The bird has landed...

M

Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

Active member
Joined
Dec 5, 2022
Messages
51,004
Reaction score
7
The bird has landed...


watermark.php





Why it's important to inspect cars with 2 types of light
Previously I've only seen this car outside. The below pictures document WHY it's so important to inspect paint using at least 2 different types of light.

Outside the paint looked pretty black but with swirls.

Under the florescent lights you can splotchy areas all over the car where the paint is literally white with age and oxidation. About 70% of the original paint is still intact on this car.

watermark.php




Oxidation
This single stage black paint has turned white in places all around the car. Mostly places where it has not been regularly polished. The whiteness is caused by oxidation of the paint.

watermark.php




Original engine and running gear
This car is all original including the engine. Looks like it's due for a little cleaning.

watermark.php





Finding and working on cars this old, this scares and in this condition is becoming a very rare opportunity.

:)
 
Here's some pictures of the paint using a Swirl Finder Light outside in the shade...

Looks good under the shade of the AG building...

watermark.php


watermark.php



Lets throw a little light on the paint...

watermark.php


watermark.php


watermark.php


watermark.php


watermark.php


watermark.php



From experience the type of scratches you see in the pictures above AND the age of the paint makes doing any type of heavy correction a tick on the risky side.

That said, we're going to see what we can do for a special project.


Stay tuned...

:)
 
Take care of that Screamin Chicken and I know you will bring it back to the way it looked before!!

Can't wait for after pics and your process!!
 
I own 2 2002 trans ams. A ws6 & a firehawk. I have an interest in this one as well.
 
I want to see how he resolves the "risky" factor...


<TED>
 
Looking forward to see this! Love this car!
 
addysdaddy said:
also want to see how to deal with the decals
Click to expand...

:iagree::dblthumb2::iagree:

Being as you can find those "screamin' chicken" decals (and all the rest) new these days I'd rip that puppy off (and perhaps the pin striping) and start over. Notice that shot of the middle of the hood, down at the front. It's actually peeling and lifting up along the crease that runs up the middle of the hood. :eek:
 
I have always really liked these Birds. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I think GM was still using acrylic lacquer then.

They sprayed it on and then baked it under extreme heat to make it lay down flat and shine.

If I remember correctly they called it Magic Mirror Finish. They figured out a way to avoid rubbing it out and polishing it. Totally different system than the Acrylic Enamel that Ford and Chrysler baked on.

Just can't remember what year they stopped using Lacquer. I find all of this really interesting.

Anxious to see pictures!
 
Garyhw48 said:
I have always really liked these Birds. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I think GM was still using acrylic lacquer then.

They sprayed it on and then baked it under extreme heat to make it lay down flat and shine.

If I remember correctly they called it Magic Mirror Finish.
Click to expand...

I vaguely remember this too....

One thing for sure, my favorite paint of all time to polish is single stage lacquer paint. This type of paint is the real deal, that is it's real paint. Modern clearcoats are basically closer to plastic than they are single stage lacquers and enamels.

And black lacquer is number #1 when it comes to creating that deep, dark wet shine that everyone loves.

Here's a challenge, for those of you who consider yourselves pretty good at super sleuthing with Google, see if you can find some more information about the type of paint used on these cars at the factory.

Perhaps use some terms like,

Magic Mirror Finish Pontiac


:xyxthumbs:



Garyhw48 said:
Anxious to see pictures!
Click to expand...

Lacquer that can be saved never disappoints.


:)
 
cardaddy said:
Being as you can find those "screamin' chicken" decals (and all the rest) new these days I'd rip that puppy off (and perhaps the pin striping) and start over.
Click to expand...

That would ruin the originality of this car and be the exact polar opposite of the owner's wishes.


cardaddy said:
Notice that shot of the middle of the hood, down at the front. It's actually peeling and lifting up along the crease that runs up the middle of the hood.
Click to expand...


That's called normal wear-n-tear for a car that's 37 year old. Probably older than some reading this thread. Some would also call it patina, that is the the normal appearance of a survivor car.

We cleaned the engine compartment over the weekend, took pictures, have a full write-up showing how to clean the engine compartment of a Smokey and the Bandit car.

After cleaning, I planned on dressing the engine compartment and then doing a super duper job of wiping all surfaces till they were dry, that is non-sticky or non-oily.

Before doing so though I checked with Wayne Carini and he confirmed that was the correct plan of attack for an original car like this.

The value in this car is in its originality. Replacing the graphics would be a mistake. Especially since I have a couple tricks for working on antique graphics.


:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top