Big2Bird

I am glad to hear Mike is hanging in there.

76strokervette

There always seems to be a few surprises when you take a car apart.
I have experienced a few of my own on mine. Glad to hear the differential and trailing arms will be in your hands soon. Can't wait to see pictures!

69ttop502

Thanks David for your contribution to the build. Talked to Mike yesterday and he couldn’t stop raving about your caps.����. Can’t wait to see yours either. It will definitely be the Big Brother to my measley little 10 bolt!

Bill

DUB

MAN...although that comment is short and sweet...that statement packs a lot of weight. It always seems to be the variables that get in my way...no matter if it is a custom resto-mod ob or a car going back basically factory....or anything in between. Trying to get an estimation on when a project is about completed...is almost impossible. Or at least for me it is.

Because if I get over confident and give a time of competition...that is when Murphy's Law finds it way into my shop and depth charges my plans. Giving a 'time' is almost the kiss of death for me. And when I do..I do not make it 100% specific. And I explain to my customers why I am doing this so whey know why.

DUB

Big2Bird

At work we called that the "X" factor. Any build at a job site has unexpected delays.

caskiguy

I'm not sure if I want to thank either one of you this morning as you've just pointed out a thought I had regarding my 70'. Pop Rivets ! I've got them.
As a rookie I'm learning more everyday, some good things, some not so great things but learning none the less.
So I will thank you for you've both added to my education about Soda Blasting & how these cars were built and "Repaired" :-( .
I look forward to more of your post as you move forward with your build.

cardo0

502 I need to ask if soda blasting would be safe enough to use with the body on the frame? It looks like it might not be harmful unless the nozzle/jet was directed at the surface. Mostly water damage?

Curious since my vette's body has at least 3 colors and unknown coats of paint. Not looking forward to sanding all that and need to see what's on the bottom underneath all that paint.

DUB

For what this is worth:

I would NEVER soda blast a Corvette. I had one panel done years ago and it was the last.

And to the best of my knowledge...some of the major paint manufacturers will not warranty products applied on a panel that was soda blasted. Keep in mind I do not keep up with that information due to I will not soda blast a fiberglass body. maybe things have changed...maybe not.

And YES...it is somewhat similar to how many people use DOT 5 brake fluid in their brake system with great success...but many of the brake part manufacturers will say that if you use DOT 5 brake fluid you VOID the warranty. So...take it for whatever it is worth to you.

cardo0

Not that you asked specifically. If I had your car in my shop I would get off as much as I could with a razor blade knife and then use the chemical stripper I am fond of using that has never caused for any paint problems. For whatever that is worth to you.

DUB

69ttop502

Will add pics as they come. Cardo, I certainly am not knowledgeable on the stripping techniques and would certainly defer to Dub’s experience. However, I have seen Corvettes that these guys have painted and have never heard a complaint. The first one I remember is the 700 hp C2 restomod done by 1CoolC2 that was on the magazine circuit. And Go Vette go’s Gold 69 was painted by them. Also Gordonm had his Cobra painted and David Howard had them do his pre wrap paint job on the 72 race car. It is through David I found these guys. They just prefer to soda blast so I just went with it based on what I have seen and the word of mouth recommendations. Would have loved to have Dub paint the car as I have seen the quality that comes out of his shop as well. Timing just worked out with this shop. So sorry I can’t be of more help on the soda blasting info but time will tell and I will post pics.

My car was painted back around 1991, before I bought it, and they obviously took it down to glass at that point. Will see what they think in terms of panel replacement and such.

Bill

cardo0

Can you be more specific on what soda blasting does that is undesirable? I don't like the idea of sanding the door jam areas. And soda blasters are fairly cheap. Harbor freight sells'm.

cardo0

I need to follow this paint job.. Hope you keep posting.

tfringo

Just a little work. You have options.

I don't get too worried until I start seeing 2 inch thick bondo and flattened out steel beer cans screwed in place to form the back side of a panel.

You might have to get a donor section from another car to pretty some of it up. But all in all, not bad. Really, not bad.

DUB

Like I wrote...call the paint company and talk with them. Keep in mind I have been chemically stripping Corvettes for over 30 years with no problems. When a new way of stripping that is invented to make it faster...sometimes DOES NOT make it better.

I have blasted paint with crushed walnuts...but did not like the mess. I have done it with the plastic media and still...did not like it getting everywhere. When the 'soda blasting' came out and was the rage....I tried it and did not like it due to the paint manufacturer told me they would NOT warranty any paint defects. And I am NOT a fan of getting the body wet with water when I am working on it when it is bare fiberglas/SMC. So washing the body to get the residue off...is just not my 'cup of tea'.

I know many people use the soda blasting and wash the body when it is bare fiberglas with DAWN or other stuff...and they are more than free to do so. But I am not on board with that practice. Just like many of them may think I am full of crap to use chemical stripper that is NOT formulated to be used on fiberglass but I can do it all day long and not have a problem.

For me..chemically stripping the door jambs is/are not that big of a deal. If you do not want to do that...maybe switch the media and use the plastic media or crushed walnuts shells and see what that does. For me...the chemical works fairly quickly due to I have done so many ...it is not that big of a deal.

I can say that that some paints do not like any type of media due to how stout they are. And when I had the soda blaster guy at the shop to do some test panels...when he finally got through the clear coat and began to blast it...it screwed up the test panel so badly that if he did a car like that...it LITERALLY would have been like a washboard.

Even when some cars were done with the plastic media...certain areas should NOT be done due to the vortex of air does not allow the media to work effectively...and actually the area around where they were trying to get the paint off got eaten up and damaged. So...it can happen with that where it can still cause you to manually sand it or use chemical like I do in those area.

DUB

tfringo

I use chemical stripper that is formulated for fiberglass. Get it at the auto paint stores. Forgot the name but its there. Ha. On the flat surfaces (horizontal or vertical), I would apply it and then cover it with cellophane. That helps keep it from evaporating on you and also keeps it from running away on the horizontal surfaces. Sort of allows it to push into the paint. I do a little square area at time. Maybe have a couple little little areas going at the same time and walk back and forth between them. I use a plastic putty knife and go at it. Be easy when you get to the glass.

The nooks and crannies I just put the stripper on it and let it work. I don't try to scrape it out. I blast it with air and it flies out of there. Cover yourself and do it outside or something or somewhere safe. Wear eye protection because it will fly out of there. But, I like the clean detail it leaves and I don't have to dig at it with a pick or something similar.

Not an expert by any means and definitely limited resources. It does take time. Put your TV in the garage drink beer or what ever. Have a friend help you. Use good ventilation and wear gloves for sure. Put the car on some thick millage visqueen. Scrape it right on to the floor and let it dry. Sweep it up later or something. Wear old tennis shoes when working in the area or those booties. Work neat and clean. Don't rub the stuff around. Just scrap it and flick it on the ground or wipe it on a trillion paper towels. Dispose of that stuff carefully because that stuff will burn very nicely.

DUB

YES...covering the chemical stripper with plastic is do-able...BUT what people NEED to understand is that they MUST check on it and see how well it is working. Guessing on how long to leave it like that can be dangerous. I DO use the plastic method on steel panel due to the steel can not absorb the chemical stripper. When I do the Corvettes...I do not use plastic. BUT...I have tested a small area to see how long I need to leave it to achieve the level of strip I am looking for.

NOW...I am glad that you warned people about blowing air onto chemical stripper. I WOULD NOT advise this. But do as you wish.

I DO blow lacquer thinner on the nooks and crannies...but it is at low pressure so I can wash off the stripper than I increase the air flow. Then, even if here is still some paint left behind...I media blast off those areas and it is cleaned of and prepped at the same time.

Just let the chemical stripper get on some soft skin and and you will be running FAST to get it off.

DUB

tfringo

There is a lot of ways to fix fiberglass. If there is enough integrity in the are of damage, I try to use what is there. But, I try to hide the work.

If I have to, I get pieces and fuse them in.

I don't like to see resin without much glass or no glass in it. Resin shrinks for years. But fiberglass does not shrink. Trying to achieve the same density as the material around the damage is key to having max results. I like clamping stuff to squeeze some resin of the repair. Tape the surrounding areas to protect from big mess. Color the resin to match the black glass or gray.

Course grinding and opening up the fiberglass pores is good. The factory would sand blast the areas that were bonded together. Look at NOS panels from the old days and you will see them blasted at the bonding area.

I think it works better than grinding. Look with a microscope and you will see little fiberglass hairs. Great for bond strength.

I like original formula panel adhesive. It has nice density and color. After it dries by itself, hit it with heat lamps and shrink away. Don't catch your car on fire. Lights have to be about 3-4 feet away. Take your time and let it sit as long as possible.

Again, not an expert by any means. But, these are things that seem to work for me. Other people can correct me if they like.

69ttop502

Today.

c3_dk

Nice job :- ))

retiredrey

Soda is a good way to go with out digging holes in the glass as sand can easily do. Just be sure to super rinse to get the soda out of the nooks and crannies. When rinsing be sure to include some thing to neutralize any leftover chemical. Good luck with the project, it will keep you occupied for the next few years (I speak from experience).
Rey S.

DUB

Resin to fiberglass material is the major concern. It is a happy marriage of both of them that makes the lamination stout.

Clamping on the lamination on is do-abe but not required IF it seem impossible to do this. That is why they sell vacuum bags to pull the air out of the lamination. But once again...if you have really excessive resin ...vacuum bagging it is only getting the air out of your improper laminated area.

I have sandblasted press molded fiberglass in the past where that visual effect is asked for....And it is also written in my old estimating guides. They specifically mentioned sandblasting.

But those of you reading this...do not get confused. sandblasting or even heavy rough grinding is NOT always the correct prep method when a panel is being bonded on. Some adhesives want a light scuff...and this depends on what the panel is made out of.

I do also like the black body putty. It is a unique adhesive. And it should be cured with heat lamps and just get it hotter than what the sun would ever get that panel. So...no need to get it so blistering how that your panel smokes.

But I also like what GM used after they stopped using that and went to different adhesives.

DUB