Well that did not go like I wanted it to...
I was home by noon like I said. I called the tire shop to have my wheels dismounted because I intended to take them to the powder coaters. I was gonna have a coating similar to the color of rusty steel put on the wheels, so I needed the wheels ready to go. I get the car up in the air, get the tires off, and go out to #1's Jeep to start it so I can use it. I need the space to not only take those big ass mounted 315's and 245's,...I also needed enough room to be able to put the headliner stock material (60 x 48) inside.
The batteries dead. As in not even enough juice to light the dome light. So,..I get the jumper cables out and hook them to #2's 86 Mustang that is sitting right next to it.
That battery is dead also.
I jam all 4 tires in Mikes Mini. (Amazingly, they all fit in back) and off I go. I bribe the tire guy to move me to the head of the line. (He wanted to give me a 10 so I could go buy him two packs of Malboro Gold 100's) I told him to keep his money, and I paid for them instead. (First time I've ever bought cigarettes in my life.....I feel so,......addicted.)
I get the wheels dismounted, get my tires marked and stowed at the shop so I wont have to lug them back, and off I go to the powder coater.
It was about half way there that I started counting my intended purchases.
The powder coater agreed to coat the 4 wheels for 200.00 provided they were clean enough that they only needed a light blasting to properly etch the wheel. I told him that they were soda blasted, and had not seen one foot of road travel so I should be good.
The interior Dye was gonna cost 55.00 for a qt of that stuff, and I was expecting the rest of the material (headliner material, spray glue) would cost another 30-50 bucks. so,...all in, about 300.00 for the day.
But like I said,....I got to thinking.
I think to myself: If I paint these wheels instead of having them powder coated, I can get away with a qt of acrylic urethane product for probably about 50-60 bucks. I already have reducer and hardener left over from the car paint. Now that the wheels are dismounted, masking them will be easy peasy. So,....I'm thinking paint wins.
So,..I'm now on a bee line for the powder coater,...I make a U turn, and head back home...I've had #1s car on a charger for what will amount to an hour by this time, It should start. Then I can go downtown and get the headliner stuff, and now,.....the paint.
It's 3:45 by now. Those upholstery suppliers close at 4:30.
The Jeep still wont start.
I head downtown anyway. I've already discovered that the upholstery supplier doesn't have the board anyway. I throw my carpet in back, (for color match on the vinyl dye), grab the gas tank door and the Cyclone decal (The word "CYCLONE" is gold on the decal) and light the after burner on the Mini.
The first shop makes the vinyl dye, but doesn't have sht for headliner material. I cut a piece of the carpet so he has something to match off of, pay the 54.00 for the dye, and head off for shop #2. (It's now 4:14).
Shop #2 has tons of headliner material, but nothing comes close to matching the brown color of the carpet. (And now I'm having vinyl dye made that matches it.)
I refuse to accept a color that is "somewhat close".
"Do I have any other options here?" I ask the counter guy......"Probably about a billion when you consider all of the fabrics, leathers, and vinyls we have here as well." dude replies.
"Let me see some brown vinyls." I ask. " I have this assortment that is backed with a 1/4 piece of foam just like headline material,....I think that brown on top is gonna be real close". Dude offers back.
I set it on top of the carpet,....It's really close. "I'll take a yard and a half of this, and a can of 3M spray adhesive".
"No prob"......The guy sets off for the back of the building.
5 minutes later hes back,...says he's got my invoice inside.
$110.00
For a 60" square piece of brown vinyl, and a can of glue.
It's 5:30 by the time I get home. I got no paint to dye the interior pieces, I got no paint to paint the wheels, I got no headliner board to mount the vinyl to,...I got nothing to show for this day.
Not even one,
red rat bunion hole....
So then let's add this all up then. 54.00 for the vinyl dye,....110.00 for the headliner material, probably 60-70 for the qt of paint I'm gonna buy for the wheels,..20.00 for a piece of 1/8" "hardboard" from HD, and another 20 for that foil bubbly crap I can use as insulation. 260-270.00 for everything to finish up the car.
I was home by noon like I said. I called the tire shop to have my wheels dismounted because I intended to take them to the powder coaters. I was gonna have a coating similar to the color of rusty steel put on the wheels, so I needed the wheels ready to go. I get the car up in the air, get the tires off, and go out to #1's Jeep to start it so I can use it. I need the space to not only take those big ass mounted 315's and 245's,...I also needed enough room to be able to put the headliner stock material (60 x 48) inside.
The batteries dead. As in not even enough juice to light the dome light. So,..I get the jumper cables out and hook them to #2's 86 Mustang that is sitting right next to it.
That battery is dead also.
I jam all 4 tires in Mikes Mini. (Amazingly, they all fit in back) and off I go. I bribe the tire guy to move me to the head of the line. (He wanted to give me a 10 so I could go buy him two packs of Malboro Gold 100's) I told him to keep his money, and I paid for them instead. (First time I've ever bought cigarettes in my life.....I feel so,......addicted.)
I get the wheels dismounted, get my tires marked and stowed at the shop so I wont have to lug them back, and off I go to the powder coater.
It was about half way there that I started counting my intended purchases.
The powder coater agreed to coat the 4 wheels for 200.00 provided they were clean enough that they only needed a light blasting to properly etch the wheel. I told him that they were soda blasted, and had not seen one foot of road travel so I should be good.
The interior Dye was gonna cost 55.00 for a qt of that stuff, and I was expecting the rest of the material (headliner material, spray glue) would cost another 30-50 bucks. so,...all in, about 300.00 for the day.
But like I said,....I got to thinking.
I think to myself: If I paint these wheels instead of having them powder coated, I can get away with a qt of acrylic urethane product for probably about 50-60 bucks. I already have reducer and hardener left over from the car paint. Now that the wheels are dismounted, masking them will be easy peasy. So,....I'm thinking paint wins.
So,..I'm now on a bee line for the powder coater,...I make a U turn, and head back home...I've had #1s car on a charger for what will amount to an hour by this time, It should start. Then I can go downtown and get the headliner stuff, and now,.....the paint.
It's 3:45 by now. Those upholstery suppliers close at 4:30.
The Jeep still wont start.
I head downtown anyway. I've already discovered that the upholstery supplier doesn't have the board anyway. I throw my carpet in back, (for color match on the vinyl dye), grab the gas tank door and the Cyclone decal (The word "CYCLONE" is gold on the decal) and light the after burner on the Mini.
The first shop makes the vinyl dye, but doesn't have sht for headliner material. I cut a piece of the carpet so he has something to match off of, pay the 54.00 for the dye, and head off for shop #2. (It's now 4:14).
Shop #2 has tons of headliner material, but nothing comes close to matching the brown color of the carpet. (And now I'm having vinyl dye made that matches it.)
I refuse to accept a color that is "somewhat close".
"Do I have any other options here?" I ask the counter guy......"Probably about a billion when you consider all of the fabrics, leathers, and vinyls we have here as well." dude replies.
"Let me see some brown vinyls." I ask. " I have this assortment that is backed with a 1/4 piece of foam just like headline material,....I think that brown on top is gonna be real close". Dude offers back.
I set it on top of the carpet,....It's really close. "I'll take a yard and a half of this, and a can of 3M spray adhesive".
"No prob"......The guy sets off for the back of the building.
5 minutes later hes back,...says he's got my invoice inside.
$110.00
For a 60" square piece of brown vinyl, and a can of glue.
It's 5:30 by the time I get home. I got no paint to dye the interior pieces, I got no paint to paint the wheels, I got no headliner board to mount the vinyl to,...I got nothing to show for this day.
Not even one,
red rat bunion hole....So then let's add this all up then. 54.00 for the vinyl dye,....110.00 for the headliner material, probably 60-70 for the qt of paint I'm gonna buy for the wheels,..20.00 for a piece of 1/8" "hardboard" from HD, and another 20 for that foil bubbly crap I can use as insulation. 260-270.00 for everything to finish up the car.
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That said I don't see a problem with painting. Powder coating could provide a more unique end product and would be more durable.
