Body work/painting process questions

[zimasprite]

Has anyone here gone through the process of stripping,repairing any rust by cutting/welding, and eventually painting?(probably a stupid question given this is a forum for 40 year old cars) I'm looking for some help in planning how to go about the body work/painting and am not very sure of the steps to take. If anyone knows of any good books, articles, websites..that would be helpful too.
Right now, I"m in the stage of getting the right equipment(i.e. air compressor and tools) to get started on some of this work. Next comes a welder. Anyways, thanks for the help!!! - Drew

 

[dklawson]

I suspect you're right that a good number of people here have done their own body work and painting. I've done both my cars. I don't have any great texts to recommend but I can offer a few general comments that will seem obvious.

First, for the body work be prepared to spend some money to acquire tools, equipment and supplies. I improvised too much on the first car and found the process went slower and the results were not as good. Yes you'll spend a lot of money but not nearly as much as having a professional do the body work.
Second, before welding on any of your new sheet metal... practice every type of weld joint you may need to make (plug, seam, lap, butt...). Go to a body shop and ask them for a couple of beat up door skins or similar. Cut pieces out and practice on those. Don't use galvanized steel, do not weld through rust or paint.

As for tools, you can never have too many. I'm going to assume you have basic tools and I'll only list a few of the helpful things you may not already have.
disk/angle grinder, orbital sander, die grinder with burrs and cut-off wheels, hand or power nibbler, spot weld cutters, shears/snips, air compressor, Dremel tool, body hammers and dollies, clamps and/or Vise Grips, the list could go on for pages but these came to the top of my mind.

For inspiration, go to the Eastwood web site and request their catalog (if you don't already receive it).
https://www.eastwoodcompany.com/

Lastly, I hate body work because I know it is a long process when done at home. The appearance of your car is almost entirely based on the time and effort you spend on the body work and preparation for painting so the end result can be very rewarding. Once you decide to do this yourself, commit to it and "force" yourself out to the shop at least once a day to do something... anything. If you don't, your car will likely become one of the unfinished projects often found for sale.

 

[jcatnite]

Sage advice Doug.
JC

 

[spritenut]

Good tools and equipment are the key elements.
That and lots of time and sandpaper.
My first attempt turned out pretty good, my last project turned out quite well if I say so myself /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
First car was pale yellow and hid lots of flaws.
Last car was black and it had to be perfect or it shows every imperfection.
There are times when you will say "it's good enough" and if you say that, it's not quite perfect. If the paint is light, it may well be "good enough" if it's a dark color, you will see it.
When you think you have the bondo close, the car in a high build primer, dust it with some flat black spray paint (black primer works well) then with a block, not your hand, sand the entire car down with some 400 grit paper. You will see the black dusting in any divot or dent, you will sand off the primer in any high spots. Repair for the umpteenth time any of the imperfections and do it again. It's worth the extra time. And you can prime and dust one night and sant the next. In the end, those 4 or 6 extra nights will pay off.
Once it's painted, give it a few extra coats so you can color sand any runs or orange peel out with out sanding thru the paint.
Go slow, don't rush anything, lots of sandpaper in various grits, tack rags for the dust before paint, no fingerprints, and give it those extra nights. You can do it, lots of us have. And I always say to myself, it id turns out lousy, I can just D/A it down with 320 and squirt it again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Frank

 

[Bugeye58]

Drew, I think that both Doug and Frank have pretty well made the point that a paint job is only as good as the preparation under it. I spent at least 30 hours just on the rear valance on my GT6, metal finishing it back to perfection. No bondo at all. It's immensely satisfying to look at the finished product and think, "I did it all myself."
If you pick up some door skins, or whatever, to practice welding on, give the body work a try on them too. There is a lot of "touchy-feely" in body work, that needs to be developed with practice. You don't have to use the high dollar primer for practice, just the cheapo stuff , and a rattle can of black is good enough to practice dust coating the surface and block sanding.
When welding in new panels, take as much time as necessary to make sure the fit is correct prior to turning on the welder. The proper time to fix any fit issues is when you can remove the panel and adjust. It ain't no fun to have to cut out a new panel after welding it in, and discovering something isn't right.
I generally find body work to be relaxing, as long as I'm not up against a hard deadline.
Take your time and enjoy.
Jeff

 

[zimasprite]

Thanks for responding guys. I'm in a position right now where I truely enjoy working on cars and want to do my own body work on this one..BUT...I'm also in dental school and time comes and goes. When I do have time, I love to work on cars and want to go ahead and get started on my 62 Sprite. I was going to put it off for a while, but I'm worried if I don't get going on this project, I never will. Right now it's tool acquisition phase for me. Thanks again, and as I get started I'll probably be looking for more input!

- Drew

 

[spritenut]

Another secret to body work or any project is to do something every day or so. If you let it sit for a week or 2, you will lose interest. Before you know it the project car becomes a storage rack in the garage.
So dolly out a dent before dinner if nothing else.
Cut and fold up a patch panel in the vice before work or school. Do something every day even if it's wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Frank

 

[mrstinson]

Zimasprite -
I am also just starting and am in the "tool acquisition phase". But I am not going to let that stop or slow me down. I am taking the idea that I only need a tool for the projoct I am working on now. This way I buy the tools to say rebuild the engine, then do that. Once that is done I will get the tools to work on the body.

Buy your tools in phases, just like you do the work. This will be good for storage and your wallet. Good luck and have fun.