I'm looking at a couple of FCs right now and they all have rust areas that need to be addressed and I want to use them as the perfect excuse to justify respraying the entire car in F1 Blue or a similiar color.

I'm fairly experienced with removing/cutting out rusted areas and patching them up, but I've always sued the paint you get from Pep Boys since I've never had a car I really cared a whole lot for.

I know I need to get alot of plastic sheeting to enclose my garage (it's a single car, double deep, so I'm going to have to do one side at a time, flip the car around and do the other), a decent spray gun, and a compressor.

As far as compressors go, I don't need anything fancy. I don't plan on ever using it for grinding (I have a nice bench grinder already), or for pnuematic tools (maybe the occasional lug driver or air wrench), and would like to keep the cost down. What would you guys recommend?

The sprayers at Sears look pretty good to me right now. They're mid-line one is $60 and it isn't too fancy, but should get the job done.

The paint is the only thing I haven't really found. Where is a good place to buy the stuff and what kind of base should it be? I also need clearcoat and primer to go with it. I put some thought into just using higher-end spraypaint but after getting a thick enough coat on I don't know if the price difference would really be that great and how well it would turn out.

Thanks for any advice you can lend!

 

Im almost positive you will need a large compressor unless you want to stop every 30 sec to let it recharge. it needs to have the air in it to spray. i think if you buy a hvlp gun you will be able to spray longer but Im not sure.

 

You need a good compressor to have constant airflow to keep up with the gun. As far as guns you get what you pay for, the craftsman ones will work but may not be the greatest spraying guns, but for occasional use it could be done. Look in the local phone book for automotive finishes or autobody suppliers for a good paint dealer. Most dealers will sell a few brands of paint and can be very helpful with any questions you have. Also stay within one paint system, if you plan on using a PPG base use the recomended primers and clears from them. That way if there is a problem with the paint when sprayed, it will be much easier for the paint store or paint manufactuer to help you fix the problem. For a garage job you will want to get the floor slightly damp (no puddles..) with water so dust and over spray will stay on the floor. Also you will want to apply slightly more clear than normal, probaly about 3 maybe 4 coats. This is so you can sand out and rub out any imperfections in the paint.

 

One more thing, make sure you get a HVLP gravity feed gun, this will keep the overspray down as you are spraying in a garage. Also make sure you get a resporator, I've sprayed in a small area without one before and its not very fun...

 

An HVLP (high volume-low pressure) system will also use far less paint than a conventional sprayer would. But they are expensive.

You might be able to rent one from a tool rental shop, but be sure to adequately clean it before returning it or you'll get a hefty bill for cleaning it and replacing any ruined components.

Also, drain the compressor to rid it of any moisture accumulation prior to use, and do the job on a dry day when humidity is low to keep moisture out of the paint.

 

Ah, I didn't even think about the rental angle. I'll have to look into that. I might be able to borrow my father's compressor and rent the gun, that would be slick.

I recieved some pics last night of the FC I"m looking at with the highest regard right now, and the other rust spots I know I can fix pretty easy, but the one in the link below looks like a bitch. How would you recommend fixing that one? I was thinking of cutting out the infected area and using fiberglass to create some substructure, then applying bondo over it for a nice smooth surface.

 

The only way I would recomend fixing that is with new sheet metal. Anything else runs the risk of cracking. And with the amount of water and what not thrown at that area from the tire it gets pretty beat. But for a some what temporary repair the fiberglass could be used.

 

I was worried about that. I'd basically have to either pund some new sheet metal into that general shape, weld it on, or cut that section out of another FC and weld it in, right? I've never welded in my life, although I should probably learn sometime.

 

The easiest way to do that would be to get clean metal from another car. Be careful welding the sheet metal of the car, it's very easy to warp it to all hell! That will result in lots of shrinking required and some body fillers.

 

All I have to do is find a donor FC then and have the junyard slice the chunk off. Is theer any tips when I have them do that, and what kind of equipment would I need to stick that slice back on the car? My buddy at work was telling me you could use MAPP gas and one of those cheap heads you use for soldering copper pipe and you'd be fine, but that sounds hokey to me.

 

Well I MIG everything, the problem with the torch is it heats so much of the surrounding metal for so long that it will warp the panel.

 

Would that MAPP stuff actually work though? I'm a cheap *** most of the time, so that would be a good alternative. I'm scared of messing with big welding equipment anyways.

 

Ok, I've been going over a few options in my head as far as the body repair goes.

I'm think of using that expanding foam to fill in cavities like this area here:



After that stuff sets up, stuffing some chicken wire in there, laying down a chunk of fiberglass matte, and applying the fiberglass over that, then use Bondo to generate a smooth finish.

How do you think that would work? I was also going to try and use some bondo on the underside of the wire to make sure it stays put. I'm not sure how that triple expanding foam takes to humidity and if it shrinks or soaks it up.

In any case, I'm going to head out and buy some fiberglass since I"m going to need it anyways. :-D

 

Can't you just spot weld it - alternate spot welds on either end of the peice until you have a 'complete' weld, then finish as normal?

 

When using the MIG you spot weld the metal. The point with using MIG or TIG is that it will heat a small concentrated area quickly. As where welding with gas takes much more time to heat the spot to do a spot weld thus allowing for pannels to warp.