Mustang5l5's Progress Thread - Archived Progress thread '08-'20.

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Ok, spent about another hour on the car smoothing out the filler holes and taking some light surface rust areas down to bare metal. Starting to spread out and prep for painting. I do want to test fit the MM k member Before paint just in case.

starting to gather supplies. Painting is not my forte. I am more a mechanical guy, but I guess I know how to research and learn.

body Filler. I need some. Not much. I don’t want to drop $100 on a fancy filler to use a tiny portion of it. What’s good for light coverage in an engine bay?

paint. I don’t have the right supplies, or want to drop $400+ on a used Sata paint gun. I don’t want a rattlecan job either, but after checking out a the Eastwood 2k paint setup, I might go that route. It’s a rattle can, but has an internall bkadder with hardener. Once you mix, you have 48 hours. I’m thinking of going this route. It’s a black engine bay, in which most stuff is going back in anyway.

but here’s my thought.

sand, flap disk, wire wheel etc on the bay to get rid of all surface oxidation. Lightly smooth out the holes. 2k epoxy primer, light sand?? (Or not?) then clean and do 2k black (unsure if I should do black or underhood black) , clean and 2 clear. (Prob gloss instead of matte)

only doing the inner bay. Outer fender area and radiator support lower area will be a mix of POR-5 and Eastwood frame paint. More protection, vs looks since it will all get covered or face the ground.

fall is approaching here in MA. I have a window of low humidity and 60-70degree temps. after oct it drops fast, so I can’t wait too long to paint. I can warm it up in the garage but I need to open doors for ventilation.

I think that’s my plan. Any changes? @Davedacarpainter
 
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I’ve never been a big fan of epoxy primers myself mike. They’re good at providing a barrier and binding coat over bare metal, but for filling, they are more difficult to sand smooth.

So, either use a coat of epoxy for the bare metal then primer like normal, or use an etch primer and coat with a regular 2k urethane primer.Then, yes, sand it down with 400-600 grit.

I’ve recently got back into using acid etch wipes at work prior to primer. This is what i use on bare metal now before primer. It’s similar to what we used to use 40 years ago. What’s old is new again I guess.
D15E4BDE-5818-4D5F-A549-05FB195DEFE9.jpeg

As for filling the welded holes. Any type of glaze should cover them nicely. You can get a glaze in smaller quantities, like a quart at the largest.
 
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I agree that Epoxy primer is hard to work with, but part of that is because it is very hard. I like the idea of epoxy primer in your strut tower repair areas as it will provide the most protection IMO.

for the rest of the bay, though, it’s not necessary and will just be difficult and messy.

I see no reason to go with any kind of expensive equipment for this project. In fact, just harbor freight guns would do the trick. Just make sure the tip sizes are correct for the paint you are spraying. if you are using just a single gun you will need different tips for the primer (larger tip) and base (smaller tip)

I would also spring for the filter that goes between your gun and air hose, they aren’t that expensive and moisture in the line will cause fisheyes which is frustrating as hell.

if it is just the engine bay in black, consider a single stage paint. You don’t need a lot of Jc protection under the hood, and it is easier to repair if it gets chipped or scratched.
 
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WHat about the epoxy primer in the outer fender/tower area? I don't need to sand there as i'm just looking for protection. Should I use that on top of the bare metal?

Basically anything out of sight, like the outer fender aprons, bottom frame rails, radiator support, trans tunnel, I just want to protect. The "good" paint job will be the frame rails up only in the bay area.
 
The only reason I would use self etch is for adhesion. It provides minimal rust protection, and is absolutely meant to be top coated. If you leave a piece of sheet metal outside with only self etch, it will eventually rust.

Epoxy is hard, durable, and waterproof. The hardness makes it difficult to work with which is why you typically wouldn’t try to use it directly before topcoating because high build is easier to spray and sand.
With that said, for areas that won’t be getting worked it is an excellent choice for durability and rust prevention. Personally I would still topcoat it because you are adding an extra layer of protection, and because epoxy is not UV resistant like a urethane.

So, to recap, yes I would spray epoxy on the areas where you plan to do minimal body work and are concerned about rust.
 
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As an aside, when you go to your paint supplier they will give you the tech sheets on the products with all of the mixing information, flash off times, etc.

Make sure you buy solvent for cleaning your gun(s). If you let epoxy dry in your gun you might as well just throw it out. I can’t stress enough how important it is to clean your guns as soon as you are done spraying.

Also make sure you get some filters (they are one use paper filters for pouring) and measuring cups. If you clean your cups you can reuse them, but if you let stuff dry in them then that stuff flakes off when you pour the next time.

Water filter...

There are other kinds available, we actually used a cheaper one but I kind of like this design.
 
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Got some net material today. Ordered from two vendors. They sell the netting by the pound. Ordered 1 pound from each vendor. Same price. They both came today. Quite a difference in what goes for a lb these days.

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left side matches pretty well. Time to dye it black, trim it, and sew it into the pattern.
 
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I noticed that too. I was wondering though. Does it look like fluid as been in it? Unless that is just from sitting on a shelf?

Doesn't look any different than the one I have. Looks like typical solder and surface oxidation. I may have overpaid for mine, so i'm watching this one to see what it goes for to know if i did, or I paid market value.

I took some shots of mine compared to the standard Parts store aluminum replacement. Night and day difference

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Those comparison shots make me want to bid on it. I have owned my car since 98 and have never changed the core. No idea if it was done previously.

If you don't smell anti-freeze when the heater/defrost is on, I personally wouldn't mess with it unless I had some other reason to take it all apart.
 
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Just a friendly reminder:

There is supposed to be an orifice installed on the inlet side of the heater core. This in-line restrictor extends the life of any heater core. It get discarded a list when the hoses or core get changed.
 
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