[dr.strangelove]

thanks again for your help. i made some good progress on the blocking front yesterday. i had some cracks around the front fenders to sand out and some other imperfections to fix. the plan now is to nail the body work before applying more primer. the high-build filled, but i had to sand most of it off because there were a lot of pin holes to sand out. to mitigate these small holes in the future, i've picked up some flow through fittings. hopefully the gun won't clog up as much, but i'm still contemplating using putty and going straight to epoxy. i know the epoxy is harder to sand (at least the proform that i'm using), but my experience with the high build has been really bad. I'm going to check with the auto supply store tomorrow and see about picking up some featherfill, as suggested. My roof, hood and hatch look good. the side panels, however, I cannot tell, because there are so many different shades and colours that are distracting to the eye. When i go over the panels with the block they seem pretty straight though. i'll try to get some pics out in the sun--will touch back with you after i get some more work done.

what shape blocks do you recommend for the wheel arches?

[dr.strangelove]

Although I'm not finished, I feel like I've made good progress. Here's the latest.

Rockers, inner fenders/inner quarter panels, door/hatch/hood jams, fueling compartment, trim pieces all have received 2 coats of epoxy with no problems.

Outer body panels all have one coat of epoxy, but temps were low and my gun leaked, so I wanted to do some more sanding. As such, I've used the finest grit I have at the moment (220) to level the surface again before applying another coat of epoxy. I've only done 30% of the car and so far I have no burn-through.

Here are my questions:
1-On panels with no runs, should I skip the 220 and just go with 400 before sealing the entire car or sand the whole car in 220, epoxy the whole thing again and then 400-600 and paint?

[dr.strangelove]

More recent photos...

[dr.strangelove]

I think I'm getting better at sanding, because I managed to do the whole car last night. On the other hand, the closer you get to the end the better the panels are to begin with. I only have sand-through in a few spots, but I'll be reapplying at least one more coat of epoxy to everything, sanding with 400, sealing with a reduced epoxy and painting.

Also, I've decided to retire the cheap spray gun I bought as part of a three-gun kit last year. It leaks like crazy and the seals inside have completely disintegrated. The new one I picked up is cheap as well, but feels much smoother. I'm debating using the same one to spray the top coat, but I've learned that leaving things to chance often results in the worst case scenario!

I can't wait to get back to mechanical work.

Some new pics from last night.

[novafreek6872]

Seems like you could spot prime the sand through spots, sand with 400 or 600, then go straight to base/ clear. Skip the reduced epoxy as sealer step and not have to sand the entire car AGAIN.

Just wondering, trying to learn like you.

Andy

[dr.strangelove]

Thanks for the reply Andy. Judging by how your car turned out, I'd say your advice is probably spot on. I ran out of final wipe though, and the supply shop isn't open on weekends anymore. I have some old (2-3 years) final wash, but I'm kind of worried about using it. Should this be a concern?

[novafreek6872]

Originally Posted by dr.strangelove

Thanks for the reply Andy. Judging by how your car turned out, I'd say your advice is probably spot on. I ran out of final wipe though, and the supply shop isn't open on weekends anymore. I have some old (2-3 years) final wash, but I'm kind of worried about using it. Should this be a concern?

Not sure about the W&G remover. I used some prep stuff that came in a spray can I got at the paint store. I always used it the night before painting, that way there was no question it would flash off.

And you got me thinking, if your car has been sitting for awhile with that sanded epoxy on it, it couldn't be a bad idea just to go over the whole thing lightly with a grey scuff pad the night b4 you are going to paint. That epoxy gets pretty hard and you don't want any adhesion problems. Then do the final wipe down.

Next morning, mix paint, tack the car off and you are good to go.

Andy

[dr.strangelove]

That's a good point. I noticed the epoxy in some areas keeps a 'wet look' after the final wipe in other areas has flashed off. I ended up using the final wipe I had from a few years back and it seems to be the same stuff, only it is in an unbranded container.

I just cleaned out my new gun and I'm waiting for a plus 20C day to lay down more epoxy. I figure I might as well use what's left, but I'm not going to bother with the sealer. To date I haven't had much success spraying anything that was good enough to cover as is.

Thanks for the help!

Mike

[dr.strangelove]

While I did most of the work, I have to give credit to the owner of the shop who did an amazing job shooting the car last night. Thanks also to everyone on the forum who helped me out with advice along the way. Hopefully turnaround on the next project is faster. I'll post more pictures when the car is back together.

[novafreek6872]

Looks pretty darn nice in the pics. Are you happy with how straight you got it? Looks straight.

[dr.strangelove]

It's pretty damn straight, unfortunately there is a bit of dust or grit in the paint. I'm afraid to sand it though, because I don't want to take the paint off if the dirt is all the way down to the substrate.

[novafreek6872]

Originally Posted by dr.strangelove

It's pretty damn straight, unfortunately there is a bit of dust or grit in the paint. I'm afraid to sand it though, because I don't want to take the paint off if the dirt is all the way down to the substrate.

Sometimes its best to leave well enough alone!!! Looks great in the pics. So... whens the next project??? haha

[dr.strangelove]

The next project is going to be building a downdraft booth in my next house so that I don't get dirt in my next paint job The walls of the booth I used this time were rusty and full of holes. I probably would have been better off leaving the fans off, as I'm sure a lot of dirt bypassed the filters through cracks, holes, etc,.

I promised my wife that I wouldn't buy any more cars until the ones we have are fully operational, but I have always wanted a nice black Volvo 240 wagon with a big turbo.