Progress Thread 67coupe’s 89 LX - Dyno Vid

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Lost the last 5 days due a pretty bad head cold. Feeling better now. After a full day of work, we removed all GT ground effects, front and rear bumpers, quarter windows and most of the trim.

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Engine is coming out tomorrow and we may even start some body work.
 
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Haven’t had a chance to update our progress. We’ve been putting in some pretty long days.

We’ve finish disassembly. Engine and transmission are out. Engine bay is stripped and power washed.

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The holes for the GT spoiler have been welded up, body worked and shot with DTM.

Speaking of DTM, had a problem with it on the hood. I’ll be posting the issue in Dave’s Foxbody Painting thread.

Two steps forward, one step back.
 
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I’ll be honest, that doesn’t look like fun to me. It’ll be worth it in the end though, I’m sure.

Yeah. We were feeling overwhelmed after the problem with the hood. But much better now after stripping the old paint, filling a few dents and finally getting a good coat of DTM on the hood.

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Got a little more prep to go before spraying the body worked areas with high build primer. Hope to have that finished this weekend. After that, it’s prep for sealer then we’re ready for color!
 
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Another long day. But had to take advantage of the warm weather. We may get shut down if I can’t keep metal temps above 50 for 24 hrs after spraying.

Cobra spoiler is mounted. Glad this is finished. Have way too much time and stress for just mounting a new spoiler!

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Three coats of high build on the hood. I think we finally put this behind us!

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Also covered the metal work and filler on the hatch.

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The owner wanted to delete the antenna holes for a smooth right front fender.

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Just a side pic showing some of the areas that used to have minor dents/issues.

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Most the body repair is behind us. Next up is prepping the engine bay and body for sealer!
 
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Very cool build thread! Really love that Cabernet stang of yours. I'm currently on the lookout for an 89' LX 50 in that color like the one I had in high school. No luck so far. :(
 
Finished sanding the high build primer, engine bay and the jams. Also made a minor adjustment to the hatch.

He’s a look at the hood while wet sanding the primer. It is coming out very flat. Glad we started over and took it down to metal.

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The shell is ready for paint. Just have to start all of the masking.

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We pushed the car out last night. Gave a quick dish soap bath and really cleaned the shop. Tried to get as much dust out as possible.

We’re planning to paint tomorrow but I’ve got a couple of concerns. Hoping some of you paint experts could offer some advice.

1) We’re expecting some rain and storms Saturday morning. For anyone else, not a problem. Car’s in a garage. For me, my roof has a couple spots that will drip during extended periods of heavy rain. How long does the clear coat need to dry before getting a few drops of water? Worse case, I could guarantee no water for at least 12 hrs. Could be 16 - 18 if prep moves a little faster tomorrow.

2) Paint shop told me I need to keep metal temp above 50 for 24 hours. I should be able to maintain 60 for at least 36 hrs. But, the forecast is calling for some very cold temps Sunday night and Monday. Metal temp might drop down to 45 or lower 72 hours after painting. Will dropping below 50 that soon after painting cause any issues with the curing process?
 
Aaaachhhhh! There aren't any paint systems that I know of using a 2k paint that would suggest under a metal temp of 60*.

That means the ambient air temp needs to be 65*.

Below this temperature the paint will seize to harden and do nothing more than dry out. Durability will suffer tremendously.

The sealer and the clear coat will need these temperatures. The base coat merely dries out.

As for the moisture? Without the drip, it's a blessing and cursing at the same time. The moisture in the air helps to remove the dust that will infuriate you especially when you have to buff the vehicle, BUT, the saturated air will lead to the paint easily blushing since the air only has just so much capability to remove the solvents that make the paint sprayable in the first place.

Meaning you'll need an extended period between coats to allow for those solvents to evaporate. Blushing (a mild form of solvent pop that can be buffed away) is the easiest problem. Really saturated air can lead to so many problems. Be sure to allow each coat more time to harden and dry.

Plus you wish to spray in a fairly cool enviroment? That means even more time between coats.

Telll you what, PM me and I'll send you my phone number and we can talk through this. A five minute phone call is like thirty minutes of me having to type. I know you want to get after this, so I'll make sure I'm available at work tomorrow to help walk you through it.

The drip now. Get a tarp above your vehicle, don't let the water hit the fresh paint. Even after it feels cured there will be a good 72 hour period you'll want to keep moisture off of it. Illl explain that in detail if you want to talk.
 
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With conditions being good but marginal, we decide to paint the engine bay and cowl only. Decided on this mainly because we could position the car away from the leak spot and the only surface at risk that matters is the cowl. This way, at least we can assemble the drivetrain while we wait on another good day to paint.

Metal temp stayed above 65 degrees. No real problems. Had a run near the back side of the passenger strut tower. But we’re leaving it because it won’t be seen.

After two coats of base.

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And three coats of clear.

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Color is sterling grey if anyone is interested.

We do have a couple dust inclusions on the drivers side cowl. But zero orange peel. Will those require a wet sand and polish or could we try polishing first?
 
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Wet sand those areas with 1200 grit, go back over them with 2000 grit then polish. Just wait until the whole car is painted and do it all at the same time. I usually use a block to sand those out. A Paint stick works well to keep the spots small, just round the edges a little. If the orange peel is too heavy, wet sand the panel with a foam block using 2000 grit, leaving some if it to achieve a factory look. Or, you could sand the clear coat down a little more and polish it to make it look like glass.
 
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With conditions being good but marginal, we decide to paint the engine bay and cowl only. Decided on this mainly because we could position the car away from the leak spot and the only surface at risk that matters is the cowl. This way, at least we can assemble the drivetrain while we wait on another good day to paint.

Metal temp stayed above 65 degrees. No real problems. Had a run near the back side of the passenger strut tower. But we’re leaving it because it won’t be seen.

After two coats of base.

C27263D8-523E-4258-A74F-EF5F1E0109FA.jpeg


5998CD9A-9D7B-4F11-A9ED-0309D8B7B1B3.jpeg


And three coats of clear.

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4D07B9CA-ADF0-41F7-8482-796DBD5344B4.jpeg


1531C85C-5864-4707-AD95-E2F405D58B82.jpeg


Color is sterling grey if anyone is interested.

We do have a couple dust inclusions on the drivers side cowl. But zero orange peel. Will those require a wet sand and polish or could we try polishing first?

My old vert was that color. I took that whole car apart, did all the body work, which wasnt bad, painted it and put it all back together. That was almost 20 years ago. Yikes! I miss that car.
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Wet sand those areas with 1200 grit, go back over them with 2000 grit then polish. Just wait until the whole car is painted and do it all at the same time. I usually use a block to sand those out. A Paint stick works well to keep the spots small, just round the edges a little. If the orange peel is too heavy, wet sand the panel with a foam block using 2000 grit, leaving some if it to achieve a factory look. Or, you could sand the clear coat down a little more and polish it to make it look like glass.


That’s what I thought. Was hoping we could do less since there’s no orange peel.

We’ll probably do it today while the paints still soft.