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Rut

Rut

Obi Wan
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I'm pretty much on schedule to take my BE in for blasting and paint and I'm still concerned about the process. The more I read the more concerned I get. The shop/person doing the work is very reputable and I've seen his finished work so I feel very comfortable in that regard. The plan is to take the shell to him, have it blasted, prepped, and epoxy primed. I want to do some of the finish body work so I'll haul it back to my shop and spend the next month or so fiddiling around with it, then take it back for the final paint. I now understand that if I do this the epoxy primer will have to be resanded before the final paint job adding to the labor costs. If that's the case should I just bite the bullet and let him do all the work? I'm really trying to save money by doing the floor replacement as well as small patch jobs myself, but I don't want this to be false economy. Not knowing the ends and outs of body work and painting I don't feel like I'm knowledgable enough to make this decision and it's causing me heartburn. I've asked these questions before, but I'm still uncomfortable with the process.
Thanks, Rut
 
I would say stick with your plan. That is pretty much what i did and it worked out fine. The reality is that even if you end up paying even a couple hours for the sanding it will still be less than you would have to pay to have him repair the floors etc. As well if you have him do it, you will no longer be able to say "i did it myself" these jobs always have a little "one step forward, two back aspect." don't overthink it - jus t get on with it!
 
JP, you nailed my problem! "don't over think it". My skills for any of this are questionable and I'm also faced with buying a welder to finish the floors and patching. That said (over thinking again) would it be better to put the welder cost of about $700-800 into the body work? The person doing the work is skilled at doing this stuff and I'm not. I'm pretty good at grinding out and drilling out old spot welds/rotted metal.
Thanks again, Rut
 
Rut - IMHO, it's always better to do it right the first time rather than have to do it over. If you have to buy equipment, and are neither skilled enough nor comfortable with doing the work, then maybe it would be best to just let the pro do it. An old saying goes something like this, "The satisfaction of quality lasts long after the cost is forgotten." .... Just sayin' :wink:
 
but... "any job worth doing is worth doing over" ?

I'm a do it myself type of person especially since I'm not interested in a "historical restoration".
 
It comes back to you epoxy primed, then you do body work, straightening, welding, grinding, filler etc. That process will go through the epoxy simply by the nature of the processes. When he gets it back he will smooth what you have done, can't be avoided. Anything you do, he will prime over top of covering any exposed metal and smooth the surface with 320 to 400. Then top paint goes on top of clean, smooth, one-color primer.
 
My advice (for what it is worth on this subject) is to have him do the initial part, you cut out the old floors or other bits (the time consuming/expensive easy part) and then have him weld in the new parts (quick and cheap for him!!).
My 2 cents!
BillM
 
It's hard to "advise" on subjects like this. All you will get is opinions anyway. So mine is like JP's. Your plan is sound. A quick sanding of what epoxy is left is not a big deal. If you have to purchase a welder and learn how to use it then the straight economics of it may be questionable. But if you want the satisfaction of doing the work then maybe that is the more important criteria. Well, sorry. It seems that I have not done much toward answering your question.
 
Maybe I like to do things myself so that I can acquire tools? How about you?
 
I like doing things myself so that I might acquire skills that may prove valuable in the event of zombie apocalypse.
 
It is a confusing situation to be in...What I find myself asking is:
What do you value more? The process or the product? If it's the process:
No doubt you can do it. (and if you're going to do it why not go all in and spray the paint?)

If it's about the product: You will almost certainly spend $2 to save $1. I know it's hard to rationalize the value of craftsmanship but a skilled craftsman will always produce a better product more effectively than an amateur. Again, not saying you can't or shouldn't do it. Just saying a skilled craftsman is terrible thing to waste. Money comes and goes, craftsmanship lasts. Why not help a guy earn a living AND not waste your money/time trying do his job? Thats the way I see it.
 
Morris said:
I like doing things myself so that I might acquire skills that may prove valuable in the event of zombie apocalypse.
Click to expand...





:iagree: Bring it on!
 
One question to address on the welder purchase. Is this a once in a lifetime project or will you become a career hobbiest ? I certainly wouldn't buy a welder for a one shot application (i'm in a similar situation) however if in looking at the big picture you see future uses then go for it.

Have you talked with the painter about painting your prep-work ? Many painters will not do that as THEIR reputation is on the line and if YOUR faulty prep causes a problem they're stuck with having to fix it. Bob
 
One other thought - with Ms Triss, i farmed out the paint and body work - though it was actually epoxy primed by the guy who media blasted it. So, my body guy did have to do work which involved removing the epoxy. In thos case i decided that i didn't need to learn everything and if i wanted the car on the road in a timely manner it was worth the cost. With Luigi the Fiat i will be buying a welder and doing the body work myself because i do want to learn - BUT have a roadworthy car to drive while i learn.

Bottom line, you are overthinking, there is not "right" answer just whatever works for you.

BTW, Ms Triss had been in a accident and i just handed my body guy the new panels - he did not have to charge me to fabricate them. I do believe that saved me money. You might want to cut out the sore spots and bring the panels though you might only be saving him 20 minutes cutting.
 
Thanks to everyone for posting their varied opinions...I truly appreciate them all. I haven't welded since 1972 and then it was mostly farm equipment. I've done some brazing and that might be an alternative and it's much cheaper as far as the equipment is concerned. I'll be 62 in January and I like doing things myself for the fun of it, but sometimes I get pretty close to getting in over my head. I would say that the process and product are about even and I do have to look at what I spend, but time is a factor as well. I guess that's what's causing my consternation. I may buy all of the sheet metal I need, cut out the rotted stuff, fit it all and have the body shop weld it up while its there to be painted. I would really love to have a Bugeye to drive this spring! BTW, where would you get your floor pans and do they come with the 'rails' on the bottom? I'm using a gas pedal from a 1500 so I don't need the little platform.
Thanks all, Rut
 
Having always done it all myself, I always did it in the most logical order which was to do all the panel replacement first while everything is rough. Then the stripping, blasting, etc. One thing you might want to do to avoid sanding all the epoxy is to have your body man spray a coat of high build polyurethane primer on the epoxy while it is "green". There is usually a window of several hours when you can do this with compatible primers. I always did this to avoid sanding the epoxy. That way you will be left sanding the poly which is easier. You can scuff the surfaces that will get top coated but are non critical. Inside cockpit, under body etc. Fillers can be applied over the poly, but I am old school and usually only go on bare roughed metal. I do think it is fine to put it over sanded epoxy. Filler can let moisture through until sealed with paint.
 
If you want your car by spring, follow the quote below;

AN5Sprite said:
You will almost certainly spend $2 to save $1... a skilled craftsman will always produce a better product... a skilled craftsman is terrible thing to waste. Money comes and goes, craftsmanship lasts. Why not help a guy earn a living AND not waste your money/time trying do his job?
Click to expand...

and PLEASE don't use a torch and brass on the body. If you REALLY want to re-learn welding, go with a MIG. But it won't be done soon or economically, and only your learning skills can determine quality.
 
Steve and Donn,
Thanks for your thoughts and insight. Brazing panels was the way I put a TR3 together many moons ago, but the end result was not what I wanted. I'm leaning heavily toward cutting out the rotted parts and supplying the panels to the body man. Any suggestions on a good Bugeye floor pan?
Thanks again, Rut
 
Rut said:
Steve and Donn,
Any suggestions on a good Bugeye floor pan?
Thanks again, Rut
Click to expand...

Pretty sure all the usual suspects use the same parts, at which point go by price.

Looks like VB has them on sale but this on ebay looks even better
floor pans

BTW if you're going the route of having your guy do it, might I suggest letting him cut it - then it's his problem if too much/little is cut + he gets to see how it was. Also it will keep it a little stiffer while you transport it
 
JP,
Thanks, I looked at those pans and asked the seller if they had the strips down the bottom or mounting provisions for the seats and they did not...is that common for all? I have the car on a rotisserie and I'm drilling out the floor spot welds. I also need to replace some metal in the bulkhead on the passenger side next to the spring box. The sills are good and the doors fit well, should I add additional support before I go further?
Thanks, Rut
 
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