Chris' Bodywork Thread - Mk3.1

[Gumball]

It's been a long time coming - almost a year has passed since I started my "DIY" bodywork project. With no further delay, then, here it is the morning after paint was applied - it hasn't been sanded or buffed yet... I can't wait for that and to get it in the sun.

Color is '65 - '66 Ford Ivy Green. The color coat is PPG Envirobase - water-based paint. The 2K sealer under the paint is black, lending a bit of a dark hue to the color.

No stripes, satin black ceramic sidepipes, chrome rollhoop, bumpers with hoops front and rear, black interior (leather covered Kirkey lowbacks).







A shot of the rolled cowl in front of the driver showing the fake rivets:



The passenger door showing the fake rivets along the upper edge and the support tubes for the side curtain ferrules:





Gess trunk lid - made by Karl Gess a few years ago before the Mk 4 came out:

[EJ III]

Man that is SWEET!!!!!!

[Gumball]

For those who don't want to sort through four pages of my ramblings, here is a summary (in no particular order) of the body mods on my Mk3.1 - three things that I dropped from the original plan are the Mk4 trunk lid, shaving the front turn signal perches, and adding holes and grommets in the lower rear pan for a bungee like that used on the original race cars to hold the trunk closed.

• Rivet-on hood scoop using button-head screws
• Modified scoop by removing ¾” pie-shaped slice from both sides to get the top curve to follow the lines of the hood when viewed from the side
• Rivets ringing the leading edge of the hood – actually very small button-head screws
• Hood opening under scoop modified to fit turkey pan – front 8” of hole covered
• Original style hood hinges (Breeze)
• Hidden trunk hinges (Breeze)
• Original style trunk lid support rod (**********)
• Trunk lid, modified without Mk1-3 peak (Gess Bros. lid by Karl Gess)
• Reshaped tail lamp pads to fit rectangular Lucas L542 lamps
• Soft top, side curtain (FFR old-style with three-pin mounting), and tonneau cover fixings – ‘Lift-the-dot” posts and door/body ferrules
• Rolled cowl front and rear with exposed rivet heads
• Rolled door tops with exposed rivets and support tubes for soft top / side curtain ferrules - foam filled doors (be careful not to overfill and cause distortion!)
• Rolled wheel well lips
• Hidden body mounts on sides
• Side louver openings – interior lips removed and body edge rounded to mimic original aluminum body at this location
• Side louvers painted body color (**********)
• Defrost vent covers painted body color
• Aluminum cover in trunk lid painted body color
• Original-style grab handle on passenger side cowl
• Smoothed and painted inside of body – mimics mill finish of aluminum panels (Eastwood Aluma-blast paint)
• Revised front body mounts at the air intake holes using button-head screws to mimic original rivets
• All edges smoothed and radiused
• Front cowl outer ends made thicker to match thickness of doors
• Door to cowl fit (front & rear) modified for smooth transition
• Hidden “Z” bracket mounting studs at top of trunk area to attach body to upper trunk crossmember

[Jeff Kleiner]

Looks great Chris!

A couple of questions; why the water based base coat and what clear went on top?

Can't wait to see it all assembled!

Jeff

[MPTech]

That paint looks terrific! Still looks wet!

Did you modify the front bumper holes with grommets? Cant' remember the mk3.1 setup.

[Gumball]

Jeff - my friend who did the paint uses PPG products and gave me the choice between solvent and water based color. He said the water based version is a bit more vibrant and is easier to color match down the road. The clear is the standard type two-part solvent based stuff that PPG uses in their Envirobase line.

Mark - Yes - I did reshape the front bumper mount holes to accommodate ********** grommets.

[Gumball]

I dropped by the shop again today to see how the cut and buff is going - what looks like lines in the paint is the reflection of the ceiling:

[chopthebass]

What a fantastic paint job!!

[Gumball]

Yeah - not bad for a couple of first timers. Before this, I'd never done any bodywork and the shop, KB Customs in Sugar Grove, IL had never painted a FFR. Neither of us can take full credit, though, since it was the forums that really made this possible by offering tips and support.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your ideas, comments, and experience so that we all can build better cars!

[Gumball]

Big day today - the body came home! This was the first time I saw it in the sunlight and I'm more than a little happy. More pics to come, but here's a teaser as we were getting ready to load it on the trailer for the mile-long trip to the hangar.

[skullandbones]

Hi Chris,

You actually got your hands dirty on this one. So you should be able to give us a breakdown on the steps the guys did for the cut and buffing process. What grade papers, polishing pads, polish, etc..... was used? I'm thinking they didn't have to do a whole lot since it turned out so well but the details would probably be good for us other DIYers. Help us out and me in particular!!!

Now I'm not going to be satisfied without a reflection like that! That's a hard act to follow. Between you and Gene with the black GTM, it's really setting the bar high. His reflects a lot like yours.

Thanks,

WEK.

[Gumball]

Just having fun with some "before-and-after" shots comparing how it looked when I called my bodywork done and after paint. The paint really looks different from the sunny side to the shade. It also really turns to black as it goes around the curves - I really recommend a dark seal coat if you're looking to get a cool effect on a darker color metallic paint.

I can't wait to see it at that golden-time of sunrise or sunset... but I'll hold off on that until it's finished!














And I just really like this shot:

[6t8dart]

Thanks for sharing, this is valuable info for first timers.

[Gumball]

Thanks - For those who took the time to read through this old thread, here's the (finally) finished car...