Some before photos of my current nightmare
- Thread starter tuscarora dave
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beamerstrumpet
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- Jun 14, 2013
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Dave,
Did you get a chance to check out the HF guns and the Paint shop paints? (oh they are at auto zone or any major parts store.) Just for referance, Duplicolor is produced by Sherwin-Williams. very good quality affordable paint. they are coming out with new colors about every year or so +/-.
rops:
Did you get a chance to check out the HF guns and the Paint shop paints? (oh they are at auto zone or any major parts store.) Just for referance, Duplicolor is produced by Sherwin-Williams. very good quality affordable paint. they are coming out with new colors about every year or so +/-.
rops:
tuscarora dave
Active member
- Aug 21, 2009
- 5,408
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- Thread starter
- #44
Dave,
Did you get a chance to check out the HF guns and the Paint shop paints? (oh they are at auto zone or any major parts store.) Just for referance, Duplicolor is produced by Sherwin-Williams. very good quality affordable paint. they are coming out with new colors about every year or so +/-.
I've checked out the links you sent me and they look nice. I haven't done any further research yet though. There's a lot of work to do before I even get to that stage of this job. Thanks a ton for the suggestions and the links. Especially on the smaller items that will help to produce a nicer result. If you think of anything else, please don't be shy about sending PM's or links as I only know a little.:xyxthumbs:
tuscarora dave
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- Aug 21, 2009
- 5,408
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- #45
Well it's been a long and tough road to get this car to the point where I can say that round 1 is finished. My father was fighting to save the toes on his right foot due to a circulation problem. Due to those issues, I was back and forth from the shop and home helping Dad with all of his basic needs regarding his health. In the end he had a trans-metatarsal amputation, and lost his toes.
Working by yourself is tough enough as it concerns getting good photos of your work. Throw in all the extra responsibility of helping a loved one with their needs through an episode of bad health and it gets nearly impossible to get the work done and also make much time for photos, I've done the best I could.
I continued around the top of the car with wet sanding the lighter defects off the surface with the 3000 grit 3M Trizact disks, M105/205 some areas were served better by rotary polishing with 105 and a 3M 5 inch waffle finishing pad, followed by 205 on UltraFiber disks on my trusty HF DA polisher. (This polisher rocks!! Must have been made on a Wednesday.)
I worked all around the top of the car and then began to work on the sides of the car where I found that 205 on MF disks with the DA polisher was sufficient to produce a nice result. Remember...this paint is damaged over pretty much 100% of the car, not to mention all of the horrible prep work that was done before this car was painted last. There are areas where the Hack who painted it went from 80 grit right to paint, both by hand and DA so there's 80 grit scratches and heavy pigtails underneath the paint in different areas all over this car.
The entire car really needs to be totally dis-assembled, stripped of all it's paint, re-worked with filler and primer surfaced then repainted. Seeing what I have seen throughout this job, that would be a $20,000 undertaking and will likely never be done. Instead, the customer and I have agreed to just do the best that can be done on a scaled down budget and take it piecemeal.
There will be more work done to this car by me into the future. I explained to the owner of the car that working on such a damaged paint system is to move 7 steps forward and 5 steps back all the way through the job. Each time something is compounded or polished, all the lacquer checking and cracks/fracturing in the paint become filled with compound or polish and needs to be cleaned out before moving onto the next phase of the project. And so it went.
I used my home brew acid wheel cleaner to clean the barrels of the wheels. This step was followed by a caustic wash (Zep Ultra Purple) to neutralize the acid which is a pretty strong mixture. Then the wheel barrels are soaked with vinegar before being rinsed to neutralize the caustic soda that will leach into the aluminum alloy wheel barrels. This is all done with the wheel at a 45 degree angle to allow gravity to pull the liquids toward the back side of the wheel only. If these acidic or caustic solutions would be allowed to dwell on the un-coated face of the wheel for even a few seconds, they would destroy the finish. My objective here was just to get the years of built up brake dust off of the barrels without creating more work on the wheel faces, not to create a perfectly clean wheel barrel. If the customer wants that into the future, that'll be another job entirely.
I had a helper in to polish up the wheel faces using a Meg's wheel polishing cone and a blue metal polish.
I degreased the wheel wells, frame rails and suspension parts and coated them with a paint-able rubberized undercoating. These suspension parts may or may not be painted into the future.
I didn't waste much time on the rear top of the car or around the tail lights of the car because of the severity of the damage there. Something may have been spilled on that area of the car at some point in it's life because it looked as if the paint was boiled in some of those areas when it came to me.
Additionally, the primer was showing through in some areas back there as well so those areas were lightly polished just to make them shiny. I did do some quick and shoddy paint touch ups back there just to create a better look from 10 feet away.
We will most likely repaint this entire area into the future, but for now we're just living with it. I do realize the touch up paint wasn't near an exact match. Duplicolor universal black.
Here it is from 6 feet away.
Here's the area where that horrible blend mark was. It's still there but looks a lot better now, which was the intent of this entire job. To just make it look better.
Here are some general photos of how the car looks as I'm sending it out the door and calling round 1 finished. If you notice a center cap missing from one of the wheels, it's because it needed to be repainted and is sitting on the shelf in my shop as the paint dries.
When I get involved in a job like this, I charge $50 per hour across the board and however long it takes is wow long it takes. At this point I have 30 hours plus materials in this job.
Thanks for looking....TD
Working by yourself is tough enough as it concerns getting good photos of your work. Throw in all the extra responsibility of helping a loved one with their needs through an episode of bad health and it gets nearly impossible to get the work done and also make much time for photos, I've done the best I could.
I continued around the top of the car with wet sanding the lighter defects off the surface with the 3000 grit 3M Trizact disks, M105/205 some areas were served better by rotary polishing with 105 and a 3M 5 inch waffle finishing pad, followed by 205 on UltraFiber disks on my trusty HF DA polisher. (This polisher rocks!! Must have been made on a Wednesday.)
I worked all around the top of the car and then began to work on the sides of the car where I found that 205 on MF disks with the DA polisher was sufficient to produce a nice result. Remember...this paint is damaged over pretty much 100% of the car, not to mention all of the horrible prep work that was done before this car was painted last. There are areas where the Hack who painted it went from 80 grit right to paint, both by hand and DA so there's 80 grit scratches and heavy pigtails underneath the paint in different areas all over this car.
The entire car really needs to be totally dis-assembled, stripped of all it's paint, re-worked with filler and primer surfaced then repainted. Seeing what I have seen throughout this job, that would be a $20,000 undertaking and will likely never be done. Instead, the customer and I have agreed to just do the best that can be done on a scaled down budget and take it piecemeal.
There will be more work done to this car by me into the future. I explained to the owner of the car that working on such a damaged paint system is to move 7 steps forward and 5 steps back all the way through the job. Each time something is compounded or polished, all the lacquer checking and cracks/fracturing in the paint become filled with compound or polish and needs to be cleaned out before moving onto the next phase of the project. And so it went.
I used my home brew acid wheel cleaner to clean the barrels of the wheels. This step was followed by a caustic wash (Zep Ultra Purple) to neutralize the acid which is a pretty strong mixture. Then the wheel barrels are soaked with vinegar before being rinsed to neutralize the caustic soda that will leach into the aluminum alloy wheel barrels. This is all done with the wheel at a 45 degree angle to allow gravity to pull the liquids toward the back side of the wheel only. If these acidic or caustic solutions would be allowed to dwell on the un-coated face of the wheel for even a few seconds, they would destroy the finish. My objective here was just to get the years of built up brake dust off of the barrels without creating more work on the wheel faces, not to create a perfectly clean wheel barrel. If the customer wants that into the future, that'll be another job entirely.
I had a helper in to polish up the wheel faces using a Meg's wheel polishing cone and a blue metal polish.
I degreased the wheel wells, frame rails and suspension parts and coated them with a paint-able rubberized undercoating. These suspension parts may or may not be painted into the future.
I didn't waste much time on the rear top of the car or around the tail lights of the car because of the severity of the damage there. Something may have been spilled on that area of the car at some point in it's life because it looked as if the paint was boiled in some of those areas when it came to me.
Additionally, the primer was showing through in some areas back there as well so those areas were lightly polished just to make them shiny. I did do some quick and shoddy paint touch ups back there just to create a better look from 10 feet away.
We will most likely repaint this entire area into the future, but for now we're just living with it. I do realize the touch up paint wasn't near an exact match. Duplicolor universal black.
Here it is from 6 feet away.
Here's the area where that horrible blend mark was. It's still there but looks a lot better now, which was the intent of this entire job. To just make it look better.
Here are some general photos of how the car looks as I'm sending it out the door and calling round 1 finished. If you notice a center cap missing from one of the wheels, it's because it needed to be repainted and is sitting on the shelf in my shop as the paint dries.
When I get involved in a job like this, I charge $50 per hour across the board and however long it takes is wow long it takes. At this point I have 30 hours plus materials in this job.
Thanks for looking....TD
Becciasm
New member
- Jul 6, 2009
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Wow.
The expertise shown to recognize all the defects and issues with the vehicle, and how far to take it and the steps to address the issues are where you are shining here.
In no way, shape or form are your results lacking, either. not at all.
Excellent job sir.
Sent from my VS840 4G using AG Online
The expertise shown to recognize all the defects and issues with the vehicle, and how far to take it and the steps to address the issues are where you are shining here.
In no way, shape or form are your results lacking, either. not at all.
Excellent job sir.
Sent from my VS840 4G using AG Online
tuscarora dave
Active member
- Aug 21, 2009
- 5,408
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- Thread starter
- #47
Wow.
The expertise shown to recognize all the defects and issues with the vehicle, and how far to take it and the steps to address the issues are where you are shining here.
In no way, shape or form are your results lacking, either. not at all.
Excellent job sir.
Sent from my VS840 4G using AG Online
Thank you Steve.
Sometimes being a true professional is all about doing the best you can do, with what you have, knowing when too much is too much, paying attention along the way to build a list of other areas of concern that can be addressed down the line to better serve your clientele and continue your business with them.
I was quite reluctant to do this job when I first saw the car, but I know what I am capable of and I communicated my concerns about the car very clearly to the customer. The man is very level headed and knows what he wants. After voicing my concerns, letting him know that "I am great at what I do, but I am not a magician", and of course discussing the budget for the job... He was still on board where a lot of folks become a bit sticker shy and bail out.
I sure am grateful to have the work, but must say I like working on 100% healthy paint much better.
Becciasm
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- Jul 6, 2009
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:iagree: 100%
flamed03vert
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- May 24, 2011
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From what you started with it is a huge improvement. Car went from a 50 footer to a 10 footer. haha... nice work
tuscarora dave
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- Aug 21, 2009
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- #50
Thanks.
The customer was pretty shocked at the difference when he picked it up yesterday. We talked a little about how to care for it from here on out and I sent him home with a bottle of #951 Aquawax to maintain the finish without getting wax residue in the lacquer checking.
I'll probably see this car again for some interior work and some paint work around the door hinges and the top rear of the car.
sproketser
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- Aug 1, 2012
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Wow , kickass job fella !
Vegas Transplant
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- Oct 11, 2011
- 4,447
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Great thread Dave.
Excellent results.
Prayers sent for Pops.
Happy detailing...:autowash:
Excellent results.
Prayers sent for Pops.
Happy detailing...:autowash:
Kyle_Elantra
New member
- Jun 13, 2013
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I hope your father is doing okay now that the surgery is over - give me a text if you want to talk.
From seeing this car in person when you were roughly 25% done, to seeing these updated pictures where you're done with round 1...wow. The car looks amazing compared to how it was brought in.
Keep on blowing us away Dave!
From seeing this car in person when you were roughly 25% done, to seeing these updated pictures where you're done with round 1...wow. The car looks amazing compared to how it was brought in.
Keep on blowing us away Dave!
beamerstrumpet
New member
- Jun 14, 2013
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Great Job!
Was that black paint from the rattle can or did you buy the guns? Very nice turnaround. You are right, that really bad paint will need sanded all the way down and worked back up. I dont know if I would have the energy for all that! LOLOL
Was that black paint from the rattle can or did you buy the guns? Very nice turnaround. You are right, that really bad paint will need sanded all the way down and worked back up. I dont know if I would have the energy for all that! LOLOL
david11g35
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- Mar 13, 2012
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Dave,
Great turnaround. :xyxthumbs: Hope you dad gets better
Great turnaround. :xyxthumbs: Hope you dad gets better
tuscarora dave
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- Aug 21, 2009
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- #56
Thanks man..
Thanks VT.. and seriously big thanks for the prayers. Now that we got his pain meds adjusted, he's at a pain level of about 4 instead of a 9 or 10.
Thanks Kyle... Yeah he's feeling a little better now. The next few months will likely speed past for me but go ever so slow for him as he heals.
Thanks. All I used was a duplicolor brush on touchup marker. Wasn't wasting much time back there as we may be working that area into the future and re-spraying it.
Thanks. I try to put myself in his shoes but it's hard. I just do my best to make sure the pain meds and other meds are refilled as needed so there's no lapse there, make sure he's getting the right nutrition and balance serving his needs and making him do things for himself as to not enable him to get too weak from no exercise.
Kevin Cullen
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- May 25, 2012
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WOW! Life was brought back to this car when most would just walk away. I also applaud the customer for allowing you the space, time and budget to do this right. Some would want a one stage job and then wine it didn't come out as they hoped. Again awesome job Dave!
Flash Gordon
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2010
- 11,440
- 457
Incredible job Dave! I say anyone that gets closer then 6 ft away is crusin for a brusin anyway
Sorry to hear about your father. I'll pray for him
Sorry to hear about your father. I'll pray for him
tuscarora dave
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- Aug 21, 2009
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- #60
Thanks Kevin.
A small percent of the market are actually willing to pay for what it takes to have this sort of work done right. This kind of custom work is good for referrals for more classics down the road. This kind of job is exhausting both mentally and physically as you move through the job and test different processes and products to see what is going to work for all of the uncommon obstacles you come across.
A small percent of the market are actually willing to pay for what it takes to have this sort of work done right. This kind of custom work is good for referrals for more classics down the road. This kind of job is exhausting both mentally and physically as you move through the job and test different processes and products to see what is going to work for all of the uncommon obstacles you come across.