Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

This hasn't got the response i would like from the interior/exterior forum so ill post a link to it here... Tell me what you guys think... Any advice? Note im 17 and this is my first autobody experience... Kinda in the process of finding a good private painter so I can find out if I should strip all the paint down so it gets painted on bare metal... Note my ugly winter rims are on the car right now, im getting my summer ones sanded down and hopefully powdercoated soon...

https://www.rx7club.com/interior-exterior-audio-26/fb-mostly-paint-prepped-%2A%2Apics%2A%2A-395243/

IanS

iTrader: (4)

Looking good so far. Only thing I can say is to take your time and dont get pissed off because it isnt getting done fast enough. If it starts pissing you off, just take a break.

christaylor

No need to sand it down to bare metal, unless you're just a glutton for punishment. What you're going for is a nice smooth surface before primer. Don't worry about getting it babies-butt smooth, because you can do that with a coat of primer or two.

Of course, if there's some crappy paint on the car (shitty respray or rattlecan) you want to get all that off, so if somebody sanded it down to bare metal and then took it to Maaco I'd take it down to metal.

I'll give you my advice after spraying half a dozen RX-7's.... strip that sucker down. I don't know if you were planning on doing that or not, but take off the doors, fenders, hood, sunroof, rear hatch, taillights, rear bumper, all that jazz. Your finished product will be A THOUSAND times better if you do, trust me. You can get really crazy and do stuff like taking the door lock cylinders out and the door handles, but that's not as big a deal as just taking the door off to get the jambs and everything else. It really shouldn't take too long to do all that, and since you already have the front bumper off the fenders are a snap. I would guess it takes maybe an hour to take all of that stuff off, if that. I think I can do it in about 30 minutes now, but I've had more practice than I care to have.

Are you painting it yourself, or prepping and taking somewhere else?

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

im sanding it myself and trying to find a local shop or someone who will do it privately. Ya, it might be a good idea for me to take all that off but even take the doors off to get in the jams? Almost seems a little over the top for a paint job thats going to be the same color... But I can't wait till shes back on the road with a fresh coat of sunbeam silver

boog

there seems to be rust or something bubbling up under the paint in some spots, would i have to do anymore than just sand to metal>(please dont say i need sheet metal!!!!)

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I usually strip mine down for paint too. Anywhere you see rust. sand and sand and sand. What may look like a pinhole sized spot of rust can be quite large under the paint. It looks like the paint it bubbling on the rear fender lips, those may need a lot of work.

Any rust you find must be sanded/ground out and treated, otherwise it will come back soon. I sandblast those little stubborn spots that I can't get too with the sander.

The underside of the hood looks good, if the rest of the engine bay is as clean, my compliments.

The pic below is my current project, don't be disheartened, I've been at this one since just after Thanksgiving. The car was black, so what you see is bare metal.

ps. Next time you take the rub strips off, try a heat gun and a flexible 1 1/2" putty knife.

Snapshot

I sanded my GSL to medal by myself in 2 days. Peeled a lot first. Kind of satisfying in a weird way. Then let someone else sand blast the rust spots & fill. Its a pleasure to watch a real pro fill & smoothe a hood to perfection in an hour.

Aviator 902S

Good info here, Dan. I may know someone local who can help you with the paint. Sent you a PM.

christaylor

You'll still see a difference, trust me. But, it's not a massive deal if you're just going for a better outward appearance. I still recommend taking off the rear hatch and lights... I've never seen that stuff get left on and end up with a decent job. Taking the lights out is pretty easy, 6 nuts and two wire clips, and they're out.

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

ok another question... what about the black trim above the doors... should i do anything about this? And to get the door handles off do you need to take the door panel off? Thanks

REVHED

Yep, I'd take the trim above the doors off too. If for no other reason than the lip it sits on is often prone to rust.

You need to take the door trim off to get to the door handles. After that it's just two 12mm nuts. Or they could be 10mm.

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

is there a way you recommend to remove this trim above my doors? thanks

d0 Luck

aircraft remover does wonders on removing paint ASAP... most if not all body shops use it firsthand before sanding processes.

Aviator 902S

You're referring to the rain gutter attached to the roof above the doors, right? If so, that's something I've never done before so I can't help you there. Anybody else?

As for the trim around the widshield, definitely remove this prior to painting. 1st gen RX7s hide their rust very well until it's progressed beyond hope, and under the windshield trim is one of its favourite places to fester un-noticed. Same goes for under mirror mounts, the inside lip of the fenders and the inside surface of the bottom edges of the doors.

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

ok nevermind about the rain gutters found you can get it off easily with a flat screwdriver now i need to get the rest of the trim off from around the windshield should i just continue lightly prying with a screwdriver?

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

The trim around the windshield is held on by plastic clips, hidden underneath. I have yet to get the trim off without breaking them. VB has a kit for all of the clips. Just pry gently until the plastic underneath the trim snaps. The side pieces have a screw at the the bottom.

If you see any rust at all under the trim, then I suggest removing the windshield, otherwise the rust will just come back in a short time. If you have no experience at this, then get some experienced help or find an automotive glass shop that makes house calls. I broke 3 windshields before I finally figured out how to do it properly.

I usually remove all of the glass to paint, makes a for a higher quality job in the long run.

For the rubber window trim at the bottom of the glass, those just pull/pry out. If they show signs of cracking of drying out, they may not come out in one piece. It's best to replace them anyway, they keep water out of the door bottoms and help prevent them rusting out. VB has these also. You do need to remove the outer one for paint, if you are leaving the window glass in, you don't need to remove the inner one..

I also suggest removing the the door seal, that goes around the entire door and seals to the body. The top part around the window prys out from the track, the rest of it is held in by plastic pins. These will come out with a trim removal tool or a tack puller. Chances are they will be brittle and snap in half. If the door seals are degrading, 1AAutomotive.com has relacements for about $55 plus shipping, they are about 1/2 the price as VB.

Aviator 902S

There's actually a proper tool to do that. It's only about $10 (if that) and available at many of the auto parts stores. It's about the size (and structural rigidity) of an oil filter wrench, and you just clamp it on and pry.

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

by any chance do you know what its called? Or even better a picture of one... my local canadian tire is filled with retards that don't know anything... Thanks

Manntis

window moulding remover?

Dan_s_young

iTrader: (1)

awesome my questions just keep getting dumber and dumber, at least im making steady progress on my car... Just remove the window trim, door handles, door locks, and im pretty much ready for my fresh coat of paint... I hope it turns out nicely since this is my first autobody attempt...

Tom

^There's no dumb questions. That trim removal tool is a must have if you want to maintain the integrity of the window trim. Trust me- I found out the hard way a long time ago

Also- a trick I did with an old 75 Celica I once owned- I had ALL the trim pieces anodized black. The car was stripped and painted Porsche guards red. It turned out really nice, and no paint peel on the darn trim pieces- ever. Not necessary, but little touches can go a long way.

Edit- oh yeah, when stripping and prepping a car, a GOOD heat gun is also a wonderful tool to have around.

Pele

iTrader: (28)

How do you anodize something?

Also, what's the replacement for Sunbeam Silver? Or do I just ask for K3?

Any tips for sanding areas like the underside of the hood?

Aviator 902S

Anodizing is a process that corrosion-proofs aluminum and also gives it color. You have to take the components in to a place that does this. I have no idea what this costs.

Ditto for paint colors. A body shop could help you with color matching, and may even supply you with the required paint.

If you're sanding the under side of the hood you can access the harder-to-reach areas by simply Krazy-gluing sandpaper to both sides of a wooden "tongue depressor"/ popsicle stick.

Tom

Yup- I took mine to a shop that specialized in aluminum component manufacturing in MD (way back in the mid 80's). I think back then it cost me $75 to do all the trim, door handles, badges, hood vents- stuff like that. Turned out really nice.