Timmycharger's 68 Resto

[lukedukem]

that thing is crisp, like a new 100 dollar bill.   

Luke

[timmycharger]

Thanks guys, much appreciated!


Still in the process of blocking out the car, got the quarter main body line a bit straighter after using the tape method, just very slow going.  I am doing the entire car at 320, then I will finsh it off at 600 wet.  So far even at 320, it is looking nice, hard to see in the pics but at certain angles its like a mirror already, very straight.  

I went down to metal on a few tiny spots, in one of the pics you can see it, not sure if the sealer before the basecoat will take care of this or if I have to mix a small batch of primer. I am out of activator so I would have to go buy a small can to do this. Last year, I bought a can of transtar primer in a can from the autobody supply store, pricey stuff but maybe I can use that for the tiny spots? The guy at the supply store told me it was compatible with all products. I used it on small interior parts and it worked great.

I hope to finish the 320 blocking this weekend and get started on the 600 next weekend.  

[timmycharger]

 

[timmycharger]

I ended up using that primer pictured above on a few small spots, not really good for what I was looking for so basically I just sanded it right off, it had zero build capabilities, far too thin.

Given the small size and few spots, I think I will be ok with just the sealer over everything prior to the top coat.   I checked in with the painter on Saturday, let him know that I am getting closer, looks like 2 to 3 weeks away still until I am ready. I forgot that the motor needs a bit of attention before I hand the car over to him, I have a small fuel leak and 2 leaky valve cover gaskets to deal with, I am sure he doesn't want fuel and oil all over his booth floor.

[timmycharger]

Finally, after 8 months of sanding, its ready for paint. I blocked it all out at 320 then again 600 wet. Boy that was messy but it took care of the scratches. I did go down to metal on a few tiny spots, but the painter is going to seal it first anyway. Talked to the painter yesterday, he can take it on Wednesday, I have to go pick up the paint tomorrow. My original plan was to use the OMNI like I did in the engine bay, trunk area, but I am considering Diamont, its much more expensive, and I am not sure if it will match, but I am going to bring a quart of OMNI I had from before to compare.

Took it outside after cleaning it off, forgot about my noisy valvetrain I have to attend to, but that is for another day.  The passenger fender body line was a bit wonky so I had to re block it, had to use a different color primer but it wont matter as its getting another full coat of primer anyway.  I am happy with the lines, I could only do so much with those 1999 Year One skins.

I will post up some pics of it painted, maybe during as my wife plans on taking a walk down there while Im at work and maybe taking a pic or two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeCVGMqwQnw

[keepat]

 Congrats, body lines look great! Look forward to seeing paint on her!
Pat

[Dino]

Those lines are crisp! It's going to look sweet! Congrats on a job well done.   

[timmycharger]

Thanks guys, so happy this part of the build is over with, it was definitely my least enjoyable, that is for sure.

Took the painter's advice, ended up using R-M Diamont rather than Omni.  It was about $350 more a gallon but I am hoping it will be worth it.  Will be using the R-M high end clear as well.  I know its not sprayed yet, but when I compared what I had left of the OMNI vs the Diamont, the color shade looked spot on. I know this could change once sprayed but that was a good sign at least. The worst scenario is that inside the trunk and engine bay would be slightly different, not too concerned about that since he is going to re spray the door jambs with the new stuff, that would be more noticeable.

Dropped it off on Wednesday, not sure if they did anything on it yet other than move it in and out of the shop at night.  My wife tells me I need a paper bag to breathe into since I constantly want to drive by and check on it.   I think its worse since I have this week off and more time to stew about it.

[TPR]

Nice work there Timmy, can't wait to see the result.

TPR

[hemi-hampton]

Going with the Diamont good advice as Omni sucks. Omni is good for a used car lot winter beater maybe. Just my opinion, I'm sure others think it's the greatest. LEON.

[timmycharger]

Thank you!

Yes, for all the time and effort on this car, I didn't want to skimp here.



Some shots of it at the shop, he is preparing to do the jambs, and edges of the deck lid and hood/doors.

[timmycharger]

Well, got a call from the painter today while at work. He finished painting the jambs/ trunk gutter area and edges of the doors and hood/decklid.  That was the good news.

Bad news is that it doesn't match the PPG Omni that was there.  Pic posted below.  He said the Diamont looks so much better than what was there. I considered picking up a gallon of Omni and having him re do it, but instead the painter is going to re do the entire area inside the doors with the Diamont to make it match the jambs and eventually the entire car.  So when he is done, inside the engine bay/underside of hood and inside the trunk/underside of decklid will not be the same as the outside of the car.

Not an original car, or a show car for that matter so its not the end of the world. just wished I started with Diamont in the first place. 

[Dino]

Great color!

Scuff the parts that don't match with a scotchbrite and reshoot them or just have the painter do it, you'll always look at it and think bad of it if you don't. Why take a shortcut after all this great work?   

[timmycharger]

After seeing it in person this afternoon I am not sure if it will bother me all that much. The car was in the sun the transition didn't look as bad as the first pic.  If it bothers me then I agree with shooting over the Omni.   This color is amazing, the terrible pics do not give it justice, the Diamont is much deeper, you can see the metallic in the paint.  In one of the pics of the quarter extensions, they look like two different colors, obviously they are not, but this color is hard to get a picture of.  

The painter ended up spraying the entire door jamb, along with inside the door as that was very obvious, looks great.  Its very humid here, he is letting it dry for a few days before taping and spraying it. He is taking good care of it so far.

[timmycharger]

 

[hemi-hampton]

Does the Painter or shop have heat in the booth to bake the paint? LEON.

[timmycharger]

Does the Painter or shop have heat in the booth to bake the paint? LEON.

I don't believe that he does

[hemi-hampton]

Not real important on the jambs but I would want my outside baked. As far as I know all spray booths have this option but most don't want to use it because to exspensive. Heck, I even baked the paint on the cheap $149.99 Maaco paint jobs back in the late 80's but probably because it was mass production, had to paint 8 cars a day or 1 per hour. LEON.

[timmycharger]

$149 paint job!  I spent more on sandpaper I think.  I do remember paying a local shop $250 to spray my old Lancia back in 1994.  You can't even get gallon of decent paint for that amount now.

I am going to ask him about baking the paint, thanks for the feedback Leon.

[timmycharger]

With the car just about to be painted, figured now is a good time to get a better way to post pics on this site. I signed up for Photobucket, this is just a test LOL...

[timmycharger]

The painter surprised me today with a phone call on the way home from work, nice end to a tough work week.  

Looks amazing, he did a great job laying down the paint. I wont get it back till next week as he needs to buff it all out still but even now I would be happy with it the way it is.  The color looks dark in the booth, but see the above pic of the quarter end cap and door jamb, that's the color in the sun.

Having a celebratory cold beverage to celebrate  

[timmycharger]

 

[crj1968]

Oh man looks awesome !!

[Cncguy]

Looking good!

[Dino]

All that hard work paid off. Great work!