65 GTO

[Thumpin455]

Its not "correct" but what on this car is? Painted the engine, added the valve covers from the 70, and had these silly T bolts laying around so I put them on it. Somewhere the alternator spacer was misplaced, its floating around here, but otherwise its getting ready to go back together and have a first start.

Sucks not being able to breathe and do much, but today and yesterday I felt a little better.

[DanStokes]

I've started a number of folks on doing body work and I find the hardest thing to teach is when to leave it alone. Difficult to know when close enough is good enough.

Instead of a guide coat I spray every other coat of primer in a different color (like light gray and dark gray). Shows up errors quickly.

Lots of great tips on here, for sure.

Dan

[mlcraven]

Gawd I hate body work, but the thing I have most of is time...

[hiroshima1320]

Most of the actual theory, you already have. Professional body men "feel" a panel for high and low spots. This takes time, and years of practice. I have found that if you cannot feel a dent with your bare hand, a regular shop rag or old t shirt between your hand and the panel helps you feel the highs and lows better. After that you have to rely on your eyes. Always use a self etching primer first, directly to bare metal, it prevents lifting, like you get with por15 it high build on bare metal. Another thing is NEVER spray real paint over anything that came out of a rattle can. It WILL lift, usually after you think you're out of the woods. If you're starting with bare metal, etch-prime it and then use a cheap high build primer. Block sand that with the longest sanding block you can find, a straight piece of wood or metal with a foam pad glued to it will work too, just make sure its perfectly straight and smooth. Work diagonally at about 45*, downward, with light pressure. Press too hard and you will stretch the metal. This goes for body work too. Sand at that angle and move up about 6 inches after every couple strokes, until you are at the edge of the panel. Reverse direction. Move down to about a 50% overlap of your last sanding pass, repeat. This should show your highs and lows. Straighten the metal to the best of your ability without causing oil can. Apply body filler as needed, with as wide a spreader as the low spot will allow. I have found that if you use a drywall taping knife it will spread your filler flatter, making less work sanding it flat. Use 36 grit paper to sand the filler before it has fully hardened, to get it into rough shape. Sand further with the 36 grit once it has fully hardened. Apply a second coat, sand with 36 grit only when its semi cured. Switch to 80 grit. Again, as long a block as possible. Sand a little, feel it, sand more, until it feels flat. Use dry guide coat, switch to 150 grit. If it looks uniform the whole time, apply finishing glaze (super thin, you're only filling pinholes and sand scratches) if not repeat adding filler and sanding as necessary. Never try to shape filler with 80 grit. If at any point you feel a line, a dip or bump with your hand or fingernail, you Will see it in the paint. After filling and glaze, a coat of high build, again cheap stuff is fine, polyester won't shrink, but requires a dedicated gun, polyurethane works, but will shrink and show scratches after a while, block it again as described before if any spots come right through the primer or you have untouched primer an bare metal on either side, back to body work and repeat. Usually another coat of primer is not enough. Don't be afraid to prime then block one panel and fix anything you missed on that panel. You can block the next while your filler is drying. Hope this helps. Other than a few tips to make it easier, the only thing you're missing is practice.

[mlcraven]

This winter put the lungs first man. BTW, by the time you pass 50 the aches and pains are old hat (trying to be encouraging here ).

[Thumpin455]

I just read this from the beginning, all I can say is Damn. I am a body man and I fix mangled cars every day and restore at least a couple dozen old cars a year and I wouldn't have touched this this thing if I was getting paid $50 an hour to do it, and charged for actual hours. I'm sure that up close, I could spot imperfections, but from your photos, it is beautiful. I would love to have a 65-66 GTO, but ones nice enough to restore are, as you know, rare. I can give you some tips and tricks on getting your body work arrow straight, if you like.

Feel free to expound upon your experience in making things arrow straight as my methods are somewhat lacking of late. Also, thank you so very much for the kind words, it means quite a lot to someone who has only been doing body work since 2006.

[hiroshima1320]

I just read this from the beginning, all I can say is Damn. I am a body man and I fix mangled cars every day and restore at least a couple dozen old cars a year and I wouldn't have touched this this thing if I was getting paid $50 an hour to do it, and charged for actual hours. I'm sure that up close, I could spot imperfections, but from your photos, it is beautiful. I would love to have a 65-66 GTO, but ones nice enough to restore are, as you know, rare. I can give you some tips and tricks on getting your body work arrow straight, if you like.

[DanStokes]

Glad the lungs are working better for you. Continued good luck on that front.

Dan

[Thumpin455]

Being super critical of my work is how I get better at it. This one was a driver from the start, and the condition it was in was too far gone to make it really nice. By seeing what it looks like after I am done painting, I can do better on the next one. I am working up to doing the 72 HO Formula, a car that deserves the best possible work. Everything before that one is practice, everything after is gravy.

I cant leave the 65 outside for two hours and not have 5 people stop and ask to buy it. Somehow they think I will let it go cheap too, but with 1800 hours of my life invested in it, if they want it they will pay dearly for it. So much so that they could go find a better one cheaper. It looks great from the highway, get closer and you see more problems. Yellow hides lots of it.

On the good side of things, the parts and tools I have been waiting for got here today. So now the glass can be secure in both doors, the engine is going to be painted, and there will be dollies under the LeMans and Mustang. Those things are freakin awesome! I need four more sets I think. Nobody around here had the metallic Pontiac paint, so I ordered it from Summit, now the engine bay can be detailed and everything hooked up. Still need to figure out exhaust, maybe I will have that done locally.

Now if I can continue to breathe better, I will get something done.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Todd, you do nice work.


You are your own worst critic - we're all the same, everyone else sees your car and thinks "nice car I'd kill to own that"; we see the run, the missed dent, or some other insignificant detail and think our own work is crap. See your car through our eyes

[Thumpin455]

Dude, do not sell yourself short...looks great...If my Fury looked half as good I would be a happy man. Put them stinking slots on it!!

Thanks. I think I could make the Fury look decent in a short amount of time, provided there are some panels for it. I would but the fronts wont clear the disc brakes. The slots will go on the LeMans instead, thinking about building it like it is 1986, but without the stupid splash graphics and teal/pink crap.

[JOES66FURY]

Either you go to crappy shows or I take really good pics that hide lots of bad stuffs... Thanks though.

Dude, do not sell yourself short...looks great...If my Fury looked half as good I would be a happy man. Put them stinking slots on it!!

[tardis454]

For what I started with, I guess I didnt do too bad.

You started with a rotted hunk of dog doo, & polished that turd into a gem Todd, you rule!!!!!! ok? YOU RULE!!!!!!!!!!

[Thumpin455]

still looks better then most of the show cars i see

Either you go to crappy shows or I take really good pics that hide lots of bad stuffs... Thanks though.

[Mater]

still looks better then most of the show cars i see