4drgl

You know something...

Plastic/rubber/plastirubber bumpers are so much fun to sand,
and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand...

I've got both front and rear, and both headlight buckets blocked out with 400 grit and have excellent adhesion. I used bulldog for prep, and have mixed a capful into each layer of primer I have sprayed... I think one more coat of primer, then block it down again with 600 grit and I should have 99.5% of all the blemishes. It's incredible how many rock pits you find... Think you got em all... take another look, and you'll find another!

It's incredible how much damage a walnut blast can do if done improperly. That's $200 I wish I could get back and send the work to a different shop!

One thing I won't miss when I finish my Dodge truck is PLASTIC BUMPERS... They're chrome and they're spotless... wash, polish, bolt on and done...

Wish I had a working usb I'd share more pics...

4drgl

Picked up some spare parts yesterday for future problems!

Mercedes Benz 3 speed transmission complete with torque converter and the all important main oil pump.
1 Fuel pump (supposedly a year old)
1 complete Master cylinder assembly (supposedly a year or so old), with booster, and fill bottle.
1 complete HVAC box with pods, working flapper valves, a/c core, and heater core.
2 working resistors
1 working coil
1 extra heater/a/c blower motor control panel.. good for parts

Paid $125 for all the above pieces.

Been working on it, but slowly as the temperature fluctuates greatly from day to day in spring in CO. Can't do much but sanding at the moment!

I'm waiting for a nice 2-3 day 70 degree stint and I can lay down some 2k primer on top of my epoxy.

Still looking for a damage free and rub strip/spoiler delete passenger front fender...

Some crummy cell phone pics, as the digital camera has magically vanished...





I shaved the hatch and the antenna, and here's the new digital antenna. From a 2011 VW Jetta.






Since I couldn't spend much time painting over the last 3-4 months... I began the rebuild of my 1976 Dodge PowerWagon W200, complete frame off restoration. Body is completely stripped of paint, and ready for metal work. Frame and axles are finished as is the motor, tranny, t-case.

I'm looking for a used 110 hobart/miller mig welder w/gas... if anyone has one in CO. Lotsa rust work as with any American built vehicle in the 70's.





Tuesday I un-skinned the lower half of the doors, cut out rust in the front fenders, bed, door jambs in the cab... Now hunting for repair panels which are next to impossible for a 70's Dodge truck!

4drgl

Finally, all primered out and block sanded yet again. Pics on Friday... I also stripped a local car I found n the jy... so I've got 98% of everything... I stripped it bare... so lots of good pieces now! Pics on Friday.

4drgl

Got a nice score today!!!

Brand New:
2 - 255 35 r18, Bridgestone Potenza re050a tires.

Paid $30 each.




That saves me about $600+

4drgl

Color hasn't really discernably changed YET... but. a very imperfect car is what I started with! SOOOO... lots of block sanding has revealed several near invisible dings, blemishes, and factory stamping imperfections that I am correcting...

If I had to do this all over again... I'm not sure I would (well probably...glutten for punishment)!!! The final product is going to be stunning! I can't wait to paint this car, set it in the sun, and wash, wax and detail it!

The lighting sucks... but the t-stat housing and waterjacket all pc'd same as intake, and I paint matched all the steel fuel lines.




Front bumper shaved. For a clean smooth look


Passenger side, with replaced front fender. epoxied and blocked, 2k primed and blocked again.


Driver rear quarter panel... found some blemishes, and smoothed with polyester....


D/s Door gap at front fender. not perfectly aligned yet but getting close.


Fender, hood, cowl fitment. Cowl and fender seem to fit really tight.. Little adjustment in order.


D/s view


Rear bumper... still having issues... never ever take to be blasted by someone inexperienced with walnut... I've spent an incredible amount of time straightening the bumper out.


Roof and mirrors...


front clip with hood attached, bumper loose fitted.


I think one more coat of 2k primer on a couple pieces and block sand, and it's ready for sealer, base clear.... However, my time frame in Colorado may have already run out for painting weather... so we'll see what happens.

4drgl

But I'm sanding inside, n out of everything, and have re-sealed seams, and gone to every extent possible to make the car look as though it was a factory paint job... More than a little ****...

pcar928fan

Keep up the good work!

shadowknight

That's a lot of work, I commend you...keep it up

Podguy

Nice job. I am curious about the firewall. I noticed in earlier photos you stripped and painted the fire wall but did not put on any insulation. Is this your final plan? Do you think the insulation is not necessary?

As to weather I have painted in some pretty cold environments - Maine to be exact. In one case it took days for the paint to dry. But the paint continued to flow during this period and ended as one of the highest gloss paint jobs I ever did.

Good luck with the project.

4drgl

Yes, The insulation... I was told was "necessary" however, personally did not care for the look of it. The car won't be a daily driver. So depending upon noise/heat.... I will make a decision later, whether to install or leave as is.

I am still considering painting the car... The weather has been mild for october however that could change at any hour...

I plan on three paint stages, so shooting the inside of the jambs on the car itself, then shooting the insides of the panels (doors, hood, hatch, etc.) Then bolt everything back together and shoot the car completely assembled.

I would love to have the car painted, and set for 3-4 months before re-assembly.

Podguy

Good plan on the paint. If you are painting a metalic then it is good to paint the whole car in one shot to really get the flow to look right. Although I have done panel painting and have it come on nice too. There are also some issues of panel fitting. I had to add filler to the passenger door to fill the gap between the fender and door.

The lizard skin went on easily. it is a bit expensive. I used their sound deadner and then the cermaic. it is sandable and can be painted over. On Erik's car we used Dyna Mat. It was a little time consuming to apply but the lettering can be removed with laquer thinner. It seemed to hold up well. Considering that the old insulation melted on my 78 I think the heat is strong enough to cause problems.

Nice job though

dogleg

cant wait to see this finished,love the colour it looks very similar to "candy apple red"

gbgastowers

What did you do to shave the front bumper. I don't see a difference. Gunar

dogleg

gunar if you look at post no 65 you will see the difference.

4drgl

I filed inside of the holes, and then filled them with 3m structural adhesive (for automotive repair, it's the glue that body shops use to attach new skins to doors, b4 tack welding the edges back on).

Then block sanded and filled with polyester... block sanded again, after a nice coat of primer.

I had considered changing the look of the rear bumper as well, smoothing it out, the license plate hole, however, need another bumper to practice my ideas on!

As for the paint color it's 84R (Porsche, arena red). I didn't use a sealer on the engine bay. However will be using a black sealer over the entire car prior to paint. Which I hope will make the base coat paint a slight bit darker. Similar to a 993.

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely look into the firewalll insualtion... I didn't realize that it gets that hot.

Wish we had year round summer temps! 70-80!!