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02-05-2020, 01:23 PM
#121
Senior Member
My hat's off to you for tackling the bodywork on your own. I'm brave enough to try some things, but not that. Looks like you're making good progress. I believe 3/8-3/4" thick Rage Gold is maybe too much. But I'm not an expert on the subject at all. Maybe one of the Jeff's will weigh in. At the shop that did my Coupe, the guys did mention the area behind the side quarter windows where there's a pretty poor mold match they used some type of resin material for the fill. Said it would have been too thick and not strong enough with regular body filler, e.g. Rage (I don't know what brand they used). The material you're talking about is affectionately called kitty hair. Resin with strands of chopped fiberglass. I don't know if that's what my guys used. I do know there is some concern with using materials that are compatible with the vinylester resin FF makes their bodies from. Good luck and happy sanding.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014.
Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017.
Build Thread
Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020.
Build Thread and
Video.
Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020.
Build Thread and
Video
Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023.
Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes
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02-10-2020, 05:54 PM
#122
Waiting for my 65 Coupe
Excellent progress on the body. Like Edward said, props for tackling it yourself. I've been considering doing it on my own, but I'm not a body guy by any stretch of the imagination. I can build engines, chassis, tune computers and suspension in my sleep...but body work is terrifying to me! Your posts make it seem doable.
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02-10-2020, 07:52 PM
#123
Originally Posted by
nskaats
Excellent progress on the body. Like Edward said, props for tackling it yourself. I've been considering doing it on my own, but I'm not a body guy by any stretch of the imagination. I can build engines, chassis, tune computers and suspension in my sleep...but body work is terrifying to me! Your posts make it seem doable.
I posted before that I had done all the body prep by myself. I used epoxy resin and FFR gelcoat and gelcoat paste exclusively. When done I had a local shade tree body guy spray it for $600 ($300 for each piece off the car).
Here is the body on my truck on the way to the paint shop DSC_0114.JPG
Here is the car as it is today Asit is now.jpg
My body was in bad shape (worse than the pictures I have seen on the forum)....But it is not that difficult to get it right....however it takes a lot of patience time and perseverance.
Anyway I have all three when I set my mind to it. I didn't enjoy it!
It is not perfect but it's good enough for me and saving 10+ grand kept me going
Here's my Coyote dyno chart (again, sorry) Dyno Chart.jpg
So, my take, it's not that difficult.
fred
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02-11-2020, 03:57 PM
#124
Thanks for the encouragement nskaats and fred. Fred, you sure saved a lot of money. The red looks great! I am enjoying the ride too.
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02-12-2020, 09:12 AM
#125
You have a PM brother...da bat
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03-16-2020, 03:31 PM
#126
Sprayed some Slicksand yesterday.
It was a lot of work to get one coat on the car and I haven't shot the doors yet, but things went pretty well. I used red rosin paper on the floor, covered the walls with plastic, removed all other vehicles from the garage and opened all the doors. The slicksand didn't create a lot of vapor so I didn't use a fan, but definitely will when its time to paint. There is a rhythm to it. Mix and load, spray, clean gun, repeat. The process was about 15 minutes per round and I used 16oz of Slicksand each time. I never had any issues with drying in the gun, but I could have had a bit more acetone on hand for cleaning. The main problem that I had was that I didn't organize my workspace as well as I could and I knocked some stuff over a couple of times. The car is covered pretty good. In retrospect, there were times that I did not paint in an orderly fashion. I was looking to get it covered so that I couldn't see any red gelcoat thru the primer. Next coat, I will focus more on an even coverage on the whole thing. It took a bit to get my air system right. The compressor is 475lbs which presented some challenges to get it from my street down into and thru my garage in the back of my house. Then plumbing with copper pipe which includes a water separator and a 5 stage filter. Seems good so far. We will see how limited I will be by moisture when the GA heat and humidity come soon. I would love to get the spraying done before then, but let's be realistic. I do anticipate some problems sanding the sides of the hood where the latches are. I am not sure how to get the hood into position for sanding without the latches and bolts getting in the way. I am open to suggestions.
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IMG_3653 1.jpg
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03-16-2020, 08:31 PM
#127
Senior Member
Nice progress. Again, my admiration to you for your work there. The shop that did mine left the latches with bolts in place during the rough bodywork, e.g. Rage Gold (or whatever product they used) and sanding. Had them taped off. But then removed for the rest of the time. When it came time to do the actual color, clear, and polish, they removed the hood from the hinges. Propped it up in the rough location on the body but forward enough that they could paint around the edges including the pontoons. Pictures of their entire paint process in this gallery folder FWIW: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=1597.
Last edited by edwardb; 03-16-2020 at 08:35 PM.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014.
Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017.
Build Thread
Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020.
Build Thread and
Video.
Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020.
Build Thread and
Video
Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023.
Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
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03-18-2020, 01:54 PM
#128
Thanks, I didn't realize you had additional pics in your album. They are helpful. Certain aspects of masking were difficult, particularly around the doors. It is hard to spray the interior surface of the body near the quarter windows(for instance) without masking a significantly concave "structure".
Last edited by jdavis500; 03-18-2020 at 02:25 PM.