Trying to learn paint and body work.

65fastbackresto · Dec 15, 2007

Thinking of buying a 65 or 66 coupe to learn to do the work on, so I dont mess up a more valueable car (my 65 fastback) in the learning curve. It`ll also give me something to do with the growing pile of spare parts.....LOL

Does anyone think this is a good idea? Or am I just wasting money here.....

Whats the best way to go about this? I really enjoy working on the car, and I`m not inclined to pay someone to do this for me.

I`ve got a huge pile of spare parts from the fastback build, enough to put a drivetrain and stuff in a stripped coupe.

enferno · Dec 16, 2007

id' say go for it! you can't mess it up, really, and as you said, you have enough parts.

if you totally start to hate body work or for some reason just don' t have it in you, you could always throw your extra parts in and sell it to make some money to fund the bodywork on your fastback

stang66myway2 · Dec 16, 2007

hey if i can do it then you can do it . my suggestions are as follows.

1. use quility materials
2. sand and sand and sand and when you think you are done block it again
3.take your time
4. dont do it to please anyone but yourself cause there will always be someone to pick it apart .
5. and remember if you screw it up you can always fix it

if you have any ?s feel free to send me a message or email me at djstang1966@hotmail.com.
hope this helps, dan

geostang351 · Dec 16, 2007

stang66myway2 said:
hey if i can do it then you can do it . my suggestions are as follows.

1. use quility materials
2. sand and sand and sand and when you think you are done block it again
3.take your time
4. dont do it to please anyone but yourself cause there will always be someone to pick it apart .
5. and remember if you screw it up you can always fix it

if you have any ?s feel free to send me a message or email me at djstang1966@hotmail.com.
hope this helps, dan

NICE JOB!

stang66myway2 · Dec 16, 2007

thanks geo stang,
like i stated if i can do it anyone can lol key is patiance and use a half way decent gun.

jlangholzj · Dec 16, 2007

the key is many thin coats, that and paint is beautiful like metal, if you screw up, you can always sand it down and put another coat on. if you really take your time, you can get a glassy coat.

I'm about in the same boat as you, only I'm experimenting on my 36' co-op tractor project. I'm affraid that i didn't get much done this summer, but it gives me something to work on next summer!

CarFreakGT · Dec 16, 2007

stang66myway2 said:
thanks geo stang,
like i stated if i can do it anyone can lol key is patiance and use a half way decent gun.

STANG66--Did you do all of that on your own? Was that your first effort? If so, that's very encouraging to me. I'm considering tackling as much as possible on my own when I get some other things done.

BTW, is that Brittany Blue?

danny clemens · Dec 16, 2007

I say go for it. Many of us did and succeeded. A good site for questions is www.hotrodders.com in the body forum.

CarFreakGT · Dec 16, 2007

danny clemens said:
I say go for it. Many of us did and succeeded. A good site for questions is www.hotrodders.com in the body forum.

Thanks for the link, d clemens. I'll check it out. I had intended to take a basic welding class a few months ago. I signed up, but had to withdraw due to some family issues, but was considering registering again. Anyone have any feedback/input on if this is a good idea, or simply a waste of time/money?

jlangholzj · Dec 17, 2007

CarFreakGT said:
Thanks for the link, d clemens. I'll check it out. I had intended to take a basic welding class a few months ago. I signed up, but had to withdraw due to some family issues, but was considering registering again. Anyone have any feedback/input on if this is a good idea, or simply a waste of time/money?

I geuss i realy don't have an opinion on this one, since all of my welding was learned here at home, working on stuff. ACtually, thats my advice, if you are really interested, try to borrow a buds, wire feed ( i leared on stick , WOW was that fun!) and reserch some stuff online, then go and try it on some scrap metal. thats baisically how i learned.

stang66myway2 · Dec 17, 2007

CarFreakGT said:
STANG66--Did you do all of that on your own? Was that your first effort? If so, that's very encouraging to me. I'm considering tackling as much as possible on my own when I get some other things done.

BTW, is that Brittany Blue?

hey there carfreak yea i did all the body work and paint myself i had sprayed a little single stage at work on the front of utility bodies but thats about it this was my first attempt at a full car , and a base clear oh yea and a mettalic lol.

the rodder link is a good one but also check out autobody101.com it is a awsome site. i have spent a many of hours studying the posts so that i could learn as much as possible as to how to fix any possible screw ups and yes i had a couple lol . one was a burn through during buffing. had to reshot the whole passanger side after two failed attempts blend in the s$#ew up lol.

as far as the color it is supposed to be ford light ice blue but i think they messed up on the mix but its all good cause i like this color even better oh and i have more pics for anyone that is interested. vinyl top and headliner will be in by weeks end woohoo then time to do some wiring.

65fastbackresto · Dec 18, 2007

I`m gonna jump on it then.

like I know what I`m doing, maybe get some books that might steer me around some common pitfalls. I got a buddy thats got a 65 coupe sitting out in a field he let me have some parts off of I think i can get for almost nothing, I think I`ll get the body to have something to play with while I`m learning.

I appreciate the words of encouragement,

danny clemens · Dec 18, 2007

CarFreakGT said:
I'll check it out. I had intended to take a basic welding class a few months ago. I signed up, but had to withdraw due to some family issues, but was considering registering again. Anyone have any feedback/input on if this is a good idea, or simply a waste of time/money?

I would think that it's a good idea. I am a self taught welder but would like to take classes to be able to improve on what I do.

hgufrin · Dec 20, 2007

I painted my first car last year... I studied for about a year off of hotrodders.com...
PATIENCE is key. Walkaway when you're tired. I used a china gun and PPG's shopline (very inexpensive bc/cc)

Hank

hgufrin · Dec 20, 2007

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jikelly · Dec 20, 2007

Great looking paint jobs!!

I painted my stang there are some pictures on my site... http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jikelly/paint pictures.htm

But for the most part, from the way my car turned out, I can only tell you what not to do.

It'd be fine except for the heavy orange peel and I'm not real happy with the paint durability (it scratches easy, my roommate accidentally ran a wrench across a panel and it scratched like PAKOW!!)

I probably put in well, two months worth of work on the body, I spent over a year alone on that part. And, then I spent probably another month worth of time on the actual paint, but that's mostly because I'm good at figuring out how not to do things.

How not to paint your car...
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=722117

Wait did I...
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=668701

Metallic Paint HELP...
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=671586

Things I will suggest.
Read as much about the paint process as you can.
Buy quality sand paper.
Invest in good tools (note: not the same as saying buy expensive tools).
If you decide to base clear, practice spraying both, and be sure you can make the clear flow/level out (my require reducing the clear but check the specs).
Print off your paint materials data sheets and mixing/spraying instructions and post them somewhere.
Find a knowledgeable paint dealer in your area.

Check out this guys 50 dollar paint job. I think it's sweet, looks lots better than mine and I spent probably 1500 on materials alone.
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=706432

zookeeper · Dec 20, 2007

I painted my fastback a couple years ago and I can say that the best thing you can do is be patient and don't try to take any shortcuts on the prep. Everyone makes mistakes, but the trick is to not ever say "close enough". If a panel is giving you fits, seek advice, it CAN be fixed. Don't use an inch of filler to compensate for poor bodywork. If you have to, replace the door, fender, trunk or hood rather than slop on filler. Read books, watch videos and do it. If I did it, you can do it.

Trying to learn paint and body work.

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