Sorry... There really is not much to post about at the moment. There is a lot of body work to be done, and I have been doing it, but it has been slow going. Work and life (wife is pregnant with our first, a boy... ) have kept me busier than I thought I would be, which is good for me, bad for the Vette.
blakeinspace: Actually, it has been too hot for the body work at times. Not an excuse The fillers have been hard to work with due to the heat.
twofatguys & carnut122: As Soon as I have anything real to post about, it will hit here first.
The hood now fits the opening perfect. That was "fun" getting the hood to look like it has a perfect 3/16 inch gap all the way around, while making it open without hitting the front of the hood on the body. I had to back bevel the front nose clip to make it work right (like the front edge of the doors), as the front of the hood drops down into the body when you lift it. The bumpers are lined up perfectly now, as well... They will be coming back off soon, so they are not in the way of the body work.
-Dave
[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 07-22-2012).]
Have you considered switching to a serpentine belt set up as opposed to the V belt? I realize you have all the v belt pulleys already, but switching might not be too pricey
Have you considered switching to a serpentine belt set up as opposed to the V belt? I realize you have all the v belt pulleys already, but switching might not be too pricey
I looked into a serpentine belt system, and to get one setup with Power Steering, Alternator, Air Conditioning, Water Pump, and Crank (5 component) I was looking at around $2,000. I REALLY wanted to go that route, but I can't justify the money yet. I am planning on doing it on the future, just not sure when...
We have been doing a lot of mocking up of various components. Nothing real significant, but needed to make sure the aftermarket parts work with what we have.
I wanted to go back and re-visit page 6.
Since the frame was cracked, straightened, and parts re-welded, the front radiator support did not fit right with the frame and body (it was in the original accident). I had to cut and re-weld the lower mounts of the support on. I drilled out the lower mount bracket spot welds. and mounted the support back in the car. It was a perfect fit between the two inner fender pieces that I had to bond back in to the "new" front clip. It was shimmed in place before we started to tear the car apart. Now it needs no shims.
lower mount points removed:
Radiator support installed for measuring... There is a flat metal stock running across the frame to support the front end while the radiator support was not there doing it's job. It was not really needed, but I used it anyway. It can be seen in the picture and makes the front sway bar look like it is crooked.
Once I had the radiator support in place, I cut two paint sticks in half, drilled an off-center hole for fasteners, and screwed the two halves together. A crude, but effective way to remeasure the angles for the two sides. The driver side ended up being the only side to modify. The passenger side required nothing more.
Once the measurements were correct, the original spot weld locations were used to re-weld the parts together, then ground flush. The bracket that had to be modified, was drilled to simulate the spot welds.
Once I finished the support, and had positioned it back in the car. I added all the support rods for the headlights, the front clip, and body brackets to it. They all fit perfectly. The radiator even fit like it should. I should have just bought a new radiator support, but I kind of wanted the challenge of repairing (making this one work) it.
-Dave
[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 10-30-2012).]
WOW, just discovered this thread. I read all of it.
On sealing the body it is a little late to use the best system, which would have been gelcoat mixed with the appropriate ratio of wax in styrene. That would add thickness now though. It could have been done before the filler.
Otherwise there is good epoxy paints that can seal Fibreglass quite nicely anyway. Once you pick a paint brand ask them what kind of epoxy sealers and undercoats they have for fibreglass panels.
Of course you know GM does not have your level of fit and finish.... Your Vette in a car show will be considered as having been built by Toyota, not Chevrolet.
WOW, just discovered this thread. I read all of it.
On sealing the body it is a little late to use the best system, which would have been gelcoat mixed with the appropriate ratio of wax in styrene. That would add thickness now though. It could have been done before the filler.
Otherwise there is good epoxy paints that can seal Fibreglass quite nicely anyway. Once you pick a paint brand ask them what kind of epoxy sealers and undercoats they have for fibreglass panels.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. I looked for a gelcoat system back before the body work was started, but I was unable to find the right information on how to apply it, how to mix it, and how to get a hold of it. Information was very hard to get. I ultimately threw up my hands and decided to start the body work, and worry about the sealing later. I had not thought to look into epoxy based sealers... even though I used a 2K epoxy based paint for the chassis. I will give that some more thought and research. Thank you.
The under coat was Nason brand sealer with Nason brand single stage custom grey Urethane Satin.
quote
Originally posted by BlackEmrald:
If you can afford it, I strongly recomend Dupont refinish products.
Dupont is hard to come by here (no one carries it)... That is the brand I want, but I heard (have not looked into yet) that Nason was owned by Dupont. If so, I may be able to get their products. I do not trust getting paint from internet suppliers, as the product, if old/bad, is hard to return for new. I want to go with a two stage Urethane system, if possible. My fiero was a single stage Nason Titanium White enamel. It has held up great, but it is finally showing it's "age" (lack of propper prep work) after 10+ years... I want to avoid that with the vette.
Of course you know GM does not have your level of fit and finish.... Your Vette in a car show will be considered as having been built by Toyota, not Chevrolet.
Sadly, there may be more truth in that statement, than I would want to admit...
There is no issue sealing over body filler, in fact that is kind of the point of sealer. That way no ghosts show up under your color coat. Now, Self-etch primer and body filler is another story...
There is no issue sealing over body filler, in fact that is kind of the point of sealer. That way no ghosts show up under your color coat. Now, Self-etch primer and body filler is another story...
Finally had a chance to get some work done to this thing...
(on a side note, my son was born a few weeks early, but healthy. He is almost 4 months old now.)
We got the passenger side door rear view mirror back plate mounted after careful measuring. Trying to get my rivet gun in there was a pain. If you remember, someone had drilled the door for a mirror, but it was not installed when my dad originally bought the car, nor was the plate there... just some filled (in-correctly) holes under paint. I filled the holes and added a back plate for a correct (factory option) rear view mirror... more work on it is needed, but good so far...
The front headlights have been installed and adjusted as far as we can go, the rest will have to be body work... They fit well enough, considering this is a new front clip. They originally had up to 14 layers of paint on them. It is a good thing these are aluminum, as I just put them in my bead blasting cabinet.
Enjoy for now...
[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 03-03-2013).]
The garage has gotten filled with other projects (5 car garage with 5+ cars / projects in it) and business related stuff. I recently had hernia surgery, and have had to take things very slow.
Once the garage gets cleared out, and room to get back on it has been made, I will be back to it.
I have been doing a lot of research on how to do things from where it is at. There is a lot of body work to still get done. The body will have to get pulled back off for the final prep / painting. I was using a wood dolly for the body, but I am leaning toward making a metal one for the final work.
The garage has gotten filled with other projects (5 car garage with 5+ cars / projects in it) and business related stuff. I recently had hernia surgery, and have had to take things very slow.
Once the garage gets cleared out, and room to get back on it has been made, I will be back to it. -Dave
Careful with that, what usually happens is that other stuff comes along, it's been 6 years since I've touched the "Grin Reaper" and 2 1/2 for the "Indy Hauler" wich was one of the "other stuff" that came along. Nice work on the 'vette, btw.
Love the build .... Here is a 64 a friend of mine had, I had to fix few wiring issues. There was ton of fitment issues. Headlight doors , rear valence and several other issues he fixed and repainted then he sold the car..
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87 GT series 1 3800sc (7.597 @88.53 1.579 60ft) (series II swap in progress) 85GT Northstar 86GT 3800 n/a
[This message has been edited by jb1 (edited 06-03-2013).]
Just a footnote if you are still looking for a way to seal the glass.
When I make a plug to use for mold making, I generally seal/finish it with gel coat. The way this is accomplished is to mix the gel coat 50/50 with acetone or you can also use good quality laquer thinner. Use a 2-3% catalyst (MEKP) in the thinned mixture, then shoot it on in thin coats with an hvlp gun. You have to get it on quick and make sure to clean your gun IMMEDIATLY, or it WILL harden in your gun and you can toss it! You shouldn't have to go to this extreme, but I generally shoot about 5 coats, letting each one "cure" between coats. Quite a bit of work, but after sanding, buffing and waxing (you won't want to do all that, but you WILL want to sand thoroughly up to at least 320-400 grit), I have a finish that will provide a nice pulling surface for a mold and I've never had one stick with proper prep.
The guy that taught me glass work and I used talk about putting this finish on a Vette and seeing if it would win a "best paint" award in a show, but we decided it would be too much work, and if one of the judges figured out it wasn't actually "paint", it would be disqualified anyway.
There's another product you might also consider, it's called duratec, also uses a hardner and I've also used it to provide a good finish for a plug. My problem with it is, it is already thinned to the consistency of the gel coat as prepared above, and has a VERY short shelf life. If you don't use it up very soon after purchase, you won't be able to use it, but it does seal well and provides a nice finish or undercoat.
Like I said, just a footnote should you need the info in the future.
Careful with that, what usually happens is that other stuff comes along, it's been 6 years since I've touched the "Grin Reaper" and 2 1/2 for the "Indy Hauler" wich was one of the "other stuff" that came along. Nice work on the 'vette, btw.
Cheers Beers n Gearz. Joe
Ha ha ha, yeah. I guess it seems that way. I should be able to get back on it her soon. The garage has been cleared out considerably. There is almost enough room to get back on this. My other fiero has taken a back seat for a while.
quote
Originally posted by Jake_Dragon:
Made you look Sorry just came back from a drive and it reminded me of this thread
Were you driving yours? Is the front all repaired?
quote
Originally posted by jb1:
Love the build .... Here is a 64 a friend of mine had, I had to fix few wiring issues. There was ton of fitment issues. Headlight doors , rear valence and several other issues he fixed and repainted then he sold the car..
It's a shame to sell something that beautiful...
quote
Originally posted by Sage:
Just a footnote if you are still looking for a way to seal the glass.
When I make a plug to use for mold making, I generally seal/finish it with gel coat. The way this is accomplished is to mix the gel coat 50/50 with acetone or you can also use good quality laquer thinner. Use a 2-3% catalyst (MEKP) in the thinned mixture, then shoot it on in thin coats with an hvlp gun. You have to get it on quick and make sure to clean your gun IMMEDIATLY, or it WILL harden in your gun and you can toss it! You shouldn't have to go to this extreme, but I generally shoot about 5 coats, letting each one "cure" between coats. Quite a bit of work, but after sanding, buffing and waxing (you won't want to do all that, but you WILL want to sand thoroughly up to at least 320-400 grit), I have a finish that will provide a nice pulling surface for a mold and I've never had one stick with proper prep.
The guy that taught me glass work and I used talk about putting this finish on a Vette and seeing if it would win a "best paint" award in a show, but we decided it would be too much work, and if one of the judges figured out it wasn't actually "paint", it would be disqualified anyway.
There's another product you might also consider, it's called duratec, also uses a hardner and I've also used it to provide a good finish for a plug. My problem with it is, it is already thinned to the consistency of the gel coat as prepared above, and has a VERY short shelf life. If you don't use it up very soon after purchase, you won't be able to use it, but it does seal well and provides a nice finish or undercoat.
Like I said, just a footnote should you need the info in the future.
HAGO!
Good advise. I have not officially decided on the way to go, but if I can do a variant of that, I may just do it. There is so much prep work and body work to do right now, and I have been sticking with stranded fillers where possible. I should be able to coat it with the gel coat still.
The gel coat, as a base, would be the best way to get the finish I want.
Were you sanding between gel coats (after a cure)?
-Dave
[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 06-10-2013).]
Were you driving yours? Is the front all repaired?
I got it to the point I could bolt it back on and painted it satin black. Mostly I just wanted to get the car back on the road.
There are some other parts of the car that need fixed then all of the blue has to come off, cheap paint and its flaking off in places. Its a fun car so I don't expect it to be perfect, 7 foot paint job is fine. Just need to fix the body so its ready to paint. Then I will have the entire car shot satin black with something that has some UV protection so it doesn't fade as bad.
Yes, the other garage. Out of the mess that is the current garage, and into a better location for work to proceed (or different mess, depending on who you talk to. Next to my brother's 20+ year vehicle project, just a little dig at him since I have rebuilt 5 cars in the time frame it took him to just get his to a chassis state ) I am looking forward to being able to get back on it soon. There is still quite a bit of body work to do, and nothing is getting done with me not working on it.
I had to get two "new" used tires for the front. The original ones were so dry rotted that they did not hold air (read: big holes in the side wall). The other garage is down hill and the car does not have functioning brakes yet. The clutch was awesome for this. I used it and the engines compression to "drive" it from the upper garage to the lower garage... Ahhhhh..... The tease of it...
More to come...
-Dave
[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 07-08-2013).]
I have the doors in great shape now. Still need some work, but they line up great. The headlights and hood are another story.
I have to build up the front clip as much as 3/16" in some areas, and remove as much as 1/4" in others to get the hood to line up. The passenger side headlight fits with little else needed to be done. The driver side is another story. I think the molds were off for the front clip. Lots of fiberglass work to do.
Haven't forgotten about here, just been really busy...
I have the doors in great shape now. Still need some work, but they line up great. The headlights and hood are another story.
I have to build up the front clip as much as 3/16" in some areas, and remove as much as 1/4" in others to get the hood to line up. The passenger side headlight fits with little else needed to be done. The driver side is another story. I think the molds were off for the front clip. Lots of fiberglass work to do.
Haven't forgotten about here, just been really busy...
-Dave
The upside to fiberglass is that it's not too hard to move things around, the downside is that you need to move things around.
I had a few hours, and my son was with his grandmother, so I was able to get some work done on the Vette...
I have all the rough work done on the driver side head light. The prior pictures show how far off it was... I sanded the gel-coat off and used fiberglass mat with an awesome resin I found. It changes color to green when it is cured. The grey area is long strand filler. The filler near the hood is long strand as well, but not sanded yet. The gap at the hood is due to the hood being pushed back for now.
I had to move the body line about 1/2 inch at the head light, and nothing at the center of the body. The molds used for this clip must have been less than accurate. I also had to remove a decent amount of the front clip at the back of the headlight opening, but only toward the center of the car. When I measured the distance from the hood opening to the headlight opening, the two sides of the car are equal now.
I got a little too crazy with the DA, so I need to add some filler to correct my oversand area... You can see the body line is off.
The fit is so that I need to add filler to the aluminum head light bucket. I need to add about 3/16 to the bucket at the far upper corner.
-Dave
[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 10-26-2013).]
Originally posted by IFLYR22: "Were you sanding between gel coats (after a cure)?"
I shoot it kinda like paint, i.e., if your surface is prepped good, you can shoot multiple coats at "flash dry" intervals without sanding in between. Problem with that is, you have to use what's in your gun at one sitting or it'll harden in the gun, so you can mix up all the gel coat/acetone you need all at once, but only catalyze (add MEKP) what you are going to shoot from the gun that "session". If you want a smoother finish, you can sand in between coats, but usually you'll have to seal the gel coat with PVA to effect a good enough cure to sand right away. So, IOW, you can shoot like 5 coats one right after the other as long as you don't load it up so much that it starts running or sagging, but if you are going to wait in between coats, it has to be long enough to get let the gel coat "cure" some (usually an hour or less if you mixed your hardner right).
Hope that answers your question, it's really not as complicated as it may sound. For your purpose, I'd guess 2 or 3 wet coats in fast succession should work just fine. After your last coat, I'd do the PVA just to insure you get a good total cure on it. Makes it much better to sand too. If you don't "seal" it when you're done, it'll gum up your paper till it take the last layer down. Just do yourself a favor and shoot a test panel before going to the car so you get an idea of how things work. Yea, it's a little on the expensive side to "experiment" with, but better that than have to sand it off the car you were hoping to be nearly done with!
) have kept me busier than I thought I would be, which is good for me, bad for the Vette.
