Paint and Body Fox Body Painting 101

[Davedacarpainter]

Machinist

That’s right, yeah, a little more precise measurements there!

 

[General karthief]

Body man pulling frame: 1/4 inch, we are good to go!
Machinist: 1/4 inch? I can fix that!

 

[02 281 GT]

I'm actually still fuzzy on how that frame machine works. Maybe it's the picture, but I couldn't see the measuring arm you were talking about. Sounds pretty straightforward, though.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I'm actually still fuzzy on how that frame machine works. Maybe it's the picture, but I couldn't see the measuring arm you were talking about. Sounds pretty straightforward, though.

Yeah, all you see is the rail it runs on. I’ll get a picture and post it today.

 

[02 281 GT]

Yeah, all you see is the rail it runs on. I’ll get a picture and post it today.

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all that just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, here’s a different view of the rails the measuring sled rides on.

This is the sled put up. The arm articulates in all directions and a different tip is put on the measuring arm depending on the point you’re measuring to.

 

[droopie85gt]

That's badass! How much did that bad boy cost?

 

[bird_dog0347]

That's badass! How much did that bad boy cost?

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Honestly, I'm not sure. I'll find out tomorrow and let y'all know.

 

[droopie85gt]

I'll go with $83,995.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I'll go with $83,995.

I didn't check today. It was crazy. End of the month and the estimators want all their vehicles done.

$84k is probably a little high. Buying new, the bigger frame machines run in the mid $30k-$40k area. I can't imagine the whiz bang electronics cost more than maybe $20k.

I really will find out tomorrow.

 

[General karthief]

I bid 35k

 

[90sickfox]

My 93 convertible body feels very wiggly. Like it's twisting about mid point. Mostly at speeds between 20 and 40 mph. At highway speeds I dont really feel it. I need to get the rear tires balanced before I conclude there's something bigger wrong. If tire balancing doesn't fix it I might be taking it to a local who's very familiar with these cars. This car has sub frame connectors but only on the back half of the uni-body. My 92 hatch feels solid compared to this convertible. Maybe I need full length sub frames on this vert too.

Meanwhile, where on this convertible underside should I look for signs of stress? What typically might I find?

Check where the transmission tunnel meets the rear seat sheet metal, the firewall corners where they meet the front frame structure, the lower bends if the a pillars at the door openings, and seat mounting points.

My convertible actually had cracks inside the corner of the cowl on the passenger side. It was only viewable from looking above the globe box, between the heater box and the computer area with a scope.

My convertible had a 10 point cage and subframe connectors. I did yank on it occasionally.... in to the mid 10s. Most of the time it lived on street tires and spun more than hooked.

I remember feeling like the car was crawling over speed bumps. Got to the point where I really felt unsafe. Had no idea so many issues lurked around that car. Had to scrap it. Better to know now before it gets too bad.

 

[02 281 GT]

I bid 35k

$35,001!

 

[General karthief]

Damn, $35051

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Our measurement system costs over $30k. I was off a little bit.

 

[JoeDaddy]

@Davedacarpainter , not foxbody related, but.... looking at suburbans..
How worried should I be if there is signs of rust bubbles? How would I make them smooth? My plan is to wrap the suburban the same blue color as I did my fox.

Sandblast / ??? , then something like por15, then bondo to smooth?

 

[JD1964]

Look underneath at the brake lines too. Those Chevy trucks and suv’s are notorious for brake line corrosion. If you’re not able to fix them yourself, it can be expensive to have it done professionally.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

@Davedacarpainter , not foxbody related, but.... looking at suburbans..
How worried should I be if there is signs of rust bubbles? How would I make them smooth? My plan is to wrap the suburban the same blue color as I did my fox.

Sandblast / ??? , then something like por15, then bondo to smooth?

Those are pretty nasty looking, you’ll want to strip the paint off the lower section and address the rust issue. First you need to see how bad it is. You’ll definitely want to do this before wrapping it.

 

[droopie85gt]

Oh the rust belt. So, if the paint is bubbling from rust, what does the frame look like? I usually hate Memphis for most things (CRIME) but good Lord above thank you for no road salt EVER. If you see a rusted out POS around here, it either came from the North or the coast.