Well, after what seems like forever, im finally getting going on getting my car painted. Im sure i will come up with questions (thats a given) and I will use this thread so i dont fill Jeff's inbox up any more than i already have...

Here is my passenger qp

- All that was done with a DA.

Then, i pulled out a bottle of aircraft paint remover (aerosol) i bought last fall when i was going to refinish my rims (still planning on it, just gonna focus on paint right now). Sprayed it on the decklick and a little on the driver's qp


- Holy crap does that work nicely.. I wish i would have tried it earlier.. Im gonna pick up another couple of cans and finish off the doors, rockers, passenger qp, and the fenders.. will really save my arms some and some time.. those pics were taken after 5 minutes of that stuff being on there. too bad there isnt something that works that good that is safe to use on fiberglass and plastic (GFX, hood, bumpers).. or is there?

I also found out that my car use to be painted a much darker red that what i thought.. and it was hit in the back (dented in bumper support) at one time. The things you learn as to tear down a car...

Here is one last pic of how she was before i started sanding her down...

 

I feel you man, I also am painting my GTA this summer after the Macco screw up. Who is painting the car? I am doing it my self, and belive that it will be fine. I belive that painting and body work is one of the coolest things to do on a car. It truly is an art form when I am spraying the color something. Best of luck man.

 

I am painting it myself.. Tomorrow i hope to have the paintshop built in my garage... i'll post pics

 

Cool, keep us updated!

 

Here is a couple of questions tho..
How do you remove the decklid from the glass? and how do you re-attatch it?

Also, what are some methods of shaping body filler? I need to use some on the rear fender lip (i had that area cut out and patched with a new piece from a junkyard.. but the body shop must not have lined it up right, cause there is a good layer of body filler in that area.. i just dont want to be able to see it when i paint it.. hehe, cause black.. well, ya know...

 

http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/m...tegory_Code=T2

C. 7.5" Loose Wool Pad - Used for initial cutting after color sanding - Tends to hold more material than High Density Pads.
D. 7.5" High Density Wool - Used for initial cutting the HD wool will be more stable and controlable on the surface.

when i go to buff, we these two pads work for me? for the compounding and buffing? Or would anyone mind giving me a lamen's tutorial?

 

Well, got the doors down today.. Found out my driver's side door has had a dent pulled.. two little holes and a pantload of body filler.. this is gonna be fun...

I also found another rust spot i wasnt expecting.. totally under the paint and there wasnt any bubbling in the paint to show it was there

And the paint is being a PITA to get off.. cause, when whoever repainted it, they just sprayed primer and paint on top of the factory color.. ****ers...

i'll post a pantload of pics tomorrow night.

 

ive always wanted to do a manual window door swap...so much lighter and more reliable

 

MORE PICTURES !!!!!!!!!

 

hehe, i'll post like ten at least tomorrow..

 

its tomorrow and still now pics

 

hehe, lemme reiterate... Tomorrow evening...

I have a question for the body guys if they read this.. My car came with a Harwood cowl.. put on the car in 2000. Has never been painted, still in the black gelcoat (as fas as i can tell).. What should i do to prep it? Sand it down? scuff and prime it? Just dont wanna sand down too far and ruin it..

Here is a pic of the hood..well, kinda

 

hmmm, what i would suggest doing is buying a 91-92 blistered Z28 hood or Iroc hood with louvers. You will be happy with the results.

glad i could help

 

meh, i really like the cowl.. no-one in my area has anything else BUT stock hoods.. and there are very few good looking thirdgens in the area as well.... i just dont wanna ruin the hood during prep

 

im doing the same thing right now, my car is pretty much ready for primer.. my doors were the worst part, the drivers door was replaced with an earlier year door, and had like 7+ layers of paint.. the bottom half of the passenger door was fixed, but whoever painted it mustve forgot to use primer?? it was rusting up pretty good was nothing behind the red paint either..

my little plastic sheeting paint booth in the garage is going to be a nightmare probably, heh.. maybe if the ceiling werent so low, its nice how its static electricity grabs all the dust, but it falls off just as easy.. also i have a feeling the fumes are going to escape into my garage roof and blow me up. hey whatever though :P

its f*cking 95 degrees outside right now, i have all the paint sitting in my basement ready to go, but screw that.. this week sucked

anyways good luck

 

I'm not a big fan of cowl hoods. I like the jongbloed style hood myself... my 2nd choice is an SS hood, but a lot of people have them.

 

Here is the car as she sits.. You can see the wiring i need to go through and weed out... and cover in wirelooms. This is what it was like (wiring-wise) when i bought the car..

Yah, i know, the engine bay is dirty as hell.. I plan on pulling the motor this winter and totally cleaning/POR-15 the entire bay/underbody.. So, until then, I will have a black car with a red engine bay...

Look at the HACK JOB of a y-pipe I have... such a POS.. gonna either have a new one made next year or just get some hooker 2055's and its y-pipe.. ceramic coated, of course. You can also see the couple of rust spots that were hiding under the paint... i hope i can just grind it down and use body filler and be ok.....

 

 

hehe, that better?

 

youre right, that is one terrible y pipe...looks like it was connected with concrete

 

after seeing that y pipe i guess the y stands for yuck. dude ditch it

 

I plan on it in the spring.. the car runs just fine.. she's just restricted-terribly.. I told him 2.5" into 3 all mandrel.. and this is what i got.. ****er

So, anyone got any tips on prepping my fiberglass cowl?

 

Yo, a good idea is to finish the car, and give it to your badass little bro.

 

For prepping the hood, wet sand it a little bit so it gets rough, then prime it and paint it. I was repainting my car last fall. Oh that was a ton of fun. I also found a ton of suprizes like you. Only mine weren't like "found some rust under the paint", more like, "found some holes under the paint" Ahhh, cars are so much fun.

 

sweet, i didnt wanna DA it.. too afraid to ruin the hood...

Has anyone had any experience with using POR-15 under primer? I checked with their website and its supposed to work out fine... i plan on grinding down the rust until i cant really get anymore, them POR-15 the rusty areas, then sand that down so all i see is metal with POR-15 spots (the pitting) then prime, then use body filler where it is low... sound like a good plan?

 

Rabbitt,
Is it a fiberglass cowl?
DA it with 240...red scuffy all the edges really good, prime it and block it like any other panel.

 

well, i've got a box of 320 discs..(have no idea why i bought them) will that be fine, just take longer?

 

Ya, 320 will be fine to prep before primer