Painting the 60

[missghoulina]

All I have to add is this.. good luck, and hubcaps!

[randyaz]

hey, i saw a couple of pics of Helen at Hearsecon...she doesnt look all thaaat bad. I could see some dings that are going to have to be delt with. New paint, especially black, will show every minute flaw in the prep work.

From reading through the thread you said someone told you that "sanding coats would smooth everything". I think i know what they were referring to. With an enamel paint, I know some people have done like 10 or more coats of paint. They lay down the first coat and wet sand. The paint will fill the low spots and pits and the wet sanding will take off the high spots back to metal. They continue to paint and sand and paint and sand, using progrssively finer grit down to steel wool, building up the layers until they have a prefectly level surface to buff out. This wont work for dings and dents but would smooth out the subtle level difference from the old paint left over from the sanding.

There is a whole school of thought out there that says work the metal and use as little filler as possible...or none at all. Of course these guys are body/metal workers but with some practice it doesnt "look" to be that difficult. They say you can't mess up a panel...just keep bumping and shrinking till you get it there. Here is what Im talking about...

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=7qvIYJhV_-U

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=eax0LtK1hUQ

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=nuWnE3Rmn5s

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=B1OkbWIkMNI

At least it shows a good method of finding low spots.

Im just a novice with this stuff and have very little hands on experience but I have done tons of research so I know my options for when I tear into mine... so just take this as food for thought.

Oh...and maybe we need to start a collection to get you some hub caps

[STODD]

They say you can't mess up a panel...just keep bumping and shrinking till you get it there.

Many people do not know the difference between shrinking and stretching. You can destroy a panel and send it to the scrap pile if it is stretched too much or too far. I have seen it a hundred times.

My advise:
Get it to where you can live with it, until you can employ a good bodyman - especially if your goal is to spray that awesome coach black. Black is the color of truth. It does not lie. It will tell everybody every flaw in the metal. Do not try and fool black either, because it will advertise your mistakes ten fold to any that have two eyes.

[TWHawk]

Well, as much as I'd like to be making some grand update, I'm afraid the project has stalled a bit. Shawn, who owns the shop, has needed the space for an engine rebuild. I'll not complain too loud, as he doesn't charge me to keep my car there when it's empty and he lets me play with all of his tools. We are hoping to have the truck moved out within a week, at which point I'll return to work on Helen.

On the plus side, I have gotten the chance to speak with several body-men, including the wizards who are working on KitKong's coach. (Amazing, by the way) I am so ready to get back to it.

In the interrim, I have been a bridesmaid, launched a new show at the renaissance festival, gotten back into some bead-work, painted my Mom's shed and refinished her patio furniture, drank myself stupid at least twice, and gotten a lot of reading done. Not bad for a summer off! This week, Nate and I will begin converting my 1985 Virago into a trike, and in the evenings I'll be helping Shawn finish that engine so that I can have the shop back. Also, there's something about crawling into an engine compartment that makes me happy.

[60Crown]

Crawling in there makes us happy too!

[TWHawk]

Finally got Helen back into the shop yesterday, and as of the end of today Nate and I have gotten the driver side rear quarter, and the two doors smoothed down. We hit them with a coat of rattle-can primer to keep them from rusting for now. I am MUCH happier with the surface we've acheived. There is still a lot of work to go, but yay for progress!

[Haroldfromhell]

Also, there's something about crawling into an engine compartment that makes me happy.

You rock!! Got any sisters??? The new smoother work is looking good!!

[TWHawk]

At this point the entire body has been sanded and primed. I have started a little glazing to smooth out a couple of little dings and warped edges. It won't be perfect by any means, but being new at it I am content with the results. I've not gotten into the Duraglass or any other stronger filler because I'd just make a mess with it. I'll save that for the future when I can hand her over to a professional. Next week we'll get started on the roof.

I did learn an important lesson with rattle-can primer... If it drips, just let it go. It's less messy to sand out a drip than to try to catch it.

[60Crown]

The vast amount of work you've accomplished (once again!) in a short period of time is both impressive and inspirational. You and Nate both deserve a slice of grandma's carrot cake.

[TWHawk]

Thank you, everyone for the encouragement. It really helps to go back and read this thread when the project starts gnashing it's teeth at us. It is a big job, especially with no prior experience.

We're taking a break today to test what may be Helen's new paint. Once again my poor Virago is the lab rat. This time we'll remove all of the paint, including the layers of prior tests, and shoot the whole tank one color. We tested a paint that we are really excited about, and then later realised we didn't ground out the metal we we shooting. Today should tell us whether this is really "the one".

Also, Nate picked up a new project car. It's really cute, but means one of the motorcycles has to go. We can't afford to be buying new vehicles, no matter how reasonable. I've told Nate to go ahead and list my bike as I really find no joy in it, and anyway it will have new paint! If I'm going to be cruising, I'd rather be in my hearse.

[Boogeyman Con Carne]

I envy your progress and improved arm musculature Has that CD shown up yet?

[TWHawk]

No CD yet. It'll come in handy when it gets here.
My power steering pump is working more like a filter these days.

[Morella]

Rattle can primer will not keep it from rusting. You have to have a topcoat on the outside and rust preventative on the inside. Otherwise, the rust will come right through that primer.

-denise

[TWHawk]

Rattle can primer will not keep it from rusting. You have to have a topcoat on the outside and rust preventative on the inside. Otherwise, the rust will come right through that primer.

-denise

I appreciate what you are saying here.
This coat of primer is actually sort of a placeholder... Maybe rust isn't the word for it. What we are trying to prevent is what is maybe called Flashing? That rust-colored haze that freshly sanded metal will take on within a couple of days when left exposed. The layer that is on there now is meant to hold everything in stasis as it's just not possible for me to sand out an entire car in a day. In fact, it's taken Nate and I four days, plus we had to leave it for the weekend while I was working. Today we should finish the job of taking the whole car down to bare metal.

Each part of the car has been thoroughly washed down with degreaser, rinsed and dried before being hit with the primer, and once we have the whole thing done to this point, I should be able to see and address the ripples and dings that are invisible to me on the shiny bare metal. Once that is done to the best of my ability (again, it won't be perfect, and I'm ok with that) we'll wet sand and wash down the car again, mask it and shoot another automotive primer/ rust preventative. Over that will go the base, particulate color coat and at least a couple of coats of clear.

Between those coats will probably be a bit more sanding and swearing.

[TWHawk]

I envy your progress and improved arm musculature Has that CD shown up yet?

I have the CD, and thank you!

My computer won't read the file, but I'll see if Nate can beat it into submission for me.