1969 B-Body Dash Restoration

[rikubot]

I got some screws in my filler plate. The heads of both stick out just enough to be in the way of the bezel. I dremeled off a little bit of the top on just to see what I'd be left with once it fit. I'm not sure if it will hold. Any ideas?

[green69rt]

Either a little tack weld and grind down again or... start again with new screws.  Screw them in with a little JBweld under the heads and threads.  Let dry then grind down again.

Actually, they will probably hold as-is.  Shake the patch around a little, don't pound on it.  See if it's stable.

Is the patch metal?   If the patch overlaps the dash metal a little, you could use some panel adhesive.

[rikubot]

I think all of the above would probably hold it well. I was wondering if a little rivet would hold. Bonus it would be easy to undo. Yes it's a piece of a shelf from a file cabinet I believe. About 1/32" thick. Once it's mounted with the bezel on there there will be a little of a gap but it won't look too bad.

I still have to drill the two upper holes for the gauge cluster and finish the other heater vent hole. Then this thing will be ready for a once-over with a sandblaster and some primer.

[green69rt]

I think all of the above would probably hold it well. I was wondering if a little rivet would hold. Bonus it would be easy to undo.

Never thought of a rivet.  If you do use a rivet then put some epoxy putty or epoxy glue on the back side to keep the rivet from working loose with time.

[rikubot]

Good call. I think that should do just fine. Bad news is I will be out of town for work next week and I'll be itchin' to work on car parts the whole time 

[rikubot]

Not too shabby 

What do you think?

[rikubot]

I got my last bezel on after adjusting the cluster bezel. It took a lot of bending and drilling of new holes but it's a lot better. I am disappointed in how the vent cover lined up. I measured pretty carefully but just not careful enough. Kinda thinking about welding and re-drilling them. Thoughts? Criticisms?

[rikubot]

Found a marker that looks a lot like chrome. I decided to try to go over the silver paint I did on my bezels. It looks pretty good so far. "Molotow Liquid Chrome". It looks like it might dull easily but some clear over the top might help. I'm just playing around with some ideas.

[rikubot]

I got a little more finished today. I did all the hand-sanding I could then took it to a friends house to sandblast it. I got most of the paint out of the difficult areas. I then sprayed it with a can of Eastwood's 2k epoxy primer with the built in hardener. I ran out about 2/3 of the way through so I'm gonna have to order another can now. I'll need another can of the black too after discovering that one can isn't going to be enough.

[green69rt]

I got a little more finished today. I did all the hand-sanding I could then took it to a friends house to sandblast it. I got most of the paint out of the difficult areas. I then sprayed it with a can of Eastwood's 2k epoxy primer with the built in hardener. I ran out about 2/3 of the way through so I'm gonna have to order another can now. I'll need another can of the black too after discovering that one can isn't going to be enough.

What did you end up using for the finish paint?  Satin or flat?  Reason I used the flat is that I took the dash outside on a sunny day, set it upright so the sun shined on it and looked to see how much reflection off of the top.  I tried several different positions to simulate driving into the afternoon sun .  Didn't want the sun reflecting in my eyes while driving.  If your's looks alright to you then good enough!

[rikubot]

I saw in your dash resto thread that you tried a couple different finishes shortly after I had ordered mine. I was a little concerned that the "rat rod satin" I ordered would be too flat but I'd rather have more flat than gloss for the exact reason you mentioned. As long as the rat rod satin goes on glossier than the primer I put down I think I'll be happy with it.

It's called "Rat Rod Satin" by Eastwood. It looks pretty good in the example photos they have posted on the product info on the site. Hopefully it comes out looking like the pictures.

Edit:

Man, after looking at some of the light reflections on the plastic on the bike I'm having doubts. I hope it isn't too glossy

https://www.eastwood.com/2k-aero-spray-rat-rod-satin-black-47968.html

[green69rt]

I saw in your dash resto thread that you tried a couple different finishes shortly after I had ordered mine. I was a little concerned that the "rat rod satin" I ordered would be too flat but I'd rather have more flat than gloss for the exact reason you mentioned. As long as the rat rod satin goes on glossier than the primer I put down I think I'll be happy with it.

It's called "Rat Rod Satin" by Eastwood. It looks pretty good in the example photos they have posted on the product info on the site. Hopefully it comes out looking like the pictures.

Edit:

Man, after looking at some of the light reflections on the plastic on the bike I'm having doubts. I hope it isn't too glossy

https://www.eastwood.com/2k-aero-spray-rat-rod-satin-black-47968.html

All you can do is try.  Test a piece first.  Or if they have a flat clear you could top coat it, maybe.

[rikubot]

I noticed in your thread you went with a flat clear. Is that what you stuck with and is that what is in the picture with it mounted in the car?

[green69rt]

I noticed in your thread you went with a flat clear. Is that what you stuck with and is that what is in the picture with it mounted in the car?

Yes, I used a textured satin black then flat clear on top of that to smooth out some of the texture and get rid of some of the shine.   I did the "Paper towel test" by trying to wipe some dust off the bare texture.  It left a whole lot of lint behind where the texture tore into the paper towel,  Then it was really hard to clean all the towel lint off of the surface.  Shot a little clear and it reduced the problem, two coats and it was fixed but still some texture.  All that testing left me with a lot of layers so I sanded it off, mostly and redid primer, then two coats of texture then two coats of flat clear.  That's what I have on today.

[rikubot]

Cleaned the old paint and dirt off my heater vents, sprayed some adhesion promoter then some SEM Trim Black.

When given the "scratch test" the paint didn't hold up as well as it has for me in the past. It's not bad, just not great. If it was in a place that got more action I'd probably strip and do the epoxy when I do my dash frame but I think it will be okay. .

[green69rt]

Those rattle can paints, including SEM, take a long time to fully harden.  Like a month!  Even then they may not be as hard as a catalyzed paint.  Still, that's all we have sometimes.   Keep on trucken'!

[rikubot]

Those rattle can paints, including SEM, take a long time to fully harden.  Like a month!  Even then they may not be as hard as a catalyzed paint.  Still, that's all we have sometimes.   Keep on trucken'!

Agreed and to be honest I didn't allow proper drying time. I've ran out of things to do for now and my boredom is becoming impatience. Money restrictions and shipping time has me at a standstill on the dash but I do have the grill. I may get started on the plastics on that. Happen to have a resto thread on that piece?  

Edit: I just looked at your resto thread and saw that you had a grill section started. I am pretty sure Dino has a really good one on here where he does a lot of plastic repair.

Also saw that the rat rod satin I needed from Eastwood is on backorder til July 7th  bummer!

[green69rt]

There are more grill restoration threads on here than you can shake a stick at.  Start here,,,,

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,39926.0.html

[rikubot]

Can I sand epoxy primer before I do a topcoat? Not sure if I'm happy with the grit of the primer after i sprayed it.

[green69rt]

Can I sand epoxy primer before I do a topcoat? Not sure if I'm happy with the grit of the primer after i sprayed it.

Sure, but be gentle.  Nothing more than 400 grit, 600 would be better. If you go to far just spray more epoxy.

[rikubot]

From your experience, does epoxy primer go on really gritty? I am concerned it might show through the top coat. I'm also wondering if I put enough down as I was spraying to get a smoother effect.

[green69rt]

From your experience, does epoxy primer go on really gritty? I am concerned it might show through the top coat. I'm also wondering if I put enough down as I was spraying to get a smoother effect.

With good prep the epoxy should be nice and smooth.  Are you using a gun or a rattle can?   In either case you need to put enough material down that the epoxy flows out and becomes smooth.   Test your spray technique on some cardboard.

There are more experienced painters on here that could give better advice.  You listening guys??

[Canadian1968]

epoxy should spray just like a primer. Most epoxy will dry with a satin finish. If you can see sand scratches you went to aggressive with your initial sanding.  Either that or just don't have enough epoxy on the part but I doubt that is the case.  Did you clean the parts well before spraying?  Depending on what you used to clean with, you could be looking at lint from the rag/ cloth you used?

Every company has their own suggestions but I find it pretty safe to sand with 180 or 220 depending on sandpaper being used.  TO course can actually cause adhesion problems !!

When sprayed properly it should lay down with little effort and have a very nice even finish to it.



Sorry I just read more of your post. You had the pieces sandblasted?  YOU will see texture left from the blasting . Epoxy is fairly thin,  it is not meant to fill.

[rikubot]

Yes it was 2k from a can. I laid it down pretty well to make sure I had some good coverage but it just wasn't smooth just about anywhere. I started sanding it with 320 but it seems to cut right through that primer. I have little faith in this stuff.

Yeah I sprayed it off with compressed air after sandblasting it. I took a lot of precautions with this thing just to be safe but it seems it didn't matter much when I put that primer down.

It does seem REALLY thin. The sandpaper cut into an edge with some very light sanding.

I think I'll just do my best smoothing it over and cleaning it, then I'll shoot it with the 2k Rat Rod stuff since I've already paid for it. If it comes out with a poor, weak finish I'll just sand again and use exactly what you used greenRT. And just eat the $140+ I've spent on Eastwood "crap".

[green69rt]

Yes it was 2k from a can. I laid it down pretty well to make sure I had some good coverage but it just wasn't smooth just about anywhere. I started sanding it with 320 but it seems to cut right through that primer. I have little faith in this stuff.

Yeah I sprayed it off with compressed air after sandblasting it. I took a lot of precautions with this thing just to be safe but it seems it didn't matter much when I put that primer down.

It does seem REALLY thin. The sandpaper cut into an edge with some very light sanding.

I think I'll just do my best smoothing it over and cleaning it, then I'll shoot it with the 2k Rat Rod stuff since I've already paid for it. If it comes out with a poor, weak finish I'll just sand again and use exactly what you used greenRT. And just eat the $140+ I've spent on Eastwood "crap".

I just used some of this stuff and it came out great. I'm painting my headliner trim.

Just a couple of things.  The metal needs to be nice and clean so wipe it down with degreaser/cleaner.  The other thing is technique.  Follow the instructions on the can really close.  If you left dust on the metal from sanding, that may cause a lot of "texture".

Before you give up, do a test piece of scrap metal.  Something sounds wrong.

I just checked the Eastwood site and they don't give any info on application of the satin over the epoxy.  Applying finish coat over epoxy, you'll want to spray the finish within a short time, as little as 20 minutes.  The epoxy should not be fully cured so it bonds chemically with the finish product.
Don't give up.

Edit: I skipped over the sand blast part.  Whenever I had something sandblasted I've always used a high build primer to smooth everything out.  You may need to do that or else put a bunch of coats of your 2K stuff down to smooth out the metal( expensive.)   You'd be surprised how rough the metal is after sandblasting even though it looks smooth.