Project Generation Gap
Paint And Body Prep
Being in the classic car hobby means you're constantly learning. Whether you bought your project in milk crates or as a completely built and running car ready for cruising, you'll eventually have to get your hands dirty. For many of us, there are segments of car repair we're strong in, and others that we need a helping hand with. If we had to guess, we'd say the majority of our readers are pretty handy with the basic tool chest full of sockets. They can tackle a brake system rebuild/upgrade, handle a five-speed swap, or even reupholster their classic Ford's seats and make the interior look like new with a few well-chosen parts and a can of spray paint. It's the bigger or more technical projects that sometimes get us sweating and looking for help-things like engine rebuilds or just about any type of wiring, replacing headliners, and other such "fun" projects. Usually, there's some trepidation, but help can often be found in a neighbor, club member, magazine, or car forum to get you through the rough patches. But there's one area in particular that most people dread, and that's paint and bodywork.
There are a multitude of reasons why paint and bodywork are loathed by most enthusiasts. Most likely at the top of that list are the tools and space required, experience, and a little thing called patience. Sure, a drum-to-disc brake conversion can be manhandled in a weekend or less, but it takes weeks to get a body straight enough to spray color on it. Just take those top few reasons we mentioned as a starting point. A quality paint gun can be upwards of a thousand dollars. Yeah, I've seen the $89 paint guns at the flea market, but I don't want to paint my car with one of those any more than you do. Of course, the paint gun is just the (near) final step. There are all sorts of sanding tools, sandpaper, masking paper, tape, and so forth that go into a quality paintjob. These consumables add up fast.
The last time readers saw...
The last time readers saw our fastback project, it was wearing PPG's DP90 epoxy primer and our rough-fitted fiberglass.
The whole car was shot with...
The whole car was shot with a quick coat of PPG's K38 high-build primer to give the body an even color to display it at last year's Silver Springs Mustang show. So, to roughen up the K38 to start on our final body prep, Danny Gaydos of Classic Creations of Central Florida breaks out the long board and 36-grit paper.
Working the panel gaps between...
Working the panel gaps between the fenders and the Mustangs Plus fiberglass hood, Danny applies body filler to the seam and lets it cure. While this is a regular step with a fiberglass hood to get arrow straight gaps, even a steel hood/fender combo would benefit from these steps.
Besides the tools, we also mentioned space to do the proper paintjob in. Sure, you might have had an uncle who painted his truck under the old elm tree out back, but the majority of us living in suburbia don't have a "back 40" to do the work in. I've seen a two-car garage destroyed by a neighbor trying to paint his own car (red paint dust on everything). You need a dedicated area where you can sand and prepare the body surface and a super-clean area to lay the paint, not to mention stands to hold loose items like the hood, trunk, and small body parts.
Lastly there's the experience required. It doesn't take much trial and error to do a carb and intake swap, and frankly, if you mess it up, you're out a $20 set of intake gaskets and another hour or two in labor. Getting your paintjob right is a lot harder. Today's paint technology changes constantly and you have to be up on the products and how they work. You don't want to waste a gallon of paint, which can cost you hundreds of dollars, by applying it improperly. Not to mention, what the paintjob will look like in a few months as it flakes off or cracks.
Once the filler has cured,...
Once the filler has cured, the long board and 36-grit paper is utilized again to knock the filler down. Then the hood is raised and the fender and hood edges are hand sanded.
As you can see, Danny's efforts...
As you can see, Danny's efforts create a fender-to-hood gap you could roll a ball bearing down and they're straight as can be.
With the hood-to-fender gaps...
With the hood-to-fender gaps roughed in (more sanding with finer paper will happen later) the hood's overall height is set via the hood hinge adjustments and the body bumpers. Bumpers are cheap if you don't have any left over from taking your project apart, and they'll help place the hood properly during the bodywork phase. You want all panels to be where they'll be permanently with bumpers/weatherstrip, so save those old door seals, bumpers, and so on for the body shop.
With the hood bumpers in place...
With the hood bumpers in place and the hinges adjusted, Danny can work on the hood-to-fender-height relationship. Here, a very experienced set of fingers is feeling the height difference and where filler might need to be added or subtracted.
The long board and 36-grit...
The long board and 36-grit paper are employed again to remove a small amount of filler on the top of the fender to level everything out. Danny prefers the control of a long board sander over an air-powered sander. An air-powered sander in inexperienced hands can leave grooves in the surface, creating more work.
Remember what we said about...
Remember what we said about having a dedicated area to bodywork your project? Just look at this mess from a few hours of sanding body filler and high-build primer. Getting your shop cleaned up after these steps is a major chore, and if you drag any of it into the house, don't come looking to us for a "get out of jail free" card to hand the Mrs. You'll be going out for an expensive dinner that night, trust us!