2023: What are you doing today?

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Up coming project: 2021 Camry.. Under engine splash guard replacement - repair.  Sister in law car.

The ol common pulled the car too far forward in a parking spot. The Parking concrete block, caught the splash guard panel..  It was pulled off as she reversed.  Broke a piece out of the bumper cover too.  I am going to glue the bumper section back in place? She does not want to pay the $$ for a new bumper cover, paint, labor, etc.

Bought a new splash cover from Amazon.. SHould be here soon. Photo is damaged panel..  Need to buy some bumper cover  panel adhesive - repair stuff I guess ?

 

[kb426]

Tony, I bought the Evercoat stuff several years ago. It comes in a cartridge style tube but only half or so has product. It worked well but was pricey.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Installed tiedown mounts in my F350 bed... These are knock offs of OEM Fjord design.  Why the locks on them seems weird.  Very cheap locks on them. Generic, same  key that fits each lock.

I bought some grade 8 bolts.. 1/4 x 28 thread.  I had to tap the holes in the bed since it is designed for the self tap screws. The self tappers with threads that are formed in 3 side design to cut threads.  I dont like that design , so I bought bolts. I used the new 1/4 x 28 tap that finally arrived from Amazon.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Finished up a cover for our water softner that sits out side...  I bought a cloth cover last year for this unit.. It was black. The AZ sun caused the cover to melt into the plastic of the softner top.. So , I built this cover to match the smaller cover I have over our Water filter assembly.

I designed this cover so the top flips open and 2 sides open up to service this unit.

Took a few partial  days to build this unit.. I am slow , but I get a few things done...

   

[chimp koose]

looks sharp Tony !

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I decided that my new water softner enclosure needed some shade cloth on the inside to really block the AZ sun.

I stapled the shade cloth on 3 sides that are exposed to the sun.  Cloth is doubled up thickness.  THe black cover I bought last years is also seen here.  I figured (hope) the cover will do no further damage under this new cover enclosure?

[jaybee]

Tony, I'd imagine you'll be OK with the black cover under shade cloth. Even here in Virginia I notice the sun is more intense even in winter than it is at the same time of year in the Upper Midwest.

[idrivejunk]

I have a reprieve from classroom teaching . Our welding teacher is going to be gone for at least 3 weeks and I have been brought back into the shops to teach welding , auto body and industrial arts . I was pleased when my classroom students were bummed out by the news and happy to hear some in the classes get excited that I was going to teach them industrial arts . I will be finishing small engines with them and then do a stint of machining with them . Probably the last group of grade 9's I will ever get to introduce to the wonders of machining  . I will also take the time to show/explain how to modify engines to get more power . Might just show them video of when I used to run my front engine dragster with a high school crew .

This post slipped past me, CK.

That sounds fantastic!

Don't leave out custom paint.   

[idrivejunk]

Bill, I'm looking for a third brake light for the Vair, because it only has two small tail lights, but I'm going to eliminate the backup lights and have four tail lights to help the peeps behind me see me.  When I had my 63 Ford Galaxie, I was stopped uptown to make a left turn, and I looked in the mirror to see a truck barreling down on me and swerving at the last minute to avoid hitting me. C'mon, those tail lights are huge. I did put a third brake light in the rear window anyway, and also installed one in the 58 Chevy wagon (again, two small tail lights).

The Vair was a cream color from the factory, then painted red. I'm still on the fence as to what color it's going to be. I was going to go back to the cream, as it's a straight color. I've painted one VW Bug and a Chevy PU with metallic; the Bug came out great in dark blue, the gold PU had terrible streaks. Guessed I was going too slow with the paint gun on that one. I also painted a fiberglass bed cover on one of my Ford Rangers that came out well with metallic. It's been 20 years since I've used a paint gun.  Will have to wait and see how it goes.

Nabbed this quote from the 48 thread... pardon that.


I ain't far from ya, having sprayed my last in 2010 in a hobby shop. But the two last years of last century I was a production painter doing lots of tough tri coat repair jobs in a downdraft Blowtherm with SataJet NR95s. My thoughts:

Being an RRT guy, you can request a pic edit if need be for color pickins and I will do. That being said, every color is probably represented in image searches.

What I wanted to point out is that metallic or pearl FLAKE 
orientation issues are often inherent to the color choice. "Spray sensitive" is the term used to describe formulas whose appearance depends heavily on application. Tiger striping or mottling of the effect can result despite a seasoned painter's best efforts.

Very fine or very coarse or "sparkle" (varied flake sizes aka firemist in GM speak) metallics seem to me to be the cause. Halo around blendouts on very fine light metallics are the most troublesome and the trend toward less color coats exascerbates that.

Thats all just to say don't knock the metallics. Or pearls. Metallic is flat square aluminum flakes while pearl is six sided translucent prism-like mica flakes coated with a color. In plain two stage basecoat, a mix of medium metallic and a pearl or two is the painter's dream. Good coverage and easy blending with little spray sensitivity.

Solids can be spray sensitive to a degree, but in a how long was it wet way rather than a what angle was it sprayed at way.

And base/clear is arguably the most forgiving way to hang with the pack on color coolness and fixability if doing a hobby paint job these days. However, if not venturing outside a "period" look... hey single stage solids are as far as a guy needs to take it.

Just my .02 and heres .01 more. I vote for the third light up high in that back window. They don't call them high mount stop lamps fer nuthin. I don't cotton to the flash three times kind, those are maybe too distracting.

[58 Yeoman]

Hey Matt. All I've ever painted was one stage acrylic enamel. I was surprised the VW came out as well as it did, being dark blue. Friends gold Chevy truck had stripes, but he didn't care as it was just a work truck. What I'm trying to do here is get this car primered so I don't have to worry about surface rust over the winter.  It'll also give me time to do some mechanical repairs to it. A friend of mine might be able to come tomorrow to watch me paint it. He's doing a 68 GTO at this time, and he's going with Alpine Blue from the dark green that was popular at that time. All his cars get BC/CC, but his grandson does it for him, as he's a professional painter.

I was tempted to go back to the original cream color as it could hide any mistakes more easily.  Wife says she'd like the color to POP, like all the really nice red colors showing up on the new cars lately.  I told her red is expensive. I still have till next year to decide.

I made my paint booth with a roll of plastic just to keep the overspray off everything as much as possible.  I'm tired, don't know how you body men do this all day.

[kb426]

Phil, I have no idea what you are planning on using but if it was my car, I would put 2 coats of epoxy on it. I'm using the Summit products because they are cost effective and have worked well for me. If it's going to stay inside, one coat will work. Spray on cardboard or something to set your pattern on the gun and I would start at the bottom and work up. That will help keep the overspray out of your eyesight and off the panels you're going to spray.

[58 Yeoman]

Bill, I'm trying to use up all the supplies that I have from previous projects. I found one gallon of 1k primer that I must have bought for the 41 Pontiac I had but never painted.  I have rolls of different grades of sandpaper that is also getting used.  Of course, I had to buy some new stuff that will end up taking up space on the shelves after I finish this car.

I've got a Campbell/Hausfeld gun that works great for primer, and a Binks for the color.  I'm still using siphon feed as that's what I'm used to. I do have a new HF HVLP that I bought for a couple bucks at a sale, but it's for small jobs.  Haven't tried it out yet.  I didn't keep up with the new stuff, so I'm going with what I know.  Good idea on starting at the bottom. I have the car on jack stands because I need to get under the rockers, and front and rear valances, so I can just reach the center of the roof.

[idrivejunk]

Been a month or more since I crunk up the GT that sits in the street (fans bad and still hurt from hit n run) so I exercised it twice briefly yesterday. Neighbors had taken the parking spot in street so ended up doing another errand hoping they would clear out (bunch of SUVs). Got back, tire on most recent crash corner about flat. Staple in sidewall, good tire ruined. Aired it up. After dark went to park back in street. Windows tinted and critical positioning so I buzzed the glass down. Passenger regulator quit. Shuffled it into the garage and yay... I get to defrost idling every morning this week with the DD parked in driveway. Because somebody needed my one parking place for a little while. Can't touch either thing with it in garage and its dark / cold when I get home. Poor car has 120K less miles than what I drive. People just keep ruining it more for me.

[idrivejunk]

On the brighter side 

New guy at shop quit playing rap because boss is back in town.

[58 Yeoman]

Well, after almost a year, the Vair is one color.  I still have to do the door jambs and hinges, but that's for another day.