Projects Olds Rocket 324 in a 32 Ford; "trying to finish it thread"..

It never got above "winter" all day; the sun came out, but we had higher winds all afternoon, and it got colder. The wind stopped at O'dark thirty

While I was waiting for the weather to change, I dragged out the hood and rad shell for final blocking; I was going to sand those another day..but i had time... I put super glue on real good before sanding, but it sanded right off...ouch




I also took the spare time to clean one of those paint mixing can tops that you see at the paint mix store. I will hook a variable speed drill to it, to stir up the gallon can. There is so much poly flake in the mix, that a stir stick would take forever. Also, these have a nice pouring spout, which is a good thing...machine-stir and pour, should save time, each time I refill the gun.

 

Good luck on the paint job tomorrow Frank. Can't wait to see the results !!!

 

Get er done frank we need another deuce for the gang

 

beautiful day, [on this side of the state] warm, no wind....so....how did it turn out?

 

hope your basking in the beauty of your fresh paint as I type frank!

 

I found out you can't do a laquer job using "compliant laquer thinner". I had the car apart, doors off, decklid and lower panel off, etc.. I figured I'd have less dry spots where you leave off.

I picked up the gun at Noon, and went for 6 fucking hours, fighting with the 100% acetone "laquer thinner". I started with small parts like cowl vent and went on to a door. I knew I was in trouble by the time I got to the opposite side of the door, the beginning was already dry. There is no way to paint wet-into-wet. Shade or sun made no difference.

I was using a Binks7 and tried a bigger tip, had the trigger stop fully out, and tried different pressures all afternoon, with little improvement. I wanted to stop at the 2nd coat, but I thought I could get myself out of this mess. I do have some real PPG retarder left, but I did not dare mix it with acetone.

Towards the end, it was getting to look like I could save it, except for tiger stripes; I even went vertical on one coat, but that gave vertical stripes.

Out of desperation, I put the doors back on and hit both sides with very overthinned mix. That helped the stripes, but it dried way quicker, and the sides now feel like 80 grit paper. It was 6pm, and my kid showed up and said "park it in the shop, and think"

See the outdoor pic where I slid the rear deck lower panel back on; it looks OK right? In the shop, I can see vertical stripes. (the one indoor pic has dust on the lens, so it looks like there is crazy spots on the car)

I am not sure how to fix it.

 

Looks good, love the color.

jeff

 

Man, that looks pretty good from here. Looks like it'll buff out!

 

Looks good to me....Really like the color.
color sand with clear coat??

 

Looks fine in the photos, but I do know how much internet photos can hide. Does it really look that bad Frank, or are you being too critical? Thing looks GREAT from here. The color is dead-on perfect.

 

Loving the color Frank !!! To me it looks silvery blue where as the painted dash photo it looks more teal. Probably a lighting/camera issue. Good luck moving forward !!!

 

The close-up of the top of the cowl and windshield post looks good to me, looks pretty smooth. Did it really go on that dry?

 

I agree, that color is rad! do you have enough paint left that if you can figure out a better reducer you can try another shot if you aren't happy with it??

I've been on the fence about mixing up a maroon out of rustoleum to spray my car with or doing it right.... seems that my opinion varies by my account balance lol

 

i did not realize there are different lacquer thinners. the car i am working on now i am touching up using lacquer, i bought virgin lacquer thinner instead of wash thinner, i thought it was a purity difference.
i would suggest, maybe a light sanding, and a couple coats with the right thinner.

 

Yes, I like the color also; I was after the 58-62 local small town Autorama build style & color. It's what I recall when I started with 1/25 model kits. Take a look at hamber Devin's roadster on the channeled thread; his also has a great heavy poly look.

That close-up of the cowl is OK enough to use the SoftScrub cleaner, by hand, they same as I did on the dash. It ends up smooth, but not a "wet look" paint finish..which is what I wanted right from the start. That's why I went laquer.

Not being too critical; I just went back at 8pm to look at it again...the sides really are like 80 grit, no fooling. Very bad, and I think if I wait for it to cure, then sand, it will get blotchy. There is a TON of poly mixed in.

Each coat, I would rub it out with green scotchbrite, because all the loose flakes. just like a metaflake job. Each coat added, made more "sugar" finish in the nooks and crannys like beltlines, inside corners etc.

I have at least 2.5 gallons (un thinned) left. I need to think on this a few days, rather than charge at it again. Maybe tape the frame off, and also the beltline, and just redo the lower body sides that I hit with the thinner..

Yes it went on wicked dry. You can't make a run, even with the trigger stop backed out. Take the radiator shell for example...I could not get the whole thing done without dry areas, no matter how I went at it. It dries right behind the pass you are making. Sun or shade.

I will pull the tape in the AM, to see if the dash is the same color. I don't know, but it should be.

I need to make more calls to find some; this was all I could find

 

Yes, by what you are describing, it sounds pretty bad. It can look a hell of a lot better in on a computer screen than it does in person. Can you get proper thinner? I'll pm Rich Wright, and send him a link to your thread, see if he can chime in here. Lots of poly(metallic) with too fast a thinner is about a worst case scenario.
By all means, hang back until you really have a good plan of attack. If its that rough, color sanding it is gonna be trouble, it'll probably go blotchy on you. In the meantime, maybe consider setting a couple pints aside and let the poly settle out, save that for the finish, thin it with a slow thinner, and lay it on wet. But first, lets see if we can figure out a way to save whats already on there without having to strip it back completely. How much pressure were you using?

 

I like 32's full fendered.

 

"push it in the shop and think"





Well, I almost pulled the tape off last night late but was tired. Setting on the porch this morning, I remembered asking hamber Earl Sheib about a full case of Ditzler "color blender" that I got with all the paint stuff. He told me a few things that is was good for, and said it's "good stuff".

Well, I tried to remember ..so I experimented with straight blender which made a mess, then added some color which was better. But It acted so different that I changed inner nozzle size on the gun, and was able to go way low on pressure...now getting a great fan and wet-into-wet.

Still has the issue of poly flakes flying around and landing, so it ain't perfect. I don't see any stripes at all.

BadPenney was right on the dash color. The dash is lighter, and that is because I hand rubbed, which knocks the color off of the top flakes. So, who knows what it will look like when I rub the body down later.

30-40 mph gusts today..was like waiting in between waves before jumping in at the ocean

 

Dont be in a big hurry to rub it out, Frank, let it gas out and harden. Hopefully, you've pulled it off.

 

This is the best build thread I have ever read. Someone building all of a car, doing all of the work, using homemade, stock, or junkyard parts. All with great skill, and sharing all of the good stuff and the mistakes. This is the way we built cars in the 60's when I was a kid, but they never looked this good. Thanks for posting this Frank, and keep it coming. Brian

 

I've got a spray booth just like yours! The Stanley Steamer guy down the road has one too. If the weather is right an outside spray really works well. Hope all your problems sand out and you can just add another coat or two if you need them. Like the color a lot. Bob

 

The car sat inside right next to the wood boiler all night, and it looks much better now for some reason.

I walked in there this morning without turning the lights on, and there was a "glowing object" in there, wow that is a lot of poly flake


I did take another pic at dusk late yesterday after I got the trunk lid back on. Yesterdays recoats were 3 more on the main body and about 6 or 7 on the back lower panel and lid, but it seems to match ok.

I haven't done shit today, I am in crash mode

 

It looks really damn good Frank.

Don't want to jump the gun, but it looks like you pulled off a save. Congratulations!

 

Frank, trust me on this, give that AT LEAST a month (longer would be better) before you try to rub it out. DONT rush it...
Saying this with nothing but loving concern...

 

I saw some dreaded sand scratches after the first coat on the first day. You know as well as I do that they will show up at some point

Looks like I will have plenty of time to ignore it. As soon as I posted this morning, a guy called up to see how his hood was coming...he thought maybe he missed a call from me... But I told the truth, I've been busy painting MY car and planned to do his hood this afternoon...so...no rest today.

I need my son to help get the 32 behind that plastic sheeting divider wall in the shop, because I am welding nearby, and need to grind later tonight. That kind of "patina", I don't need any more of.

Then start mocking up the 37 Ply..

 

lookin' SHARP!

 

I like it, Frank!

 

Some of these guys are jumping the "gun" a bit. You know and I know, its gonna take at least a month before you really know whether you pulled this off or not. As it hardens and shrinks, and tightens up any problems will start to show. I really do hope you did, I love the car, love the color. I want it to turn out really nice, and I know how much you have put into this.
The harder it is for the first cut, the better it will look. At this point, there really isnt a hell of a lot more you can do to change anything but be patient and wait, it is what it is. I'm crossing my fingers for you, I hope it buffs out nice and clean and clear, and looks really good!

 

Looks good Frank! Hope all turns out well after it hardens and you buff it.

 

Frank, "flaws" seem to disappear once the car is put together, and since you used lacquer and have lots of it, touchups can be made any time.
good job!