Build Thread '83 T-top Coupe - Cliff Notes Edition

Got it all sanded, i'll have to put the mud on it tomorrow. They shut the lights off on me tonight. It won't take much filler, yay!

GettIng started:

So I'm painting my bumper, right?

Since I have plenty of space in the booth, I thought I should make a little money while I'm at it and shoot a liftgate and rear bumper from a customer's Grand Cherokee. The paint code is PAV, or dark charcoal pearl.

I think it would be the perfect accent color, what do y'all think?

I called my jobber and he said he hadn't mixed the Mystichrome paint yet. I told him not too.

Here's a couple pictures of the parts before clear coating them.

Ok, all shiny now.

I'll do the two tone in a couple days. My jobber will be getting me the grey on Thursday. I'll clear coat that color with a semi-gloss.
I'll get a picture in the sun after it gets done baking.

Onward to the next panel:

In the sun, before and after;

Oh, just a couple dents....,

I finished the metal work and realized I had time to do the bondo, did that and reprimered it. This fender was WAY easier than the left one!

I'm finished with the bodywork on the right fender.

I just need to do the finish blocking. I'm not sure if I'll get to it tomorrow, busy, busy day.

Tomorrow night I'll be getting Robby's hood and rear bumper. I'll try to get them dropped off at the media blaster.

I'll get the grey for the accents tomorrow as well. I'll try to sneak in the bumper this week and get the light buckets and grille done.

So, today's picture is the right fender in the final two coats of primer I sprayed on it.

I got to the yard today and only had time to get the hood. My wife is keeping me on a tight leash, not sure why, she might be a lunatic.

I got a picture of the rear bumper i'm getting, I even got the bottom two bolts off.

Anyhow, pictures. I'll drop the hood off with the blaster tomorrow (Yes, they're open on saturday).




Notice the downed small tree on the left side of the bumper? That had grown up against the bumper and it was pretty heavily dented on that side. It seems to have popped back out on its own over the past couple weeks.

Yay! Though i think the top of the mouldings area will need some pretty devout attention to look good again. Not too bad though, all in all.

BTW @90sickfox , notice how straight and pretty my rear bumper is?

There's the hood in the back of my truck. I didn't get it dropped off with the blasters today. Just too much college football to watch, huh @madmike1157 ? BTW, a good view of what a bra will do to a hood!

Luckily i'm stocked up with beer, king's hawaiian dinner rolls and some bbq pulled pork.

So i ground out the seam sealer before taking the hood to the media blaster today. While i was at it i thought i would use my die grinder to explorer what i thought might be bodywork. I was right, it had just been paved.
I also thought i would sand down an area with my more aggressive da using 80 grit to just see how many paint jobs were on it. So it's not the original hood. The original color of this hood was a light blue metallic. Is that some fugly crazing or what?
Good news though! There IS metal beneath that crap. I don't know how much more bondo i'll find. This is kind of exciting for me. That hood looks like absolute sht! Tell me it doesn't! I can already see it that pretty kona blue in the sunlight just gleaming like a jewel! There's something really excellent about doing this with my own hands. Damn! I love this sht y'all!

So, the front bumper almost got it's two tone today. I was optimistic about sanding down the light buckets and grille and throwing it in the booth and shooting it. Why do i seem to forget what a pain in the ass that grille area is to sand. My fingers hurt (Again). Tomorrow i'll have the grey on it. I started the masking prior to finishing the sanding. Some SOB decided he wanted to go home and shut the lights off on me again though.

There's a reason for the masking,I want to sand right up to the edge of the masking tape. This helps when removing the blue fine line tape. The paint will have the scoring it needs for it's mechanical bond right up to the tape, so when i remove the fine line, it should come off with a nice sharp line.
I need to finish the bumper and the right fender. It'll probably be wednesday before i can get my hood back, it would be really nice to have the rest done by then.

Back to the yard this week to get the rear bumper. That will take more work than most might think. The top of the mouldings area needs serious attention. It has corroded enough that i'll need to use polyflex across the entire top side of it.

What does this mean campers? Fckin' A right! i'll pick up the door next week for the last of the take off panels to repair and paint! Woo-freaking-hoo!

Like.....OMG!....I may be driving an actual "M-U-S-T-A-N-G" soon!!!! Then i will be badass like y'all! Sure, with a V6, but badass nonetheless, right!

Ok, the bumper two toned. I really like the grey. I'll have to get used to the light buckets being that color, once it's assembled and on the car it'll look nice, I think.

I also think that new ford emblem will look real nice in the middle of the grille area.

One inside and one out:

Here's with it's new emblem. I like it.

Blue right fender

Four eyed again, got the dividers shot today and riveted back in.

Here's my "new" rear bumper. She's a honey!

This is the best one i can find, btw. There doesn't seem to be an aftermarket manufacturer of the '79-'84 rear bumpers. Oh well, i've got an idea on how to fix it.

Behold the good bumper:

Ok, shiny blue mouldings it is.

Here's a couple pictures of the tear repair on the left side of the bumper. I need to finish it out with a little polyflex on monday.

In the sun, it's been cloudy till today. Before and after pics