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After the smaller areas, I moved on to the original discussed area. Again, input is greatly appreciated.
Contaminated area ground out Area laminated with a small layer on the paper-thin spot, another layer twice that size, another larger layer, and then a layer covering the entire area. From the inside
All repairs look good from what I can tell from your photos ...except for the final finish work to get them just like how you want them to look. GOOD JOB.
Thank you. That is a testament to the value of your posts. I know the JL thread took a lot of your time, but it was extremely helpful. Next up is some VPA in a couple of cracks.
Would you mind advising me on the underbody? I had so much fun stripping the engine bay, I did the entire underbody. I still need to get into the nooks and crannies, but I’ve got the bulk of it. I realize bare fiberglass is the way they came, but given the shape, should I paint it? Here’s what I’ve got...
I COMPLETELY understand your conundrum. I clean the under bodies and floor pans and often times they come out looking fairly decent for being so old but not pristine like how I would like them to be.
So either I leave it and wax it up with my mold release wax or I paint it.
If the minor glitches and blemishes in it bother you...then I guess you can repair them and paint it....or do partial painting where you leave some areas still original and paint others.
I thought I saw somewhere that you suggested the mold wax. I think I will finish the detail, wax it, and let the 60 year old body be what it is. Thanks!
While sanding the firewall area I can feel some wavy low/high spots. Can/should a skim coat of VPA be used to level it out? Is there a better solution? I would ask how you would fix it, but I doubt you would have the high spots to begin with.
Barry,
Knowing you have looked at the John Lingenfelter thread...what did I show in that thread? ....so yes. VPA can be used to fill in any low spots if you are planning on painting over it.
Just make sure you prep the fiberglass/resin you laminated so it can stick well. So do not apply it on shiny hand laid fiberglass. Applying a heat source on this lamination is also wise for about an hour+ or so and get it t up to at least 120 degrees F...you can go higher for but do not get if any higher than about 160 degrees F.
Using a heat source on your fiberglass laminated area AFTER it has gone though its initial cure is wise but is not a requirement. Getting the repair hotter than the sun would get it makes it so you know you should not run into any distortion WHEN it does possibly get hat hot and wonder why your repair is now slightly distorted
Sorry for the dumb question (I blame the chemical fumes). As soon as I hit submit, I wanted to retract it having this picture in my mind. Thanks for the additional advice!
Stripped the front inner fenders and found a few new holes to fill (thought I was done). Not as scary as they used to be!
I must confess though, my first batch of VPA set up on the mixing board before I finished blending in the hardener. The second batch worked much better.
YES...if it is still hot in your area...backing down on the hardener a little bit can aid in your work time. Just do not back it down so much that it does not harden. This is where you need to pay attention to the color of it when mixing it....and the volume of VPA on your mixing board in relation to the amount of hardener.
I also mix it really fast. I can do about 50 mashes in a minute...so I know I am working out all the air. I only stir it a little to get the hardener to swirl into the VPA...then I begin to swipe it up with the spreader then mash it down hard on my mixing board and pull it across the surface of the mixing board a little bit...and repeat until I have it a uniform color and no streaks.
Thanks for the guidance! I am feeling good with where I’m at with it now. I’m going to do a little more light sanding and cleanup in the cracks and crevices, and then be ready for primer and paint.
I’ve got the underbody and all fender wells stripped, with just the floorboards left to clean and strip. I’m also going to replace the seat and seat belt underbody retainers. The seat mount rivets were loose, so I ordered the complete kit.
Seems like you are moving along nicely. Keep up the good work. The 'devil' is in all of the small fine details. Which when I read you replies...seems like you are taking care of them because NOW is the time to do it.
Thank you. This started off as a simple frame replacement due to severe rot, so “while I am at it” has gotten me in pretty deep. Others question why I am spending hours on body work in places that people will likely never see, but if I am going to do it, I am going to do it to the best of my abilities. And with help from the Forum, my abilities are improving!
And with that way of thinking when you get all done and sit back and look at it YOU KNOW what you did and now can realize that all of this time was all well worth it....instead of butchering it up or have the "good enuf' attitude and regretting it later.
When I trained guys I would get asked the same thing when I had them working on an area that THEY felt was politeness...but like I told them. "Any idiot can get the outside of the hood looking good because it is easy to get to.... it is the fine details and areas where it takes time and attention to detail where SOME PEOPLE who KNOW what they are looking at or looking for...will notice it. AND THOSE PEOPLE are the ones I am trying to let know I know what the hell I am doing and not just the average person who does not know jack squat."
I have a little more cleaning on the interior floorboards and riveting of new underbody reinforcements, and then I’ll be ready to paint. It has been 30 years since I have painted with spray guns, so I am a bit apprehensive. Would a 2K spray can primer and Krylon commercial 1613 spray can do a good job on the engine bay, or should I go with the “real” stuff? I have HVLP and conventional gravity feed guns and clean, dry air from the compressor if that’s the best route. Can you suggest the type of primer and paint that would work/look the best?
As a reminder, this is a NOM driver, but I want it done right.
Painting it with a 2K aerosol primer and the Krylon stuff would work. It depends on how good you are with spraying aerosol paint due to many times I see some peoples attempts and they are quite poor due to not knowing how to paint ...and I can see dry spray steaks where they did not or know how to overlap it so the paint is all melting together..
Hard to say if the aerosol 2K primer will do what you want due to not knowing what you are expecting the surface to look like and the condition of the fiberglass currently. So it may need to have the good stuff put on it which mean breaking out the paint guns and mixing primer. That would be my choice.
I myself would use a paint gun and do it that way due to your control and spray pattern will be larger so your overlap will better and the end result will show all of your hard work.
Also if you choose to use a catalyzed semi gloss or satin paint like what is used on 'rat rods'. It will not be so solvent sensitive versus that of a non catalyzed paint.
So the choice is your because I know i could rattle can it and you would not be able to tell if I shot it out of an aerosol can or paint gun.
I have taken the Krylon gloss black and the Krylon flat black ( in quart or gallon cans) and mixed them together ( 50/50) and shot it and it comes out with a very nice sheen and I get it from Lowes . YES..it is a non catalyzed paint...but on some cars some people do not care what I shoot on it when I give them the cost options.
Spray gun it is. I might as well figure it out, because I need to do door jambs and dash at some point. I’ve seen SEM Hot Rod Black mentioned as a similar “factory” color, so I may go with that.
The car obviously had a hard life before my parents bought it in the 90s (unknown to them), and since it now has a new Vette Products frame and rebuilt front suspension to ride on, I would like to return it to a time it was better cared for. My brother and a friend rebuilt the engine, trans, and rear end after my parents bought it, so I have just freshened the looks of them.
The way you have the frame looking and what you are doing.... I would use a paint gun and get it looking worthy of all your hard work. No need to rattle can it...unless you feel you can successfully and keep it all looking quite stellar.
12-27-2018, 10:10 AM
As soon as I hit submit, I wanted to retract it having this picture in my mind. Thanks for the additional advice!
Barry
