Optimus Prime - The '68 Coupe

[gregski]

What have I learned

It takes a gallon of primer to prime a car. But get this, a gallon is actually a gallon and a half because you mix it 2:1 with activator plus a hint of reducer (optional, I used a shot per gun fill up). So 4 quarts of primer plus 2 quarts of activator actually yield a gallon and a half of material (your mileage may vary).

Don't paint in the winter unless you have the proper facilities. The epoxy primer I used requires 60 degrees or warmer. Let the epoxy set for a couple of weeks (in the winter time) just for good measure allowing it to flex it's muscles, shrink, harden, what ever it does.

Eventually I will touch things up with body filler aka bondo where necessary and shoot the entire car again, this time with build primer, then spray it with a guide coat to help me block sand it. Then I'll be considering silver metallic base coat clear coat as my final layers.

(Don't mind the tiger stripes on the trunk lid, I did a half @ss job of wiping the dust off of it before taking pictures, I was too excited)

 

[gregski]

A marathon not a sprint, next time take the bus!

so how long did that take, 2, 3 days... [ahem] OVER FOUR FRIGGEN MONTHS!!! Yup counting the month or so I spent restoring the rusted roof in a separate thread, plus the last three months!

was it worth it, yup

will I do it again, maybe

does it feel good to be done with it, oh yeah​

would I recommend using the electric mickey mouse air compressor from harbor freight to do this, I don't think so

I know all I did was just primer the car, I get it, so I won't sprain my elbow padding myself on the back but it was a lot of prep work, and remember what I said in the beginning about expecting a B grade, well I don't know what you think but I think I deserve it.

Feels good to be done, and I am exhausted, to say this project has kicked my @ss would be an understatement but it had to get done

I hope i have shared something of value with you, perhaps lit a small fire under your butt, enough to set the bag of potato chips down and get off the couch and go bust some knuckles

whats in store for me next? well I will be taking on the front clip and doing an engine bay make over

THANK YOU ALL for reading and posting your comments, I shared this with you on a forum to get the back and forth going, so if you were just a reader perhaps a newbie too shy to write something, dude I am just a few months and one or two projects ahead of you, so write something damn it.

 

[Rusty67]

I'm going to give you a little bit of advise I got from someone who details cars. He told me that painting the wheel well area black will make a huge difference in the way a car looks. He told me that he use to clean in the wheel wells and give them a black rattle can job and people never knew what he did but always said his detail jobs were so much better then others they had had done but couldn't ever put their finger on why. Since you have it all appart now, maybe you want to clean and shoot some black in the front/rear suspension areas ?

 

[MisterMiracle]

Great Job there Gregski. You are not only a great car craftsman, but also a phenomenal storyteller. And the photos are great. I really appreciate your efforts and how you are sharing then with us. Keep at it and we'll keep visiting this great story.
Ivan

 

[gregski]

I'm going to give you a little bit of advise I got from someone who details cars. He told me that painting the wheel well area black will make a huge difference in the way a car looks. He told me that he use to clean in the wheel wells and give them a black rattle can job and people never knew what he did but always said his detail jobs were so much better then others they had had done but couldn't ever put their finger on why. Since you have it all appart now, maybe you want to clean and shoot some black in the front/rear suspension areas ?

The wheelwells are definitely up next, but instead of shooting them with rattle can black I will be treating them with POR-15 flat black on the sheet metal and gloss black on the iron rods and brackets. I'm considering doing a separate thread on that, considerin' ...

 

[gregski]

Great Job there Gregski. You are not only a great car craftsman, but also a phenomenal storyteller. And the photos are great. I really appreciate your efforts and how you are sharing then with us. Keep at it and we'll keep visiting this great story.

Ivan

Ivan thank you very much for the kind words, makes the hard work worth it. Yes I enjoy story telling and interjecting humor amongst the labor. The art of story telling has gone to the wayside of Hollywood's car chase scenes, endless rooftop action shots, and Angelina Jolie boobs bouncing up and... [where the hell was I]... oh yes epoxy primer is a 2K formula consisting of... LOL

 

[rnrjunkie]

You should try to rent a paint booth before you start spraying the topcoat. Ask around at a couple of the local shops, you might get lucky.


Also, don't forget to shoot the dash while you're at it....you'll probably want it to match the exterior.

 

[ithaca00]

The project has changed hands, hopefully to some good ones. I will try and continue this thread as I continue finishing the car or start my own and link to this.

Here's to a successful and quick build!