Body work, where to start?

by driveit Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:31 am

OK, well I've gotten the fever as we have had a few warm days. I have been dying to license the Chevelle and drive it. Don't really have the money for all of that yet so I am thinking of doing some body work to kind of curb my need to drive it. Ill give you the run down.

Paint is OKfor most of the body.

I have a few dents in the fender and one in the door as well as drivers side quarter panel.
I need to get a hammer and dolly set to work out the dents. I have not found one locally.

Tail panel is busted from tree falling on it.

Passenger tail light busted also from above mention cursed tree.

Both quarter panels need a patch. I can't find those either without replacing the entire panel.

The trunk is solid, but the rear inner fender well is bad on both sides.

The top of the car is the worst of my worries. The top was cut out by someone (not so bright in my opinion) evidently intending to put in t-tops but ended with scrapping the car. My uncle bought the car for the demolition derby where I rescued it and took it in.

Long story short, had a bad weld job that ruined my glass in the front and doors. Now my roof looks like waves after a sb chevy powered speed boat went by. (big waves) It is rusted and pitted and there are holes in it. I am not sure if I will ever get it straight enough to paint it. A vinyl top may be my only hope for a nice looking top unless I replace the whole top. Tips, thoughts, anyone?

I had planned to remove most of the chrome from the car and streamlining as much as possible as I did not plan on putting on the vinyl top with the chrome ring around it.

Also if I removed the drip rails for the windows would the weatherstripping still do its job and fit correctly? (Curious!)

So much to do, so little time and money to do it!

by JB2wheeler Sat Mar 23, 2013 12:57 pm

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by driveit Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:01 pm

So... loose the top?

by JB2wheeler Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:08 pm

How's the weather where you live? I have always loved that 63 T-bird Sports Roadster. JB

by 77mali Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:15 pm

Consider starting with your roof-it will only get worse over time. If it's that bad, you might want to find a donor & replace it if possible & if not, as long as you repair & encapsulate any rust you can use a good body filler (Pro-grade- NOT Bond-O) & you should be able to fix it smooth enough for paint. You'll probably need to use a combination of primers before paint also- depends what you're dealing with. If it is really that "wavy" you should go through the process anyway-even for a vinyl top. Most of those materials do have backing but may also still show serious imperfections. Pics would be helpful as far as recommendations.

Removal of the roof rails is a bad idea. You'll never get any rubber to fit correctly & it will move. Part of the reason for them is to hold that stuff in place.

by Biomedtech Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:22 pm

driveit wrote:So... loose the top?

Heh, topless G3's don't look too bad.

Body work, where to start? 2012-012

Cut the roof off this one we were stripping just for Turd

's & giggles

by 77mali Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:32 pm

Wonder if a 70-72 Cutlass drop top would work on our cars? That is an interesting pic.

by driveit Sat Mar 23, 2013 2:04 pm

I kinda like it too. Ill try to get some pics of my car and things I intend to fix soon.

by dynchel Sat Mar 23, 2013 8:13 pm

If you have any harbor freight stores near you, you can buy a hammer and dolly set for cheap. I just bought a 6 piece set (3 hammers, and 3 dolly's in a molded plastic case) for $30.00 a month ago. As for your roof, assuming you aren't doing the convertible thing, getting one from a donor car would be the best way to go. If its wavy like you describe, then it is probably warped from the amateur install.

by thatfnthing Sun Mar 24, 2013 11:55 am

77mali wrote:...as long as you repair & encapsulate any rust you can use a good body filler (Pro-grade- NOT Bond-O) & you should be able to fix it smooth enough for paint.

My favorite is All-Metal. It's a ground up aluminum paste. Requires more sanding work, but it feathers well, is waterproof, sticks to anything, and is tough as nails.

77mali wrote:Removal of the roof rails is a bad idea. You'll never get any rubber to fit correctly & it will move. Part of the reason for them is to hold that stuff in place.

And that sounds like the voice of experience if ever I've heard it. Smile

by 77mali Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:16 pm

I've sanded it twice, so far... Embarassed

I have another one called "Dynatron- Putty Coat". Haven't tried it yet but a friend who does body work suggested it & says it works well over Por15 products. I'll try "All Metal" if I don't like the way it works (thanks for the tip).

I have the pass side rails out for re-paint, haven't tried to reinstall yet but left the other side in tact for reference upon reassembly...LOL

by driveit Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:57 am

Over the weekend I locate a hammer and dolly set for 23$ at Orielly AP. I then gathered up some bondo, spreaders and some primer. Now all I need is a day off that is warm outside and no raining.

by driveit Tue May 21, 2013 9:25 am

So, body has begun. I actually decided to start with the hood as I believed it to be a quicker project. I sanded it down and thought that I got all of the scratches and dings and so on out of it. I got one coat of primer on it last night just before dark and didn't get a chance to take a look at how it turned out.

I checked the job before work this morning and found that I had missed more than a little. I also ran out of primer. (rattle can etching primer) Didn't go very far. Weather and family permitting, I hope to have it painted tonight.

by dynchel Tue May 21, 2013 9:53 am

That green duplicolor self etch primer is a nice product. I always strip to bare metal and use it as a foundation, followed by some 2k urethane primer shot through a proper gun. GoFast

by driveit Tue May 21, 2013 10:54 am

I don't have a gun or a compressor big enough to do the job, so rattle can for now is my only option. I know it's not a good one, but better than what it was before, for sure!

by micara928 Tue May 21, 2013 2:36 pm

driveit wrote:I don't have a gun or a compressor big enough to do the job, so rattle can for now is my only option. I know it's not a good one, but better than what it was before, for sure!

check out harbor freight for cheap tools compressors and guns, or search tempest.com and get a proper compressor, sucky economy there are deals out there

by Fishgrinder Wed May 22, 2013 2:22 am

You don't need an advanced spray gun for primer. Mine cost around $50 and worked very well. Just remember to install a water filter before the gun.

A big compressor is of course and advantage, but it can be done with a small one. I used one with 25l tank and 150 l/min when priming my car.
I would steer away from rattle can primers. They build minimum thickness , lacks the strength and adhesion of a good 2k primer, and are most likely
difficult to sand.

So if your budget allows it, go with a spray gun and 2k primer. Maybe it evens out in the end compared to buying loads of rattle cans.

After the first coat of primer/filler, I would sand the whole car with 180/240 on a longblock to get everything straight. This will reveal areas
that would need more work (bondo). Then put on another coat of primer, and sand with 320 on a longblock. Now you shouldn't find any lows
or highs. Then put on a last coat of primer, and sand the whole thing with 500 or higher dry.

There are different approaches when in comes to paint prep. This is basically what I did on my car, and it came out good. If you're a beginner
it'll take some time to get the feel with everything, especially when it comes to how much body filler to apply, and when stop sanding.

I have some pictures of the process in this thread: https://www.g3gm.com/t3390-1975-monte-carlo

by dynchel Wed May 22, 2013 6:51 am

I'll add this to what fishgrinder said, I use a "bondo" called half time. This is a professional grade filler that you start sanding with 220 grit. I apply it over the first coat of 2k primer and it sands very easily with the primer underneath. Follow that with another coat of 2k and one more block sanding and you should be good.

by driveit Wed May 22, 2013 8:10 am

Thank everyone. I hope to be able to do this later on and will purchase a gun and water filter and so on. I right now I really don't have the money to even drive the car, let alone by a spray gun. I am just wanting to make it a little nicer for the car show this Saturday.

So far I have less than 20$ in refinishing the hood and tail panel. Both are not completely done yet. They need one more coat of paint and they will be finished for now. Not professional by any means, but better than what I started with.

by dynchel Wed May 22, 2013 8:30 am

No more flames Sad

by driveit Wed May 22, 2013 10:26 am

As of now, no. Going with a satin black for now. Think I will go straight back with the black from the hood, across the top and down the back folling the lines on the trunk area and onto the tail panel. If time permits I may have the hood finished today and the rest may have to wait until after the car show.

I have got to check the brakes and get the seat belts in. Then I can worry about the rest of the cosmetics. I keep putting those off for some reason and in the end those two things will determine whether or not we get to go.

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