Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Story Incoming!

1992 Camaro RS came into the family in June 07, Father used it as a DD until May of 08. Which was when it went into my possesion. By the time it did the car has been really abused and mistreated. It obviously went through some winters and it shows. The previous owner before us crashed the car and thankfully it seems like it was a small crash. Since everything seems straight and nothing out of shape besides the hood. He then replaced the crashed bumpers with brand new ones and really did a bad job at installing it. All this plus alot of rust is what it has gone through. I really really hate rust, You have no idea how much I do. Enough that it took this 18 year old to do drastic things.

Anyways here is how the car looked last summer and what really made me say screw it, a primed up rust free Camaro is better.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

So as you can see its in really bad shape or was I should say. Right now I have dealt with the rust on the rear quarters. My process of cleaning it was grinding it down with a Rust/Paint stripper drill tool, getting it as close to rust free as possible. Afterwards a quick body filler job to fill in the very small indentations the rust left to leave it as a smooth surface. Afterwards with a few thin coats of Rustoleum Automotive Primer.

One thing I am wondering is how long will it hold up? I really don't have the money to be going in and throwing it in a good paintjob. Maaco might be a choice but I really want the car to be done right and I am just looking for a temporary fix to keep the rust in some form of control. What do you guys reccomend I should do? Right now I am fixing some door dents and getting the fenders fixed and giving them a good sanding and coats of primer as well.

My camera is mia so no pictures of the current work.

campin1983

iTrader: (4)

The biggest thing is not to simply leave it in primer. Paint helps so much more.

As for Maaco, most people say that they do a decent enough job of spraying, they just don't do any prep or finishing work (or don't do it right). For my own project, I'm seriously considering doing all the prep work, letting them spray it, then taking it home and finishing it. For a fix on a budget, I'd think something like that would be great.

t-top havoc

iTrader: (3)

It seems to be in good hands now and being on the road for many yrs of enjoyment!!

You did a great job on the front-- looks like everything lined up.

Where did you get the front end bumper & chin from?

Thanks for posting the photos. Keep 'em coming, and Good Luck!!!

RS Chris

Maaco sucks ***** for prep. I put a new hood on my car years ago with no prep at all. Me and my dad both asked for them to prep it and they said they would, even wrote it in the paper work. Less than a year later the paint started to peel off. Underneath it you could see same smooth unprepped finish on the hood it had when I bought and installed it. The shitty thing is I had them paint it twice before, but obviously they could care less about taking care of repeat customers.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Pretty much what I said as well. One thing is that I will rather use that money and buy my own tools and fix some rust holes it has. Surprisingly the cars floor pans are in almost perfect shape. Only thing rust did was some knife like cuts. The worst holes are in the rear trunk in the back of the wheel wells. Passenger side has a hole that you can almost put a childs hand in.

But heres the thing, right now my money is being tied up helping out my folks. So that doesn't leave that much. What would be a good thing to spray over the primer to protect it for a bit. I dont mind that I might have to resand the whole thing again and give it new coats later on. As long as the rust stays in some what under control, I'm fine with that.

You should of seen how uneven it was before I aligned it right. Same with the hood and hatch which is fixed now. As for where I got it from. The previous owner before it went into our family probably bought it new since its still not even painted as you can see.

See for that I will rather just use the money on a decent spray gun and give it a shot and see how it comes out.

I finished the driver side door and its as smooth as a babys bottom and dent free! It had over 5 dents that people gave it over the years. Those damm door guards did not do a thing and already took them off. I am also fixing some minor cracks in the lip that I gave it. Keep in mind this was my car to learn how to drive with and I gave that front chin a good work in that first month haha

ChevyRS-305

HOLD THE PHONE!!!! did you say you grind the rust down and then PUT FILLER OVER TOP OF IT!!!??? you know filler absorbs moisture like a sponge right??? water is just going to get right back in between the filler and BARE metal and rust again!!! strip that crap off quickly and put some EPOXY PRIMER over it. best thing to e-coat that you can buy. then rough up the primer with a scotch bright and then add your filler over the epoxy primer and continue your repair from there. best thing after the body filler is get some primer surfacer and lay your base after that.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Even between 2 coats of filler? I really sanded down the filler and got rid of whats not needed. Ended up looking like a cheese surface. As for my methos, Yea I did bare metal on certain spots mainly doors while rear quarters I actually experimented and laid it over a primer layer I coated before to see if it will stick properly and it did.

You really think it will be a problem down the road? If so I might go and resand the areas I did and get it right.

Mirror Image

iTrader: (2)

If you are trying to buy some time then you need to have the areas that are rusted sand blasted that is the only way you can get the rust out of the pitts and apply 2 coats of epoxy primer it is water proof and will hold up for 2-3 years until you can come up with the founds to finsh the car

ChevyRS-305

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Well I went and a neighbor that works in the field loaned me some ''Acid'' he calls that will neutralize the rust and leave me with a good surface to work on and even out.

As for an update, I have been going through some rough times and well with getting laid off and having to get rid some things of my other hobbies (I am big computer geek) I am getting a small budget to continue to do some work on the RS. Some good things have happened which I am grateful for some personal and some for the project. A friend of my fathers donated 2 laptops for me to learn how to tune, so I am looking to learn more about that when the car gets back up and running with less rust.

Here are some pictures of what has been going on.

Got a awesome deal on the Vette wheel I am missing. Just gonna have to find the same tire as the drive side to get things matching.



I removed the wing that the previous owner put on and didn't bother to take off the RS and patch the holes.



I patched up the small holes with a Fiberglass kit and I am gonna see how it holds up.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Finished the rear end and ready for paint.



I am thinking of trying my best and seeing if I can get the hood evened out. In the previous owner crash, It had some bents and un even spots as you can see.



Another angle with the passenger fender off, Already have a better condition fender that needs prepped.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

I also tackled another area that needed work and is common with T-top cars and that is the T-top area. The old weatherstripping was shot so I decided to yank it off and this greeted me.



&





For those wondering my plans, Right now I am just getting by. I really wanted to fix the rust the car had and was getting worst every year. I didn't care if it would stay prime black for a summer until I get the time to paint it. Well with the layoff I do now so its no excuses! I plan to paint the car whatever color my dad would want it since I am dedicating the car to him since this couldn't be done without him giving it to me as a 17th Bday present (I am turning 19 in May). So far he hasn't come up with a straight answer and thinks both dark grey and white look good. So we will see what he decides.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Alot has happened in the time between my last update. I got a better hood, new passenger fender. Finished rust work on the rear quarter and around t-tops. Here are pictures of the updates and how it is now.


Daytona hood picked up from over Crete, IL, Found out it was Denny and ''86Niterider'' from on here and the area was the famous Thirdgen fest gathering spot! Might go if the car is ready.



Finishing up rust work by adding some bondo over the area to even it out & Yea the door well both doors need alot of work I might end up replacing them down the road for better ones depending on how well I can fix them.



Received a replacement fender for the bent/rusted passenger side.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Replacement fender aligned and sanded and primed.



Rear was re-sanded as well as up to the door. Which revealed some spots I need to fix. Decided to also prep and prime the rear quarter gfx. I gotta say its coming pretty good.



Nose being sanded down and fixing any imperfections it has. Also please check my other thread on how to get it straight on a corner.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Nose primed and put on. Here you can see the area that I posted about in my other thread, So if you know a fix post on here or there!






Thats it for updates and how it stands, Next up is resanding and getting the driver side door as straight as possible. Though right now I have to deal with a fathers friend crashed Saturn something.




I know I said too.

lkswarlock

Hey bro did you have any trouble aligning the fender? I'm having such a hard time putting my new SS hood I just can't seem to align it right, I replaced the pass front fender as well but like I said after putting everything together I just can't align the hood to give it a clean look any tips or tricks you can share with me??

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

I got lucky and the fender was alright, it did have problems but it was due to the lower bolts near the gfx since it was moved slightly due to people jacking the Cam before from there which was fixed with the help of some taps with the hammer.

As for your hood, sometimes its the hood itself (even more if its fiberglass) thats the problem and not you're fenders/front bumper. If you need more space between the hood and fender, just move the clips further. The clips are the ones on the holes on the frame where the fender bolts onto. Keep in mind this might cause bigger gaps between the door and fender itself. Another point is in front near where the front bumper bolts up. You can move that L peice around to align it as well. As for the front bumper I believe its under the plastic peice where you can play around with it. Plastic piece as in where the tpi cone would go if it was a tpi Camaro. Also some play can be done with the hood hinges themselfs as well.


Its a bitch to do but it gets done with time and a good eye, don't get frustration get the best of you which might cause you to **** up things.

Awesome-X

Looks like its really coming along. What do you plan on doing with the t top rust and how are you spraying the primer?

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Surprisingly the t-top rust was nothing to get mad over, even though it was leaking, after cleaning up the old weatherstripping off, I found nothing to fix. I did wire brush it and gave it a coat of rust stopper my neighbor gave me just in case. The only rust that was caused was inside on the oposite side where the t-top rests its small though. I will take a picture of it to explain it better. Also that and 2 spots which were similar to the rust around the rear wheels which is fixed now.


As for how I am laying down the primer, Its rattle canned for now. Why? Any concerns? For bare metal I used self-etching primer from a local automotive shop, 400 grit sanded it then layed over it with normal primer. I heard people getting decent results with rattle can primer so who knows. I was planning to get some inexpensive spray guns and try them out but I haven't had much time to work on it much and my money is needed elsewhere.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Here is the only rust the t-top area had, sorry for the bad picture but it was about 10pm but shows the small damage:





I did not do much today besides some brakes and finally getting the 4th vette wheel up. Bad thing is last night it took over 2 hours to get the stubborn pontiac wheel off, It did not want to leave!




Here is how she sits now, much better

lkswarlock

Wow thanks, I didn't know that I'm going to look into that this week, and goood job on the Cam it's looking really good wish I could take you mine LoL can't wait to see the finish project hey what color are you going with?

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Gunmetal Gray

Its not 100% final though, Still debating on Artic White or Gunmetal.


Also Pm replied!

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Got some minor updates but with Chicagos Current weather and how freaking hot my garage is I haven't been doing much just continuing to sand the hood. I picked up some mint blisters from a local junkyard for $15 and I am currently prepping them as well. This morning after seeing how ridiculous prices are for a headliner are, I went calling around and got a good condition headliner for $25 with sunvisors I plan to re-do it black in the following days. I have said this countless times, but the prices for our parts are . I am also lucky as hell to have good junkyards that are about 15 mins away and most people don't know about them due to them being small and look like they won't have anything, to my luck the one a long time family friend works at has gotten 6 third gens in the last 3 weeks.

Pictures of the progress:

Chrome on Rust

iTrader: (1)

Carlos773 hey think i could get the name of that JY. Live right outside Chicago. PM me if you could please thanks. Need some fuel lines, dont want to have to search.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Clicky (Franks)
Clicky (Pick n Pull) - You can search their inventory online! They just got a 88 a few days ago, going tomorrow.
Clicky (LQK Blue island) - My fav spot


Franks has 3 third gens from going today, 1 91 Firebird, a 91 RS, and 87 Irocz that has been there for over 2 years. Pick N Pull says they have 3 there according to their inventory check and LQK BI has 4, 2 Irocz one already picked to hell and another semi fresh from my last visit on Tuesday and 2 other third gens being a 89 firebird and 91 RS which have been already mostly picked.

Have fun.

Chrome on Rust

iTrader: (1)

Hey, thanks alot man.

Ill be keeping an eye out for your car in the future.

Awesome-X

Wow, you got all that stuff for that cheap? I wish we had some decent JY's around here....it would make my life so much easier..

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Well I have been hunting for over 2 months now. Take in the $6 every week in entering fees, I think I made my money back . I am glad I found these since they were the major things on my list. I am hunting for 91-92 Door GFX and the Passenger rocker gfx itself and on that I am not sure that I can get for cheap. The prices on these 3 things are

I am still thinking of what route to go next here are my 2 choices:

1. Continue to get the car as straight as possible and prime it and take my neighbors offer who offered to paint my car for $300+ paint costs.

or

2. Buy a ''Good'' spray gun and paint it myself and save myself some $.

The thing that worrys me is screwing up. Mainly orange peel & runs. I know they are fixable and to be honest I do not want a show quality paint job just something durable to last me for a few years of school, even more when I dont plan to snow drive it and its being garage kept. On the other hand, I have seen his work and its decent. He was originally quoted me $1500 to fix my Cam in the state it was when I made this thread. I am glad I decided to get it straight myself since it had soo many things wrong and I am glad I got to get it to my standards.

Any ideas?

Here is how she looks at the moment, Got the hood sanded and primed, Gave it some decent coats to for sanding.

Awesome-X

I personally would just buy a gun and do it myself. That way if I ever needed to do it again to something else I'd have the practice and the equipment.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...paint-job.html
Check that thread out.

Chrome on Rust

iTrader: (1)

What He Said.
And Is What I Plan To Do Too.


Hey Carlos thanks again for those Junk Yards Stoped by 2 of them. Went to the Pick and Pull today was going to ask if you were the guy that was there striping a camaro down. If not would think you would want to head there soon. Lets just say i was there a few hours and this guy was there working b4 i got there.

Or maybe you were the person that came up to me asking the year of the car i was taking items from? Yes/No? was just curious saw you say you were going today.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Nope, I am going tomorrow to see the new 88 they got in. I am guessing thats the Camaro hes stripping haha. Well right now I am just looking for a dash and even then mine has a small crack that I might tackle after its painted. I don't really need much right now. The things I need are from specific for the year 91-92. Which rarely come in at Blue island or Pick n Pull.

Also if you want to make quick buck, Head over to franks, I went to see the T-top bag the bird had (Decided to get it later on since I am sure no one will pick it) and I saw its dash, its almost perfect!



The two other Camaros are almost fully stripped. The green one did not have the side gfx I needed but did have the passenger turn signal. If the dash is there by sunday I might pick it up and sell on Craigs. I am sure they will let it go for around $35-50. Could easily sell it on craigs for around $100-115

Chrome on Rust

iTrader: (1)

Yea it looks sharp.

The new one they got in was hit pritty bad on the pass door all the way to the rear.

Oh yea and there was another guy working on taking some stuff off a Saturn(or look alike) and comes over and trys to start talking car with me.
Not that im a know it all but trys to tell me that his boss had a 64 Camaro. hehe

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Ahh that sucks. My uncle said he wants to go since they are having the Memorial day special. I hardly go to Pick n Pull since most popular yards or well known ones are the least chance to find anything good for our third gens. Still that was proven wrong to me on the blisters I got from LQK's U pull it yard. The Irocz I pulled them from looked fresh but was already pulled from. I am surprised no one picked them up before me. I think I even took pictures of it. Yea I take pictures of Camaros/Birds I find since I share the finds with friends who might need parts

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

I will run around the yard in circles if I ever find a 91-92 thats fresh and has a good pair of door and rocker gfx and even chin spoiler. My front chin spoiler has cracks at each corner and middle that I need to fix and passenger rocker gfx is cracked badly beyond fixable and both door gfx back bracket was rusted out and previous owners (My dad and PO before him) decided to epoxy glue & double side tape it back on and drywall screw it (Passenger side). I am seeing the door gfx go for around $45-$50 and rocker for $75-85 online .

Hopefully I get lucky and find them in the next few months, I will rather run with no door gfx and rockers then pay those prices.

As for updates on my Cam, I got the hood on and aligned it and sanded it. For some reason I love how it looks without the chin spoiler. It might be my inner love for non-gfx/berts Camaros.



Edit: Haha I just noticed the 3rd pic showing the blisters before I noticed them, Jesus I am blind.

Chrome on Rust

iTrader: (1)

Nice pick up on the blisters.

Well I think a may be trying to hit up some more yards Lockport/joliet/auroa in the next week or so . I will keep my eye out for you as i start to hit some more of these place up.(to broke for new parts) If you happen to come across a good Y-pipe or full set of fuel lines for a 305 TBI 89 let me know please.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

I always have a habbit of going under cars when they are raised to check for aftermarket suspension parts I can pull so I will let you know.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

I don't think I showed my tinted lights on here but here they are. I had to put them on and leave them for now to reduce the chance of them getting scratched. I did 2 coats of Vht and 3 of clear.



Got the hood primed sanded again and primed due to friends scratching it and leaving dirty hand marks on it. I also sanded and primed the 2nd blister.



I actually like how this picture came out, looks good.

morrow

i just wana find a dash without any cracks lol

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Haha yea mine is fixable but if I find a good dash, I would not hesitate to buy it. That is at yard price ($35), I would rather let it be the last resort before paying $200+ for a good pad.

Also, I seem to be having issues with my hood. Everything seems to be aligned perfect, and inspecting it, it looks like it needs a bit of a drop at the front for the pole or thing that goes into the hood latch to grab it when its down all the way. What can this be? At all sides the hood looks perfectly even, Would I have to play with the hinges some more or what? I will try and tackle that tomorrow and see what the problem is.

Orinackra

Looking pretty good! You've made a LOT of progress from where you started.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Thanks, right now I have just been trying to get this thing started. Found out my idle problems was the map and today it would not start and a low battery did not help that. I have really been lazy the past few days, but I am gonna put body work on hold and get it running.

Hey chrome, if you have this thread sub'd (probably do since default settings makes it when you post) anyways theres a 87 Camaro at the pick n pull on summit, Just got there on 06/02/10. I don't need anything from what a 87 can provide but just giving you a heads up and yea I call/check weekly at yards for hopefully a 91-92 to be there.

Well I might go today depending on how things are, well mainly boredom. I wouldn't mind going and pocketing some more extra screws. I went to the yard at blue island and came home with a toolbox full of extra 10mm screws, extra nuts, washers, tail light *****, etc.

Chrome on Rust

iTrader: (1)

Oh yea, I have been keeping up with the thread.

And hey a call is cheaper than the 2 bucks they want you to pay some places to look around.

Thanks for the update. I have not been able to find to much usefull at the yards.

If you do go to the yard today grab a shot of the Y-pipe plz. I Think i may just have to end up making my own fuel lines have not been able to find any in good enough shape. they always seem to be rusted where the rear seat sits.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Well pick n pull I have called in the past and they never are straight on answers, so sometimes the drive is worth it. I did not actually go today, just did not feel like going even more when my cam is acting up.

Str8upChevy

I gotta give it to you man, you've made some really good progress on that car of yours. I just picked up a 91 RS about 2 months ago and I have yet to get started on the body work it needs. I'd have to say it's my least favorite thing to do when it comes to working on cars. So yeah, keep up the good work!!!

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

My Camaro was really abused and well prior to it being worked on, I got on it hard for the 9 months I drove it before deciding enough is enough and working on it. I did not mind the body work the first month but afterwards it just got annoying and to the point I see why people say screw fixing rust and just get replacement panels.

Right now the driver side looks 100% diff than the passenger. The driver side door is in really bad shape. enough of bad shape that I might have to remove it to work on it better. I would like to get a replacement for it but right now it doesnt seem thats an option since most yard Camaros doors are rusted worse than this door and getting one from here or good vendors would be a bit pricey then spending a few days fixing it. It has everything, dings, rust, double sided good strenght tape, epoxy glue, you name it. I have been really lazy lately so not much has been done.

As for getting the car running, its back to its normal self as far as I can tell right now. I still need to replace the o2 sensor and fan switch sensor and shes good and mobile.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Well hopefully the mods move this to members Camaros section but anyways a quick update.

Today I found out how awesome my neighbors are. My father is a very friendly person and as well as myself and the rest of my family so we are all very good friends with the whole area, sadly enough with even the Gangbangers we have in the area (Yea its a eh neighborhood), enough that they wont bother us which I find is a good perk . Anyways the friend/neighbor who offered to paint my Camaro for me gifted me with a spray gun. He told me before rattle can primer is ok but not great and offered to sell me a spray gun before for cheap but never really nagged him about it. Today my dad coming back from helping him out fix his car he gave him a spray gun for me to use for primer. The gun itself is a Central Pneumatic Professional Model #47016. Which is a 1.5mm. I need to clean it and get some supplies for it and its ready. Sad thing is I recently purchased about 4 cans of rattle can primer and now I have no use for em. Wonder if I can return them.

Here is a picture of the gun I took to show a friend.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

Well today seems like its gonna be a very long day. I am working on the driver side and well its not pretty. Its by far the worst side of the car. First thing is of course with lazy mechanics or people in general, the previous owners before us jacked the car up from right under the gfx on the fender bending the latch on point for the fender and today with just some wiggle the peice came off. Then the rust caused in the rear quarter really did its damage as you are gonna see. The next thing is under the door the door gfx was glued on with multiple things. Double sided tape and epoxy glue so cleaning that crap is gonna be very annoying. Lastly is something I caused, about 3 weeks of getting my license and starting to drive the Cam I was going in reverse and pretty much peeled it to show off and I managed to somehow rear quarter hit my uncles parked Bravada. Not really that much damage to his truck since it hit his wide tires but it dented up my quarter a bit where the body line is.

I will get it fixed to some extent hopefully, but in the end I really think a replacement rear quarter is in order. Anyways here are the pictures of what I am up against.


Gotta love the cover I got recently, has really gotten alot of dirty greasy hand prints off the car:



Shot of the Driver side door, The door was fine when it went in for repairs but got some dents from people walking by it to take a **** in the **** bucket:



The aftermath of the forced on GFX:



The rear quarter showing the dent caused by the showing off and rust damage at the bottom.

Carlos773

iTrader: (3)

So what would be the shop cost of having them weld or patch in a replacement panel? I might be able to get the quarter skin for a good price but it all depends on how much it would run to get it patched in. So any ideas?

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

Why do people paint their door handles? Even if you want it to match the body color they should be taken off the car to make the painting job easier. You'll get better coverage under there and trust me, you'll simply be happier with the results.