Burton Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Â Matt and Luke Tainter brought me their sister's car for a little fix-up. http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0009~0.JPG Got it on friday and wasted no time in ripping into it. By the time I went to bed It was disassembled and I had the metal work done. http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0018.JPG Â Airdam was in one piece but cracked pretty bad: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0011.JPG http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0012.JPG Â A nice spot where the bondo from previous repair was 3/8" thick and failed: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0006.JPG Â Used a 2-part flexible bumper repair to fix the cracks in the airdam, then fill the missing void with some fiberglass: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0040.JPG Between saturday and sunday I got pretty much all the bodywork on the car done- except for the 1/4 panels. I'll save that fun for next weekend. It kinda sucks because the car has been paintend numerous times and has been wrecked a couple times from what I can tell. That makes it hard to make your fix work well with the previous one. This one has actually going very well. Hope the 1/4s go this well. Here it is with some filler primer waiting for a little wetsanding. I'll be doing that throughout this week after I get home from work at night. I think the airdam came out awesome. http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0056.JPG http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0055.JPG http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0053.JPG http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0057.JPG http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0054.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 You never stop, do you? ;D I'm sure it'll turn out spectacular, as always.. ;D So, what's the skinny with the grey paint/primer? Were those spots dinged up and such? Same color respray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TainterRacing Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 hey looking great!!!! the air dam realy came out great like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 good job what is the name of that bumper repair kit and where did you get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcrasta Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 I hate you ;D 1: the art of bodywork (wish I could do it..) 2: Living so close to the tainters (and having them 'owe' you a favor ) Good looking work.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hansherway Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 my car is looking great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feston3 Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Looks good! Garage looks to be a little cozy. Tale Tale beer can rings on the roof. Nice work. She deffinetly bean bondoed before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanitariumite Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 I bow to thee, oh god of bodywork!!! Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2005  Wow, I put up a post and don't check it for 24 hours and look what happens. Gues I'm gonna be doin some typing for a bit ;D John- Thanks again for the props as always  ;D Primer is just a hight-build filler primer which will fill any small imperfections and help keep the featheredges from being noticed. I will filler prime all the areas where I did any bodywork then go back and wetsand the entire car and get everything consistant and smooth. After all that I'll use a sealer/primer so the paint has a perfect base to start out from. Car will be resprayed red, but Viper red which is kinda close and alot cheaper than getting a color mixed. Matt- Thanks. Suprisingly, the airdam is going best out of everything. Its not perfect by any means but considering what it looked like the other day I'm pretty stoked. I am concerned tho that the 1/4s are gonna be worse than I thought when I get in there. Shelby- Its a 3M product called Automix I believe. It's a 2-part epoxy type stuff. You can get it at any auto body supply or auto paint retailer. Some auto parts stores like Napa and such may have it- if not I'm sure they could order it. If memory serves me correctly (it often doesn't) it cost about $30 DC- don't hate the player, hate the game ;D Bodywork really isn't all that hard to do if you have the proper tools and some knowledge. Really, if you get a good book on it, it's fairly simple, just takes some practice. Problems arise when you try to take on too much without the proper tools- "right tool for the job" really applies here. The thing you said about having the Tainter's nearby is too true. I can do body, interior, and audio stuff pretty good, but let me loose under a hood and things are no longer gonna work. I actually put in new injector seals a few weekends ago all by myself and was shocked the car ran after that  ;D. Up until then an oil change or maybe a valve cover gasket were about my limits. Funny thing tho- within 40 miles of changing the inj. seals, my clutch started slipping. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not :-X Hannah- Glad you're liking it. Hope you like it even better when its done. Feston- My garage works for now, but with one stall taken up by Kate's 87 on stands I don't have as much room as I'd like. I've already been contemplating adding a 3rd stall across the back and having it be a dedicated paint booth. Either way it is kinda cozy- Heater, cable TV, sorround sound... If I put a couch in there it would be like working on the car in the living room ;D Adam- No need to bow, I'm far from a god of anything. Well maybe something, but it has nothing to do with cars There's alot of guys out there that are better bodymen than myself. I just like to do it on the side right now and maybe get bigger, slowly, on my own. I'd like to eventually be my own boss and have a shop doing custom body/interior/audio, but I'm far from that. Hell, I really want to be the next Chip Foose, but I'm really far from that. A guy can dream tho ;D  Once again, thanks for the props everyone. I enjoy doing this sort of work as is, but to be doing it to a SQ makes it that much better.  Damn, I typed alot. I still got some more to go- actually about the car tho. Better start another post..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Â OK, here's where its at. Â Tonight I took a few trim pieces to work so I could paint them. Also repaired a big crack in the license plate bezel with that plastic repair stuff and painted it. Fixed up the header panel too. Â All the bodywork is done on everything but the 1/4 panels. So far the only panels that I haven't had to touch are the rear bumper and passenger fender. I'm sure that after wetsanding the repair areas I will find a place or two that need a little putty and another shot of filler primer, but that should be all done by this weekend. Â Then comes the fun stuff. The 1/4 panels are gonna flat out f'n suck! I can feel it. Things have gone far too well up to this point. We all know that no job is complete with out that one moment where you go "$@#^!, I wasn't expecting this to happen" when all along you damn well were expecting it- just like I am now. Â To the best of what I can gather by having this apart and sanding thru the paint, this car is what I'd call a body shop *****. It appears its had bodywork done on at least 5 seprate occasions. The whole car was repainted once and the best I can tell a large majority was painted another time after a wreck. Doesn't seem like it was too bad, but theres some evidence of damage to the RR corner. Damge enough that it has already had a new 1/4 panel put on at some time- probably fairly close to when it was new. You can see the telltale signs in these pics- notice the difference?good side:http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0025.JPG bad side:http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0024.JPG The crappy bondo spot in the front part of that 1/4 is what's gonna kill me. I'm cutting it all out and welding in a patch on it, but I'm still worried whats underneath. Its always harder to do a repair on a car thats been repaired before, but it becomes even more difficult when some of those people really had no clue what they were doing. Â Hopefully its all smooth sailing, but no matter what it will get done right in as timely manner as possible. I told them 3 or 4 weekends and I intend to make it 3. If the 1/4s go good then I should have the car in primer/sealer on memorial day. That will give me the week to prep, tape and make sure I'm happy with the body. Come friday and/or saturday I'm painting, then sunday I can put it together and detail the inside. Â Sounds like a piece of cake, right? Only time will tell. The saga continues.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Â well, due to work pissing me off this week I decided tonight was a great night to take off. It was a beautiful afternoon/evening and I was able to get out and enjoy it. Â Made a little headway with Hannah's car but the real cool part is that 3 people that stopped at a garage sale the neighbor's having, also came over asking if I did work on cars other than mine. One guy even used to own a Quest- he was currently driving a VW Jetta and wanted me to paint his 76 VW Scirocco. Another guy said he always saw me out working on the Supras : . He has an RX7 that needs paint and stereo stuff. The other guy wanted a detail and some stereo stuff too. Even if only one guy comes back its still money in my pocket. Let work keep pissing me off- may just be the excuse I need to take the risk and quit to start my own thing. Â But I digress- The Starion is the important subject here. Â Got all the main wetsanding done on the repair areas and puttyed and reprimered the areas that need it. Once I get the 1/4s done I can wetsand the whole car with 400 then 600 and seal it. Â Being as how I am a bit apprehensive about how bad the 1/4s are I decided to get my grinder out and do some exploring: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0066~0.JPG Â Its pretty bad- filler was .400 of an inch in its deepest spot. Luckily the bondo stops well before the amount of patch I have. The 1/4s are here, the welder is here, just need the weekend here so I can Git-r-dun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TainterRacing Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Well glad to hear you might be getting some more work out of the deal. And looks like the 1/4 should work out all right as well so thats good as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFastBeater Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Eeek. There's about a gallon of bondo on that panel. W-T-F were they thinking? Good luck with it. ADAM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 well, got the 1/4s cut off and alot of cleaning done inside. Lots of sandblasting and also grinding to get all the rust out. Will be going back tomorrow and undercoating in there as much as I can without interfering with the areas that I'll be welding. http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0076.JPG http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0078.JPG Got it alot further than those pics show. I'll get some more pics tomorrow in the light, but I should have the 1/4s welded on and the bodywork semi done by this time tomorrow. Still on schedule- maybe even slightly ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pounder_Pit Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 you are the man, by the way I like your avatar, I want one I'm a big fan:wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 I guess you would be, living over on that side of the country. I was born in WA so I've been die-hard since the 70's. Used to have the sheets, coats and everything. :oops: Can't remember where I got the avatar from- maybe the Seahawks website. If ya want I can send it to your e-mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPaus_88TSi Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 :shock: Oh man, you really ripped into her, didn't you? Did you have to do the same with "Rusty"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 well, i kinda half --------------- rusty. At the time I didn't have access to a good welder so I cut out the rust and then did everything with fiberglass. Took longer than welding but still turned out ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted May 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Well, now I'm a bit behind schedule. I had hoped to have the 1/4s welded on and body filler on it by today. I got both 1/4s welded on, but I still need to weld in small patches on the underside of the rockers. Also have a few more areas to tack weld in the wheel wells. I'll probably get a little bit more done tomorrow and try to at least have the body work done by the end of the weekend Deffinately looking more whole again tho. After some cutting, cleaning, sandblasting, and undercoating- ready for some welding:http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0081.JPG After some welding and grinding: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0083.JPG Pretty much identical on the other side. So far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TainterRacing Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 I cant wait to see how it turns out!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest surferdude Posted May 29, 2005 Report Share Posted May 29, 2005 Very impressive, Mark. Good step by step explanation on what you're doing, why, and how. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolinturbo Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 mark that was some work you had infront of you, sure you have some more coming. You do very well considering the garage your using! what kind of gun do you use? DJ called some guy and found out the best gun on the market and has numerous tips for it, one of them has some CRAZY atomization. But I def. cannot wait to see finished pictures, you amazed me back in the day and im sure you will again and again, you do very nice work with taste! jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoolinturbo Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 one more post, if you want to get your own shop, go get one! i've seen a number people of do it and without much at all! just think tainter racing, and burtons auto-body, i'de find my self in michigan! haha jk, well prob not i havent painted a car in years and now im forced to start again with my project blah! jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted June 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Thanks again for the props. I use only Devilbiss guns. i use a regular HVLP gun for doing primers then have a Devilbiss Finishline gravity feed gun for my topcoats. My garage is good. I can get decent paint work done in there. Of course, unless you're spraying in a downdraft paintbooth you're bound to get flaws. It will turn out way better than my 89 did. That was done out of impatience and it was also my first paint job in 8 years. Garage I used was dirty as hell. Regulator on the spray gun was broke- said I was spraying 25psi when it was actually spraying 40-45psi. Whole time I was doing it I was thinking something wasn't right, but it had been so long since I'd done it, I chalked it up to being out of practice. I've done small piece work painting in my garage but this will be the first full paint job I've done since my 89. I'm in pretty good practice again with the piece work I've been doing, so this one should turn out sweet. As far as my own shop, that will come someday. I'm taking this slow. Right now I'm doing all of this with cash out of my pocket and buying more tools and other stuff I need for my garage with whatever extra cash I make. Eventually I'll have all the stuff I need and a decent customer base and will feel comfortable leasing a shop and maybe getting a small business loan. more pics to come this weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted June 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2005 Well, here it is tomorrow, and guess what? I got pics Here's a little more step by step- After welding I used seam sealer on the inside joints where it was welded and also sprayed a few cans of undercoating in there. I also used that rust mort stuff that is supposed to turn rust to primer. Personally I feel this stuff is kinda a sham, but with all the rust I found on this car I am certain there is some in the nooks and crannies that I couldn't blast so I used it as extra insurance- it may not completely stop the rust but it sure slows it down. after spraying that stuff I covered it with undercoating. Now to the outside of the panels... First thing I did was grind back the paint from the repair are a few inches. Then I "featheredged" the paint edges and grinder marks with a DA, or dual-action sander thats where you smooth out the various layers of topcoats and primers so you have a nice smooth gradual "bullseye" type paint edge. After smoothing everything out I layed down some fiberglass filler or "kitty hair"- the thick green stuff. This is alot heavier duty than plastic filler or "Bondo". don't put it on too thick- just enough to cover the welded joint areas and get a good base for your plastic filler: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0087.JPG That stuff you can take a real course grit paper to- even grind it in if you're good. I grind all the real rough spots then DA it in with 60 and 80 grit. Don't have to be real critical you are just roughing things in for now After that is good and somewhat smooth you can come back with the bondo. I don't actually use bondo filler, I use a different kind thats a little lighter and is easier to work with but I'll use the word bondo cause its short and everyone knows it. Little bondo action: http://www.26liter.us/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/DSCF0095.JPG First coat of bondo is your semi coat, this is a little more crucial. At this point I like to start doing all my sanding by hand. Don't litterally use your hand- buy a couple sanding blocks one small one long. Its important to use blocks cause they are hard and flat and your bodywork will turn out less wavy. I will kinda knock the roughness off the coat with a DA, but then move to the block I'll start with 80 grit, then when thats good, I go to 180. After that I spray on what's called a "guide coat". Speay a light mist of black spray paint on it and let it dry for a few minutes. Now you can come back over the bondo with 180 on a block and sand off the paint. You will find that any low spots you have in your bondo work will retain the black mist of paint while the rest will be typical sanded bondo color which is the good area. Any high spots will show up as shiny metal :wink: Some very important things I forgot to add about sanding bondo.* Never put bondo on more than 1/8 thick- much thicker than that and it might fail* Always sand in a X pattern- don't always sand in the same direction, it will sand more even and not leave deep sanding marks all going the same way* Your hand is your best guide for if your bondo is smooth and wave free- if you can feel a flaw with your hand, it will show up in the paint. Better make another post with the glory pics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.