Lets talk about body work

[mustangman70]

Ok so im 20 years old (on may 25th hahaha)

And im pretty good at alot of things...ive built a motor or two... i rebuilt my kawasaki ninja motor (spun a bearing) i can do brakes...rear end work, and just about any other mechanical thing on a car.. ive done timing belts to cam replacements on eclipses to swapping out motors and replacing a rack and pinion in a beretta (not fun LOL).and water pumps on taures's..no im not a mechanic, i jsut love working on other peoples cars for probably rediclously low prices ....

LOl but when it comes to body work... im clueless....the stang is down the trannie went the other week so im tired of driving it as cancer affected as it is... if pics will help i will get them.... but it needs some work....BAD./... i know the cowl leaks.... i know a floorboard at least one needs replacing.... the bottoms of the doors are shot... the area where the rear windows sit is kind of rusted...and some ares arund the trunk need some work...and this is all that i can see at this moment...who knows what is underneath.... but i want to learn..... i can get a welder im sure.....but where the hell do i start Ive never done body work before... and i figure since it is just a coupe, and it will more then likly end up being a weekend drag car/cruiser.... i dont mind trying myself if its not to hard ( and i really dont think it is)


By the way i have a beater now...and the bike so i figure now is a good time to fix the rust and start the 408 build

 

[biggyfan1]

well if a floor pan is rusted out you can buy a new pan and spot weld it in and use seam sealer also. the rust needs to be wire wheeled to bare metal or cut out and sheet metal replacments need to be welded in the place of the cut out. if i were you i would work on easy to get to smaller places and get a feel of how body filler sets up and how to put it on in the right amount. the right amount is key. putting to little just wastes your time cause you need to wait till the first filler sets then add more and more. to much and you will be sanding all day. ive done a little body work but im going to take the car in to the pro's next time. it is a pain in the ass.

 

[zookeeper]

One of the best things you can buy to aid you in bodywork is some of the tapes or DVDs that show you what's involved. I prefer the "Paintucation" series since they are designed for the beginner as well as the more advanced bodyman. Look on ebay or buy them direct from www.paintucation.com you'll also find a great forum there that's full of people just dying to help you get started. I painted my Mustang last year (see my avatar) and it turned out much better than I hoped. A word of advice: don't try to set the world on fire with your first paint job. Just stick to the basics, and do everything you can to make sure the body is as perfect as possible (trust me, paint doesn't hide anything) before you paint and you'll be fine.

 

[5.0ina66]

First you gotta find out what lies beneath. I'd pull the cowl cover, and yank the seats and carpet to see exactly what you've got. Lucky f'king "latemodel" people with the unbolting cowl cover! Use a screwdriver and whack the ***** out of the underside to make sure you don't have any frame, trunkfloor, etc issues. See if you have any issues with the engine compartment sheetmetal and shocktowers as well. Don't forget to check the wheelhouses too.

Then, I'd grab a palm sander and start stripping bodypanels one at a time to see if there are any surprises. I'd strip one panel, fix it and prime it, then move on to the next area. One of the best things my PO did was to start at the back and work forward. Window channel rust is a nasty thing, I'd find out what surprises are there soon as you've inspected the rest of the car and written out a list of what it needs.

Then, learn to weld and buy something along the lines of a Hobart 140 MIG. You'll probably need a compressor and paint gun to cover the new panels in epoxy and shoot in behind all the panels while you've got the old ones out.

The real beyotch comes when it's rust free and in primer. I hate block sanding! Bodywork is hard to do well, the learning curve is steep, and when you're done, you'll never want to do it again, but if I can do it, any idiot can
HTH
--Kyle
PS: St. Pete eh? cool, my uncle lives down there

 

[mustangman70]

Oh yah? maybe he has seen my car i drove the damn thing daily for a good 5 years straight hahaha


Ive got a couple friends who know a bit here and there that can help me out.... i know of a compressor i can borrow.....and i know of a welder i can get too....how hard are the window channels to do

 

[shelbe67]

check ot this website www.autobody101.com alot of pros on there that can help I found it by accident one day seems pretty good

 

[RMODEL65]

yeah get a book or read the above site and invest in por15 for the rusty spots!!!

 

[doug68hoss]

take alot of before work pictures..and good measurements..or you will end up customizing your car..which is ok also at times

 

[Cobain03]

seeing that this is not your main car and have some time to play with, this is a perfect opportunity to learn. i personally had never read a book or watched a show that described how to do body work. it comes from experiance. try putting some plastic filler in a low spot, sanding it off, and then see how it turns out. your eyes can be decieving too! use your fingers to see where it needs more sanding.

 

[allcarfan]

The cowl will probably be your biggest nightmare. YOu have to remove the entire front end of your car....well, at least all of the body panels, headlights, grill, etc. Then you get to drill out about 180 spot welds...YAY!!! THen the cowl comes off...hopefully.

The floor pans are 'relatively' easy. You have to remove most of your interior. Carpet, front/rear seats, probably should take out your kick panels, etc. They are a simple cut out and replace type of deal. Just make sure you marke them where they need to be welded back in!

The bottom of the doors......Id just buy new doors and swap hardware over.

The window channels...I am assuming you mean where the 'sail panel' meets the body? That might be your down fall. If they are rusted through.....its going to be a LOT of work to fix.

A shop would charge....probably close to $5-6000 to do this. I know a cowl replacement and floorpans around here are about $3-3500.

My personal, honest assessment....as much as you probably love this car....find another one and swap everything over.

Good luck!

-Next time I am in St Pete, I will give you a ring. I am in Orlando for a week in June with my job....but I am sure I will be in St Pete soon for a week or two! I will even help you out if you are still working on it!

 

[mustangman70]

Sounds good guys.... iw onder if i could find a rust free shell somewhere.....but all in all this car kinda has some sentimental value to me ill take a few pics later off all the cancer spots for ya guys

 

[5.0ina66]

The acutall cover on the earlier cars cowl is the PITA. You have about 200 less spotwelds to deal with. In 69 and newer, because the cowl cover unbolts. Lucky

 

[mustangman70]

Wait......so i DONT have to take out any spot welds???

 

[5.0ina66]

Wait......so i DONT have to take out any spot welds???

Not to look at the actual cowl. The cover, the thing with the vents and all, unbolts on your car. On the older car they have 180+ spotwelds in them. The major PITA is getting the cover off of the earlier cars to look at the acutal cowl.

 

[mustangman70]

Oh ok cool