65 GTO

[DanStokes]

Looks pretty darn good to me, and I AM a sorta body man. Tip on the stripes - use Scotch Fine Line tape. I have a son who works for 3M so I know this sounds like an ad, but the stuff really does kick butt. Nice, sharp lines every time.

LOVE the yellow (or "yeller" as we say in NC). Looks almost exactly like the color of my '70 Road Runner. It looked GREAT with tinted windows.

Dan

[milner351]

Todd - Wow just wow. I just showed my wife the first and last page of this thread - she even said she would have scrapped it!
Amazing.

[Thumpin455]

Most women would have scrapped it, so its not a surprise. I am amazed someone still had it with the amount of rust it had, its doubtful anyone else would have been nuts enough to rebuild this thing and try to make it look nice. I have serious mental issues... apparently.

[Huskinhano]

Todd, looks like the panels are really straight. Your last photos after the junk in the air settle out really gives a great view of just how even the reflections are. No distortion, just nice and even. Nice work!

[SuperBuickGuy]

wow

[Bob Holmes]

Fantastic work. Wow!!

You work in about the same type of environment that I do. Do you use a hot activator in order to flash the paint fast to avoid all the crap in the air? Or, do you just spray a shit load on and take care of the bugs, nits and crap that land in the paint during the block sanding, cut and buff?

[Turbo Regal]

Your work is amazing! I just love the fact you saved this car instead of parting it out! Makes me want to learn to weld.

Just wondering: Why the flat hood and not the GTO hood?

[Thumpin455]

Both Bob, I know I will have to cut and buff it, so as long as the bugs arent very deep it isnt a problem. I wish I had a nice downdraft booth, but all I have is my shop where I do everything.

It has the flat hood because it came with one, and I havent had the $700($400-$500 for the hood+ truck freight) to get a GTO hood yet. There are a couple guys in Florida and South Carolina who have hoods they said I can have, if we find a way to get them here. So I have been looking for someone who is taking a trip or just likes to drive old sheetmetal around. If I could get a hood for it, then it would have it. It is still a budget build, which is why I bought an entire car with a decent interior instead of spending $3k on all the little things I can get off that car.

[JOES66FURY]

If there was an BS award for badassery, you would win hands down man, congrats...man, this was a major, major win!

[Thumpin455]

Thanks Joe. I just shot the second coat of clear on it, and wouldnt ya know, I got two runs in the second coat. I need more light out there if I am going to paint. It came out quite nice though, not much peel so cutting and buffing shouldnt take more than a week or so.

[DanStokes]

Todd, I sometimes spray with a trouble light in my left hand and I hold it just below the area I'm spraying. I'd like to take credit for that idea but growing up, a guy in Milford (MI, my home town) used that method regularly and I stole it from him. It's another cord to keep up with but it works really well. Just a thought.

All add my voice to the others saying that the car looks GREAT! Super job.

Dan

[Thumpin455]

I thought about doing that, but the bulbs in all my droplights are out. So I set up halogens on either end and then I get down so I can see the surface at an angle with a glare on it. Hurts quite a bit, and wears me out, but it kinda works. Tomorrow I might assemble it and push it outside to cure in the sun a bit, and check for goofs. Need to fix some of the black on the dash and engine bay, but that isnt a problem.

[DanStokes]

I've switched to CFLs and they hold up much better. I get 'em at Costco and they're pretty cheap that way - but they do skew color a bit. Also, they don't get hot, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

Either way, you're doing fine, for sure!
Dan

[Thumpin455]

That is what I use, but all three are dead. Makes me an unhappy panda.

[milner351]

Todd - the guys at work have some LED cordless work lights - I'm sure they weren't cheap - but in a situation like this - you could put one on a lanyard around your neck, or hold it in your other hand while painting.

There's never enough light it seems while painting or doing body work.

A friend mounted 4 footers on the walls about every four feet in his shop where he paints and does body work - it's insanely bright in there with the white metal walls and shiny epoxy painted gray floor - but man can you see every detail!
He spends allot of time cleaning between the sanding and painting process to keep dust under control - bodywork is just a ton of work no matter what!

I can't WAIT to see a picture of this thing out in the sun. Unreal!