More progress made on the body : )

[Stage7]

Mike - I logged on to catch up with your thread (and others). I was expecting to see pics of you standing with show trophies or burning up the country-side with your angel of a wife.

I'm sorry you are still dealing with the shoddy work of that overpriced, over-hyped, hack of a shop from NC. Thankfully, there will be no or very minimal remnants of their work after this iteration. I hope you name names when you write your book. They should have the decency to remove the pictures of your car from their website.

Too bad you aren't changing the color completely so it's obvious it's a "different" and much much improved care since it's left their hands. That said, I love the new color you picked.

Your GTM continues to raise the bar of a kit car build, I'm glad to see your still pushing forward with your dream for it. I can't wait to see it in person!

[The Stig]

Mike - I logged on to catch up with your thread (and others). I was expecting to see pics of you standing with show trophies or burning up the country-side with your angel of a wife.

I'm sorry you are still dealing with the shoddy work of that overpriced, over-hyped, hack of a shop from NC. Thankfully, there will be no or very minimal remnants of their work after this iteration. I hope you name names when you write your book. They should have the decency to remove the pictures of your car from their website.

Too bad you aren't changing the color completely so it's obvious it's a "different" and much much improved care since it's left their hands. That said, I love the new color you picked.

Your GTM continues to raise the bar of a kit car build, I'm glad to see your still pushing forward with your dream for it. I can't wait to see it in person!

Hi Roberto,

Just another day, and another $10,000.00... There is a lot of work being re-done, and paid for again.

I'll let you know when the best seller hits the shelves.

By the way; have you spoken to Allan in the past few days or so? If not, you need to give him a call...

You won't believe the story that he's going to tell you.

Take care. We'll talk soon.

Mike

[The Stig]

Hi everyone.

While I have a little time to wait for the car to come out of the paint shop (again), I thought I'd have the upper wing brackets polished & triple-chromed.

The smart thing would be to pull the ones that I have, and send them out to be chromed. But I decided that I wanted to keep them (black anodized) so I can have a set of plated brackets and a set of anodized.

I called Shane to buy a set from him, but he doesn't have a manufacturing run going yet. So I wanted to check here to see if there is anyone who bought the brackets from Shane, and decided not to use them. If so, I'd like to buy them from you.

If anyone is interested, please send a PM.

Thanks,

Mike

The Upper Frame brackets and the small brackets that attach to the composite wing.

[The Stig]

I decided to go ahead and pull the upper VRaptor wing brackets that are already on the car, instead of buying more. If it doesn't look right later, maybe I'll get another set. ��





I'm going to have them and the fuel filler assemblies triple-plated. I called Advanced Plating in Nashville to try to get on their schedule. They said "sure, we can turn those around for you in 18 weeks... and about $1000.00." Then mysteriously, I was able to find a nice shop in Indian Trail, NC to do the work for me. 4 weeks.







The fuel filler assemblies will need to be disassembled, but that's not a big deal. The upper surface is all that will need to be plated and polished.



With the carbon black paint, and the polished aluminum wheels, the triple plated wing brackets and filler assemblies should tie everything together well.

I hope... Tony suggested that I go with anodized black. But that's not really me.

Mike

[mmaragos]

Take care on the filler assemblies as clearances are already tight. I powder coated mine and had to remove some of the the powder coat. If I would have thought to have them tape off certain areas, it would have been a bit easier / cleaner - regardless, I got it all to fit smoothly together again.

[The Stig]

Take care on the filler assemblies as clearances are already tight. I powder coated mine and had to remove some of the the powder coat. If I would have thought to have them tape off certain areas, it would have been a bit easier / cleaner - regardless, I got it all to fit smoothly together again.

Thank you Sir! That is good information to keep in mind. I have to disassemble the cap/lock in order to have them plated and polished, and I can see how they might easily get a little too snug. Since these are aluminum, it may be that we simply polish and buff them to a nice shine like the wheels. I'll definitely make sure that chrome shop is aware of the tolerances.

Thanks again for the heads up.

Mike

[The Stig]

I drove up to the shop and pulled the Kooks cross pipe off of the GTM on Friday. I had intended to drop the parts by the chrome shop that afternoon, but after sitting in Charlotte traffic for two hours waiting to get past a wreck, I finally got there only to find that they were closed... I should have called ahead...

But... My wife, being the angel that she is, took the parts up there for me yesterday.

I was told that since the exhaust was stainless steel, they couldn't triple plate the tips because they don't have the chemical necessary that preps stainless steel for plating. I had never heard of this before, but Ok. They asked whether I would like for them to polish the tips to a bright shine instead.

I figure that we can try that, and if it doesn't look right, we can still send it out to be plated somewhere else. All other parts will be tripple plated. (Copper / Nickel / Chrome). In 5 to 6 weeks we'll see what we have.

Mike

[The Stig]

March 1, 2015: The GTM was taken to Tony's shop to be painted.

A hand full of scratches were repaired and prepped for paint. The roof was sanded, built up, re-blocked. The spoiler was sanded and filled, and re-blocked.

May 11, 2015: The GTM was taken into the paint booth. I made the call to pull it back out and correct all of the issues on the body that needed to be re-worked and then spray the car in a different paint choice. Pandora was moved back to the "build" side of the shop.

August 21, 2015: Pandora hasn't moved or been touched since it came out of the paint booth.

Still waiting on Bill Philip's SLC to be finished. It, by the way, was sitting outside "out of the way" while a 67 Camaro that has been there for a year continues to occupy space; and a shop full of cars that came in well after my car continue to be getting attention. If I had known the it would sit for 3 months more simply due to my decision to agree to do the whole car, we would have probably had a much different conversation.

Based on what I've seen so far with other people's cars, Tony seems to do great work.

I'll let you know if I can eventually prove it by how awesome my car looks.

Mike

[carbon fiber]

Sorry to hear about the delays and the car sitting outside too. Did you get any work done on the door seals?

[The Stig]

I didn't mean to give the impression that he's leaving the cars out for extended periods of time. I was just surprised to see that Bill's SLC, the car that I've been waiting for him to finish before he starts on mine again, was moved outside out of the way while he worked on other New Stuff.

Door Seals? No... Nothing has been touched on it, at all, since we talked and I agreed to let him do everything that we felt needed to be redone.

On the bright side... The chrome work should be done in 3 weeks or so, and I'll be able to get the parts back on the car before it ever moves from where it is.

I guess that I'm just frustrated and venting a little.

Mike

[The Stig]

It looks like the SL-C is going into the paint booth tomorrow. It's supposed to be completely painted and buffed/polished by Friday evening, and re-assembled next week. So I guess that means that Pandora is going get back into the rotation at some point soon. I'm happy for Bill, but I have to say that I'm even happier to possibly see progress being made again on my car.

We'll see.

Mike

[The Stig]

I think that the SLC is nearing completion. I know that they had sprayed everything except the doors. It's really turning out nice.

Like everyone else, Tony needed a break so he shut down for the Holiday. Who could blame him? Pam and I did the same thing.

I'm meeting with him tomorrow to hear his "plan" for how we're going to get Pandora finished.

Should be interesting.

Mike

[The Stig]

I met with Tony today. He has a plan for getting my car finished up...

Some things, we were on the same page with. And some, we weren't.

Apparently there is still quite a lot of money that he's going to allow me to spend. I wasn't on that page... And apparently he's not going to get started until October 1. I wasn't on that page... He feels that to fix the things that need to be fixed, we're looking at approximately 90 more days. (Through December). I definitely wasn't on that page...

We talked about how the car would need to be disassembled, and how the undersides of the panels would need to be somewhat smoothed, and sprayed with undercoating of some sort. Same page...

The doors are going to be disassembled and fiberglass added in order to shape the edges to close the gaps at the rear of each door. We have a plan of attack for the door windows that will allow them to fit the doors as they should, and also seal as they should. We're on the same page with that...

The mesh screens around the car are going to be re-worked so that they fit and look like they were supposed to be there, and not just and afterthought to get hot air out of the radiator and engine spaces. Same page...

He feels that the interior needs a little more work to get it to a point where it gets to the next level. Absolutely not on that page... I have $27,500.00 in the interior already. I mean what the heck does it take?

I thought that I had a pretty good grasp of what it takes to get a GTM to an extraordinary level. Or at least what I thought was extraordinary. I believed that I was about ready to get it done and then join the party. But instead, I've pretty much been told that I had more to learn. Multiple times. He says that it screams "kit car". I wasn't on that page...

He assures me that the body will be perfectly straight, and the paint will be deep and clear, and that it will be ready for the bright lights of the car shows and SEMA (2016). I told him that I'm pretty much over that bucket list item, and that I can't even get Dave Smith or his "people" to return phone calls or PM messages. Besides which, I don't expect to own it that long.

I still feel very confident that she's going to look very nice, and will be an unbelievable car when it's ever finished. But I can also say that I've never felt more disconnected from it...

Tony thinks that I'm going to feel more involved when we get started again. I told him that my wallet is only thing getting involved lately, and for the foreseeable future. As usual.

It'll be finished just in time to put it away for the Winter. I'll turn the heat up in the garage, and sit out there with my coffee, and just stare at it until some Saudi Oil person comes to pick it up... Right...

Lucky me.

Mike



When I got to the shop, the car was uncovered. One of the builder's on this forum stopped by the shop to talk about having his car done. We spoke on the phone about the cars, and he had mentioned that he would like to see mine while he was there. So I asked that it be made available for him to take a look.



I have no idea why there is a 4x4 piece of wood at the front corner... I do know that the ride height at the front of my car is 4 1/4" with correct tire pressure...

I opened the hood while I was there in order to look at the underside of the mesh. It looked as though the car had been sitting in the desert for a year. Dust everywhere... Even covered in plastic. But then it's tough to keep dust out, when it has been sitting in a paint shop since March. For the most part, he's had the doors sealed with masking tape in order to keep the dust out of the interior. So that's good.

[carbon fiber]

I hope that good feeling comes back. I can also understand how after all the bs you can begin to feel that way. It's ridiculous that he thinks it screams kit car or that the interior still needs work. It's obvious he's trying to get deeper into your wallet. Put your foot down and stick to what you want. It's also ridiculous that David Smith or at least someone at FFR won't answer calls, emails, etc. They seem to be really good at selling you something and then forgetting you exist. Myself and others have had the same problems, getting an answer or even a simple response. FFR could learn a thing or two about customer service from RCR or Ultima. (I've heard great things about both) They could also fix the body of the GTM - SO THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT BUYS ONE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE GATES OF HELL TO GET THE BODYWORK RIGHT, OR THE DOORS TO FIT! (like it should come in the first place) 600 build hours my A$$. Keep your head up, don't sell it after all this, enjoy it more because of it.

[Edgeman]

Your car is amazing, I would not be putting that much back into it. (JMHO). Getting it painted would be my only concern. Get it out on the road and show it off.

I just read your post again and you say, "you are not going to own it long after that", get it painted and enjoy the car on the open roads. Save your money for the next project. JMHO.

[sk7500]

Hi Mike,
I was just looking at the GTM calendar today admiring your car and thought to myself, "it's been a while since I have been on the forum to see your car finished". So you can imagine my surprise to see pictures that look an awful lot like the last time I seen it. :-(
Any car can always be better. And as long as your wallet is open there will always be someone willing to help you make it so. Only you can say when it's good enough. I generally say "enough" a little after it stops being fun.

[The Stig]

I hope that good feeling comes back. I can also understand how after all the bs you can begin to feel that way. It's ridiculous that he thinks it screams kit car or that the interior still needs work. It's obvious he's trying to get deeper into your wallet. Put your foot down and stick to what you want. It's also ridiculous that David Smith or at least someone at FFR won't answer calls, emails, etc. They seem to be really good at selling you something and then forgetting you exist. Myself and others have had the same problems, getting an answer or even a simple response. FFR could learn a thing or two about customer service from RCR or Ultima. (I've heard great things about both) They could also fix the body of the GTM - SO THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT BUYS ONE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE GATES OF HELL TO GET THE BODYWORK RIGHT, OR THE DOORS TO FIT! (like it should come in the first place) 600 build hours my A$$. Keep your head up, don't sell it after all this, enjoy it more because of it.

I've had the same thoughts about the GTM. If Factory Five would fix the chassis and body molds the GTM would likely see a huge growth in sales. The fact that they haven't tells me that they feel that the GTM project has reach it's point of diminishing returns. I'm sure that I am also not the only one to notice that advertising and marketing of the GTM has dropped significantly. A geometrically correct chassis, and a body that fits the chassis as it should, would most definitely spark a great deal of renewed interest.

Your car is amazing, I would not be putting that much back into it. (JMHO). Getting it painted would be my only concern. Get it out on the road and show it off.

I just read your post again and you say, "you are not going to own it long after that", get it painted and enjoy the car on the open roads. Save your money for the next project. JMHO.

Am I going to sell it, the odds are pretty good at this point. I love the car, and I love what I've been able to achieve so far with my build project; regardless of what others might think. But after you've gone through crap-fest after crap-fest, you sort of want to move onto the next project. But we'll see. Once I get out of the shops, I may feel a bit different. But I'm no different than anyone else here; and if someone comes along with an offer of the right amount, they will probably go home with a nice blue GTM.

Hi Mike,
I was just looking at the GTM calendar today admiring your car and thought to myself, "it's been a while since I have been on the forum to see your car finished". So you can imagine my surprise to see pictures that look an awful lot like the last time I seen it. :-(
Any car can always be better. And as long as your wallet is open there will always be someone willing to help you make it so. Only you can say when it's good enough. I generally say "enough" a little after it stops being fun.

I have a mental picture of what I want the car to be. I know that when I feel I've reached that goal, I'll know when I've had enough...

This project used to be fun. Now I seem to focus more on just getting finished.

Mike

[The Stig]

I stopped by the shop when I got into Charlotte earlier. I think Tony understands my "philosophy" a little better. I think we're on the same page again about all points. Steve Kurzman is coming by the shop next week to remove the interior... (Everything). And then the car will be disassembled for work to begin. We'll see then, how I'm feeling. He told me that I'm too serious.

But that's just me.

The car was re-wrapped when I got there.

Mike

[crash]

Let me just say that it has been my experience that just about every individual that works in an industry where highly volatile, mind altering chemicals are used on a daily basis seems to have a bit of a different view on reality and what is "serious". I hope you end up with what you are looking for without too many more headaches.

[The Stig]

Let me just say that it has been my experience that just about every individual that works in an industry where highly volatile, mind altering chemicals are used on a daily basis seems to have a bit of a different view on reality and what is "serious". I hope you end up with what you are looking for without too many more headaches.

I have to say that I agree! And I'm sure that when it's all said and done, she'll be just right. Whenever that is.

Mike

[fact5racer]

all this time and money for new paint only to slap a bumper sticker on the back reading "My Second car is a Bugatti Veyron"

[The Stig]

all this time and money for new paint only to slap a bumper sticker on the back reading "My Second car is a Bugatti Veyron"

You're right Gary... But with the Mercedes in the shop having the transmission rebuilt, the Veyron may just become the primary driver after all this.

Mike

[fact5racer]

Bummer mike, I was at the Mercedes factory last week, I could of tried to fit a transmission in the overhead bin on my flight home.

[The Stig]

It looks like I should have let you bring one back with you...

They call it a "722.9" transmission. It's reasonably expensive and apparently impossible for Mercedes technicians to correctly diagnose and repair. So far they have replaced the valve body, two gear sets, two seals, and a couple of sensors. And it still isn't shifting correctly. So a new transmission with the valve body swap is next.

Mike

[The Stig]

Back to our regularly scheduled program...







The Interior items that could likely be damaged, have been removed. Work begins on the doors tomorrow. Or so I've been told.

Mike

[dallas_]

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing it all done and back in your garage where it belongs.

[The Stig]

Good luck. Looking forward to seeing it all done and back in your garage where it belongs.

Thank you.

I dropped by the shop in order to meet the forum member that will be taking his car there. He asked me to drop in while he was there, but then he ended up not bringing his car there this week. It gave me time to get into more detail in regard to the work that is starting again on my car.

When I walked over to the car, the seats and interior panels had been removed. They had been wrapped in plastic, and stored in a room away from all the dust. That was a good start, (in my mind at least)...

Here's the plan that we talked through as of today.

Rough in: estimated 3 to 4 weeks
The rear hatch is where everything will start from. The fit and finish around the hatch will be 3/16" gap and easily functional. The body roof, and rear pillars will be massaged to fit flush with the hatch. The upper cross section of the hatch will be built up with additional fiberglass until we get to the correct height. It needs about 1/4" to 3/8" in the center, and then taper to the sides. We'll need to keep the carbon fiber panel in mind, that covers the air "vent". It will need to remain flush as well. Jason (Carbon Fiber) did an excellent job with the custom hatch, and I will not allow that work to be messed up.

Once the hatch and surrounding body are correct, we'll move out to the rear fenders and rear of the car. These are mostly a matter of hitting it with 80 grit to find the highs and get them even with the low spots, of which there are plenty.

No big surprise that the doors are going to take the majority of effort, but I think that we came up with a few ideas that will look good, and allow the doors, windows, and seals to all function the way they should. First and foremost, the windows will seal tightly, and will be water tight when we're done. Once they fit and function as they should, the doors will be re-blocked, starting with 80 grit on long boards in order to bring down the highs. The mirrors will be sanded and prepped as well.

At this point everything from the rear of the car to the front of the doors will have been roughed in, and corrected as far as initial gaps and getting the panels on their way to being straight.

Next comes the hood. Since the hood and fenders don't really butt-up to the doors (they sort of overlap), we can concentrate more on getting everything straight and make sure that the gaps at the rear of the front wheels where the hood meets the body are even on both sides: 3/16" gap. There was a round indentation where the Factory Five Badge was to have gone, that was filled in during the original body work, and has left an imprint. This was hard to see in normal light, but it can be seen in sunlight or with strong lights. It's there, and it will be corrected. The result will be a glass smooth flat portion of the hood. From there the rest of the fenders and upper section of the hood will be re-blocked to correct the "waves" across the large hood section.

Final Prepwork: estimated 6 weeks
When the hood is blocked and all of the highs and lows are identified over the entire body of the car, the plan is to hit it with two or three coats of primer, and then start blocking it again. When it's blocked smooth, another coat (or two) of primer will be sprayed. Blocking will then run through the various micro grits of sand paper until the car is ready. Gaps will be addressed again, and sanded smooth.

Paint: estimated 2 weeks
BMW - Carbon Black Metallic (Jet Black, with a Midnight Blue pearl sprayed over it).
Three coats of Jet Back.
One coat (I think) of Midnight Blue Pearl sprayed over the Jet Black paint.
Then two coats of clear. Wet Sanded to 1000 grit.
Then two more coats of clear. Wet sanded to 1000 grit.

The result should be layers of black and dark blue pearl that looks as though you could reach down into it and cause ripples.

Absolutely no orange peel, and the reflections will be crisp and clear.

When we get to this point, we'll be finished. Completely Finished. And I intend to have one hell of a celebration to mark the occasion.

Tony says that his objective is to make sure that she is done prior to Christmas. As long as we continue to make progress and meet our goals, I think I can live with that...

Mike

[crash]

So how many layers of paint and primer do you think this car will end up with when complete?

Tell you the truth, I am kind of surprised that you didn't say that taking it down to gel coat was part of the process as I am surprised that these guys want to rely on the other guys prep and paint for adhesion. Maybe that's what you meant by "sanded"?

[The Stig]

Hi Mike.

There will be 3 coats of paint, 1 (maybe 2) coats of pearl, and 4 coats of clear.

And you're right... for the most part, it will be taken back to the gel coat fiberglass, and then and then check the low spots from there. Given the fact that I am not a painter, Sanded/Blocked is the same in my mind, only that a long block sander will be used instead the orbital that was apparently used originally. When the initial rough sanding is done, there should be next to nothing left of the original paint. At the same time we have to keep in mind that there is very limited surface thickness that can be sanded into before we start causing additional issues. I wouldn't think that there will be adhesion issues with the primer once it's down to that stage. We're pretty much starting over.

Once all the primer coats have been final prepped, the car will be sprayed with a sealer, and prepped for paint. As I understand it, adhesion to the sealer should not be a problem.

I'm just glad to see work being done.

Mike

[Presto51]

Next comes the hood. Since the hood and fenders don't really butt-up to the doors (they sort of overlap), we can concentrate more on getting everything straight and make sure that the gaps at the rear of the front wheels where the hood meets the body are even on both sides: 3/16" gap. There was a round indentation where the Factory Five Badge was to have gone, that was filled in during the original body work, and has left an imprint. This was hard to see in normal light, but it can be seen in sunlight or with strong lights. It's there, and it will be corrected. The result will be a glass smooth flat portion of the hood. From there the rest of the fenders and upper section of the hood will be re-blocked to correct the "waves" across the large hood section.Mike

Just another added thought, don't forget to have them correct the front wheel well arch, to get rid of the egg shape look that a lot of GTM's have.

Ron

[The Stig]

Just another added thought, don't forget to have them correct the front wheel well arch, to get rid of the egg shape look that a lot of GTM's have.

Ron

Thanks Ron. Actually, it's on the list of things to do. I figured that sense we were going "all-in", I would make sure that was taken care of as well.

Mike

[The Stig]

The hatch has been adjusted a bit. A couple of relief cuts on the underside, and a little constant heat combined with a water bucket for weight, gets the upper section of the hatch to conform to the curve of the roof edge.



The hatch fits the curve of the roof a bit better now. The surface can be built up much easier now, and will fit flush with the roof, and pillars.



And Yes, the poly carbonate window still fits perfectly.

We're finally making some progress again folks...!

Mike

[crash]

Remember, the gas shocks and hinges/latches will push things around a bit so make sure they are all in there, along with any seal material you may be using, before doing any final fitting. To me, cutting a support structure is a BAD idea, and building up a little more body filler is a FAR better option, but it's done now, so I hope there are no future issues. Remember, once the fibers are cut there is NO WAY to ever make that area as strong or durable as it once was. Period.

[carbon fiber]

OUCH. I wouldn't have cut that either. I came up with this design so we wouldn't have to cut the support at all. I made the hatch insert as low as possible at the top so it would fit cars that were already painted and the hatch could be built up to match the roofline. It will work with a roof on a painted car that had never been built up at all. Adding fiberglass to the top will ADD STRENGTH. I would have built up in fiberglass and just used filler for the very last imperfections. The small amount of glass that's on the repair of those relief cuts can't be very strong as compared to the way it came from FFR. This was just easier for the paint guy, not better for the car. If I had known about this I would have recommended against it. I hope that guy is willing to warranty his work if hairline cracks form. Did he check to see if the carbon fiber insert still matches the shape of the hatch now? I'd say no since three of the four holes are full of filler. I don't see how it would now if the entire top of the hatch contour has been changed. With 4" between the roofline and the beginning of the cf cover, it would have been plenty to gradually change the shape from the carbon fiber cover to the roofline on top by adding fiberglass and filler.

[The Stig]

Hello guys. I understand and appreciate the concern. I had the same concerns when I read that the hatch had been cut in order to reshape the top. As I understand it, the openings have been filled with fiberglass. Not just the cuts, but the hollow areas on each side of the cuts. and then they have been joined in the cut and re-glassed across the surface.

The standard hatch that comes with the kit weighs about 35 to 40 lbs with the glass installed. This hatch with the P/C window and the C/F cover weighs about 15 to 20 lbs.

As far as gas struts, I'm not using them. I bought a set of the collapsible locking stands that Shane sells that hold it in place nicely. So there isn't a lot of constant stress that might cause it to fail.

It should be plenty strong enough for the force or stress that the rear hatch of a street car will see. So at this point, I think we're good.

It fits the car and will sit low enough for the seals to do their thing.

Mike

[carbon fiber]

I hope the cf cover still lines up, you can't bend that. Good to know that it's about half the weight, I never checked but figured it would be a lot lighter. The factory struts would have been overkill at half the weight anyway.

[The Stig]

I hope the cf cover still lines up, you can't bend that. Good to know that it's about half the weight, I never checked but figured it would be a lot lighter. The factory struts would have been overkill at half the weight anyway.

Hi Jason,

I called him last night and spoke to him. I was a bit heated, but after he explained how he made the adjustments, and how he made the repair, I felt quite a bit better. My only issue after that was that I would like to be kept in the loop when we're making changes that involve structural elements; even if that part lays on top, instead of carries significant weight. Our only issue with the hatch, would be aerodynamic forces. And I am comfortable that Tony has that covered. The window and carbon cover still fit snug as they did originally.

I think sometimes he and I both have to be reminded that we aren't working on a Ferrari. Although he seems to be reminding me more often than I remind him...

One thing that I want to say, is that as frustrated as I tend to get lately, I still believe in giving credit where it is due. Tony is not just a "paint guy". He does some really great work. He is completely skilled as a top rate body guy. He knows his stuff, and when the car is done, I have no doubt that it will look exactly as I expect it to. We have different approaches to things, but that doesn't mean either of us is wrong. It just means that we get there in a different way.

It's all good, and as I said, I think the car is going to turn out great.

Mike

[The Stig]

Just a quick post to catch up a little.

My Mom, her twin sister, and my uncle were in town for the weekend. The Good-Guys car show was in Charlotte and we had planned to go and look around to see what was there. My uncle grew up in Van Nuys and has been building hot rods longer than I've been alive. (That's a while....). I asked him if he would like to go with me to pick up the Mercedes from the shop, and then swing by and see the GTM? He's been following my build and wanted to see how it was coming along.

We took a look at the car and checked out how the hatch and the body are coming together. It looks really good. Tony has it lined up almost dead flush all the way around. A little filler will be needed to make it perfect, but not much.

I walked to the other side of the shop to talk to Tony about some work that I'm going to have done on the fuel tanks. As we talked, I noticed my uncle walking around looking under plastic covers, at some parts that had been sprayed a little earlier. (BMW M3). He mentioned to Tony that they looked really nice. Tony said that they had been sprayed, but not buffed or polished. Then I saw my uncle do a double-take. Apparently he felt like Tony's work is as good as I do.

When we we were back at home a little later, he said that if he could lay paint down that smooth, he wouldn't bother buffing or polishing...

It made me feel good to get his impression and find out that we're on the right track after all. ��

I trust my instincts, but his opinion matters to me more than pretty much anyone else's, besides Pam.

So it looks like we're making progress in the right direction. And that's a good thing.

Mike

[The Stig]

The body work is finally underway. The first round of blocking is showing the highs and lows in the body panels and the paint. Some are light and some are pretty significant. It's amazing what you can't see without a trained eye. But here it is...







This was after the first pass of rough sanding. You can see the highs very clearly. This is what caused the ripples in the reflection of the paint.



It looks like there is a bit of filler going onto the rear of the roof and the hatch. (Each of these surfaces had been sanded previously and prepped for paint).

[The Stig]