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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 01:54 PM
  #1  
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Hi all

I have started the bodywork on my c3 all going well until I primed the body.

1 removed old paint with 80 grit discs.
2 used 180 grit disks all over
3 used 320 grit all over with a DA .
4 filled etc all damage and made good.
5 primer filled the whole car.

Problem I have now got tram lines in the panel joints wings and 1/4 spent a whole day DA ing them back and filling them. Re primed they are still there not as bad but noticible. Please can anybody give me some advice on making them go away please , thank you Mark .
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 05:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Corythecorvette
Hi all

I have started the bodywork on my c3 all going well until I primed the body.

1 removed old paint with 80 grit discs.
2 used 180 grit disks all over
3 used 320 grit all over with a DA .
4 filled etc all damage and made good.
5 primer filled the whole car.

Problem I have now got tram lines in the panel joints wings and 1/4 spent a whole day DA ing them back and filling them. Re primed they are still there not as bad but noticible. Please can anybody give me some advice on making them go away please , thank you Mark .
Ok , first off I don't understand what tram lines are and some pictures of what is happening would be helpful for me or probably anyone else to determine what is happening and how to advise you!
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 05:35 PM
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Wing
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 06:32 PM
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3 coats of hi build primer and block it, no da.
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 07:03 PM
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If by' tram lines' you mean you've gotten that spot flat, it's going to be tough to get out. There are flexible hand sanding blocks that will best conform to the curve if you sand with them held vertically. Also do you know what "guide coat" is? Look it up and use that, most paint shops will have it in a spray can. Finally, the best way to see if you've succeeded is to wipe with reducer or degreaser or anything volatile that has some gloss and look quickly.

Try the paint and body forum here for more advice.

Last edited by ignatz; Nov 25, 2017 at 07:06 PM.
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 10:14 PM
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There are two lines at the factory joint on that fender. Your arrow is on the top one and there is one visible just below. You have ground the filler down flat between the join lines and will have to build it back up to the proper fender curve. You could always tell a old C3 that had never been tampered with on the front and rear by the visible assemble lines on the fenders because the filler they used shrank after many years. It looks like you made the mistake of grinding it flat between the upper and lower sections of the fender.
After looking at your pic again, it looks like there are also a few very slight lines lengthwise below that on the fender so you might have been too aggressive sanding on curved areas and ended up with flat spots. This stuff is really easy to burn through.

Last edited by CanadaGrant; Nov 25, 2017 at 10:28 PM.
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 10:28 PM
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When I look at your picture, what I think I see is that you sanded left to right and that you now have variations in depth up and down. Maybe I am wrong but that is what I'm seeing in your picture. A guide coat will tell the story more. BTW if you end up also rounding off some of the crisper body lines, it is hard to get those back to normal.

As 2airtime2 says, your best bet is a high build primer and stay away from the machinery. If you don't get it right at this point you are going to be very unhappy when you get to the color.

I've painted my car like you and prep is pretty much the whole deal.
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by ignatz
When I look at your picture, what I think I see is that you sanded left to right and that you now have variations in depth up and down. Maybe I am wrong but that is what I'm seeing in your picture. A guide coat will tell the story more. BTW if you end up also rounding off some of the crisper body lines, it is hard to get those back to normal.

As 2airtime2 says, your best bet is a high build primer and stay away from the machinery. If you don't get it right at this point you are going to be very unhappy when you get to the color.

I've painted my car like you and prep is pretty much the whole deal.
I agree ignatz but think that if you can see this on an internet pic on flat primer it's too far distorted to just try and use high build primer to fix it. "Stay away from the machinery" is very good advice on this.
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Old Nov 25, 2017 | 11:44 PM
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if you aren't an experienced painter on glass you shouldn't attempt it, much different from metal and many get into trouble one way or another on glass...try to find a local to give some experienced help to get you on right track.
good luck on getting the way it should be and you want it to be.

Last edited by LT1driver; Nov 25, 2017 at 11:46 PM.
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Old Nov 26, 2017 | 02:25 AM
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Thank you all for your advice and yes I think I went a bit wild with th DA hmmmm need a very high build to get me out of this one will try using Reface and sand back by hand this time......
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Old Nov 26, 2017 | 05:03 AM
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Primer isn't going to level those out or shouldn't be used to level those out! You should get a filler and skim coat those, and hand block sand it vertically! When you get close to having it smooth, then guide coat and switch to your hand sponge and paper! Then high build and sponge block it again!

Last edited by TCracingCA; Nov 26, 2017 at 05:05 AM.
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Old Nov 26, 2017 | 09:40 AM
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and use a filler that is a different color so you can see when the orig body starts to pop through.
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Old Dec 4, 2017 | 07:39 PM
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Hi there, just a thought , if you can get hold of “ carbon fibre” glass fill ( it’s a special body filler for fibreglass bodied vehicles ) also it is black colour so you can see where you are sanding, I’ve used this before and it works really well ,( I am a fibreglass laminated by trade ) , I’ve worked on Vettes in the past , from repairing C2 /C3 crazing and cracks , using gell coat / flow coat , and text coat, , but always use hand blocks when preparing “glass” cars and usually work downward strokes on curved panels never from side to side, otherwise you will get what are called ”lanes” , you can repair the damage , but it will take a little time, using the right materials ,
I am going to restore my C3 I have recently brought I from the USA , as you can see all the lacquer has lifted ( poor prep and practices ....... see pics , if you need any more advice or info just drop me a line , I am based in Manchester UK , good luck my friend

regards
Mike
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