Well, first the correct term is 'laser' not 'lazer'. It's tossed around a lot, but is supposed to mean that the car has zero ripples, waves and perfect panel alignment/fit on the bodywork.
Skim coat entire car with filler, use high build primer like Slick Sand and long board sand. Eliminates panel dive between doors, panels, etc. Impressive but can look sterile and unnatural sometimes in my opinion. Just too perfect somehow.
Dept. of redundancy dept. lots and lots of block sanding. I agree with Joey. The correct tools, materials, and lots of perseverance. The end result makes it all worth it.
As long as the door edges aren't extra thick and the jamb edges aren't built out of mud it looks pretty nice. It all depends on reflection- there's nothing worse than seeing a car next to a curb, fence, building and having the reflected lines bobbling all over or jumping at panel gaps. Most people can't see or don't know how to look at car in that way. They see shiny, no obvious dent and they are very happy. They will not notice a bobble or error in the reflection and the reflection is what shows laser straight.
I have been building them that way for years! But I agree with you 100% ! But when your name is on it has to be perfect. Other wise the customers friends will pick it apart and then you have an unhappy customer who thinks you cheated him! Car shows and awards created that Monster and now its the standard. Even if it is built as a nice driver, the so called know it all's will point out the fitment flaws, most of which are factory and have been there since new. Larry
You can body work a panel from end to end or you can body work a car from bumper to bumper. Working The bumper to bumper objective or method gets it straighter when sighting the car from bumper to bumper. High spots left in panels from shitty metal work will ruin your day because the entire side gets to or is needed feather out the high spot.
"Monster" is right, I've got one. It's like owning an early aluminum bodied Ferrari. "You die twice every time a fly lands on it. Once when he lands, and once when he leaves and you see the dent he made"
We call them parade cars they wave at you as they drive by. why go to all the work to paint a car and not block it till you think you have it then block it one more time
I hung around a body shop years ago. The owner would use a four foot flourescent tube held horizontal to check for waves. His work was the best. And that was before bondo showed up.
How do you do it ... Good metal work especially on low crown panels and edges. Since you know you'll be spreading filler from end to end, the low spots are getting built up to the same level as your high spots. SO DO NOT leave any high spots. If you don't want thick filler don't leave any big lows either. Most of the filler gets sanded off, but the job goes WAY quicker by putting a little more filler and a little thicker than needed VS not getting enough on the first time and re coating with filler and sanding most of it off a few extra times. It's great if you can get the exact thickness without any spreader marks but if you can't " a little more is better" Easy sanding body filler and Block sanding with the longest boards you can get BUT you need to know how to hold them and work them. Sanding with guide coat helps much. I have a nice set of dura bloc sanding blocks, a few of the longer flex blocks with rods and plus my secret weapons. Those are long pvc pipe with pipe insulation on them and then 80 grit file paper. great for 8' bed sides. Don't leave any obvious high spots. Next is some sort of spray polyester filler, it's sprayable bondo and repeat block sanding. 2 coats and 1 round of this is usually good to get your pinholes, 80 grit sand scratches and level out feathers. However if you happen to sand thru because of a high spot you get to do this again maybe twice more. Then high build primer and more block sanding with guide coat. Repeat till the surface is perfect in 320 grit. Some guys will say "no filler in their car" ok,,, maybe not one smudge of bondo or icing but they used 14 gallons of high build primer.
Next time you see one ask if it was owner done or pro shop done. Owner done if far more affordable. Bob
hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, hi build primer, long board, then repeat...
If you want to see how it's done from start to cut and buff, there's a great series of videos put out by the Eastwood company titled "hands on cars" on YouTube. They're restoring an ugly ass F body Camaro and being sponsored by Eastwood, the advertising is a little in-your-face but the tips and tricks given are worth the watch.
It starts with the metal work. That is my part and .I take pride in doing the best to keep it straight when welding. The next step is to put it in DP, then fix the obvious dents and apply some bondo. When it looks good in bondo then apply the high build primer let it sit for a week and then block it out with the longest board that is reasonable to use. Apply another high build primer let it sit and shrink before another round of blocking it out. The next step is to paint it with single stage in either black or white dependent on the final color. This will get a wet sanding and then the final paint in base/clear. This will get wet sanded and polished. And that is how to get it arrow straight and why a paint job costs $12,000-$18,000
One of two things,like doing body work and being extremely good at it or have a lot of BEN FRANKLIN'S to pay the guy that is. HRP
Just remember more welding/sheet metal replacement more the ripples that will have to be eliminated. In an ideal world rust free body is a good start. There is lies the dilemma should you spend more $ up front on a rust free body or less $ and spend more time on sheet-metal repairs. My 02 is look for the best body and fenders at the start it will save time and money in the long haul. The length of the car, the amount of long quarter panel also comes into play. Sometimes no matter how much $ spent and hours consumed block sanding the car just will not be 100% laser straight. Last, dark colors tend to highlight the body waves and light colors do not. Last you are trying to impress yourself or the cruise nite crowd. Are you building a driver or a Riddler car? Final thought, there is something to be said at looking down the side of a black 1960 Cadillac with a laser straight paint job. All it takes is big money, time, skill and patience.
If a car ever does get finished 95+% of the time is spent looking at it, why not make it perfect? Bob
good metal work and lots and lots of paint mixing sticks converted into sanding blocks and very sore shoulders and elbows
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