most of them never knew it.....

Cam91z

iTrader: (1)

Lookn good guys. The Z is really coming together. Did you guys every think about the gold iroc wheels? My 84z had the 5-spoke 15's on it when i got it. I got a set of irocs from a friend, handled waaay better and the car looked better.

kboehringer

Cam91Z,
We purchased original equipment spokes, center caps, and lugs. The painter will be painting them to match the trim color when he touches up our car. With a set of White Letter Tires the Z-28 should look very good (and authentic '80's). It's likely to be the biggest improvement to the appearance or make the biggest impact compared to what she looked like when purchased. The new tires & rims should be on in a week or so.......CAN'T WAIT!!!
Kurt

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

what size tire are you going with? i don't think they were available in '82, but my '89's factory equiped tire size was a 235/60/15 and the tire had a nice healthy 8" wide tread on it.

scottmoyer

The factory tire size was 215 in 82. I also would recommend a 235 series tire.

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

i agree that would save on the tire bill quite a bit, You will probably be shreading them over half throttle easily anyways.

Don't buy a tire just because, it has white lettering though. If you like white lettering go for it but, buy a good set of tires. There is a big difference in purchasing tires for 80$ or 150$ a peice for a car like this for the most part.

I run goodyear eagle gt2s on mine right now and i like them a lot. Seem to be good in wet and dry. Although i'm sure there are better tires out there i'd like pirellie pzero neros next come spring/summer.

kboehringer

Scott & TGO Friends,
Thanks for the recommendations. We will definately purchase the 235 series.

However, I must be perfectly honest, I cannot (at this time) afford the top-quality tires some of you folks drive on. We've had quite a few expenses these last few weeks/months and some relatively inexpensive treads will have to do. The primary need is for new SAFE rubber with the "80's Look" (i.e. White Letters). Derek may have landed a part-time job washing dishes at a local restaurant and he can start saving for good tires or whatever he'd likes to do next.

OFF-TOPIC
By the way I may have gone to the "DOUBLE-DARK-SIDE"..... Looks like I'm about to purchase a SecondGen Pontiac '79 T/A. This will be MY project! Unfortunately..... I won't be able to share more than a whisper of it on these boards.... SHUCKS!

Sincerely,
Kurt

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

I have 235/60-15's on the factory gold 5 spokes on my '83 Kurt and they look great(also they are the same height as the 215/65's with about an inch more contact patch).You could go to Walmart and get either a Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTS - good all season tire and not real expensive.They also carry Radial T/A's and Eagle GT ll's.

ANd now you go and get a 2nd gen T/A.Talk about me being jealous LOL.Good luck and i won't mind the occassinal updates when you start on her.

kboehringer

Don't Get Jealous.... The joke might be on ME!

coolram62

iTrader: (2)

Well could she be in any worse shape than what you started with Derek's Z?Nice factory color LOL.Any 2nd Gen T/A is a gem to me.Does she have the 403/Auto or did you get really lucky and get a 400/4spd(or has a SB been swapped in)?
Have you had any luck finding a set of grills?Did the links I sent you offer anything that would help?

Lo-tec

Looks like a fun project, but they're heavy pigs. You're gonna need a really really big engine!!

How about a stroked 455 that you can pass off as a stock 350? Hmmm, I see gold paint to match derek's car with a big black firechicken on the hood!!

flaming-ford

iTrader: (7)

very slick car what motor/tranny option?

scottmoyer

Keep it thirdgen related guys!

You can get some decent tires that don't cost alot. I usually get the best bang for the buck so top of the line is not an option for me. You can get some good stuff for about $100 each. Tirerack has BFG Radials for $72 each.

kboehringer

Thanks for the warning...SORRY.
For anyone interested I will post info and photos on my personal WWW. That project will not start for several weeks. I'll PM all buddies with developments.

Recent Z-28 Activity.... There are MANY loose ends remaining to tie-up.
The T-Top seals will FINALLY be here tomorrow. UPS Track says they're about 3 miles away at the UPS Center. I called UPS yesterday and they won't allow me to pick them up, so we have to wait for delivery tomorrow.
Cleaning the tracks for the Seals were probably the most difficult parts I have ever had to clean. A significant amount of the protective coating was chipped off yet getting the remainder of it off was impossible. I used a wire wheel, sand blaster, paint remover, everything. Finally I ended up burning it off with a torch. That was really not my smartest move as these parts appear to be galvanized and the gas/fumes are very dangerous.

RECOMMENDATION:I don't know if these are still available from GM but if your going to replace the T-TOP seals buy NEW ones of these and save a TON of work.

Sincerely,
Kurt

MORE TO FOLLOW....