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History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
The light the PDR guy is using allows him to see the depth of the dent. I used to use a regular fluorescent light with a black spray paint line right down the middle of the lens. It does the same thing as the reflection boards you usually see, but the lights obviously provide their own light and don't use other light sources to provide the reflection. The problem with the 12V or 120V light is that you are staring at a bright light reflection and that's bad for your eyes. I could not use a reflection board after learning how to use the light. Now that I only use the reflection board, using the light is difficult due to it's brightness. It DOES work better than a reflection board in low light areas. The light he's using was designed for the hail guys, working in bright areas and needed a brighter light that could extend over a vehicle roof.
There are smaller lights that are LED and not as bright now, but they still offer a nice reflection and can provide for stellar results compared to just using the reflection board. I have a large light stand that's 120V and I also have a smaller one that using a suction cup to hold it on the car that 12V. I only use them when it's starts getting dark.
Do a Google search for PDR hail lights and you'll see how they get used. You'll probably also see some that show just how bright they can be and that staring at that light can be damaging to your eyes.
Like most '88-'92s, this car's armrests have popped. I've been avoiding fixing them because I'm afraid of nicking the cap when I pop it off to gain access to the front bolt. This one here.
So I had an idea to use PDR glue tabs on the cap.
Like so...
Did it work?
No. But I blame that on my sketchy glue gun which appears to be going south. Once I get a new gun, we're giving it another whirl.
BTW, beyond working out dings, I've used these tabs to pull out wheel center caps, without removing the wheels to tap them out. Yeah, I know. Lazy.
Like most '88-'92s, this car's armrests have popped. I've been avoiding fixing them because I'm afraid of nicking the cap when I pop it off to gain access to the front bolt. This one here.
So I had an idea to use PDR glue tabs on the cap.
Like so...
Did it work?
No. But I blame that on my sketchy glue gun which appears to be going south. Once I get a new gun, we're giving it another whirl.
BTW, beyond working out dings, I've used these tabs to pull out wheel center caps, without removing the wheels to tap them out. Yeah, I know. Lazy.
I wonder if a heat gun set at a low temp would help it come out easier, may soften up the plastic just a little to assist in easier removal....you could always test it out on a spare arm rest
I wonder if a heat gun set at a low temp would help it come out easier, may soften up the plastic just a little to assist in easier removal....you could always test it out on a spare arm rest
I'd be afraid to do that. I'm confident the pull tab will work with the right amount of glue.
Haven't really done much car stuff during this unending, hellish winter. Life has been getting in the way of fun. But I putzed around in the garage today.
These door edge guards have kind of bugged me since I got the car. Should I keep them, should I remove them? I don't know, I kept going back and forth. Today I removed them. They came off easily and undamaged with a heat gun. I assumed they would have some adhesive attaching them, but I detected none.
Look at this. I was surprised at how much discoloration there was on such a low miles car. It's kind of a biotch to remove. I tried spray detailer, isopropyl alcohol, mineral spirits, claying, (no jokes ) and ScratchX. It's still not 100% gone.
Yeah, my paint guy gave me new door guards but said he wouldn’t bother putting them on because he liked the look without..
I agreed..
Great job removing those! I’ve seen them take paint off with them before..
You will always have discoloration.. Those edges were sealed for 30 years.. Even if that car was stored in your living room at constant 70 degrees with a dehumidifier you can’t stop oxidation.. No air or light could get in there (or much less than the rest of the door)
Never really liked those much either.
I have always thought of them as an offensive parking lot tool.
Never wanted to park next to a car with those guards.......
Yeah, my paint guy gave me new door guards but said he wouldn’t bother putting them on because he liked the look without..
I agreed..
Great job removing those! I’ve seen them take paint off with them before..
You will always have discoloration.. Those edges were sealed for 30 years.. Even if that car was stored in your living room at constant 70 degrees with a dehumidifier you can’t stop oxidation.. No air or light could get in there (or much less than the rest of the door)
I think it looks much better!
The paint under the door edge guards was substantially more white than the rest of the door. It makes me feel like I need to up my paint correction plans.
The paint under the door edge guards was substantially more white than the rest of the door. It makes me feel like I need to up my paint correction plans.
IMO, the only way your going to change that is to keep the car protected from UV rays
it's hard to stop father time, paint will change color to some degree no matter what product you put on it
IMO, the only way your going to change that is to keep the car protected from UV rays
it's hard to stop father time, paint will change color to some degree no matter what product you put on it
Well I figure, what has UV light, etc., altered? The clearcoat? The color coat? We need a painter like dagwood in here!
Well I figure, what has UV light, etc., altered? The clearcoat? The color coat? We need a painter like dagwood in here!
From what I understand it’s the base coat. Like when you have those dealership stickers on a car for 10 years, no matter what you do the the clearcoat, the color change is underneath.. happens with pinstripes too.
I am happy to be corrected by a painter, but I’ve never seen paint correction fixing that..
If you polish and seal the paint and have a high gloss finish it shouldn’t be as noticeable except for certain lighting..
It looks like there is some grime/wax/oxidation right where the door edge sat.. fixing that would make it less noticeable..
I had to fix a Denali where the guy tried to take the pinstripes off with his fingernails.. Once the scratches and the dirt around the edge of the stripe was removed it looked much better..
It looks like there is some grime/wax/oxidation right where the door edge sat.. fixing that would make it less noticeable..
I had to fix a Denali where the guy tried to take the pinstripes off with his fingernails.. Once the scratches and the dirt around the edge of the stripe was removed it looked much better..
That grimy/yellow area is diminished now, but not gone.It's going to give me a fight.
The yellowed area looks similar to the yellow staining that a door's black rubber seals leave on the inside of the door where the seal touches the door opening. The black dye in the rubber seals and plastic door edge guards leaves a yellowish stain on the paint. Especially on white paint. I've used lacquer thinner to remove those stains. You have to be very careful and wipe it on fast then immediately wipe the lacquer thinner off with a dry cloth before it starts to dissolve any paint. This usually removes this type of deep stain, but be very cautious because it is dissolving the paint that has the stain in it to some degree. Try it on a very small 1/2" area at the bottom of the door and on the inside of the door which probably has the same staining as the outside of the door. Remember this is a last resort when the other things you've already done hasn't worked. Then wax it with several coats.
The yellowed area looks similar to the yellow staining that a door's black rubber seals leave on the inside of the door where the seal touches the door opening. The black dye in the rubber seals and plastic door edge guards leaves a yellowish stain on the paint. Especially on white paint. I've used lacquer thinner to remove those stains. You have to be very careful and wipe it on fast then immediately wipe the lacquer thinner off with a dry cloth before it starts to dissolve any paint. This usually removes this type of deep stain, but be very cautious because it is dissolving the paint that has the stain in it to some degree. Try it on a very small 1/2" area at the bottom of the door and on the inside of the door which probably has the same staining as the outside of the door. Remember this is a last resort when the other things you've already done hasn't worked. Then wax it with several coats.
This here is an original, never used, still in the GM box, NOS grill. Not a bull$h!t glossy, GM Restorations Parts repro. The seller wouldn't take Paypal. 1MeanZ was nice enough to pick it up for me. It's going on this car to replace the one with screw holes in it.
This here is an original, never used, still in the GM box, NOS grill. Not a bull$h!t glossy, GM Restorations Parts repro. The seller wouldn't take Paypal. 1MeanZ was nice enough to pick it up for me. It's going on this car to replace the one with screw holes in it.
That is a nice find!
I don’t mind my glossy one, but would I swap it? Yup..
I think there is one of those on ebay right now. I swear I just saw one a couple days ago.
I recall trying to order one from GM with gold letters for my 87 decades ago & they were already discontinued. Should have just ordered the silver
& repainted the letters.
EDIT: maybe it was facebook market & the one I saw is the one you bought. That's possible too.....
As many of you know, this car has some paint defects from chemical fallout or acid rain or something. I've been struggling with it for 3 years. I didn't want to repaint panels because it's so low miles and desperately wanted to save the factory paint.
Here is just a sample of the paints I've tried.
I've bought various paints, I've had the car scanned, I've had it rescanned and paint re-tinted. Never ever even came close to being happy with the results. It was kind of ruining the whole deal for me.
Then one day, dagwood buys a white '90 IROC with the same paint code as mine. He repaints the hood the day after he gets it and
sends me a sample bottle. Mother Effer!!!!!! It matches!!!!! At first it looked too white, but darkened after it dried.
I can't believe all the time and money I've wasted on that other worthless crap! Mostly time! I now expect to go back and spend another 10-20 hours going back a re-doing ALL those previous touch ups.
I just want to show you guys something. That big chip of dried paint is what the paint supply store mixed for me. That little touch up on it's left is what Darin sent me. Once it's sanded and buffed it will be virtually invisible. That chip on the right was after a scan of my car and mix which was way off then a rescan and re-tint and remix.
The Duplicolor paint I ordered was WAY too yellow and and when I gave the Chevy dealer my WA code, their paint was another tube of the Duplicolor paint, just twice the cost of the parts store.
The moral of the story is, if you think the paint doesn't match, it doesn't. Don't waste precious hours using it. What do you guys think, should I take that quart of paint from paint store and throw it through their window? Let me know!
I'm more than happy to help! Being a painter, I know how aggravating it can be to not have a perfect match on paint colors. I do whatever possible to get it perfect. That paint was a dead nuts match to my car, so I was hoping like hell it was the same variance that your car is. I'm glad it worked out for ya! So, what did you think of those little touch up applicators? I absolutely love them! I buy them at Hobby Lobby, in the model car section.
And yes, that can of paint you got needs to go through their window, lol. Waaaayyyyy to gray looking. I've found with color scans, that they are close enough for a blend most times, but rarely 100%
I'm more than happy to help! Being a painter, I know how aggravating it can be to not have a perfect match on paint colors. I do whatever possible to get it perfect. That paint was a dead nuts match to my car, so I was hoping like hell it was the same variance that your car is. I'm glad it worked out for ya! So, what did you think of those little touch up applicators? I absolutely love them! I buy them at Hobby Lobby, in the model car section.
And yes, that can of paint you got needs to go through their window, lol. Waaaayyyyy to gray looking. I've found with color scans, that they are close enough for a blend most times, but rarely 100%
I love those touch up applicators! That's all I usually use. I have tried a calligraphy ink pen filled with paint too, but they only work on horizontal surfaces.
That paint was even more gray initially, but they added ochre to it second time around. I went back several times and told them that it just isn't a match and that's what they said, that this is a "blendable match". BS!
Thanks again Darin, you really helped me out with this!
A while ago, I noticed the two passenger side studs on the rear spoiler weren't attached. I started getting nervous driving it on the highway because of that. So tonight I removed it for repair. But man that adhesive tape above the tail lights was really stubborn and I was afraid to apply too much heat, fearing I'd damage the spoiler. This is definitely not fun work on an 8K mile car. Too much pressure to not damage anything.
The money shot. The outside stud broke off and the inside one sheared off and is missing with about 10% of it still stuck on the spoiler.
Wow! What’s the plan to fix that? That doesn’t look fun at all!
Darin recommended Gorilla Glue Epoxy, so I started using that. I still had a broken stud left over from my Purple Haze '92, so I rigged that one for the missing one. I test fit this morning and they all seem to line up okay. Just going to go back and reinforce them.
Lots of clean up and detailing before remounting, though.
One thing I've realized from the 3 convertibles I've had, the ASC workers sure weren't plucked from assembling Maybach V-12 engines for Tiger tanks. Lots of hackery from these folks and ASC.
One thing I've realized from the 3 convertibles I've had, the ASC workers sure weren't plucked from assembling Maybach V-12 engines for Tiger tanks. Lots of hackery from these folks and ASC.
Yeah... as beautiful as the convertibles are...they do seem a little thrown together... The trim pieces don’t match the GM plastics perfectly... You have to be pretty gentle with the tonneau release and gentle with the top in general... I try to guide the top down on the passenger side because it seems to rub a little bit... Some trim pieces look like they were cut with a dremel tool... The ASC parts seem a tad lower quality than the GM parts..
I remember seeing Tibo’s pictures on removing the ASC spoiler panels and how the metal just looked hacked underneath... that work he did to change the spoiler on a vert was top notch!
I still think the convertibles are some of the most beautiful cars of all time so it’s the price you pay!
Yeah... as beautiful as the convertibles are...they do seem a little thrown together... The trim pieces don’t match the GM plastics perfectly... You have to be pretty gentle with the tonneau release and gentle with the top in general... I try to guide the top down on the passenger side because it seems to rub a little bit... Some trim pieces look like they were cut with a dremel tool... The ASC parts seem a tad lower quality than the GM parts..
I remember seeing Tibo’s pictures on removing the ASC spoiler panels and how the metal just looked hacked underneath... that work he did to change the spoiler on a vert was top notch!
I still think the convertibles are some of the most beautiful cars of all time so it’s the price you pay!
True! But with the top down, you forget all that and feel it's the best car in the world!
Agreed. They are truly beautiful from every angle with the top down and a little more timeless without seeing the hatch... Not to say I don’t want a hardtop too though!
I gotta say, I'm not a convertible guy, but I agree. IROC and 91-92 convertibles really do look great with the top down.
Me too, Jeremy. I was never a convertible guy. In fact, back in the day, I considered anything other than a hardtop as a wussy car. But...............then I got a convertible and it changed my mind. And as already stated, 3rd gens look magnificent with the top down, can be driven comfortably at over 70 mph while still able to conduct a conversation with a passenger, and all the squeaks and rattles go away with the wind blowing through your hair.
Darin recommended Gorilla Glue Epoxy, so I started using that. I still had a broken stud left over from my Purple Haze '92, so I rigged that one for the missing one. I test fit this morning and they all seem to line up okay. Just going to go back and reinforce them.
Lots of clean up and detailing before remounting, though.
Just remember to really rough up the surfaces before gluing!! I used that stuff on the 91 Trans Am spoiler, and it is still holding up ok. Just don't overtighten the nuts when you're reinstalling!
I remember seeing Tibo’s pictures on removing the ASC spoiler panels and how the metal just looked hacked underneath... that work he did to change the spoiler on a vert was top notch!
When I was painting our 91 Trans Am convertible, I thought of Tibo's car right away when I removed the rear quarter panel spoiler pieces. What a MESS! I actually sent Tibo a message, praising his work. Once you see how butchered up the quarters are in person, it gives a guy a whole new appreciation for what Tibo did to his car! The trunk sits probably a half inch higher than the top of the quarters. I can't believe he even attempted to make it all fit together. I'm not a body guy....I'm a painter. There is NO WAY I would have even thought about trying that lol.
I'll tell you, I was slightly concerned that the rear spoiler might fly off with two missing studs. There was NO WAY that spoiler would have come off without breaking off the bottom lip.
Also, Darin or whoever else has a tip. What's the fastest way to get the double sided tape off the spoiler? I'm reluctant to go too wild with heat or solvents.
Also, Darin or whoever else has a tip. What's the fastest way to get the double sided tape off the spoiler? I'm reluctant to go too wild with heat or solvents.
A rubber eraser wheel on a drill works great. You can get them at most auto body supply stores.
Also, I'm sure that I have a nut like the one you need. I will look tomorrow for ya.
09-02-2018, 08:54 AM
) and ScratchX. It's still not 100% gone. 
