phrogs

Few questions may seem dumb but I like talking to someone who has been there done that so.

These parts are all from a 1990 December 89 built ZR-1.

This is a complete repaint taking it down to bare smc on the body doors and hood. The paint job on my car peeled off almost every panel the paint failed on it


So the rest of it needs stripped so I have a good foundation.

Fyi I have some extra parts left over from parting some 90 91 ZR-1s out so I have some test panels so Im.not sweating doing some testing.

I tried some of my paint stripper on the mirrors and a 3rd brake light, it did a god job taking it down to the
factory metal treatment should.I.remove that coatimg and start from bare aluminum or can I leave it and prime?

Anyway first off like the title says whats have you found to work best

1) aluminum parts best practice?


2) The font lower fenders are they smc?

3) headlight buckets are they plastic or smc?

4) The hood black out paint, should I paint the bottom side of the hoods black out then repaint the top side color clear pr vice versa if so how far do.you put color and clear on the bottom side of the hood?

Also whats good general gm underhood black.?

Also where is the break between color and the black out? I know body color wraps around the edge of the hood but at what edge is that transition?
Its hard to.tell in photos and my car is black and I think I know where it should be but.


5) The urethane parts

These are in need of stripping and the front bumper needs some repairs if It can be saved id like to save it.


The front bumper is off a car I parted out its not the original one I got with this car that one is gone.


Should I to take it down to the black primer and not to bare yellow plastic? What about blasting them? I.do have a blaster but if it doesnt work I wont do it.

If I can repair it I'm willing but the depest gouge is in pretty bad spot dead center of the nose, see photos.
I know people have used evercoat poly flex on these but im sure sem or 3m or fusor make something to fill but does it make sence to fill these or will it fail someday?

I can also get a good bumper if its not worth fixing it.

Anyway thank you

Please forgive typos this is on my phone.

Jp

phrogs

More pics

The gas tank trim that is all nasty is this corrosion even worth arguing with?

DUB

BOLD LETTERS in my written response is for IMPORTANCE or to bring attention to something important..and it is not me yelling at you.


Small parts like mirrors and fuel doors I strip to bare metal and then apply the required etch primer and such so I can paint them.

When you obtain teh etch primer or epoxy primer...Follow the recommended grit for prep. You can get away with 220 grit due to you are going to apply anther primer on top of that. Heck...you could probable get away with 180 grit by hand also. But SO MUCH of it depends on what you are going to apply on the aluminum. The aluminum can actually be slick as glass ...because if a prepping wash product is used to get the surface clean....the acid in teh etch primer actually chemically BITES into the aluminum and it DOES NOT need a scratch for adhesion.....which is a mechanical adhesion.

SO...in this industry....you either ahve CHEMICAL ADHESION...which is done by chemicals (duh) and then you have MECHANICAL ADHESION...which DOES require a scratch for the product to attache itself to.

Yes...they should be

Plastic..and the type of plastic is marked on the inside of the part. The headlight doors are SMC

I black out the hood underside before I paint teh top side. Reason being I can mask it off well and not get any paint on the black paint I applied. But that is how I do it. I am not concerned about having any body color on the inside edge of the under structure. Most of teh time...my customers are not worried about super picky judges who pick things to death....and their cars are drivers...so it does not matter. I make sure that all of the EDGES of the hood are painted body color. So the front edge of the hood where it is wide is painted body color....the lips of the wheel well areas are painted also...and the back edge of the hood you see when sittign in the seat is also painted. I also make sure the edge of the hood that would hit the lower fender is also painted body color so when the hood is UP...it is painted...and that also goes for the edge where the hood could hit eh front bumper. Look at the curved portion of the hood where it curves with the door and I paint that tapered inside edge and stop it where this thickness stops. That is just a fine detail area I do and a bit tricky to get right....or you can leave it blacked out.

PPG black epoxy primer works fairly well...or you can get some the HOT ROD black that is out there now for these Rat Rods. A 50/50 mix of the Rustoleum flat black and gloss black enamel that you can get form a big home improvement store works well...but TEST it first.


Urethane bumpers are really touchy and I hate them due to the process of getting them prepped is so critical....especially if they are raw urethane. I can not tell you if leavign the black primer is OK or not. Using a media blaster may work but you have to be careful not to get the urethane to start to get fuzzy. I do know that urethane parts DO NOT like solvents to be put on them...becasue the urethane can SWELL..So basically all products for cleaning and such are generally water based.

In you photo of the front bumper showing the red paint...if I were to strip it...I would obviously have to get ALL of the red off....and I might go as far as strip the cover to the yellow urethane on that top panel of the bumper due to it is highly seen.

AS long as you prep it correctly and use the products as designed...it should bond and stay. NOTHING is guaranteed in this industry.

That is your call on that one.

Buy a used fuel door frame...that is not worth the time in fixing.

DUB

phrogs

Awesome thanks for the info.