86IROC112

So I finished painting my house (At the wife's request) now I am free to start the paint project I really want to do. I'm giddy! Here's a few pictures from the start and I will update as I go. Going to be a big project but it's a labor of love...Here's what I started with... PROJECT COMPLETE!!!

86IROC112

Wow! Removing all the stuff is time consuming but I want to do this right to the best of my abilities...Sanding has begun on the GFX. I'm going to try to save the front bumper cover to save a little money but if I have to I will buy a new one. Anyone tried one of those one piece fiberglass after market noses?

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

What's wrong with the bumper cover that makes you think it may need replaced?

86IROC112

It's a bit warped in the headlight buckets and the top corner of the driver's side bucket is really curled downward. It makes the front corner of the hood stick out. No idea how I would fix that??

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

You could try to use a heat gun very cautiously. Warm it up just enough so it gains some flexibility and move it back in place. But if the paint begins to bubble or the bumper surface starts to look different, stop.

86IROC112

It's actually still very flexible. I can bend and hold it in place where it should be but as soon as I let go of it, it goes back down. It's almost like I'd have to brace it from behind with something to hold it in place. I'd love to save it because I don't want to shell out more $$ than I have to...

86IROC112

Finally back to work on her. Funny how life gets in the way. Anyway, I found a donor car that I got a nice front fender and front bumper cover off of. Plus some other needed items but now I got back to sanding, sanding, and more sanding. also got a chance to play with my new spray gun and primed a few of the GFX pieces.


Was planning on painting it myself but found a guy in town that is a one man operation who is going to seal, color and clear it for me at a hell of a price. He was working on an old classic VW bug and had it painted black and it was beautiful. Man, this is a lot of work.

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

Thats exactly what you need to do. Make a brace and secure it exactly how you need it. Put it in the sun. Then put it in the cool basement.

Also, careful how you store your plastics. They can easily deform. I made the mistake and left them in a warm spot and over time they sagged big time. I spent a long time making a nice jig, pulling it back to its normal shape. So far so good.

86IROC112

After a brutal winter I'm back at it. Made a lot of progress actually. Found a donor car for $400.00 that I got a lot of great stuff off of to include a non warped front bumper cover and left fender. (Those are the blue one's pictured above.)


My painter went off and found a real job he works 12 hour shifts and just doesn't have time to do cars so I'm back to painting it myself. Sold my Corvette to a guy that owns an auto parts store here in town and he gave me a pretty good price on some Dupont Nason products for the job. He advised me the Velocity Yellow color I wanted to use requires some kind of mid coat pearl type product that needs to be put on top of the base coat. His buddy who owns a body shop here in town told me that stuff can be real tricky for a noob, especially since I will be shooting this panel by panel. Doors one day, fenders the next, etc... That scared me off the Velocity Yellow. Then I bumped into one of my former Sergeants while he was driving his 2010 Camaro SS in Rally Yellow. It's pretty brilliant too and I found out it does not require the mid coat, so I went with that.


That aftermarket fender on the left didn't fit well at all so I decided to use it as my test piece. After fiddling around with my gun and having to sand the sealer off cuz it ran like crazy, I figured it all out. I have to say I was VERY pleased with the test fender. Very little orange peel and it just explodes in the sunlight. However I do have to make my garage paint booth better for the real thing as I got a lot of dust and particulate on the base coat.


More to come..I plan to have it all painted before it gets too hot in the garage. Don't want to be dripping sweat while trying to paint.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

The fender looks great with the paint and clear on. I like the DuPont brand paints. The first whole car I painted was my 92 RS and I did it with the Nason series. I was told it would not weather as well as the the ChromaPremier series would but I thought that was just a bunch of marketing BS. I never noticed any weathering and the clear coat always looked good. I painted it Arctic White and some gloss black. Fast forward 10-12 years and now with my 91 convertible I just did I used Chroma Premier and I used Arctic White again. I put the newly painted fender against my 92 RS with it's 10 year old paint and there is difference, the newly painted white is brighter. Being that both fenders use the same paint code for Arctic White and are both DuPont I believe it has been weathered. It's not marketing BS. So two take aways I wanted to give you:
1. The Nason series will weather over time so you need to keep the car in a garage or covered with a UV proof cover,
2. You wont ever be able to tell that the paint has weathered unless you put it up next to a new panel in a few years.

86IROC112

I bought a new compressor that really runs my DA sander so I took the whole car down to either bare metal or factory primer. The donor fender had a couple small dings that were easily fixed and both were taken to bare metal.


I was VERY pleased with the T-Top channels. Virtually zero rust and in very good shape. Both doors and hatch are off so I can do this right.


Got the body primed over the weekend. Back to sanding....Hoping to shoot the body this weekend..

86IROC112

Thanks Tibo,


With the Corvette gone this is my number one baby now and will treated like the Vette. Always garaged, never driven in the rain, and garaged and covered in the winter.


Question for you... If I do get a speck of junk on the base can I just wet sand it out then spot spray that spot before clearing?

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Yeah, that's what the tech sheet says- wet sand with 400-600. Lighter colors can stop at 400 but darker colors, metals and pearls need 600. I always go to 600 before color to try to minimize any sanding scratches from bigger grits showing through. The tech sheet doesn't allude to any recoat window but I would try to get it cleared within 2 days. Since you don't have a booth either it sounds like, what I did was hang my plastic sheeting and then sweep the floor and then mop it numerous times. Close off the area completely for a day before you paint so everything in the air settles as much as possible. I would then come back and keep the floor damp while I painted my panels. You do not want the floor wet with puddles, just damp so falling dust sticks. Clean the exterior of your air hose everytime you clean your gun. That hose can pick up and drop dust on your panel. I had to touch up an area before I realized that...

86IROC112

I spent 10+ hours making a booth in my garage. Hung plastic over all four walls and taped all the seams. 3 box fans with furnace filters for exhaust under the door, all sealed up with tape. One fan for intake with a furnace filter on he outside. Another furnace filter in the wall above that fan. Worst part is the door I made to get in and out. All in all I think it's sealed up pretty good. I wiped the car down and let it sit for a day then went out and felt it again and it was dust free.


Then disaster struck. I went to spray sealer on it yesterday and forgot to blow out all the nooks and crannies. The gun blew crap all over and onto the paint.


I HATE this Nason sealer. I'm a pretty good spray painter but for the life of me I can't get this stuff to cover evenly. And when I try to get a nice even coat it runs. Here's my question... I have the whole car primed. No bare metal or old finishes are exposed. Do I really need this sealer? I am using Transtar 2K kwik prime 6441. the tech sheet only says,




• NOTE: On featheredge areas, it is best to use a sealer to prevent lifting by basecoats.


What exactly does that mean? Are they talking about areas that are feathered but not covered by primer?

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I haven't seen or read any hard evidence to suggest that you need to use sealer. I've used sealer on some pieces and not used sealer on others and I haven't noticed any difference. Anymore I only use sealer if my base coat color is on the opposite end of the color spectrum as my primer. If I wanted to be cheap and the prior base coat/clear coat was in good shape I might sand it to 600 grit and then spray sealer followed by the new base coat. Those are the only times I would use sealer. My friend that runs the paint and body program at the community college thinks the same way.

If you really want to spray the sealer to not have wasted your money then use the smallest tip you have and a big fan pattern with minimal volume and do everything in 50% overlap. IOW spray it dry.

86IROC112

No, I never want to spray that stuff ever again! Just going to sand it down and shoot the base..

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Sucks you're having a bad experience with it, I know what it's like when you're just wanting to finally spray color.

86IROC112

Tibo, If I just shoot my yellow over the gray primer do you think it will effect the color or brightness any differently than it would if sprayed over the white sealer?

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I think like before with the Chroma Premier having more UV blockers, sure there may be a difference but you would have to have a panel right by the other to notice. If its a dark gray it would look different than a white. Play it safe and do three coats color. The number of coats of coverage makes a difference. For instance, when I sprayed my front fenders I only sprayed that inner lip area (arear that the hood covers up) one coat and you can tell a difference in the white. I just forgot to spray it again there.

86IROC112

Okay, so after mulling it over and over I decided I wanted to spray the yellow over a white surface instead of gray. Soooo, I gave it another shot and that damn stuff still ran in a couple places. Even though the tech sheet says if it dries overnight you need to scuff it and recoat it, I got ahold on the manufacturer. He said I could sand it and shoot base the following day.


So I did that today. One final wipe and I'm going to shoot color tomorrow. Question:
Do I need to remove that paper and re-do it? Even though I Blew out all the cracks and crevices, I still got more junk in the paint than I am comfortable with. I think it was from the car and not the surroundings. I have my booth pretty darn clean and wet the floor before spraying. I was thinking of covering it with plastic before I paint?


Thoughts?

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

As long as the wet sanding water/dust didn't drip all over the tape/paper/plastic you should be fine. If it did, the water will evaporate and leave dust that could blow around.

86IROC112

Okay, got BC/CC shot today. Turned out pretty darn good. (pictures don't do it justice. No room in my booth to take photos.) There are a few pieces of junk in there and a couple small runs in the clear. Easily fixed I think.


I am an idiot however. In the middle of spraying I stopped and changed my tip 90 degrees so I could shoot the underside of my bumper. then when I resumed, I forgot to change it back and ran a line down the rear quarter panel with the fan horizontal. That made a pretty nice run. Luckily I caught myself pretty quick. I am quickly learning why they get $5000 to do this.


I'm getting there though.


Edit, no idea why the pics came out upside down!

86IROC112

Looks pretty good in the sun...


Doors, fenders, hood, and hatch by the end of the week I hope..

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I wouldn't fret it, bright yellow (Like my favorite, Arctic White) isn't known for its depth but rather it's intense brightness. These colors on sunny days are almost retina burning.

86IROC112

I know, I love it! It's going to look sharp when done with the black accents. However, I will know those flaws are there and it will bug me forever. As discussed in another thread I may cut it down and consider another coat or two of clear. I only put on two as the tech sheet suggested and I found an area of what looks like dry spray. Very textured OP. Afraid I will cut it too thin if I try to sand that out. The majority of it laid out real nice but those little flaws will bug me.

86IROC112

Got the doors, fenders, rear hatch piece, and front bumper primed and sanded the last two days. Going to shoot the doors tomorrow. Try to get the fenders and front bumper the day after. My hood will be here Monday, undamaged I'm praying...

86IROC112

She's coming along... Hoping my hood arrives tomorrow, undamaged..


I finally figured out how to shoot that damn sealer.. that is saving me a lot of time...

86IROC112

Front bumper turned out great! I was very pleased. Got the GFX done today also... Hood comes tomorrow.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Looking good

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

I've been following along and rootin' for ya too! Lookin' good. I'm considering painting mine myself. Lots of things to consider. While I don't demand 100% flawless perfection, I'm not sure I can get it where I want it. Anyhow, good work!

Ron U.S.M.C.

I'm not standing on top of it but from what I can see, it looks great.
I always love it when someone puts there blood,sweat,and tiers into there car.

As difficult and frustrating as it can be sometimes, the feeling you get when your done cant be beat.

86IROC112

It's funny. I did the body first, then the doors, then the fenders, then the front bumper. If you look at each one, they got a little better each time. Experience gained quickly.


You can do it. Hours of YouTube and reading Autobody101.com. I will say this, it is A TON of work. Maybe it just seems that way because I'm trying to knock out the painting in one week so the wife gets to park her car in the garage again. But it's a lot of work. It's going to be awesome after the cut and buff.


And Ron, thank you. I have read your paint thread a bunch of times. I have absolutely fallen in love with this car and may never get rid of it. I mean I chose it over the Corvette. Sold that about 5 weeks ago and don't regret it a bit.


Hood got here today and it's beautiful. Arrived without a scratch. The first one I refused because it looked like it got dropped from an airplane. So I have the hood, both sides, and the top of the rear hatch and I'm done!

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

If you haven't done any buffing before, the best advice is to not start below 1200 grit. Work your way up to at least 2000 if not 3000 and buff with a soft pad with an aggressive compound, clean it or change to a new pad and then use a soft compound. I like Wizard's but Meguiars is good and readily available. Don't try to use a hard/course pad and and aggressive compound to save some time.

Davidgou

iTrader: (2)

Absolutely beautiful!!!

86IROC112

Thanks David! I love it so far.


Tibo, I decided to sand the body with 800 to remove all the orange peel and the runs. I only shot the body with two coats of clear per the tech sheet but realized I can do three as long as I allow enough flash time between coats. Everything else I shot three coats of clear on so I'm going to add two more to the body only tomorrow so when I cut and buff I'm not worried about going through. Plus I've gotten much better shooting the clear after all the other parts.


Question.... On the areas with little or no orange peel but there's a little junk in the clear can I just buff that out or would you still sand it then buff it?


Got the hood done today. Two more coats of clear and I'm done painting! Can't wait to start putting her back together...Then there's the interior...And the wheels,.....

86IROC112

Just went and checked on the hood.. Oh Mommy, it turned out nice!

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

You just don't know how far down the junk is.

86IROC112

Shot another two coats of clear on the body today.


I am officially done painting! Time to get to polishing and reassembly..


And yes, I sealed up the "booth" before I shot it.

86IROC112

got the whole car cut down with 1000 to flatten it out. Jumped up to 1500, 2000, then 2500 on the driver's door. then hit it with some Meguire's M205 and holy cow! Got a mirror like shine and haven't even hit it with the fine M105 yet. This thing is going to look really good when it's done. Cutting removed damn near every piece of junk that was in the clear too. For a first time paint job I am going to be more than happy with it. Will post pics when she's all polished up.

86IROC112

Just need to hit the front bumper and hood with the fine stuff. The rest is done and WOW! This baby shines...

Citation X

Good job looks great. Hope to see some pics of her all back together.

ZsTransAm

For every 10 guys who post a 'paint project' thread MAYBE one guy actually finishes the project. Props to you for being that guy, the car looks great! If you had to guess, how many hours would you say you have into it?

86IROC112

Wish I had logged the hours but it's easily several hundred at this point. Many many hours to go putting her back together. The interior will be my winter project. Seats, carpet, door panels, headliner, the works...

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I remember finishing the paint process on my current car and thinking that I didn't have much longer, even told the wife I thought I would be done mid spring 2017. The small stuff has a tendency to bog people down since it really starts to ad up. Kudos to you for realizing it may be your winter project.

86IROC112

Got most of the GFX polished and installed. Passenger side fender is on hold as I'm waiting for my new antenna to arrive. Got some Meguire's plastic polish and hit the tail lights. WOW, they look like new! It's starting to look like a Camaro again.


When installing the tail lights I noticed the driver's side light does not have the rubber seal that runs along the top and down to the point. I bought it from a guy on this site and didn't notice until installing it that it's gone. Anyone sell that aftermarket?

86IROC112

Starting to look like a Camaro again! Headlight buckets turned out nice.


One problem though...The front bumper does not want to go all the way on. It feels like it's stopping in the center about 1-2" short. The ends go all the way but the center feels like it's hitting the honeycomb or something? Anyone have any ideas whet the hang up might be?

86IROC112

I'm back at it. Took the summer to learn how to ride my Sky Ski. (Fun stuff!)


Got her striped and decaled today. Boy this car is going to look like it just came off the show room floor. Interior is next then she hits the street in spring.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Looks great! Give your wheel wells a spritz of new undercoating.

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

I was gonna ask how things were going! ...good job!

88IROCvertZ

iTrader: (1)

Looks really good!

When I got mine painted the guy said not to get an aftermarket front spoiler or a new nose.. said he can heat them and brace them and they naturally go back to the original shape.. I was skeptical, but my front end looks better than any third gen I’ve owned..

Were you able to save your bumper cover/spoiler?

That yellow looks really rich.. I like it..