Progress Thread The "grátis" 1966 Coupe - final sheet metal repairs

Until I start actual work, I'll probably come in here to ask of wisdom from the elders of paint and body.

@Davedacarpainter @horse sence Do y'all have a recommendation for a good paint gun setup that won't break the bank? Do you use different guns for primer and paint/clear?

Also, say I'm building a water trap system for my air supply. What's the minimum amount of drops I should have to be good for painting and sand blasting? I'll probably try to do one or two more than whatever number y'all say.
 
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I havent painted in a long time ,not since Cali. Went water base . You do need two guns ,one for primer and one for paint ,even the paint guns have changed since i last painted.
There is some good ideas on water traps on line ,i have to build a new one my self,you do not want any moisture in your lines
 
It'll be a long time before this gets installed, but I figured I'd go ahead and get it now. The old tag was covered in that horrid blue paint.

DSC_1459.JPG DSC_1461.JPG
 
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I finally completed a major piece of the puzzle to start working on the car. My new air compressor needed a 220v outlet and there was no more space in the original circuit breaker panel for a 2-pole breaker for my new circuit. Since it would have been as much work to install a sub panel with my drywalled garage, I decided to install an all new circuit breaker panel. I local business quoted me $1300 to install a new panel, so I decided to do it myself. I went legit and got a permit and got the inspection done today.

Before with the original, 20-space panel still in place since 1971:
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And after with a new Square D 30-space panel and all new breakers:
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Now I just have to get a DA sander, a paint gun, a primer gun, build a water trap setup...........
 
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Before you dive in head first, id suggest you do an inventory, grab a parts catalog and start adding up costs. From what I see, doing every bit of work yourself, you're going to spend well over $20k on that car. Its a lot rougher than I think you realize and it'll get worse as you dig deeper into it. Its not beyond saving, but it will cost quite a bit more than it'll ever be worth. If you're ok with that then get after it and enjoy the project.

You dont need two paint guns, for a guy like yourself who is a hobbyist, there are a number of reasonably priced spray guns that come with a few different size fluid tips for spraying different viscosity paints and primers and will be just fine. Just clean it good after each use and it'll serve you just fine. The Devilbiss Finish line 4 is just one of many that'll work great for your purpose.
 
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I'm not really naive as to the possible cost of this project or its structural state at the moment. That's one reason I've mentioned that it will be a slow project (ten years or more) with which I hope to get my kids involved eventually.

I think the thing I have going for me is that it's an original Texas car. Rotted floors notwithstanding, I haven't really found any really bad rot anywhere else (yet). Most of it looks confined to the surface, so I'm hoping that holds up once I get a sand blaster.

If it doesn't, hey, the car was free.
 
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I've seen beautiful cars that started much much worse. Alot of folks start a project like this having no clue as what they're getting into, hoping to have some equity when done. I didn't want to see you blindsided.
 
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I've seem beautiful cars that started much much worse. Alot of folks start a project like this having no clue as what they're getting into, hoping to have some equity when done. I didn't want to see you blindsided.
No problem. I knew what I was getting into as soon as I lifted the carpet. :oops:
 
On the media blast topic, have you looked into dustless blasting? They come to you and Ive seen some folks get decent quotes, it REALLY makes life much easier moving forward. Blast it, clean it up good and coat the whole car with epoxy primer than you can take as much time as you want, the primer seals it up. Rattle can primer typically absorbs moisture and you just end up with do overs in the areas you use it. Also if you haven't figured it out yet, the steering shaft doesnt come out on its own, you have to remove the whole steering box. 67 and newer cars got a 2 piece steeering column.

www.vintage-mustang.com
www.spiuserforum.com/index.php
www.autobody101.com/forums/index.php?sid=ce8b69b2b30592cb78a1083f3d74343f
are great resource forums as well.
 
On the media blast topic, have you looked into dustless blasting? They come to you and Ive seen some folks get decent quotes, it REALLY makes life much easier moving forward. Blast it, clean it up good and coat the whole car with epoxy primer than you can take as much time as you want, the primer seals it up. Rattle can primer typically absorbs moisture and you just end up with do overs in the areas you use it. Also if you haven't figured it out yet, the steering shaft doesnt come out on its own, you have to remove the whole steering box. 67 and newer cars got a 2 piece steeering column.

www.vintage-mustang.com
www.spiuserforum.com/index.php
www.autobody101.com/forums/index.php?sid=ce8b69b2b30592cb78a1083f3d74343f
are great resource forums as well.
I did find a local place that does dustless blasting when I was still considering it. I never got to the point of asking them if they can come to me before I decided blasting was too expensive. I'll look into it again. It would save me a ton of time.
 
@Davedacarpainter , if dustless blasting ends up being cost effective enough, what would be a good etch primer you would recommend? Would I need any sort of activator or reducer?
Any of the manufacturers of paint would be fine.

The reduced (activated) kind is what I like for larger areas.

Know that etch reducer is completely different than regular paint reducers.
 
I personally have steered away from etching primers, i think those days are in the past. I've been painting cars for 25 years and there was a time where etch was the direction id go but materials have improved vastly in the last decade making the etch products less favorable. Today, Id only use epoxy and while I use PPG products my epoxy choice is from Southern Polyurethanes, its sandable if need be and has a solid reputation. I cant say I've had a bad experience with any brand of epoxy but the major brands are darn expensive and I dont think any better. PPG's process recommends epoxy on media blasted surfaces as the foundation for corrosion protection and a base for fillers and high build primers.


Good info here http://us.ppgrefinish.com/PPG-Refinish/Training/Training-Guides/Custom-Restoration-Guide
 
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Those days are in the past?

lol

I assume you have mainly worked in custom restoration shops.

While I’m not negating epoxies at all, and in fact it is what I used on my last resto, I use etch primer almost daily at work for smaller bare metal areas. To include stripped panels.

Most collision shops don’t even have epoxies on the mixing banks anymore.

I never thought it or any other spray on material was a good substrate for bondo anyhow, I’m one of those guys that likes the mud directly on metal. Like recommended by almost every manufacturer of fillers.

Again though, I’m not knocking epoxies. It is better when the panel will sit for an extended period prior to work being done to it after it has been stripped. Especially if you don’t top coat an etch with a surface/ filler primer. But to suggest that etch primers are in the past just isn’t the truth.
 
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I'm a novice with this stuff. I'll tell you now that my primary goal is to cover the blasted surface with something that will not allow moisture to get in there and cause more corrosion as it's likely going to sit in that state for a long time.

What you recommend as a top coat for whatever I spray on it after potential blasting?
 
I'm a novice with this stuff. I'll tell you now that my primary goal is to cover the blasted surface with something that will not allow moisture to get in there and cause more corrosion as it's likely going to sit in that state for a long time.

What you recommend as a top coat for whatever I spray on it after potential blasting?
Epoxy primer would be fine. Key is to get it done as soon as it’s blasted.
 
My position on etch primer is based on training and manufacturers recommendations regarding the brands of products I use. PPG's position is residual acid from the use of etch primer can interfere with the curing of materials applied on top of it. Southern Polyurethane pretty much tells users of their products they're on their own if they use an etch primer or acid based wash prior to using their products. Glasurit says its good for quick low cost repairs. To me its not worth the risk.