[jcruz]

I've been plugging away at my first resto for almost a year now. Some things have come together surprisingly well, and of course, some haven't.

To keep my sanity and momentum going, I NEED to wrap up the body work and get it painted. I'm shooting for this Fall, perhaps in October.

Despite all the time, sweat, and energy, when I look over my handiwork on the 1/4 panels, I'm somewhat dissapointed. I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET THEM COMPLETELY SMOOTH! One minute I think they're smooth -- can't feel any bumps, looks good under a certain light, and then I see them under different lighting conditions, and I see all kinds of bumps, low spots, small cracks, etc.

My goal is to restore it to driver status. So, I can live with some minor imperfections, but still want a quality paint job.

I guess what I don't know is how perfectly smooth do they need to be? Will high-build primer and paint cover a lot of blemishes? What techniques do you use to achieve a quality finish? How do you know when sections like the 1/4 panels are "good enough"?

Help!

John

[jcruz]

I've been plugging away at my first resto for almost a year now. Some things have come together surprisingly well, and of course, some haven't.

To keep my sanity and momentum going, I NEED to wrap up the body work and get it painted. I'm shooting for this Fall, perhaps in October.

Despite all the time, sweat, and energy, when I look over my handiwork on the 1/4 panels, I'm somewhat dissapointed. I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET THEM COMPLETELY SMOOTH! One minute I think they're smooth -- can't feel any bumps, looks good under a certain light, and then I see them under different lighting conditions, and I see all kinds of bumps, low spots, small cracks, etc.

My goal is to restore it to driver status. So, I can live with some minor imperfections, but still want a quality paint job.

I guess what I don't know is how perfectly smooth do they need to be? Will high-build primer and paint cover a lot of blemishes? What techniques do you use to achieve a quality finish? How do you know when sections like the 1/4 panels are "good enough"?

Help!

John

[A1Judge]

Hi

High build primer/surfacer will hide imperfections like sanding scratches, etc... It will not hide waves.

Try this.. Slap a thin coat of filler across the panel and let it set. Then wrap some 220 grit paper tightly around a regular 9" paint roller, yes, a paint roller, and sand the area going in opposite directions. Use light pressure and a guide coat,, your low spots will show up and you will be sanding the high spots down. I did this for two days until I got my 1/4 panel straight... But it did work like a champ!

DC

[John Nimons]

John...Another trick that works real well for me is to spray the area with a guide coat, after you skim coat it with filler. We use aerosol can flat black where I work. As you sand the area out with a block, you will instantly see high spots because the guide coat will sand right off, areas that have guide coat remaining are low. Keep working at it , and don't get fed up. it will definately pay off in the long run.
Another thing to remember when you are sanding filler. If you hit a metal spot that is high, tap it lightly. No matter how much you sand, you aren't gonna sand the metal spot down.
Hope this helps. Good luck

[rand68]

As someone who has done too much bodywork and pretty much hates it, I have one bit of advice. Do NOT trust your eyes to find the bad spots. Take a piece of paper, put it under your hand, close your eyes, and feel the panel. You will feel every blemish of consequence.

[jcruz]

Thanks guys -- great advice.

I finally purchased a board sander last weekend and that's been of enormous help. DC, I like the idea of the paint roller and I'll give it a try.

I'm thinking I better get a flexible board sander too....

I've only used guide coats in spots. I think now I'll go back and revisit both 1/4 panels in their entirety.

Rand68, I'm definitely passed the eyeball stage and using paper is a great suggestion!

I actually took the car to a paint shop today and they didn't laugh me off the lot, so my confidence has been somewhat restored. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thanks a ton!

John

[sviguy]

I put new qtrs on my 69 bird too. It is in my best friends shop. He is a professional body man and I am a novice. He did the cutting, fitting and welding. I did the grinding, finishing and prep work for primer and paint. Every time I said it was ready for his inspection...well...lets just say he told me he didn't care even if it wasn't his car, he would not paint over my so-so workmanship. I had to do them twice before he said good. I know I won't regret it. The paint job will reveal any and all imperfections. Next time you take your car to the paint shop, ask the head painter to give opinion of your work. Tell him/her to pretend it was their car they were about to paint. Be thankfull about any blemishes pointed out to you. You won't regret it.
lee

[jcruz]

Lee,

If I have anything going for me, it's that I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I have an adequate amount of patience. I'll heed your advice carefully.....

I tried using a guide coat and only my board sander on the entire upper portion of the 1/4 panel this afternoon. That seems to be working well, but now another question:

The seam on the upper portion of the 1/4 panel is roughly in the middle. I'm having trouble smoothing out the edges to blend in. Would it be easier if I just went all the way up to the top edge of the panel with an ever-so-slight coat of filler??

Thanks,

John

[Marty Phipps]

Here's a really good trick for you John.
Go to your local auto paint jobber.
ask them for a 2 part sprayable polyester primer.
SPRAYABLE BONDO BABY!!!!!!!!!!!
Lay 2 heavy coats on each panel.
Guide coat it with flat black.
Long board it by hand with between 80 to 120 grit.
Lightly tap down any high spots, as previously mentioned, maybe give the panels another coat if there's still some low spots.
Long block again, then apply the primer filler.
For reverse curves like aroung the wheel openings, a piece of sand paper wrapped aroung a paint roller works really well.
"Feeling the panel" will tell you a lot, but the human eye is the only true measuring factor for straight.
Part of this is because what you feel, will not always show up to the eye.
When using your hand to check for straightness, some one advised you use a piece of paper underneath.
VERY GOOD ADVISE!!!
I generally will use a rag, but papre will work very well.
Another thin to think about when "feeling" a panel.
DON"T TRY TO USE ONLY YOUR FINGERS!!
Lay your whole hand flat against the panel, and feel in a straight motion only.
using only your finger tips wont give you an accurate feel for what's going on, unless of course the panel is really bad, then your eyes will tell you.
By using your whole hand, and going in a forwrad to back motion.
Your nerves in your finger tips, will tell you what.

[gtoguy1967]

j what color are you painting this car? some colors such as white are going to be more forgiving than lets say black.you have some good advise to work with here and remember the work you are doing now will dictate how the car will look when it is done. it is my opinion that MOST anyone can paint but not many can do the body work. good luck and hang in there.
Don

[jcruz]

Marty, I was hoping to hear from you!

Don, I plan on painting the car Aqua, the same color as my 92 Vette, which should be a little forgiving (the original color was Matador Red, but since this car was the least powered and least optioned model available in 69, I don't think I'm giving up much on the originality).

Thanks all for your advice and guidance -- I definitely have a roadmap and several things to explore which should yield a quality job!

John

[Marty Phipps]

Hi again John.
Feel free to email me any time.
[email protected]