Srobinsonx2 Bodywork

[DaveS53]

I recommend using the blue soft sander blocks for this next step. I would not use durablocks because they are far too stiff, unless a panel is really flat. This body appears to curve in all directions, much like the my '37.

I really prefer super build when trying to build up some thickness.

This type of primer will always have a fair amount of orange peel, but that helps when sanding. You can watch it disappear and then stop sanding. If you see the gel coat showing, definitely stop, since it sands much slower than the primer.

[srobinsonx2]

I did some more searching on primer and sanding. I knew somewhere I had seen a concise list of steps. I finally found it. J.Miller posted this back in 2014.
and I quote......

"36-40 on a 5in grinder to take the parting lines flush.
40 on orbital or block 3-4 in on both sides of the line.(big bite for filler)
40 grit on a block to shape.
80 grit on a block to finish.
The rougher the grit, the truer the shape.
80 grit on the gelcoat before prime.
3 coats polyester prime
Block with 150-180
3 coats urethane primer
Block 320
finish sand for paint 500-600
...da Bat"

Here is link to that thread.
http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-fact...body-prep.html

This really is a great community of folks. I am still amazed at all the help and support these experts provide to amateurs like me and so many others. Thanks for taking the time to help us out.

I am trying to capture answers to as many of my silly questions in one thread as possible. What I have found is there is more than one way to do this body work business (who would have thunk it).

After reading some more threads and pondering over my plan. I decided it wouldn't hurt to try and block the first primer application with 180 grit. Since I am going to need a couple of more gallons anyway, I figured what the heck....lets take a stab at smoothing it out some. I got the back half of the car blocked out tonight and it took a little less than 2 hours. I used the flexible foam sanding blocks. They really are easy to "fit" to the curve. Here is a pic of the two I found most useful (sorry for the blue shade of the pic, not sure what happened). They are a narrow blue one and a oval shaped purple one.



I tried it with and without a guide coat. I used a black powder you rub on with a sponge type applicator. I think it is a little easier for me to see all the small low spots easier with the guide coat. Here is a picture of the driver side rear quarter panel.



If look close you can see the criss cross pattern I am using like everyone mentions. I am only using 180 grit at this point but I really like the feel of the Slick Sand after is it sanded down. I was surprised at how smooth and silky it feels. I did get some funny looks from the neighbors while I was caressing the rear end of my car. Sorry, this is supposed to be family friendly. Anyway, I will continue with my plan of panel fitment and sanding this application of Slick Sand. Sanding primer is way more fun than the stinky red get coat anyway.

More to come.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Shannon,
Sorry, didn't see your question yesterday but it seems you found what you were looking for in Batty's old post (don't ever doubt the bat ; after experimenting my "recipe" now is more like his). I'm the last guy to preach about PPE 'cause I'm terrible about using it BUT---if you aren't already doing so please wear at least a particulate mask when sanding polyester primer. That stuff in your lungs is bad news.

Jeff

[srobinsonx2]

Thanks Jeff for the safety reminder. Always good to check. I am using a P100 cartridge (dust) in a half mask respiraor and safety glasses. When i sprayed the primer i used an organic vapor/acid gas 3M cartridge. I sprayed it outside but better safe than sorry.

[srobinsonx2]

No update. Just a question. If my work goes as planned, I would like to be at a point to spray some urethane primer the weekend before July 4th. I am following the sage advice of J.Miller and plan to apply 3 coats of a urethane primer after I finish blocking the 3 coats of SlickSand and all panel prep. I am buying my supplies at a local supply shop that carries PPG products. I have been researching primers on the PPG website but to perfectly honest, I am overwhelmed. Between the Deltron and ShopLine products there are probably 6-8 products that appear to be urethane in the primer category. Does anyone have a urethane primer they can recommend? Preferably made my PPG.

I found a post where Gordon Levy recommended DPLF but it is listed as epoxy. DPLV3055, JP285, and JP355 all look like good candidates.

I have also done some research on the urethane primer color. I need to pick something that will support the basecoat color. Since my color scheme is going to be red with silver stripes, a gray urethane primer appears to be best choice. Does that sound right?

Thanks in advance.

[DaveS53]

After buying Evercoat products from Auto Body Toolmart, that cost $100 a gallon or less, I was shocked when I went to my local Axalta (dupont) paint dealer and found that he wanted $200 a gallon for most products.

I saw no reason to pay that much for primer, so I bought some products from Eastwood, some Kirker products and some from Summit Racing. They all worked fine. Some people recommend an epoxy primer, but they do take a lot longer to cure. One advantage to an epoxy is you know that it's compatible with polyester filler products, so if you discover an area that needs some glazing putty, it won't be a problem to coat over the primer.

The DPLV3055 or less expensive JP285 should both work, but so would many other urethane primers.

These primers will be thinner and need a gun with a 1.6-1.8mm tip. A moderately priced gun can still be used for urethane or epoxy primers, but at some point, you'll also need a much better and higher priced gun to spray finish coats, unless you have someone else do that part. I had a hard time finding any moderately priced gun that did a decent job of spraying finish coats. Although I've previously painted 8 cars and 2 boats, all of that was done many years ago, mostly with lacquer paints, and before HVLP guns were made. When it came to painting with the new urethane finish coats, I found that they don't spray like lacquer. I think that lacquer was much easier, but of course, I would not use it today. I used a Devilbiss ********** gun ($200), but wasn't impressed with it. If there's a next time, I'll bit the bullet and buy a much higher level gun.

[srobinsonx2]

72.5 hours logged on the bodywork after 8 weeks. I got the body remounted on the chassis. Prior to mounting the body, I draped some plastic over the chassis to minimize the amount of dust on the engine and interior. I got the quick jacks attached and the sides of the body attached under each side. I placed the windshield on and did not see any movement at the doors so instead of getting it completely filthy, I decided to leave it off during this portion.

Once the body was mounted, I did my best to optimize the position of each door. Just like everyone else that has reported on the bodywork, the passenger door is really pretty close. It might need a little filler but minimal. The driver side door is way off. I was able to "split the difference" and was able to get the back (latch end) to line up, which left it quite a bit off on the lower front. So I broke out the Rage Gold and started applying layers on the driver door. I put 3-4 layers on so far and almost have it level. It is hot down here is Texas (99 today) so I didn't quite finish. Here is a shot mid way through the process. Took this while I was waiting for the Rage Gold to cure.



What a mess.

I will say, I can tell a real difference in the how fast the Rage Gold cures when it is hot. I have to really work fast or I am left with a lot of extra sanding.

Hopefully I can finish the door up tomorrow. I will then finish blocking the first application of Slick Sand, touch up a few small areas, pull the body off again, and then start getting ready for the second application of Slick Sand. Based on feedback from the experts, I am going to buy two gallons of Slick Sand and spray 3 coats on all parts. I will block this out and prep for a 2K urethane primer surfacer. I would like to get the primer surfacer on by July 4th. I can then block it all out with 360 and finally 600 grit before paint. If all goes well, I can get this thing painted in July.

More to come.

[srobinsonx2]

After buying Evercoat products from Auto Body Toolmart, that cost $100 a gallon or less, I was shocked when I went to my local Axalta (dupont) paint dealer and found that he wanted $200 a gallon for most products.

I saw no reason to pay that much for primer, so I bought some products from Eastwood, some Kirker products and some from Summit Racing. They all worked fine. Some people recommend an epoxy primer, but they do take a lot longer to cure. One advantage to an epoxy is you know that it's compatible with polyester filler products, so if you discover an area that needs some glazing putty, it won't be a problem to coat over the primer.

The DPLV3055 or less expensive JP285 should both work, but so would many other urethane primers.

These primers will be thinner and need a gun with a 1.6-1.8mm tip. A moderately priced gun can still be used for urethane or epoxy primers, but at some point, you'll also need a much better and higher priced gun to spray finish coats, unless you have someone else do that part. I had a hard time finding any moderately priced gun that did a decent job of spraying finish coats. Although I've previously painted 8 cars and 2 boats, all of that was done many years ago, mostly with lacquer paints, and before HVLP guns were made. When it came to painting with the new urethane finish coats, I found that they don't spray like lacquer. I think that lacquer was much easier, but of course, I would not use it today. I used a Devilbiss ********** gun ($200), but wasn't impressed with it. If there's a next time, I'll bit the bullet and buy a much higher level gun.

Thanks Dave. You have really been helpful through this process. I have been researching primer for use after Slick Sand. I will ask the PPG supply shop what they recommend but it appears that JP202 or JP355 might be my best options if I don't use the Deltron line. They both are gray and seem to be appropriate for this application. The primer surfacer might not be absolutely necessary but if it helps reduce the amount of paint needed then it certainly could save me a little money. Plus it will give me the peace of mind that I have a good solid foundation (no thin primer areas) for paint.

As for the gun. I pulled the trigger and bought a turbine spray system. I bought the Apollo Power-5. I comes with the turbine, hose, and a spray gun. The gun is an Apollo 7500 Atomizer gravity feed. It comes with a 1.0mm nozzle and needle set. I went ahead and bought a nozzle and needle set that gets me a 0.8mm, 1.3mm, 1.5mm, and 2.0mm set as well. From what I read, I should be able to use the 2.0mm nozzle and needle set for the surfacer. The instructions are pretty helpful and recommend checking viscosity to ensure the correct set up. Based on that I went ahead and bought the recommended viscosity cup. It should allow me to match the recommended set up in the manual. We will see.

[srobinsonx2]

I just about got the driver's side door complete. Maybe a little more sanding but it looks much better.



I will sand this again with 80, then 120 grit to get it as smooth as I can. I will then set the gaps and move on to the passenger side door.

I also did some more blocking with 180 grit on the rest of the body. I have blocked about 90% of the body on the first application of Slick Sand.



I will be glad when I can get the body back off the chassis and do the sanding outside. This process makes such a mess. I vacuum up at the end of each sanding session but it is still messy.

When I started this process, I remember reading all the posts about sanding: the mess and how it gets real old real quick. I thought to myself, "How hard could it really be?" Well, I am tired of sanding and I got quite a ways to go. The Slick Sand is not to bad but I am tired of sanding Rage Gold. Hopefully that part is about over. For what it is worth, I opened the second can of Rage Gold today. So, I have applied one full gallon and just a little out of the second. If, someone experienced was doing this, they could probably get by with just one gallon but I turn as much into dust as I leave on the body.

More dust to come.

[srobinsonx2]

This will come as no surprise to anyone.....I am still sanding!!! I think I have built the doors up to match the body. I also got the gaps set on the doors and hood. I will tackle the trunk tomorrow.

Here is a picture of the door gap on the driver's side. I made them 3/16" per the recommendations from the forum experts.



I tried a few different methods to define the gap. I started by using a paint stir stick but that wasn't very useful when it wouldn't fit into the gap. I decided to try a metal caliper. Here is a picture of the tool.



I just set the tips so they were 3/16" apart. I then put one end on the inside edge of the body edge and used the other point to "score" a line on the panel. Here is what the score line looks like. I then used a DA to remove the bulk of the material and finished it by hand.



I also have the entire body blocked out to 180 grit where I applied the Slick Sand.

I will continue to work on preparing for my second application of Slick Sand. I was hoping to spray all 3 coats this weekend but I don't think that will happen. Too much work and they are predicting rain. Since I doing the Slick Sand outside I don't want to take the chance.

More to come.

[carlewms]

Thanks for the posts ... I am trying to get to the first Slick sand stage.

I have looked at the Apollo Systems and think I will go the same route. I also do furniture so it fits better into post paint hobbies.

Where did you source the Apollo System?

Eastwood sells their branded system which appears to be the same Apollo for $1300.

Thanks,

Carl

[DaveS53]

The best tool I found for setting body panel gaps is 1/8" thick neoprene rubber that's like gasket material. I bought 20' of it to use between the body and chassis of my car, then figured out the I really needed 3/32", so I had a lot of it left over.

The rubber won't scratch if used for making adjustments to the fit, after paint. If you want just a little thicker gage, add 1 or 2 layers of masking tape.

IMO, 3/16" it too wide for most gaps.

A 9/64" drill bit might also work. Use the end that goes in the drill, as a plug gage.

[mcwho]

PeteH
Can you give me more info on which turbine system that you used? This is a new direction for me but I am interestd.

[Jeff Kleiner]

IMO, 3/16" it too wide for most gaps.

Not prior to high build primer, paint and clear.

Jeff

[srobinsonx2]

Thanks for the posts ... I am trying to get to the first Slick sand stage.

I have looked at the Apollo Systems and think I will go the same route. I also do furniture so it fits better into post paint hobbies.

Where did you source the Apollo System?

Eastwood sells their branded system which appears to be the same Apollo for $1300.

Thanks,

Carl

Carl,

I am glad this is helpful. Well, it probably is not helpful in terms of providing new ground breaking information, but if it is motivational then your welcome. I am certainly not an expert and this is a learning experience for me. I just appreciate all those that chime in and provide guidance when needed. I started this thread to hopefully help someone in a similar position who is nervous about tackling something like this. I also wanted to document my progress so I could look back and reminisce from time to time.

I bought the turbine system from ADV Machinery. I saw the Eastwood machine but this place offered a few more options including needle and nozzle sets. I think the price ends up being about the same. https://www.advmachinery.com/pages/apollo

Pic of the gun. I don't know how it works but it looks cool.



As you can see, I went ahead and bought a comprehensive needle and nozzle set.

I have never painted a car and for that matter anything with an HVLP style gun. I will try and take some video/pics when I start using it.

[carlewms]

Thanks for the information ... I will check them out.

[srobinsonx2]

So I have just about finished up blocking the first coat of slick sand and panel fitment. A few more minor items to complete and then I will pull the body back off the chassis (hopefully for the last time before it is painted) and get ready for another coat of slick sand. I also picked up some more Slick Sand and Primer Surfacer today. On the first coat of Slick Sand I applied one full gallon. That allowed me to apply just over 2 full coats. I figured to get 3 full coats I will need a little over 1 1/2 gallons. I will document my total amount used once I get it applied. I also decided on what type of primer surfacer. I am going to use a PPG product called JP202. It is a gray 2K Urethane primer. It's mix ratio is 4:1:1. Four parts primer to 1 parts hardener and 1 part reducer. This product allows me to pick a hardener and reducer for the temperature I will be spraying. Since I live in San Antonio I got the hardener and reducer for 85 degrees. I plan on spraying in the morning but it gets hot pretty quick.



Now before everyone comments on the amount of primer I bought, I think I bought to much. But, I did so for a reason. Logically I can't imagine I will need 3 gallons for 3 coats. But, when I reviewed the tech sheets for Slick Sand to see how much coverage it provides, I saw it will cover 1200 sq ft. The JP202 will only cover about 540 sq ft. So, I would need twice as much. Didn't make sense but the shop said they would take back any unused primer, so no real risk for me. I would rather have what I need and return what I don't than run short on a Saturday when the shop is closed.

Here is comparison between the tech sheets. Let me know if I have missed something.



I also did some minor work on my panel holders and body buck. I moved the bottom braces on the body buck to the inside of the legs. They were kind of in the way when I tried to spray primer on the bottom lips. I also made the door holder a little wider. It was tough to get between the doors with my first set up. I just added a longer piece of square tubing and also added a small block to move the square tubing away from the vertical frame.



I also mocked up the stripes on the hood and scoop area to make sure everything looked pretty square. A real rough mock up but I stared at it for a while and it looked good to me. Let me know if something looks off. You can also see the laser line I used to get the center stripe straight.

[boat737]

I know it's just a mock-up, and maybe it's the camera angle, but the DS stripe looks narrower than the PS stirpe (at the radiator intake).

I wish I had your energy. Keep it up.

[RoadRacer]

It looks like the DS stripe is nearer center at the front than the PS, do they measure the same?

[srobinsonx2]

Boat737 and Roadracer,

Man. You guys have eagle eyes. It was off by exactly one inch. Embarrassing move on my part. I was using a measuring trick i learned from my Dad. He was a carpenter and always made me use the 1 inch mark as my starting point when measurung from a mark (instead of the end of the tape like you would normally do on a hard edge). He said it could be more accurate. Well, that is only true if you don't forget to add an inch on the other end of the tape.

I was so worried about how the stripe was laying out on the scoop i didnt notice it.

Thanks for keeping my straight.

[boat737]

Boat737 and Roadracer,

Man. You guys have eagle eyes. It was off by exactly one inch. Embarrassing move on my part. I was using a measuring trick i learned from my Dad. He was a carpenter and always made me use the 1 inch mark as my starting point when measurung from a mark (instead of the end of the tape like you would normally do on a hard edge). He said it could be more accurate. Well, that is only true if you don't forget to add an inch on the other end of the tape.

I was so worried about how the stripe was laying out on the scoop i didnt notice it.

Thanks for keeping my straight.

Sorta like the saying, "I've cut it 3 times and it's still too short." Good to work out the mental gymnastics now, and not during the final layout. I know what you mean about using the 1 inch mark as the starting point. I use it with tape measures, but for the really fine stuff, I use a 6" or 12" machinist's scale measuring from the end.

Just curious, are you going to taper the stripes slightly at the front and rear? From what I read, some do, and some don't.

[PeteH]

PeteH
Can you give me more info on which turbine system that you used? This is a new direction for me but I am interestd.

My apologies for late response Bob, haven't looked at this thread in awhile. Too busy sanding! The one I used was over 20 yrs old, I don't remember the brand, I'll have to ask the guy who owns it.

[srobinsonx2]

boat737,

I plan on using a taper. I found a pattern in the following link on post #4.

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-fact...ut-advice.html

[srobinsonx2]

boat737,

I plan on using a taper. I found a pattern in the following link on post #4.

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-fact...ut-advice.html

Forgot to mention, I have found a number of patterns that differ slightly. Some have a 6 inch stripe width at the front and some (like mine) have 6.75 inch. Not sure if one is better than the other. I wonder which pattern is the most popular.

[phileas_fogg]

Forgot to mention, I have found a number of patterns that differ slightly. Some have a 6 inch stripe width at the front and some (like mine) have 6.75 inch. Not sure if one is better than the other. I wonder which pattern is the most popular.

Unless you've got a specific CSX you're trying to copy, go with what your eye says is best.

[srobinsonx2]

Week 9 has ended and I have logged 96 hours so far on the bodywork. I was able to get the second application of Slick Sand completed yesterday....whew. Worked 13 hours and boy was it a long day. It started with some minor sanding and clean up. It was suppose to rain so I decided to set up the garage and spray inside. Cleaned the garage, laid down some rosin paper, and hung plastic. It was certainly easier to spray outside but I thought this would be a good trial for future urethane surfacer and paint. Here is what I learned.

1. My two stale garage is pretty small to spray everything at once. I got it done but things are too close to spray paint and risk touching something
2. I need more light. I have one overhead fluorescent light, a bright work lamp and two 4 foot fluorescent shop lights that I can move around. I need probably 2 or 3 more to shine on all sides.
3. I put up some thin plastic to keep the primer off my walls. It was too thin (0.3 mils) and would move around with any light breeze. I think that will be a problem in paint. I am going to try some thicker material and may even use some poly backed cloth for paint. Any suggestion would be helpful.
4. I was able to work on my spraying technique. It is getting better but having another primer-surfacer to spray will help.
5. I used the large PPS cups (28 oz) for this application. Too big during hot temps. Two batches started setting before I got done.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures. I got everything set up and started spraying around 8 PM. By the time I got done it was almost 11 PM. I was tired and called it a day.

My next task is going to be filling pin holes and small imperfections. I thought I had gotten these resolved but somehow I missed a few obviously. I plan on picking up some glazing putty tomorrow and fill these in prior to blocking everything with 220 grit. Here are some pictures of the imperfections. They look obvious now. Not sure what I was doing.



This picture is of the front of the driver side opening on the body.



I assume once I apply the glazing putty I can apply the primer surfacer right on top. Do I need to spray another coat of slick sand on those areas first?

Hopefully I get everything sanded and preped this coming week. I would like to spray my urethane primer surfacer next weekend. I plan on taking off Monday before July 4th. That will give me Monday and Tuesday to sand the surfacer with 320 grit and then wet sand with 600.

I will keep plugging along. Thanks for all the help. I couldn't have gotten this far without help from the forum.

[Boydster]

I think what you've done, the research, the hours, the bravito to have a go at it... is amazing. I just know this car is going to look fantastic.

[srobinsonx2]

I think what you've done, the research, the hours, the bravito to have a go at it... is amazing. I just know this car is going to look fantastic.

Thanks for the kind words. I hope it looks good. Even if it had a flaw or two, I will still have something i built entirely on my own. Well, I did the work. This group gets most of the credit. With out thier help I could not have taken this on.

[srobinsonx2]

I will give a quick update in just a minute. First I have a question. I had some pin holes/small areas that needed some work. I applied some glazing putty, let it dry, and tested blocking with 220 grit. The glazing putty seemed to sand about as easy as the Slick Sand. Around the driver side door I made a few strokes and uncovered gel coat. Obviously I didn't get very good coverage on this area when spraying the second coat of slick sand. I am not sure what happened. My question is, can I spot spray Slick Sand on the areas that have some burn through and then block those areas? Or do I need to put on another full 3 coats again? Here is pic of the area in question. If you look closely you can see a little rage gold showing through on the top, right next to the windshield cut out. What do you think? I am hoping i can just spray the 2K urethane to cover this up but I don't want to take a short cut and regret it.



So, I did pick up some glazing putty today. I got Evercoat Metal Glaze. I also got some little metal spreaders that worked great. My glazing putty set up about as fast as rage gold but is much easier to spread and certainly fills little holes much better. Here are my tools and product.



I also got a paint pen made for bodywork. It was kind of a PITA and I won't be using it again. I went around the hole car with a light and my pen. Marked all the areas that need some putty. Well, I needed acetone to get the paint off. Really not worth it in my opinion.

Will carry on with blocking everything to 220 and applying Glazing putty where needed. Any advice on the burn through would be greatly appreciated.

[Jeff Kleiner]

You can spot in SS but if you are going to lay sealer over everything and are satisfied with the shape of the burn through area it is not necessary.

Jeff

[j.miller]

No need to spot in with SS, go to the Shop Line 2K. spray with a 1.7- 1.8 cap....I mix 4,1,1.5 and wait a little longer between coats ( till you see the flash off). By now you should have "all" your pin holes and rippers filled. Not that a few more won't show up but it's best to get ahead of the game. You can spray an extra shot of material on your burn through if you want....da at

[srobinsonx2]

Still sanding. I am starting to get in the groove. Tired of cleaning up all the dust each day but seeing the guide coat disappear has a certain satisfaction. Don't get me wrong. I don't love it that much. Ready to move onto the 2k urethane and then paint. But first things first. I need to get this thing perfect before moving on.

One question/concern. I have now sprayed two coats of slick sand. I have noticed on both coats I have four areas where I have struggled to get good coverage. The body openings (hood, trunk, and doors), rolled edges of the cockpit, wheel wells, and nose openings. It just gives me some concern about my spraying technique. I tried really hard on the second application of slick sand to get good coverage on these "problem" areas. I considered that the slick sand might be really thick and hard to get coverage on these areas. Hopefully the 2k urethane will flow better than the slick sand. The slick sand seemed to only stick to the body when I was able to apply the material at a 90 degree angle. These areas were hard to get to. Any advice? I have considered spraying these areas first. For example, on the cockpit I thought about getting "inside" the body and spraying from a better angle. I can then get out and not worry about contact with he body. Thoughts? Maybe I am worried about nothing if the 2K urethane surfacer and paint flow or spread out better. Here are some pictures of the areas.







Here is the progress so far. The front half is done and I have sanded about 4 hours. It has taken me about 6 hours to block the entire body and that looks like what this round will take.



Thanks for the continued help.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Hard to describe technique but I can tell you this; I stand inside the cockpit and inside the hood opening turning all the way around to get those areas. I basically lay on the ground to hit the lower body such as the rockers along the sides, the rear valance and the front nose. You have to spray up and into the wheel openings, etc. making the same arc with your gun That's about all I got---good luck!

Jeff

[srobinsonx2]

Thanks Jeff. I really appreciate the feedback. I will do exactly as you suggest and get inside the cockpit and hood opening to spray. In my last post you can see I have a piece of plywood used for structure between the front and rear panels of the body buck. I used a really well done body buck plan I found before I even started the build. Now that I have done the mechanical and bodywork, I would have built it a little differently. I will modify/remove this center support so I will have easy access to the cockpit and hood opening. I might could fit in there but I don't want to risk accidentally touching a freshly painted edge because I didn't take the time and make this simple mod.

I finished up blocking the main body with 220 grit tonight. Found 2 or 3 small areas that need a little glazing putty but overall it looks pretty good. I did a wet check on a few of the larger areas and it looks smooth. I wet checked it by spraying some wax and grease remover on the body. This makes the panel wet and shiny. The reflection of my garage overhead light allows me to check and see if there any minor waves. I saw this on my Paintucation video and read about on this forum. Works pretty slick.

Hopefully I can block out the hood, trunk, and doors this weekend and spray the 2K urethane by July 4th.

[srobinsonx2]

I have logged 116 hours on bodywork through week 10. I have come to a clear conclusion yesterday. I am officially tired of blocking. I mean......good lord......will the dust ever end???? Well, at least I have finished blocking the second coat of Slick Sand. I got it all blocked out and inspected everything really good. I found a few small pin holes and a couple of low areas. Everything was very minor so I filled them in with some glazing putty and sanded those areas again. So, I feel good about the body and am looking forward to spraying some 2K urethane primer surfacer. I will probably do that on the 4th since I am off work that day. Then of course one more round of blocking. Hopefully that will be the last dry sanding. I can then wet sand prior to paint.

I took the advice of JeffK and plan to get inside the cockpit and hood opening to spray those areas. I had a support that ran the entire length of the body buck and needed to do some modifications to remove that. I ran some supports to the vertical legs and a cross support. Cut out the center support and all looks good. It is also pretty stable.



I also have everything prepped for spraying the 2K urethane. The garage floor is covered with rosin paper, the walls are covered in plastic, and my temporary lights are hung. I sprayed the second coat of slick sand in the garage and learned a few things. I rearranged the components to provide a little more room. I also added some lights and broke out the turbine sprayer. I have not sprayed anything through it yet but I plan on testing it with some water based craft paint. I will report. Here is picture of my arrangement.



I will put the turbine outside when I spray. The hose is not very long. I might look into getting a longer one. Anyway, wish me luck.

[RoadRacer]

Anyway, wish me luck.

Lots of luck!!! It's amazing how much work goes into spraying a car.. I mean, you haven't even "started" spraying yet. Not sure I'll be following in you DIY footsteps

[edwardb]

You're making great progress. Kudos to you for tackling this. Not to discourage anyone, but the pro painter than did my last two Roadsters logged just over 170 hours for each one. That's in a professional booth with all the commercial gear and he's been painting cars for a number of years. Granted that includes all the paint and final cut/buff. But just shows these things are a lot of work. For the beginner and the pros.

The next time we have one of those "Why does the paint cost so much..." discussions I'm pointing them to your thread.

[srobinsonx2]

Thanks RoadRacer and edwardb. Edwardb you are right. It is alot of work. My logged hours does not include some of the body prep I did while actually building the car. I went back and added up all those hours and I think I have another 20-25 hours. That includes washing the body, applying the undercoating, trimming panels for the first time, etc. If I added those hours to the 116 of body work then I would be close to 140.

If the pros do it in 170 I seriously doubt I will be any where near that number. It is taking me about 10 hours to block everything out (including panels). I assume I have one dry sanding effort and one wet sanding effort left to perform prior to paint. That would be another 20 hours. Prep for paint will probably take a good 6-8 hours (wash, degrease, acetone, tack). I am guessing on paint, but based on other posts here, painting is a good long day. I assume 12-15 hours. Just to get color on this thing will get me all the way up 180 hours. If wet sanding during cut and buff takes the same time as blocking then I am looking at another 30-40 hours. That would get me to 210-220 hours. That is assuming I don't have any issues during paint that need correcting.

I am a little over half way with a lot of work still left. Things do seem to get easier as I go along. Rage Gold sands easier than gelcoat, Slick Sand sands easier than Rage Gold, and hopefully 2K urethane sprays easier, etc. It is just hot dirty dusty work. It is doable and if I squint real hard I think I can see a faint light at the end of this dark dusty tunnel. Of course it could just be dust in my eye. Do yo see that pattern here....dust, dust, and more dust.

I will keep the faith and trudge along. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some pictures of the car in 2K gray glory.

[edwardb]

That 170 hours I mentioned was just pure body work and paint. In both cases I delivered the car body mounted and fitted to the chassis, panels all set, gapped, etc. That was also a pretty high end paint job. I've seen others cite fewer hours. My point was these are a lot of work even for the pros. You're doing great!

[srobinsonx2]

Well, DANG! No 2K primer tomorrow. I tested out my Apollo spray system this afternoon. I am glad I did. The PPS system I have will not allow me to spray upside down. If you aren't familiar, the PPS system is made by 3M and is suppose to allow you to spray from any position, even upside down. This was new to me and I thought it would allow an inexperienced "want to be painter" a little more flexibility. With my conventional compressor gun (cheap Vapor primer gun) this worked flawlessly. I filled and mixed Slick Sand in the cup, connected it to the gun, held the gun upside down, and pulled the trigger. This would evacuate all the air from the liner and leave nothing but material. The gun essentially was pulling a vacuum on the liner which would get sucked in. Worked real slick.

It did not work so well with the Apollo Atomizer 7500. I tested the gun with some water based craft paint from Walmart. I diluted the paint a little, filled the PPS liner, connected to the gun, turned the turbine on, held the gun upside down and squeezed the trigger. The liner did not get sucked in like before. It kind of felt like it actually had a little pressure. The bottom of the PPS cup has a hole where I could feel the liner kind of pressured up. It would spray fine if the gun was held upright. Puzzled as to why the PPS cup was not working like before, I first thought I had reassembled the gun wrong after cleaning it prior to use. Well, after consulting the manual I was confident I had the thing put back together correctly. I tried the gravity feed cup that came with the spray gun just for grins. It worked about like the PPS cup. Sprayed good upright but no go upside down and actually leaked out of the top of the cup a little.

I cleaned the gun and then regrouped. After some research it appears the turbine style guns need a type H/O PPS cup. This PPS cup actually uses a little hose from the gun to supply pressure inside the cup and compress the liner. I am not sure if this pressure take off is standard on all guns but the turbine guns apparently all have a small fitting on the side of the gun that allows pressure to be supplied to pressure cups when necessary. I jumped on Amazon and found a large type H/O cup. It will be here Thursday so the 2K primer will have to wait. I could probably try and spray with the gravity cup that came with the gun but the areas that I need to spray upside down are already hard to get too. I will just wait for the right tools. I am a little frustrated but rather do this right the first time and not rush things.

When the new PPS pressure cup shows up, I will test it again. I know there are a few guys out there interesting in how the system works so I will report back.