Build Thread My 1986 T-top Build - Lasting Memories

Truth. I had an 84 I did back before LMR had those decals. I made pencil rubbings of the hood, fender and decklid decals, and took them to a print shop to be done in vinyl. The car was orange and black. It came out great... Wish i had pics of that thing.
For years I've been stopping at McDonald's for lunch and some employee (extremely long term for them) there has had a ratty old grey four eyed '86 GT. It looked like a piece of crap, but it had that hood decal on it and I lusted for it.
If my wife hadn't been spending every dime I made back then, I would have made him an offer for it because of that decal. It does a lot for a car.
 
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Alarm went of at 3:30, I got out of bed at 5:30. Oh well, late start.
While I was laying underneath the car yesterday looking around the trans tunnel, I noticed how much gap had been left when I got the rear floor pans welded in. I think I'm seam sealing underneath, as well as in the interior.
Big day today, I'm finally going to coat the undercarriage!
That is a big deal since I'll be able to hook the rear end back up afterwards! Doby will be on four wheels again soon (I have to let the POR 15 dry for a day or two first).
Big deal, you say? Yes! that means within a week I will start prepping the body for paint! Yay for Dave!:banana:
Busy week coming up for Doby. I will also glaze the engine bay and primer it this week.
I'm going to take my grinder with a knotted wire wheel on it to work on removing the undercoating in the rear wheel tubs. I remember @madmike1157 saying this was a bit of a bit*h. What worked for you Mike? I figured I would do this while it's still attached to the car, more support.
 
Mine is undercoated too, has been a pita dealing with it in the front fenders. I've found a wire wheel in my cordless drill works OK, if a bit slow. I tried a knotted wheel in my grinder, but gave up on that after this happened:
IMAG0001.webp

Little too close for comfort on that one, luckily the jeans wrapped up and locked up the grinder BEFORE it got to skin.
 
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Alarm went of at 3:30, I got out of bed at 5:30. Oh well, late start.
While I was laying underneath the car yesterday looking around the trans tunnel, I noticed how much gap had been left when I got the rear floor pans welded in. I think I'm seam sealing underneath, as well as in the interior.
Big day today, I'm finally going to coat the undercarriage!
That is a big deal since I'll be able to hook the rear end back up afterwards! Doby will be on four wheels again soon (I have to let the POR 15 dry for a day or two first).
Big deal, you say? Yes! that means within a week I will start prepping the body for paint! Yay for Dave!:banana:
Busy week coming up for Doby. I will also glaze the engine bay and primer it this week.
I'm going to take my grinder with a knotted wire wheel on it to work on removing the undercoating in the rear wheel tubs. I remember @madmike1157 saying this was a bit of a bit*h. What worked for you Mike? I figured I would do this while it's still attached to the car, more support.

I cannot wait to see it in paint!! Woo hoo!!! Very cool man. Please don't see any squirrels between now and then.. Lol.

So... What is this knotted wire wheel?? I thought i was up on industrial power tools and attachments, but this sounds new. I've used wire wheels, but knotted?

Mine is undercoated too, has been a pita dealing with it in the front fenders. I've found a wire wheel in my cordless drill works OK, if a bit slow. I tried a knotted wheel in my grinder, but gave up on that after this happened:
IMAG0001.webp

Little too close for comfort on that one, luckily the jeans wrapped up and locked up the grinder BEFORE it got to skin.

Dude you should see what I did to my hand with a cut off wheel back early in winter. Almost lost my thumb. I was lucky.
 
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I cannot wait to see it in paint!! Woo hoo!!! Very cool man. Please don't see any squirrels between now and then.. Lol.

So... What is this knotted wire wheel?? I thought i was up on industrial power tools and attachments, but this sounds new. I've used wire wheels, but knotted?



Dude you should see what I did to my hand with a cut off wheel back early in winter. Almost lost my thumb. I was lucky.
It means that there are "grouped" bundles of wire strands used to form ropes of wires. Those ropes are all grouped together on one wheel.
I call them Tasmani wheels.
It makes for one mean assed wire wheel when having to strip off junk like the undercoating and seam sealer you'd typically find in a wheel tub.

I used one like it to do the same. That, and heat from a propane torch will make the process go way faster than the wheel alone.

I don't know how you are about wearing a respirator @Davedacarpainter , but this is one time that even I had to wear one. The dust is every bit as bad as breathing Isocyanates ..breathing isocyanates, breathing isocyanates. *SMACK!

Sorry,...the last time I cleared something,..my respirator wasn't rated for those type of fumes..
 
It means that there are "grouped" bundles of wire strands used to form ropes of wires. Those ropes are all grouped together on one wheel.
I call them Tasmani wheels.
It makes for one mean assed wire wheel when having to strip off junk like the undercoating and seam sealer you'd typically find in a wheel tub.

I used one like it to do the same. That, and heat from a propane torch will make the process go way faster than the wheel alone.

I don't know how you are about wearing a respirator @Davedacarpainter , but this is one time that even I had to wear one. The dust is every bit as bad as breathing Isocyanates ..breathing isocyanates, breathing isocyanates. *SMACK!

Sorry,...the last time I cleared something,..my respirator wasn't rated for those type of fumes..

Oh ok. I'm familiar with that type of wheel, then. Just not the nomenclature. Thanks bud.

As far as respirators, (I get training at work because I have to use them) you need to know what you are trying to filter, be it particulate, vapor or both.

These are hepa filters. They do particles like sanding dust:
image.webp


They don't stop isocyanates. Isocyanates. *tick*

You have to use an organic vapor cartridge for that:
image.webp

This is one i loaded with blue paint. I should have used the attachment to stack the hepa on top of the ovc, but, *tick* I didn't. It still worked really well, though seriously. I couldn't smell any chemical at all while spraying. I did have to change cartridges halfway thru the job because they became obstructed.. But that was because the air in my booth was pretty saturated with paint, haha.
 
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Mine is undercoated too, has been a pita dealing with it in the front fenders. I've found a wire wheel in my cordless drill works OK, if a bit slow. I tried a knotted wheel in my grinder, but gave up on that after this happened:
IMAG0001.webp

Little too close for comfort on that one, luckily the jeans wrapped up and locked up the grinder BEFORE it got to skin.
Jeez! Close.
 
It means that there are "grouped" bundles of wire strands used to form ropes of wires. Those ropes are all grouped together on one wheel.
I call them Tasmani wheels.
It makes for one mean assed wire wheel when having to strip off junk like the undercoating and seam sealer you'd typically find in a wheel tub.

I used one like it to do the same. That, and heat from a propane torch will make the process go way faster than the wheel alone.

I don't know how you are about wearing a respirator @Davedacarpainter , but this is one time that even I had to wear one. The dust is every bit as bad as breathing Isocyanates ..breathing isocyanates, breathing isocyanates. *SMACK!

Sorry,...the last time I cleared something,..my respirator wasn't rated for those type of fumes..
Yeah Mike, I agree, I'll use my paint mask.
 
Oh ok. I'm familiar with that type of wheel, then. Just not the nomenclature. Thanks bud.

As far as respirators, (I get traing at work because I have to use them) you need to know what you are trying to filter, be it particulate, vapor or both.

These are hepa filters. They do particles like sanding dust:
image.webp


They don't stop isocyanates. Isocyanates. *tick*

You have to use an organic vapor cartridge for that:
image.webp

This is one i loaded with blue paint. I should have used the attachment to stack the hepa on top of the ovc, but, *tick* I didn't. It still worked really well, though seriously. I couldn't smell any chemical at all while spraying. I did have to change cartridges halfway thru the job because they became obstructed.. But that was because the air in my booth was pretty saturated with paint, haha.
Me too on the filters, painting cars may be bad for your lungs, who knew:shrug:?
 
Oh ok. I'm familiar with that type of wheel, then. Just not the nomenclature. Thanks bud.

As far as respirators, (I get traing at work because I have to use them) you need to know what you are trying to filter, be it particulate, vapor or both.

These are hepa filters. They do particles like sanding dust:
image.webp


They don't stop isocyanates. Isocyanates. *tick*

You have to use an organic vapor cartridge for that:
image.webp

This is one i loaded with blue paint. I should have used the attachment to stack the hepa on top of the ovc, but, *tick* I didn't. It still worked really well, though seriously. I couldn't smell any chemical at all while spraying. I did have to change cartridges halfway thru the job because they became obstructed.. But that was because the air in my booth was pretty saturated with paint, haha.
Looks like the filters weren't the only thing saturated with blue paint......Just one quick word of advice.

Glovies
 
Looks like the filters weren't the only thing saturated with blue paint......Just one quick word of advice.

Glovies

Funny thing about that. We get to take safety gear home with us from work- their motto is,"Take safety home with you. " Cool. I got hooded tyvek suits. Respirators, and latex gloves. Got ready to spray... Left the gloves in my locker at the plant. :fuss:
 
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just out of curiosity, what was the process? i'll have to do mine soon, and i have no idea how im going to get in all the nooks and crannies (especially all the overspray in the front fenders). mine was all ziebart stuff btw, not sure what yours was and how different they would be.
 
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