NSW Corvettes

The first thread was a bit cramped so since I've had nearly a year rest I'd start a new one.

Old thread link here: http://nswcorvettes.com.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=6630

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The theme at this stage of the build is the body!

Let me just say I wish I just left it. Every where in the back end of the car was bog. The filler panel was probably more bog than panel. There were HEAPS of hairline cracks in the paint all over the rear end. I came to discover that under every one of them was - you guessed it - BOG. It's a general theme at the moment.

I've arranged for a pro fibreglass guy to do all the repairs when I'm ready. I was going to attempt them myself but I'll stick to the paint and let them do the glassing.

At the moment I'm just taking the top "several" layers off with a heat gun and paint scraper. Then giving it a 40 grit dry sand with a random orbital to get back to around where the original primer is using that as kind of a guide coat. From here I'll block sand and get it more acceptable ready for sealing (after the glass repairs) and more block sanding.

Anyway - heres a few progress pics of how it's going.

The dissmantle. Followed by the bag and tag!
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b97/submissionfighting2/16062009644small.jpg)

Nasty bog. Everywhere. Here the damn stuff has cracked! What hope did the paint have?
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/crackinrearbumperfill.jpg)

Slow progress
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/28052009631small.jpg)

Still unsure how to tackle this one:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/doorskintab.jpg)

Back area. Everywhere you see grey in this pic is where I'd picked out bog. Scarey huh.
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b97/submissionfighting2/07062009635small.jpg)

That's me with a mask, heat gun and scraper. This sh#t is toxic once you hit it with the paint gun and it doesn't take long till you realise you need to go get  the mask!
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b97/submissionfighting2/19062009649small.jpg)

That's about it for now. Tune in later for more "slow progress" pics. I generally only get a free hour or two per week for this puppy at the moment, so they may not be as quick as I'd like!

Cheers

Allan

Hey Allan, love your work. Progress looks good. Where did you source your suspension parts from? I'm going to sell a few of my other toys to spend some money on the vette. I've had it for over a year now and still have done nothing but polish it.

Hey there sting.

I bought the front and rear rebuild kits from willcox.
http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_info.php?cPath=1935&products_id=24379
http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_info.php?cPath=1930&products_id=24208

I bought the Billstien shocks from an American ebay seller (saved a heap)
Can't remember the name of the seller - sorry.

I will be getting my springs from VB&P but I've been putting them off for a while to save cash and I put te old ones back in for now.
http://www.vbandp.com/

QuoteOriginally posted by demonx
I bought the Billstien shocks from an American ebay seller (saved a heap) Can't remember the name of the seller - sorry.

Link to that seller should be in your eBay feedback history -- "feedback as buyer"

I had a look through but with no luck, it was over a year ago and between my 2 ebay ID's there is nearly 3000 feedback - so it's kinda hard to find!

I found them just by searching ebay motors and asking the sellers if they'd ship to Australia. Eventually I found one that said yes.

Here's my latest progress pic.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/19062009650small.jpg)

Oh yeah - one more point of frustration.

When I was out the shed today looking over some stuff I noticed there was a heap of fluff under where I had been storing the brand new carpet I bought for this ride.

Bloody mice had chewed through the new carpet and made themselves a nice cosy nest in the middle. Bloody rodents. Mice sh#t everywhere too.

One more thing on the list.

Demonx,
Winter is the worst time for rodents! What sort of "donk" is in your ride? RAT [BB] or MICE [SB]???

"Warfarin" is the main ingredient in "RAT" poison!!

Meesses Rule!!!! [I'm waiting Andy!!!]

Scott,
If you get your suspension package from VB&P the Bilstien's are bugger all when you get a total system rather than individual parts.

Mines a L46 - BUT I'm considering a 383 rebuild. At the moment I'm not sure what direction to take.

Demonx , let me know how you go with the 383 set up if you go that way. I'm in the same boat. Not sure about the 383 as I'm not a fan of stroker motors and hate chev inline valve set up. Maybe if I fit a pair of Clevo heads it may go better.
  I really love the look, sound and the torque of the bigblock. Had the chance to purchase a 396/402 Hi Per motor a few months back on Evilbay but passed it up. Spoke to a guy last week about some 396's but they are all truck blocks. Deck height is larger and are all peanut port heads. No good for me.

QuoteOriginally posted by demonx
Oh yeah - one more point of frustration.

When I was out the shed today looking over some stuff I noticed there was a heap of fluff under where I had been storing the brand new carpet I bought for this ride.

Bloody mice had chewed through the new carpet and made themselves a nice cosy nest in the middle. Bloody rodents. Mice sh*t everywhere too.

One more thing on the list.

 

Thats right mice will do that to other mice, whereas RATS will stick together...its a brotherhood @ the RatPack!!
Sorry I had to put that in demonx!
We sprinkle Warfarin on our toast each morning!!!

Go the 383 Demonx!!! you'll luv the power trip!!

Very Happy with my 383!!!!!;46

QuoteOriginally posted by mick
Very Happy with my 383!!!!!;46

me too ;35

QuoteOriginally posted by silver1

QuoteOriginally posted by mick
Very Happy with my 383!!!!!;46

me too ;35

Do they make motors in different sizes????????/;46

Boshey ummm....my milk comes in cartons bigger than 6.3L!!! Now 8.8L is the size to have! ;46;46;46

BIGGER ONLY COUNTS IF YOU WIN.

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b97/submissionfighting2/03072009669small.jpg)

Haven't had much time lately but I'm starting to attack the front.

Good to see some progress on your car.  Stripping the old paint doesn't look like a fun job!

Still removing paint.

Heres a pile of it!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/21072009689small.jpg)

Nice! Is it coming off ok?

QuoteOriginally posted by 69 DIRTY RAT
Nice! Is it coming off ok?

It's coming off - but damn it's a sh#tty job!

I just go out there ans spend a couple hours a week. It'll get done eventually!

Sounds like you are having as much fun with the paint as I am trying to get the right amount of end play with my new rear wheel bearings.  One is spot on, the other is way off :24

Starting to get back to bare glass. Pic taken yesterday 10/10/09
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/05012000172small.jpg)

One side nearly done. Just got to work out a good way to sand in all the little nooks and crannies - pic taken 11/10/09

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/06012000173small.jpg)

I remember that stage I feel your pain....

Re:- Sanding tight places, prepare to lose all the skin of the tips of your fingers....

Since the fibreglass guys booked into come round tomorrow for the body work I figured I better pull my thumb out and get a bit more prep done.

I dropped off a heap of small parts to be soda blasted like all the egg grills, wiper door and wiper door grill the chrome window corner pieces near the wiper door. Also the rear deck grills, petrol lid door and the headlight surrounds.

While I as there I asked them blast the wheel carrier very lightly as I didn't want to risk thinning it too much (they used garnet on this) ...

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/21102009177small.jpg)
Will get the damage (bottom of pic) glassed up tomorrow

Also got them to blast the rear filler panel while I waited. It looks like a bloody jigsaw puzzle with all the cracks and bog.

Still deciding whether to get this repaired tomorrow or if it'd be cheaper to order a brand new one. I have about 14 hours to make my mind up and I'm hoping to be asleep for at least half those!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/21102009176small.jpg)

Will post more pics when I get the soda blasted pieces back.

Hi Demonx, I have a new rear filler panel that i don't need.
Give me a call if you want it.

Warryn 0415416619

Warryn (Mr 502) - was good to chat with another forum member last night.

Thanks for the offer on the filler panel, more than fair price too, as we spoke about last night I discussed with fibreglass guy today about repairing my panel and he quoted me $130 to fix the existing panel. I may as well do that and keep the original panel. Thanks again.

Heres an action shot of the Mother and son team.

You can see in this pic the while rear seam repair. The antenna and luggage rack holes. The hole cut (they fixed it up more later on before laying mat) for the left door mirror, theres heaps more rear end work but you cannot see it in this pic.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/22102009178small.jpg)

From what I gather the family has been in the trade for pretty much forever, the son I'm guessing is around 40yo and he'd grown up in the trade. He now runs the business. I asked if he's done Vettes before and he said probably only about a dozen.

For anyone the interested in the method/tools he's been using a diamond grinder to cut and grind the holes for the patch, a strip sander (kinda like a belt sander on a wand) for other tight spots and just plain old fashioned paper for the real tight spots. Cleans back the spot with acetone and then applies the repair. Using both a paint brush or a roller (you can see her holding it in the pic) they layer in the mat and then I noticed after they have packed it in (or whatever you call it) they brush a heap of the resin mixture over the top. They're using vinylester and not polyester.

Patching where possible from both inside and outside with matting. for other repairs that don't require mat he also has a mixture which he makes himself out of their scrap fibreglass and some other stuff that he reckons they use because there's nothing better on the market so they make their own.

Will take more pics later on when more work is done.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/22102009182small.jpg)

Repairs like this one he's doing in stages. I asked him to strengthen the bumper mounts, so he's layered in a heap of mat to the inside to give it support. You can see here that he's done the inside but not working on the outside so much yet. He said he's waiting for all this to cure so he can grind it back this afternoon to do the outside repair.

I also asked him about time until it's cured enough to spray sealer onto. I mentioned to him that a vette expert (chromie) suggests three months. His reply was that the stuff is touch dry in an hour. Partially cured in 24 hours. Should be safe to seal after a couple weeks according to manufacturer specs but then he also said the longer you wait the better and it's all a matter of personal choice and everyone has a different opinion... He's going to call up the manufacturer for me and get a "correct" answer but I have a feeling I'll be waiting the months just to play it safe.

More baby steps:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/02112009196small.jpg)

Heat gun and paint scraper to take off the top layers of paint then sand back to bare glass.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/02112009197small.jpg)

A couple more body work progress pics.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/07112009198small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/07112009199small.jpg)

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045936259#msg1045936259(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/07112009199small.jpg)

So, you have patched the spot where the rear vision mirror goes? Are you intending to put a mirror on each side as I thought it was needed for a LHD car on the road?

Either way, looks like everything is coming along nicely.

Quote from: ScottSo, you have patched the spot where the rear vision mirror goes? Are you intending to put a mirror on each side as I thought it was needed for a LHD car on the road?

When I removed the crappy plastic aftermarket mirrors there was half a dozen holes underneath where bubba had fitted or made multiple attempts at fitting different mirrors.

So I had the fibreglass guy grind it back and reglass the area so i can redrill only two holes for the brand new chrome corvette mirrors I bought from Willcoxcorvette.com - they come with a template so I can get the spot perfect first shot. I even had a test run using the template and drilling the holes before I had the sections reglassed.

Hi Demonx. On my '75, with the RH mirror mounted in the standard position, I found that it couldn't be adjusted so I could see properly (LHD Car). One option was to mount the mirror further forward, but that would look a bit strange as the LH mirror was in the standard position. The other was to grind away some of the housing on the mirror stem (of my brand new mirror) to allow it to swivel a bit further. The bare metal was then painted with clear Engine Enamel to stop corrosion.
You may come across the same problem.

UPDATE:

NOT HAPPY

Was out the shed today doing something else and a odd looking mark on the windshield caught my eye.

Yep - my brand new, never been driven on the road windshield is already cracked. I am so p#issed off.

No idea how it happened. I know it was not like it when installed so I can't blame them. It's happened sometime over the last day or so - thing is no-one goes near the car except me. Nothing is stored close to it that could have fell. I'm way out of ideas. No one to blame.

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045936281#msg1045936281UPDATE:

NOT HAPPY

Was out the shed today doing something else and a odd looking mark on the windshield caught my eye.

Yep - my brand new, never been driven on the road windshield is already cracked. I am so p#issed off.

No idea how it happened. I know it was not like it when installed so I can't blame them. It's happened sometime over the last day or so - thing is no-one goes near the car except me. Nothing is stored close to it that could have fell. I'm way out of ideas. No one to blame.

What a bummer!

Is it small enough to be fixed by those windscreen crack repair guys?

Quote from: gtcIs it small enough to be fixed by those windscreen crack repair guys?

It's curved and around 15cm long. Not really repairable.

I'll leave it as is - get the damn car on the road at some stage and worry about it after that. One windshield replace in the build is enough for me let alone getting a second.

Did you have a light near it ? I had a 150w spot light above the car to see what I was doing it dropped down onto screen & put about 3 cracks in top layer of glass. Same deal noticed a mark on screen thru the dust

does the crack come from an edge ?

No lights at all -

Yes the crack comes from the lower edge in the right lower corner. I've obviously bumped it with something but no idea what/how.

Just have to get over it and keep going I guess. I'll deal with it after the cars on the road unless the engineers pick on it.

I would call the guy back out to have a look, if nothings hit the screen it could be a fault in the glass.

Does your insurance policy cover you for 1 free windscreen per year?

Quote from: Thunder Kiss link=topic=7212.msg1045936294#msg1045936294Does your insurance policy cover you for 1 free windscreen per year?

Yeah it does. Thats how I got this one. It's how I'll be getting it replaced when the cars on the road also.

Have not made an update for a while.

I've been on holidays and getting stuck into the body of this thing. Lots more sanding and paint prep.

Today I sandblasted the inside metal skin on the drivers door and shot a couple coats of PPG Epoxy sealer on the thing (just the door).

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/13012010298small.jpg)

Since I've been struggling so much to get this thing done I've decided to break down the body work into sections so I can manage them in smaller projects. I've bought all the red in one hit so as the color will be continuous over the various spray sessions, but it will be getting done part by part, panel by panel over x amount of months.

Baby steps to keep me motivated.

I would edge out all you're panels and body[paint the insides only] then fit and align all the panels then give it a final rub and paint the outer all at once.Odds are you'll chip panels while aligning them and you may even find they didn't fit as good as you first thought and you will get an even peel in the outer paint finnish.Just my opinion.:beer:

I was going to do similar process, however in reguards to the even peel comment, I'd find any peel unacceptable. I'll be rubbing the clear coat back to 2000 grit so I have zero peel!

 

Door painting process I had in mind:

Paint the inside of the door off the car up to the colour and clear coat stage  
Mask off the inside of the door & attach back onto the car
Finish the outside body work on the door skin so it lines up to the body
Remove door and paint jams etc
Paint the door skin and install later on after rest of car is painted.

It's a bit of extra stuffing around, but it means I can get into the hard to reach sport and make sure they're all taken car of.

Spent a bit of time yesterday and today messing around with the inner skin of the drivers door.

Heres a few pics:

Epoxy - 2 coats
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14012010299small.jpg)

Primer - 3 coats
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14012010300small.jpg)

I sanded the primer back with 320 and then 600 ready for color and then decided I wasn't going to be happy with the appearence of the factory seams etc, so I then used PPG A661 PE Stopper (A filler specific for fibreglass body work) to neaten up the messy factory look.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/17012010307small.jpg)

I then reprimed and sanded back to 600 before shooting the PPG Viper Red - 3 coats
The color doesnt turn out real great in this mobile phone pic. I'll have to take some more in sunlight once the paints cured
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18012010309small.jpg)

Waited an hour after the last layer of red and masked off the black section, shot 2 layers of PPG Black and 3 layers of PPG 800 clear with a mattening agent in it so the black area will have a satin look.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18012010310small.jpg)

Tomorrow I'll unmask this and tape off the black area to shoot 3 coats of 800 gloss over the red.

Looks good.  What did you end up doing at the upper rear top corners of the doors?  You know, the bit that is usually broken on a lot of C3s?

Quote from: Thunder Kiss link=topic=7212.msg1045936666#msg1045936666Looks good.  What did you end up doing at the upper rear top corners of the doors?  You know, the bit that is usually broken on a lot of C3s?

Yeah - that little tab is a common break point in C3 verts - it's a bad design caused by the weatherstrip rubbing against the door all the time. I thought about it for a while and a used a file to take it back to a neat enough point and then shaped it slightly. Hopefully when the door and the weatherstrip meet they are better friends this time.

looking good mate

Heres a couple of slightly better pics, still taken with a mobile phone though. I cant quite seem to get the phone to take a decent pic of this color! Even outside inte sunlight the clear just shone crazy and I could not get a pic of it. It'd be better on a cloudy day I think.

You can also see the replacement VIN sticker I purchased and had typed up on an old 70's typewriter. It looks exactly like the one I scraped off. I put this new sticker straight onto the base coat and squeezed it down as hard as I could (not with my fingers) then sprayed three layers of D800 clear - I hope it stays intack without a problem.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20012010316small.jpg)

This pic you can see the normal corvette red how dull it is next to the Viper Red.

You can also see how much difference there is from yesterdays pic (see a few posts back) and todays pic where the clear over the Black has cured a bit more. I was worried that I did not put enough mattening agent into the black part of the clear, but today it does look satin whereas yesterday it still looked like it has full gloss to it. Maybe it's just the full gloss is now sprayed next to it and I can see the difference?? Who knows!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20012010317small.jpg)

I know inner door pics aren't all that exciting, but if you've ever sanded one of these things back and taken the time to do body work etc, even to see a tiny bit of color is pretty exciting right now!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/21012010318small.jpg)

The curse of this Vette continues.

Today I had a Mobile Sodablasting guy come to finish off doing the parts of the body that I put in the "too hard basket" ... I've just had enough of getting all the layers of crap off so I figured I'd take the easy way out..

Anyway, he's going at it for an hour and a half and guess what - the car broke his sodablaster! ... YES ... this really happened. The car grabbed the nozzle, when he tried to wriggle it out it snapped the join where the gun screws together.

I asked him what it'll cost to buy a new one and he said you cannot get them anymore and he'll have to pay for one to be machined. I was up the house when it happened so I didnt see it where it got caught but he said it got jammed and I inspected the gun myself, he wasn't joking! It snapped in two.

Anyway - he got the rear end done for me to get working and I said I'll give him a call in a few months when I'm ready for him to come out and finish the front. He didn't charge me full price for the time he was there today and he said when I go back to him, as the job didn't get finished he won't charge me labor he'll only charge me for the soda bags used. This guy is definitely going to get my return business. I'm impressed.

Long story short - This car is evil.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/22012010320small.jpg)

On a side note - after he'd done the door jams I was able to inspect them better as there was so much built up paint and crap in there I couldn't tell what was what.

I'll have to repair all the bonding seams. I just spent the the last couple hours digging silicone out of the water drains that some knob jockey had squirted what seemeed like a tube down each side. Yeah - that was a fun job. Some people just shouldn't own cars.

Heres what they look like now:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/22012010323small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/22012010324small.jpg)

And heres a pic I saved as a reference of what I want them to look like when I'm finished:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/IMG_2950small.jpg)

That'll keep me busy for a while...

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045936684#msg1045936684He didn't charge me full price for the time he was there today and he said when I go back to him, as the job didn't get finished he won't charge me labor he'll only charge me for the soda bags used.

That guy must really like Vettes!

Your work to date is impressive. It should be a stunner when finished. Keep up the great work!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/25012010327small.jpg)

After ising a heat gun and paint scraper to get the most of the factory seam bonding crap out and then a sandblaster ta make sure I got the last of it, I have managed to redo all the seams with this panel adhesive made specific for this kind of job.

At first glance it looks just like silicone, but I can tell you that it sucks to work with. I bought a version you put in a gun and I figured thats be easy but I ended out using a paint scraper to spread it properly and even then it still looks messy as you can see from the photo.

Lucky this stuff is sandable so I can tidy up the mess ater the 24hr cure time. After that I'll be trying to tidy up the whole section more by shooting it with epoxy to seal it all, doing some light filler work to smooth it out, seal it with epoxy again and then prep the whole area for paint.

Also dissmantled the door hinges today. Will have to install new bushes as a couple of them were cracked. While I'm at it I'll also replace the pins and springs. I cannot find a place that sell the rollers though so I may have to try lube them up as they are all seized.

The curse of this damn car continues.

A while back I dropped off a heap of parts to get sodablasted. Cost me $450

The last couple weeks I've been doing all the prep work getting ready to paint them and sandblasting some other stuff.

I've probably spent about 40 hours over the last fortnight on these parts plus the $450 cost of the sodablasting plus probably $200 worth of paint etc. All down the drain.

I thought I was leaving no room for error.

Heres the process I used:

a) Completely strip surface clean of any previous coating via soda and sand blast
b) Airhose all dust away at 125psi
c) Prepsol all surfaces for double safety
d) 2 layers  PPG epoxy primer at 40psi with 15 minutes before the second coat
e) Wait an hour then 2 layers PPG prima primer at 40psi with about 20 minutes before second coat
f) Let sit over night
g) Sand all parts back to 600 grit
h) Airhose all dust away wearing nitrile gloves so as not to get body oil on surface
i) Spray first layer of PPG Deltron Red

All looked like it went perfect until I went back into the spray room for the second coat 15 minutes later and saw this:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/whatthehellcausesthis.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/whatthehellcausesthis2.jpg)

I cut through the paint witha razor blade to try find out what part of the process has destroyed my day. It appears the epoxy layer has been the downfall. No idea why as I've done test sprays using epoxy sealer and found it to be WAY better than any other I've tried and pretty much fool proof.

I am very p#issed off and have no idea what went wrong. I really dont want to have to hand sand inside those damn eggcrate grills again as that was a f**king chore.

Fourteen pieces I sprayed in this batch all are destroyed, so I cannot pinpoint exactly what has happened. I cannot see how anything could have contaminated the layers. I am completely dumbfounded right now. Common sense would tell me that there was some contaminant in between the epoxy layers - but it'd be damn near impossible.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/whatthehellcausesthis3.jpg)

What a major setback after all of that work. Given that you seem to be following strict instructions to the letter, I'm wondering what the climate conditions were at the time and if that's a factor.

you have a reaction problem with something you have used .PPG is not highly regarded amongst painters I know.

You have a U2U message.

I feel for you mate.  Nothing worse than all that prep time wasted.  Hopefully you get to the bottom of it all/

Yeah - After a phone conversation with Stewart (a nsw club member) I reckon we threw out a few ideas that chances are where contributing factors.

I just have to be a bit more careful next time on a few points I may have been not quite so strict on. EG: I was using hardner and thinner rated at 15*-25* when the temp was probably 35* ... little things like that open up all kind of doors. I've used them before on hotter days and never had the trouble but it still doesnt rule it out. The possibility of a Prepsol cleaner contamination and I'm still trying to sort out my ventilation problem as the fans are just too damn expensive.

More updates to come.

P.S. Thanks Stewart for all your help the other night. I am most greatful.

The other half mentioned to me the other night that for my birthday next month she'll spring for a set of rear bumpers for me!!!!

I did a bit of research and decided I'm better off getting the old scummy ones repaired and rechromed.

I dropped them off today at Cruiser hot rod and smash repairs. $350 for them to straighten out all the bumper mounts that are squashed from a rear end smash. Straighten and repair the dings in the bumper and then rechrome.

This is the same place that I got to rechrome the windshield corver pieces and they came back pretty good.

Heres the before pics I snapped with my mobile onthe boot of my car before I dropped them off:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/16022010402small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/16022010403small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/16022010401small.jpg)

In a week he said they'll call me and i can try fit the bumpers after they repair/restraighten the mounts just to make sure they line up on my car correctly - then I can drop them back off and they'll be chromed.

I will post aftrer pics when they're finished.

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045936838#msg1045936838I dropped them off today at Cruiser hot rod and smash repairs. $350 for them to straighten out all the bumper mounts that are squashed from a rear end smash. Straighten and repair the dings in the bumper and then rechrome.

Are they copper and nickel plating before chroming?

I'm pretty sure they do. All the prep and repair work is done at the hotrod shop and they send the pieces off to Geelong Electroplating for the chrome which is meant to be one of the best in VIC. It saves me driving down there myself and the price is still good.

A tip when doing your priming, tint each coat(gettin slighty lighter each coat) with the top coats colour( in your case red) it does 2 things for you when you get stone chips you dont notice them as much and you can also tell when you are rubbing it back how many coats you have rubbed through.This should stop you from rubbing through your primer.

More minor progress.

Got the door jams sanded and taped up waiting for a cooler (under 25*) day so I can shoot some epoxy, then use a bit of filler to smooth out the lines a fraction more in the inner door jam, then spray primer, base & clear.

Will be glad to see something else in color other than the damn door inners! After these jams are painted I'll have to remount the doors on the freshly rebuilt hinges (once the damn bushes and springs arrive) and then I can start a bit more body work.

Still looking for a decent rear filler panel. At this stage side pipe or stock is an option.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/21022010431small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/21022010432small.jpg)

Two updates for today:

1) Unfortunately I'm going through a fair financial struggle at the moment so I've had to sell the American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels I had custom made for my vette in the USA. I took a deposit on them last week and they are getting collected at some stage today. The new owner is from somewhere in Sydney I believe - no idea if they are a NSW member. Either way - these wheels and tires are as new since they've only been driven around the block twice - anyone following this thread will know this cars not been doing much driving!!!

I really didn't want to sell them and I'm kinda sad about this but such is life.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/29August2008021small.jpg)



2) Today is the perfect temp to spray so I went out to the shed - I was getting ready to spend the day spraying the door jams and some other things.

I mixed this first lot of epoxy I noticed there was a swirl I could not manage to stir in, I watched it start to move around on the surface and it looked like chemicals seperating (like oil and water for eg) - this is what it looked like after a minute or so.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/28022010438small.jpg)

I'm wondering all this crap I went through with the paint blister failure (last time I painted it p#issed me off so much I've had a break till now) that it was this seperation/contamination of sorts and I never noticed it last time when mixing.

This narrows it down to either the epoxy, hardner or thinner. I seriously doubt its the thinner. I inspected the hardner lid and it had a build up of crap dried around the seal. Even though I believe it was sealed correctly it's possible that it may not have been. Also this tin of epoxy was the same tin that failed on me last time. So I'm down to these two things.

So much for finally getting motivated to spend the day in the shed spraying. Now I have to get my hands on some more hardener and epoxy (being sunday rules it out for today) and do some trial and error test samples to assess where the actual contamination is.

I did see your wheels on ebay. Shame you had to pass them on.  At least you caught the paint before you sprated it this time.  Would have been devastating to have another batch go crinkly.

I just had a hour and a bit private lesson from a PPG rep.

Yeah - blew my mind.

Cause I had the paint blistering and the paint shop contacted PPG about it since I described I was following procedure correctly, I had a PPG rep from Melbourne (2 hours drive from my house) call me and make an appointment to come and check out the way I'm shooting their products and try to work out where I'm going wrong and inspect my spraying environment.

I figured it was a whole thing where they send out a rep to rip shreds through me and say it's my fault not PPG's - however it turned out to be quite the opposite.

This guy asked a million questions on my procedure
He inspected and disected my blistered parts with a razor blade

It was at this stage he told me he believed that the base color was sprayed too early and the epoxy had not had time to cure properly. I informed him I had waited 24 hours between primer and basecoat - he said sometimes you cannot go by the sheet especially when I'm not spraying in a booth etc

He then used a elecronic micron guage and apparently my 2 coats of epoxy and 2 coats of primer in the "hard to spray"parts reached up to 800 microns.

THEN: because they were way too thick he wanted to assess my prep, setup and spraying technique.

We went through all that - he told me I am "extremely finnicky" when it comes to the measurements and all that part is perfect HOWEVER when it came to spraying technique and air pressure I had a problem.

I've always set my guns at the idle pressure rather than active pressure. I've never been told or taught otherwise. So when he went to spray with my gun and setup he told me the pressure is WAY too low and we went through all of that with his fancy guages etc, THEN after all that he continued to give me a detailed spraying lesson. He even asked if he could demonstrate on my eggcrate grills and taught me how to get to the VERY difficult parts correctly (very different than the way I tackled it) and gave heaps of other tips and pointers.

I've been spraying for years - but nothing can beat having a grey haired old man who seems to have been painting since he graffitied the inside of his mothers womb give you a few pointers from his years of experience. It's all that "real world" paint shop experiance that blows away my "read it on the net and had a go at it" experience.

Anyway - long story short - Aparently there is nothing wrong with my hardner or epoxy, apparently those swirls and the weird looking photo I posted are normal for that product (got me f**ked) and I have a whole heap of new info floating around in my head to work on to try get a better spray job.

PPG tech support is the BEST I have EVER encountered.

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045936921#msg1045936921PPG tech support is the BEST I have EVER encountered.

Impressive support indeed, given that you aren't a big commercial customer of theirs.

Hopefully all of the tips get you sorted going forward.

Quote from: gtcImpressive support indeed, given that you aren't a big commercial customer of theirs.

He actually mentioned while he was here he gets more satisfaction helping people like myself that are doing this for the love of it, rather than those just pumping out fast commercial crap jobs.

Hi

I noticed in part one of this thread you have coated headers fitted to your vette and you said they fitted better than your old ones.

What brand are they. ?

I am looking at some Hooker ones at present for my 71 SB.

Regards

Craig

Quote from: craigh link=topic=7212.msg1045936944#msg1045936944Hi

I noticed in part one of this thread you have coated headers fitted to your vette and you said they fitted better than your old ones.

What brand are they. ?

I am looking at some Hooker ones at present for my 71 SB.

Regards

Craig

Sorry - you must have confused my car with somone elses. The Headers on my car are rusted out and I'll prob cut them up and throw them in the recycle! They appear beyond repair.

I did have a set of chrome Hooker side pipes for my car however I hit some hard times and had to sell a lot of the parts I was not using yet - so they are gone.

I have been reading so much recently must have got my wires crossed.

Question re the wheels you just sold.

Were they 17" or 18" and did you notice much change in drive quality when you changed from the original 15"s

Try this one craigh  

http://nswcorvettes.com.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=6964&page=2#pid1045936922

Quote from: Scott - "My Black Vette Thread" link=topic=6964.msg1045936712#msg1045936712The other job done was installing the ceramic coated headers.

(http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l238/S_c_o_t_t_W/sml5.jpg)

The first side went on fine.  The second side was a bit of a pain.  I had to remove the oil dipstick and tube to get the header in place, then knock it back in when I was finished.  

The new pipes look much better than the old ones, and as a bonus, they don't hit the firewall :hammer: unlike the ones that were on there...

I'll have to try modify the exhaust a little to fit the new headers now.  And replace the cut fuel lines.

Thanks.....that was it.

Quote from: craighQuestion re the wheels you just sold.

Were they 17" or 18" and did you notice much change in drive quality when you changed from the original 15"s

They were 18 X 8 Torq Thrust II with 245/45/18 rubber.

I cannot answer about how they drove as my car is not on the road and the wheels only ever took two short trips around the block while I was bleeding out the brakes.

Apart from that and reversing in and out of the shed I've never driven this car and thats always been on the old rallies with dryrot tires. It's rather depressing to have a car sitting there for years and not drive it!

I have heard and read however that going up to 17's or 18's makes for much better handling.

Been a while since I posted.

My thoughts have since changed on SODA BLASTING...

Here in this first shot you can see after I sealed the fibreglass with epoxy that its completely f**cked... Pitted and looks like elephant skin.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14032010475small.jpg)

When it was in bare fibreglass you cannot see how bad it is until its covered in something. Everywhere in the door jams was like this as the guy must have "over" blasted the area trying to be throrough and not knowing the mess he was making.

Lots of sanding - then using PPG filler (especially for fibreglass) and then lots more sanding I had this:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14032010477small.jpg)

After respraying the epoxy (it has to be covered by itself if not covered with aomething else within 8hrs) I then shot some PPG prima primer, scuffed that back with 600 grit and today I shot some base and clear.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/23032010503small.jpg)

This area I spent a hell of a lot of time on as from the factory it is mega ugly and mine was completely screwed up and filled with silicone and filler and all sorts of crap (previous posts might explain my hassles)

Anyway - I reckon I got it close to the pic I posted early as my "inspiration" pic.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/23032010505small.jpg)

I've finished rebuilding the hinges as the new pins, bushes and springs arrived the other day. They look pretty good, just have to hunt down some lithium grease on my way to work this arvo so I can lube up the rollers before bolting them back onto the car.

Nothing exciting to report, just some more slow progress pics.

Inside the rear compartment sprayed with epoxy - in an hour or so I'll spray the primer over it. Then over the long weekend I'll get some red onto the hinges and into the rear astro vent ducts and then satin black around the upper edge of the compartment and an all the metal sections then sound deadner (Kahguard - first time I've used it) around the rest of the rear compartment.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/01042010522small.jpg)

And a shot of my extra lighting to help see into the dark corners!
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/01042010523small.jpg)  

In primer:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/01042010532small.jpg)

New Chrome arrived!

not the best pic - I tried a few angles but could not get a good photo with my mobile. Considering the condition I handed them over in I reckon they came back pretty damn good!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/01042010529small.jpg)

Bare minimum painting today. Just needed to get some red on the hinges so i can let them dry overnight and mask them off tomorrow to paint the black around them.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/02042010534small.jpg)

Finished off the rear compartment this weekend.

All the metal parts were sprayed with black and cleared with satin. Then I masked off all those parts and sprayed the rest with Kahguard. First time I've used it and I was quite impressed.

Looks much better in person than in the pics. It's a shame I have to cover it all up!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/05042010554small.jpg)

I went a bit further back than factory on the hinge colour, but in my opinion having the black part way up then colour just doesnt look right so I took the red all the way back to the hinge.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/05042010560small.jpg)

Been a while since I posted.

I've had a fair rest from the old beast and it's time I got stuck back into it, especially after seeing some of the other awesome work guys are doing on the forums... Makes me feel lazy!

A couple weeks ago I spent a weekend reshaping the rear taillight surrounds and the rear spoiler and trying to finish off the body work there.

Also Been working on the rear filler panel gaps. Thought I was finished but bit more work to be done.

Heres a coule pics of one of the door gaps (they were pretty bad) and I'm happy with the end result. Only gotta do that three more times!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18072010655small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18072010657small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18072010660small.jpg)

Looking great demonx, any pic's of the rear :pepper:

Quote from: 72vet link=topic=7212.msg1045937565#msg1045937565Looking great demonx, any pic's of the rear :pepper:

I did take some - I'll have a look and upload them tomorrow if I remember.

Is there a 'before' pic of the door gaps?  Looks pretty right now.  

I too have been slack of late.  It's a little too cold out in the shed at night, so I have been using that as an excuse :mmm:

Quote from: Scott link=topic=7212.msg1045937572#msg1045937572Is there a 'before' pic of the door gaps?  Looks pretty right now.  

I've just been loking through my pics and I wish I did take before pics of the gaps. They are pretty good at the front of the door but the rear of the doors were shocking. The doors were twisted and it took my brother and myself quite a while to twist them back as straight as we could get them.

This is the best pic I could find and it really hides how bad they were!
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/06012000173small-1.jpg)

The below pic is the only one I could find that showed the rear end in full epoxy. A lot of work has been done since this pic though. I should be taking more pics of all this stuff. When I get out thee and start working pics are the last thing on my mind considering how hard it is to motivate myself to get out there in the first place!
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/29052010639small.jpg)

The rear filler panel and the edge where it mount had pretty big gaps (I filmed a video clip of it and will try to upload it to youtube) ... You can see in this pic where I've fiberglassed a patch to the inside of the guard and then I've done the same to the filler panel to make up the gap.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/26042010616small.jpg)

This is the same PPG filler I used on the door gaps and the rear end. Its especially for fibreglass. After I rubbed it all back I spent ages sculpting the gap space and shape but I forgot to take pics after I finished! I'll try to remember next time I'm out there! I'm pretty happy with the end result except need a small bit of work on the right hand edge still where the fibreglass patches are.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18042010584small.jpg)

Not sure if this embedded file will work, but it's a short clip of the shockingly bad filler panel gap prior to repair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr554FQJb7U



I also put a couple other video clips on youtube as well. Will be taking more from now on.

Spent a heap more time on the rear end today fixing up some sloppy work I'd done. I'm still not happy with it and need to go back later and do a few tiny things.

It's a real pain in the butt trying to get the lines back into the rear taillight surrounds. When I started it was all cracked bog that I had to remove with a heat gun. I prob should have just bought a new rear end and glassed it in! Would've been so much quicker/easier.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/22072010664small.jpg)

Your doing some nice work there demonx!

Over the last couple weekends I've got my butt out there again trying to finish off the door gaps and some other little marks on the rear quarters.

This time I took a couple of "before pics".

Even though the doors were lines up the best I could so the biggest percentage of the door was inline, the top line was out by a mill or two. You can see in this first pic.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20082010684small.jpg)

Also even though the majority of the door gap was good you can see in this pic the edge needed just a little bot of help.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20082010682small.jpg)

After sanding it back with 80 grit so theres something for the PPG fibreglass filler to grap onto I spread a generous amount across the area.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20082010686small.jpg)

Then block sand it back to this:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20082010689small.jpg)

The fronts didn't really need doing, but I figured I'd give them the same treatment just in case there was anything not quite visable to the eye.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/29082010692small.jpg)

You can see in this pic the fronts were no-where near as bad as the rear.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/20082010681small.jpg)

Just hitting a few spots that need some extra attention before the whole area gets a spray with thick primer which I'll block back.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/29082010693small.jpg)

When I was doing the rear quarter panels I noticed a bit in the back that I'd forgotten to go back and finish. It was a section where the fibreglass had gone brittle, so instead of bogging over it I grinded it out and made a fibreglass patch.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/30082010694small.jpg)

Ok, so I finished all the body work on the rear end.

Yesterday I block sanded the complete rear from door to door, sprayed a layer of epoxy (to help adhesion) and then left it for an hour or so before spraying a couple coats of poly filler.

Well - here is were I ran into some trouble. I had read and re read the tech sheet for the P.E Filler spray. It said 30 to 45 psi with  a tip size of 2.0 to 2.5

So I mix up a full tin of the P.E. spray as most high b fill products I've used before have a very crappy coverage ratio, so I figured I'd use a full tin easily, then while that's activating I build up my gun with a 2.5 tip and give it a test spray. Seems fine for a sec and then I realise this stuff cannot get through the 2.5 tip, I needed something bigger. Made a rush phone call to my brother and the biggest tip he had was also 2.5, but he had a 3.5 needle but no cap or tip to match it.

Heres where we got dodgy! We got a old scrappy tip, drilled it out to 3.25 then drilled a old crappy cap out to 3.5 and gave a test spray with water. Seemed to seal, seemed to make a fan.

So I rush home and spray the back end of the car with the dodgiest spray gun ever. If you think you've seen bad spray jobs you ain't seen nothing! This gun was splattering like crazy but I managed to lay out two thick coats ready for a guide coat and to block right back ready for primer and color. Wont be too long now.

Heres the P.E. Polyester spray. It's a PPG product (not a primer) that I'm using as a high fill instead of using a high fill primer. This way I can block the crap out of it and not have a crappy high build primer on my car. This will be guide coated and blocked, then sprayed with a prima primer. Yes it's more layers and more work, but it's the process that PPG tech department recommend for a Corvette.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/12092010723small.jpg)

Heres a heavier than normal guide coat layer. It's some cheap 2k that I picked up 4lt of for next to nothing as the color was mixed wrong, so I can waste it and not feel the pinch in the wallet! Since the Orange is a nice contrast to any primer colors it's perfect for me to spray on a full layer and use it as a guide coat for my final block sand. For anyone that doesn't know what a guide coat is, you spray a color over your primer before you block sand and anywhere that you see color left you know it's not sanded properly yet which helps you to eliminate grooves and pits and all sorts of things that you don't notice and that will look horrible once the color and clear is on the car... Normally it's just a mist of color, but sometimes if it's just a mist you can still miss areas and since a corvette has so many curves and since I've done so much fibreglass repair work, I don't mind using a full coverage for a guide coat just to be sure I get everything as smooth as I can.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14092010729small.jpg)

I bet you were just excited about spraying colour, even if it was the wrong colour. Good to see work progressing :)

Quote from: Scott link=topic=7212.msg1045937827#msg1045937827I bet you were just excited about spraying colour, even if it was the wrong colour. Good to see work progressing :)

Yeah - till I found out yesterday that this particular orange cloggs up sandpaper more than any paint I've ever encountered! Won't be spraying a thick coat of that again.

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937828#msg1045937828

Quote from: Scott link=topic=7212.msg1045937827#msg1045937827I bet you were just excited about spraying colour, even if it was the wrong colour. Good to see work progressing :)

Yeah - till I found out yesterday that this particular orange cloggs up sandpaper more than any paint I've ever encountered! Won't be spraying a thick coat of that again.

Bummer!:mad::mad::mad::mad:

In another turn of events:

I'm getting closer to pulling the motor, I've been thinking of taking Dirty Rats advice and turning this thing into a rat rather than a mouse. I called an engineer this morning and the largest donk he'll ticket me for is a 502ci. Must be fate as I was actually thinking of a 502 before I called him.

At the moment it's a L46 with a M21 muncie 4 speed.

Im thinking of:

502 with a 4 speed semi auto (ie a auto that is full manual shift)

With the 502 I'd have to change the hood so I'd prob be looking at a L88 long hood and do away with the wiper door and grill.

I've never though about semi auto's before but the HQ ute I recently bought has a 350 chev with a full manual powerglide and it's damn fun to drive but a couple more gears would be great!

I still have several months till decision time but thats where I'm sitting at the moment..

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937831#msg1045937831Im thinking of:

502 with a 4 speed semi auto (ie a auto that is full manual shift)

With the 502 I'd have to change the hood so I'd prob be looking at a L88 long hood and do away with the wiper door and grill.

So, you're no longer broke! :wink:

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937831#msg1045937831With the 502 I'd have to change the hood so I'd prob be looking at a L88 long hood and do away with the wiper door and grill.

I've never though about semi auto's before but the HQ ute I recently bought has a 350 chev with a full manual powerglide and it's damn fun to drive but a couple more gears would be great!

I still have several months till decision time but thats where I'm sitting at the moment..

Ah! The age old delima of where do I stop comes to mind.... if it wasn't for the money I'be be going for a 454 crate motor straight out of the states....:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

Quote from: gtc link=topic=7212.msg1045937832#msg1045937832So, you're no longer broke! :wink:

Hahahah-  on the contrary - I'm very broke - but I'm working 40hrs a week again until xmas so things are picking up and the financial pressure I was in a month or so ago has lifted for now...  I've also been selling some non car related things I had as part of a collection to pay off my credit card debt etc so the car is back on the go.

Quote from: Jethro link=topic=7212.msg1045937833#msg1045937833Ah! The age old delima of where do I stop comes to mind.... if it wasn't for the money I'be be going for a 454 crate motor straight out of the states....:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

Yeah - I decided that if I'm going to keep this thing then I should do it right and do it properly so I don't have to get another one.

I know myself well enough that if I left it stock then I would have to get another one and big block it etc etc - so why not just do it to this car. As long as everything is reversable then it's no big deal and I can return it to stock if needed.

Nah,

Life's to short buddy built it to what you want now!:pepper::pepper::pepper:

:cough: turbo small block :cough:
:drag:

My plan down the track is to fuel inject the small block for reliability and economy when cruising.  The more driveable it is, the more I'll enjoy driving it.  Then when the foot does go down... :smirk: the fun begins.

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937831#msg1045937831In another turn of events:

I'm getting closer to pulling the motor, I've been thinking of taking Dirty Rats advice and turning this thing into a rat rather than a mouse. I called an engineer this morning and the largest donk he'll ticket me for is a 502ci. Must be fate as I was actually thinking of a 502 before I called him.

At the moment it's a L46 with a M21 muncie 4 speed.

Im thinking of:

502 with a 4 speed semi auto (ie a auto that is full manual shift)

With the 502 I'd have to change the hood so I'd prob be looking at a L88 long hood and do away with the wiper door and grill.

I've never though about semi auto's before but the HQ ute I recently bought has a 350 chev with a full manual powerglide and it's damn fun to drive but a couple more gears would be great!

I still have several months till decision time but thats where I'm sitting at the moment..

Its about time you listen to me!!!!!:rol:

Hey as long as the big block is a low deck 9.8in it will fit! anywhere from the humble 396 up to The biggest you can go is 598cubes!!! 502 gm engines are good for there reliability and decent hp for your buck but check out Shaffiroff engines  http://www.ultrastreet.net/bigblock.asp they are good value and use good quality parts! About 10k US for a 625hp 540cuber! by the time you get it here plus postage it lands for about $12k ozzy!!!!

Quote from: 69 DIRTY RAT link=topic=7212.msg1045937868#msg1045937868About 10k US for a 625hp 540cuber! by the time you get it here plus postage it lands for about $12k ozzy!!!!

I spoke to an engineer the other day and he said the biggest I could legally fit is a 502 - maybe different laws for different states??

I was looking at the Sharifoff site and also some other crate engine sites. I'm considering a ZZ502 crate motor. Can get one from the states for about US$7k + post + tax. Should be a bit under AU$10k landed.

I'm still a while away from that stage so I have plenty of time to research and plenty of time to hear suggestions!

Dont forget a 540 is exactly the same external dimensions as a 502, 454, 396 so who would know? You just put 454 stickers on the aircleaner. I had an engineer certify my engine. I know you dont want a small block but what about a 454 small block, they are still pushing some big horsepower!

This is what I'm looking at. It should squeeze in under a modified L88 hood (risen a couple inches). It's fuel injected 502 crate motor that I can run with the stock corvette driveline and then make driveline changes down the track.

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/RamJet-502-Crate-Engine-PFI-with-Aluminum-Heads-12499121-P8C54.aspx
(http://www.ajgeneral.com/my_files/images/Ram_Jet_502_Crate_Engine.jpg)

There's a few youtube videos if you search "502 Ram Jet" - straight from the crate it looks and sounds great. I'd prob swap the valve covers for some red ones


Heres a Camaro here with the same crate motor and it fits under the hood nicely
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96QB7VLnZ0o

(http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/nal-25534374_w.jpg)

You may be able to turn the intake around and suck air from the back of the L88 hood?

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937871#msg1045937871This is what I'm looking at. It should squeeze in under a modified L88 hood (risen a couple inches). It's fuel injected 502 crate motor that I can run with the stock corvette driveline and then make driveline changes down the track.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wouldn't even consider buliding a motor, would ya? Just can't see why he's be runing a belt driven fan instead of thermo's?

I've had it suggested to me buy someone who owns this motor that rather than buying the 502 Ram Jet - I buy it minus the mefi and install a better aftermarket one as the stock one is not that great.

Time to do some efi learning.

Hi Demonx, good to see some progress.
I like the look of this (http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=FS&Category_Code=EFISystemEZIEFI) EFI set-up.  Maybe not as good as a Ram Jet EFI but it allows the use of a standard air cleaner.

(http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/_miva/graphics/00000002/efisystems_main.jpg)

Quote from: Thunder Kiss link=topic=7212.msg1045937880#msg1045937880Hi Demonx, good to see some progress.
I like the look of this (http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=FS&Category_Code=EFISystemEZIEFI) EFI set-up.  Maybe not as good as a Ram Jet EFI but it allows the use of a standard air cleaner.

I like the look or the ram. Not sure why but it just screams out loud to me!

Heres one called an Alien intake sitting on a 502 crate motor - looks awesome but I cannot find a price for the kit. I've emailed the company.
(http://img.youtube.com/vi/3quioPZ91Bo/0.jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH7loBSN_Jc

Well - it's in primer as of today. Used PPG Prima primer. Two full coats.

After spending the last week or so making sure every tiny little nook and cranny was perfect, I managed to lay a crap couple layers of primer that came complete with two large runs which I'll have to take care to sand out when it gets hit with the 600 grit.

Well done.  I bet you are getting excited now.

That's real progress.

Heres a youtube walk around at the primer stage.

I did find a few pin holes I somehow missed so I'll have to fix those tomorrow.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gxkiiijax4

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937897#msg1045937897Heres a youtube walk around at the primer stage.

I did find a few pin holes I somehow missed so I'll have to fix those tomorrow.

Can't wait to see some colour on it  :pepper::pepper::pepper:

Quote from: JethroCan't wait to see some colour on it  :pepper::pepper::pepper:

I was hoping this weekend but I just spent the day sanding till my fingertips bled. Whole rear is 320 sanded and I had to shoot a few spots with primer where I filled the pinholes I missed. I was going to go straight 600 grit but as I had a few big runs in the primer I decided to 320 as I'd never get them out going straight to 600.

The battle plan:

1) Tomorrow - 600grit.
2) Through the week - pull the masking paper etc as it's full of dust
3) Clean the floor and get as much dust out from around the car as I can
4) Remask with fresh tape
5) The fun part - red and clear

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937899#msg1045937899

Quote from: JethroCan't wait to see some colour on it  :pepper::pepper::pepper:

I was hoping this weekend but I just spent the day sanding till my fingertips bled. Whole rear is 320 sanded and I had to shoot a few spots with primer where I filled the pinholes I missed. I was going to go straight 600 grit but as I had a few big runs in the primer I decided to 320 as I'd never get them out going straight to 600.

The battle plan:

1) Tomorrow - 600grit.
2) Through the week - pull the masking paper etc as it's full of dust
3) Clean the floor and get as much dust out from around the car as I can
4) Remask with fresh tape
5) The fun part - red and clear

Hey not you late to change ya mind and spray it YLLA:bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana:

Quote from: JethroHey not you late to change ya mind and spray it YLLA:bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana:

I have thought about swapping to black but I've already bought all the paint and it's too expensive to not use! I'll just have to buy another vette down the track and paint it black!

As much as most people think Black is a cool color, it is the worst to maintain and shows every swirl, mark and blemish.
Oh, and it collects dust like you wouldn't believe......
Too many black (and red) cars out there already. You already have the red so use that but next time choose something different like "steel cities gray" or "jetstream blue"

Have a look at the Aston Martin pallette, they have some very nice colors that can be subtle but still "jump"

Quote from: RHD.68.l89 link=topic=7212.msg1045937902#msg1045937902As much as most people think Black is a cool color, it is the worst to maintain and shows every swirl, mark and blemish.
Oh, and it collects dust like you wouldn't believe......
Too many black (and red) cars out there already. You already have the red so use that but next time choose something different like "steel cities gray" or "jetstream blue"

Your right about Black being a pain in that backside to maintain, but I love the look of it on me Commy!(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii43/jetrhottracey/Stuff/P1010001.jpg):luv::luv::luv::luv:

I've had two black cars and I would not think twice of having another. In fact when the vette's finished (one day) I'll be cutting the rust from my HQ ute and painting that black.

As far as there being too many Red cars - yeah - but mine will be Viper Red! It'll stand out in the crowd!

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937905#msg1045937905I've had two black cars and I would not think twice of having another. In fact when the vette's finished (one day) I'll be cutting the rust from my HQ ute and painting that black.

As far as there being too many Red cars - yeah - but mine will be Viper Red! It'll stand out in the crowd!

I'm sure it will buddy, can't wait to see the colour on it:pepper::pepper:

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....black:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool: oh and a smiggen of off white:drag::drag::drag::drag::drag::rol::rol::rol:

Quote from: 69 DIRTY RAT link=topic=7212.msg1045937907#msg1045937907mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....black oh and a smiggen of off white

Yeah, like this:

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R_1Uvm2d4uQ/SwbaXZef6EI/AAAAAAAAAls/kCg9oLn1yQI/s1600/skunk-in-grass-800x600.jpg)

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :pat: :beer:

Quote from: gtc link=topic=7212.msg1045937909#msg1045937909

Quote from: 69 DIRTY RAT link=topic=7212.msg1045937907#msg1045937907mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....black oh and a smiggen of off white

Yeah, like this:

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R_1Uvm2d4uQ/SwbaXZef6EI/AAAAAAAAAls/kCg9oLn1yQI/s1600/skunk-in-grass-800x600.jpg)

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :pat: :beer:

:rol::rol::rol::rol::rol::rol::rol::rol::rol::rol::rol:

Yes Im STINKIN FAST!!!!!!!

Hopefully next time I post pics this thing will have red on it, but the update for now is I've been slack and taken a week off, however today I have finished fixing up a few pinholes I missed and the rear is 600 sanded! Time to clean the shed, remask and shoot color.

This pic is my second attempt to fill the pinholes here and this time it was successful.
First time I rubbed it back and used filler but for some reason when I sanded it back there were still some pinholes, so this time I mixed up a small amount of primer and used only a tiny bit of thinner so it'd stay reasonably think like high fill. I dabbed the primer into the pinholes and let it cure for a couple hours before sanding back and this time they're gone for good.

Much easier than messing around with filler and it means I don't have to respray primer over the top again as it's the same thing.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/10102010757small.jpg)

http://tinyurl.com/2fy6q5z

After 2 Coats of clear... 2 more to go. It's flashing off between coats as I type.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/11102010761small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/11102010764small.jpg)

I was thinking of being lazy and not sand/cut & polishing the clear, but my first coat of clear I got a run thats about 8" long, so now I have no choice. For my second coat I bumped up the air pressure a tiny bit to help eliminate any more runs.

And 4 coats of clear:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/11102010773small.jpg)

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937951#msg1045937951(I tried to add a youtube box, but the forums spellcheck eliminates any swearwords and the random code given to my video by youtube starts with the letters s h i t !!! Great, they're evaluating my car for me before it's even finished!

LOL!

Here's the YouTube link using a tinyurl:

http://tinyurl.com/2fy6q5z

QuoteAfter 2 Coats of clear... 2 more to go. It's flashing off between coats as I type.

You're in the home straight now.  :pepper:

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045937952#msg1045937952And 4 coats of clear:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/11102010773small.jpg)

WHHOOOOOWHHHOOOOOOO!!:luv::luv::luv::luv:

looking good:bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana:

Had a bit of a drama last night (cause everything else always goes perfect!)

I started to cut the clear back to 2000 to get rid of the peel and the run that I had in the clear. Turns out the run had etched itself into the red base coat so I had to rub back into the color. Not happy.

Last night I tried to do a blend in by just sanding back the surrounding surface and spraying new base and clear but when I inspected this morning I wsn't happy with the outcome, so this time I'm trying the same thing but with a bit of primer underneath to help match the rest of the panel.

I'm hoping this time it'll work and be invisable so I wont have to restrip the whole quarterand start again.

The initail rub to remove the drip etching
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/15102010783small.jpg)

This is the second attempt - this time masked off for primer overspray (will unmask for the color and clear and blend them out then cut it back to 2000 to match the rest of the panel )
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/16102010784small.jpg)

Primer under a heat lamp
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/16102010786small.jpg)

Hopefully I'll be able to sand this patch in a few hours and get the color on. Fingers crossed!

Tried and failed twice now. It's still noticable - just.

Going to have to sand back and respray the whole panel.

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045938006#msg1045938006Tried and failed twice now. It's still noticable - just.

Going to have to sand back and respray the whole panel.[/rquote

Bummer!:grr::grr::grr::grr:

Had another crack at it today - it looks better. My heat lamp blew both globes so its hard to see in the shed light if I actually fixed it this time or not. I can kinda just so very slightly see an outline but I'm hoping it's not going to be highlighted with the clear (wishful thinking as clear highlights everything)

This is the primer section before I rubbed it back. I was meant to blend in the edges but I got a bit trigger happy.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/16102010787small.jpg)


This is the best I can get it without respraying the whole lot. For now it'll have to do as this is the third time I've had a go at fixing it.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/17102010790small.jpg)

looks good:pepper::pepper::pepper:

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045936665#msg1045936665Spent a bit of time yesterday and today messing around with the inner skin of the drivers door.

Heres a few pics:

Epoxy - 2 coats
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14012010299small.jpg)

Primer - 3 coats
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14012010300small.jpg)

I sanded the primer back with 320 and then 600 ready for color and then decided I wasn't going to be happy with the appearence of the factory seams etc, so I then used PPG A661 PE Stopper (A filler specific for fibreglass body work) to neaten up the messy factory look.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/17012010307small.jpg)

I then reprimed and sanded back to 600 before shooting the PPG Viper Red - 3 coats
The color doesnt turn out real great in this mobile phone pic. I'll have to take some more in sunlight once the paints cured
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18012010309small.jpg)

Waited an hour after the last layer of red and masked off the black section, shot 2 layers of PPG Black and 3 layers of PPG 800 clear with a mattening agent in it so the black area will have a satin look.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/18012010310small.jpg)

Tomorrow I'll unmask this and tape off the black area to shoot 3 coats of 800 gloss over the red.


Hello Demonx, Your door looks good. I did the same with my doors and filled the gap between the skin and steel frame. Also filled the spot weld divets on the frame to smooth things out. I have left the inside of my doors body colour and also painted the hinge bolt covers body colour. I am not sure how is is going to look until I get the doors back on!!! I may end up doing what you have done and paint it satin black.

Its good to see you have cleaned up the forward jamb area. It makes a big difference in appearance from the standard factory bonding adhesive mess.
Brad.

Only update  I can add is that I have the ability to destroy everything I touch!

Yesterday I finished the 2000 sand of the quarter I repaired. ( I had to respray another section on the same quarter last weekend) - It came up pretty good and you cannot see the repair at all. Completely blends in at every angle I stand, even when I get right up close I cannot see the merger.

I then commenced to wash the entire rear with water to remove dust and then polish it with a 3M polish called "Perfect it" which the paint shop told me was the best they have.

My waffle pad was a bit old so I bought a new one and went with the 3M pad reccomended on the tub of polish which turns out to be a bit more abrasive than the old one I was used to.

Somehow due to my lack of polishing experience I managed to polish through a couple of edges back to the primer which on a bright red car stands out like dogs balls and I think I may have slightly damaged the clear in a couple spots.

In a nut shell: After the polish it looks great in the majority but some areas it looks crap.

I guess unless I respray it's now a "looks great from 1 meter away" paint job.

Add another "Not happy" to my painting thread!

Demnox,

:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr: But just think of the up side by the time you finish this paint job you'll have it down pat!

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045938182#msg1045938182Only update  I can add is that I have the ability to destroy everything I touch!

Yesterday I finished the 2000 sand of the quarter I repaired. ( I had to respray another section on the same quarter last weekend) - It came up pretty good and you cannot see the repair at all. Completely blends in at every angle I stand, even when I get right up close I cannot see the merger.

I then commenced to wash the entire rear with water to remove dust and then polish it with a 3M polish called "Perfect it" which the paint shop told me was the best they have.

My waffle pad was a bit old so I bought a new one and went with the 3M pad reccomended on the tub of polish which turns out to be a bit more abrasive than the old one I was used to.

Somehow due to my lack of polishing experience I managed to polish through a couple of edges back to the primer which on a bright red car stands out like dogs balls and I think I may have slightly damaged the clear in a couple spots.

In a nut shell: After the polish it looks great in the majority but some areas it looks crap.

I guess unless I respray it's now a "looks great from 1 meter away" paint job.

Add another "Not happy" to my painting thread!

Sorry to hear about the trouble your having with your paint job.
Where abouts did you cut through to the primer?

About an inch long line near the drivers side door (on the edge) then about a two inch line on the same side wheel arch.

It's only on the sharp edges.

I'm undecided if I'm going to leave it as is - or sand the whole rear down and paint it from scratch. Thing is if I do it all again whats to say I don't stuff it up again!

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045938197#msg1045938197About an inch long line near the drivers side door (on the edge) then about a two inch line on the same side wheel arch.

It's only on the sharp edges.

I'm undecided if I'm going to leave it as is - or sand the whole rear down and paint it from scratch. Thing is if I do it all again whats to say I don't stuff it up again!

I know its to late now but you can lay masking tape along the sharp edges to protect them when buffing.
There is less paint buildup on the edges and its very easy to cut through.

I'm moving onto the decklid while I decide what I'm going to do with the rear. At this poit I'm thinking to sand it all back to the primer and respray but I might have to wait till the end of the paint job to see how much paint I have left as I don't want to use another color mix.

Decklid: Strip the paint and I'll have to grind out every corner of it's frame as it's shattered. They must have really misstreated this thing - how does it shatter like that at every corner? Will have to grind out and replace with new fibreglass.

What a pain in the butt. I was hoping the decklid would be a quick project!

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/05112010806small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/05112010807small.jpg)

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/10112010814small.jpg)

All my spare time this week was spent working un the underneath of the deck lid. Glad I don't have to sand that again.

I sprayed the epozy and primer in one sitting yesterday - but I'll have to leave it till tomorrow before I shoot the color and clear. I leaned in the past not to rush anything that has this epoxy. If I was to shoot it today I'd risk it bubbling up. Better to play it safe and only do the job once.

Epoxy (two coats to help with adhesion)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/11112010815small.jpg)

Two full coats of primer (I mixed this with half the amount of thinner to allow it to high fill slightly)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/11112010818small.jpg)

I was meant to spray the color and clear today but I wasn't happy with the flash times for the base coat due to the cold weather, so I sprayed the base coat today and I'll shoot the clear tomorrow just to be safe.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/13112010822small.jpg)

Quote from: demonx link=topic=7212.msg1045938293#msg1045938293I was meant to spray the color and clear today but I wasn't happy with the flash times for the base coat due to the cold weather, so I sprayed the base coat today and I'll shoot the clear tomorrow just to be safe.

Spray in haste and repent at leisure. It's coming along now.

Underneath of decklid done.

I'll leave it where it is until next weekend and I'll flip it over and start spraying the other side.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14112010824small.jpg)

I also shot the deck lid grills in this session as well.
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w95/vettesofballarat/14112010823small.jpg)
 

As some of you may know I've been in a bit of financial strife thats been building up, relaxing, then building up etc over and over for a while now. Result was I've had to list this car on ebay and let it go for a fraction of what I have in it.

Spent a bit of time on it yesterday bolting on some panels at the request of the guy who's paid me the deposit to make it more transportable for him.

If the sale goes ahead and he collects the car, I'm going to ask he joins this forum and starts his own rebuild thread so myself and anyone else interested can follow the progress. Of course he may not want to but it's worth asking.

Cheers everyone.

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/submissionfighting/230220111159small.jpg)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/submissionfighting/230220111160small.jpg)

demonx  my fingers are crossed it all works out for you buddy!

So sorry about your situation mate! hope things get better soon, such a shame about selling the Vette

Quote from: 69 DIRTY RAT link=topic=7212.msg1045939033#msg1045939033So sorry about your situation mate! hope things get better soon, such a shame about selling the Vette

Don't stress - when I get my sh#t sorted out, you'll be seeing me again!

SOLD.

Andrew inspected the car today for about two hours. Said it's everything he expected.

It's getting collected next week by truck.

Thanks everyone for your advice and commenta over the last few years. It's beena journey.

Cheers

Hey demonx,

As you have said" it's been a journey" you have learnt a hell of a lot in the process, so next time you get your hands on another Chrome bumper (sooner rather than later) it's going to be soooo much easier for you.

New members to the forum will read your thread and it will assist them in their rebuild so that's a great help to them & I'm sure if you have any advice you'll chime in.
 


:cheers:

Thanks for the memories...


[align=center]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQBEfM1y9-Y

:sulk::frown:

But like yo said buddy, will be a next time!

The skid pics haven't loaded. :drag:

Hopefully will see you back here soon:beer: