Luv2Wrench

What is the diameter on that cutter and what rpm are your running it? The Hendey came with some cutters like that and while it will be probably a year before I do try them out... I'm really looking forward to it.

Life got in the way again... but I did mange to shoot two coats of clear and I'm very happy with the results. I should be able to get another 3 or 4 done tomorrow and then it is on to the hood panels.

You're doing it correct. Epoxy primer goes on first to seal the bare metal. Then 2K, high-build, filler, etc. One final pass of 2K primer sanded to 400. Last step before your base is the epoxy primer reduced 15% to lock in all the high-build, 2K and filler. Since the epoxy is reduced it goes on nice and flat and provides a great surface for the base. It will also help fill any (very) minor incidents you might have while moving panels around. The only concern with the SPI epoxy is that it is very sensitive to contamination so surface prep is everything. I ended up using SPI waterborne before I sanded the 2K with 400 and then again after I sanded. After letting that dry a full hour I then did two passes with SPI's solvent wax and grease remover before spraying the epoxy. I also let the epoxy induce for a full hour (the same hour the waterborne is drying). So yeah, that's a lot of steps, a lot of work and a lot of material. When it is done right, however, you can be 100% sure you will not have issues with your base going forward. The epoxy as a sealer provides a great surface for adhesion.

Looking great!! I sand 400 on the 2K primer before I spray SPI's two part epoxy reduced 15% as a sealer coat. From what I've heard this is an important step, some say critical. The sealer coat will fill/cover 400 scratches so you're ready for base at that point. If you don't do a sealer coat then the final grit you sand with depends on the base you're going to apply. Check the spec sheet (or call them) to find out what grit it will cover. My guess is that 400 will be fine but it does depends on what your base will cover and how many coats you're applying. You do need to be careful about sanding with too fine a grit as you might have adhesion problems with the base.

Shot the base today, very happy with the results. Will start clear tomorrow.

I love that color, really looking great!

If you followed my prep strategy you'd need 5 gallons of wax and grease remover and a forest of paper towels. Another fun fact... my booth is only 10' x 16' so I'm not sure you would have enough room to spray it in my booth!!

3 steps forward, 2 steps back... but at least I gained a step this weekend! I shot the outside of the hood and step fenders with sealer Friday afternoon. Unfortunately I had fisheyes in a couple of areas. Fisheyes in the SPI Epoxy has always been a problem for me and with horizontal surfaces it is even worse. The epoxy is very sensitive to contamination even to the extent that the waterborne w&g remover causes problems if it is not 100% removed and given ample time to dry. The key is getting the surfaces perfectly clean and I just didn't quite get that done in a couple of areas. I took those panels out of the booth and brought the fenders in to get them ready. I spent Saturday and part of today getting them ready for sealer. I had to modify the holder for the rear fenders because they way I had it before didn't allow me to paint all of the outside. This time I used the SPI waterborne wax and grease remover before I sanded and after I sanded I did two soaking wet passes. I waited a full hour and then did two passes with their solvent wax and grease remover. This time with the solvent based W&G I could see it flowing out without any issues. That gave me a bit of confidence the epoxy would be fine... and it was. Sealer coat laid down nice and flat with almost no texture and, thankfully, no fisheyes. I ran out of time to shoot the base but I'll get that done tomorrow.

I wonder if that PLA has the heat rating to do panic stops On a more serious note... I love that 3D printers are making it much easier to get parts that were once all but unobtainable. With that in mind, it might make sense to consider getting scans of rare parts during a restoration process such that they be available for future restorers.

Had a reasonable weekend car wise... as usual stuff came up and I didn't get much time in the shop, but I did get the fenders shot with base and clear on the inside. Today I managed to get the hood and other misc panels shot with base and clear on the inside. Now I will let them dry a bit and flip them over, prep and seal with epoxy primer, then base and then clear. Looks like it will be 3 sessions. I'll do the hood and misc panels that are in the booth now first, then I'll do the gas tank, spare tire holder and misc. Last session will be the fenders. Before I take the booth down I also need to shoot the side curtain frames and top bows. In addition I plan to bring the car back in and shoot 3 more coats of clear on it as I'm not 100% happy with how it turned out.

I moved all the panels out, cleaned up the shop and put the paint booth up. I hope to get the inside of all the panels shot this weekend. I still need to clean the panels, put plastic down on the floor and, of course, bring the panels back in. Setting the booth up now goes pretty quick, I don't think it took more than a couple of hours to get everything in and put together. The previous sessions I had too much air velocity so I slowed the fan down by putting bigger and smaller pulleys on. I think it feels just about right now.

Welcome!! That's a wonderful car and will make a great project! I think your idea of getting it mechanically sound and cleaning/shining the rest is a fantastic idea. If the paint was falling off or a later repaint that was failing, then a respray would be appropriate.

Welcome! Start a thread in "Our Cars & Restoration Projects" and let us follow along. I not familiar with the Windsor but it looks like a cool car and I love a restoration of a car that's been in the family. Silly me... I see you've already done that!!

10 years and a month or so... and this picture still gives me goosebumps. Our hobby is a true labor of love.

Man that thing looks great, such good lines. Just beautiful.

Always a pleasure to see what you've been up to, thanks for taking the time to document it and share.

Managed to get the most of the afternoon to get some work done. I shot the tank in 2K last night so I was able to start with a little glazing filler and some block sanding. It really only needed attention to the areas where the inner baffles were spot welded. It seems that process left a little depression. There were a couple of small dents on the top but nothing much. Went super quick and I was able to get another 2 coats of 2K on it. I'll block it tomorrow and see what I've got. Might be ready for paint. While all the other panels were probably ready for 400, 600 and then paint, I decide to shoot all of them again with a nice wet coat of 2K. If things go well I'll probably go ahead and set the booth up and then do the 400/600 in there. That way I can clean them and paint them without moving them around (not touching them, banging them into something, etc). I will need to shoot the thinned coat of epoxy primer as a sealer before the base coat and it is a bit temperature sensitive so I'll have to look at the weather forecast next week. I was lows 80s here today but I saw lows in the 30s forecasted for later next week. That wouldn't work.

Life (and weather) got in the way again for a couple of weeks but I did get some good news... the gas tank is fixed! The shop did a reasonable job of getting it fixed the first time but when I media blasted it to get ready for paint some holes were uncovered. I fixed them with sliver solder but unfortunately that damaged the Red-Kote they used to line the inside. They soaked it in acetone repeatedly (10 gallons overall) and were able to get the Red-Kote out. From there they tested the tank for leaks (found none) and re-applied the Red-Kote. The only charge was their price on the acetone, no labor. I'm very pleased with the way the owned the issue and got it fixed. Will definitely use them in the future (Metz radiator and gas tank). Got to use the new air system to spray epoxy primer and 2K primer on the tank. Since I have the huge desiccant filter I know longer need the small one at the gun. I certainly noticed a difference in how the gun atomized without the "last-chance" desiccant filter at the gun. I already liked how the gun shot so an improvement was certainly nice!! I'll spread on a little filler tomorrow and block sand the tank, shouldn't take much. Getting closer and closer to getting all the panels painted.

If it is wicking... it is sticking... Great job, can't wait to see it after it cools!

Upgrade to air system is complete! In the picture below I added everything to the right of the regulator. First item right of the regulator is a tee. Out of the bottom of the tee is a high flow quick connect for a hose. This outlet is for day to day use. There is an intercooler between the compressor pump and the tank, along 50' of copper, water traps and a water/oil separator before the regulator. This system has been working great for a long time and provides nice dry air. It could, however, be a little better. The components right of the tee are what accomplish this. First there is a ball valve so that I can only pressurize this part of the system when I'm using it for painting. To the right of the valve is a water filter (rated to 125 psi) filled with 1.5 pounds of desiccant beads. To the right of that is the legendary Motor Guard M-60 sub-micron filter. It removes particulates, condensed moisture and oil aerosols down to .01 microns in size all while flowing 100CFM. This DIY type air dryer isn't a new idea, there are ton of video on YouTube showing how it is done. There are a couple of issues with this approach, the first of which is that most of these water filters are not rated for 125 psi nor are a lot of people regulating the air prior to the filter. Unfortunately the DIY aspect usually seems to mean cheap so people are getting cheap water filters that blow up and scatter desiccant beads over the entire shop. My plan to avoid that was to buy a filter that had multiple industry certifications and that ended up being a *huge* water filter. The picture doesn't show the scale well, it is over a foot tall and 5.5" in diameter. That holds a lot of beads which is also great. I think another mistake the DIY crowd makes with this type system is that they don't have a post filter. The desiccant beads fracture and have junk on them so they really make for a messy air stream. With the sub-micron Motor Guard downstream of the desiccant filter I should have great air coming out. I like being able to shut off (and depressurize) this half of the system and having the "every day" connector. I plan to get another hose as well so that I'll have a hose that I only use for painting. I can't wait to give the system a spin this weekend.

Getting very close to base and clear. I have one spot to shoot a bit of 2K primer and then everything gets sanded to 600, epoxy primer and then base coat. I'm also working on an enhanced air setup that should remove practically anything and produce clean, dry air. I'll add a post about it once I get it done. If things go well I'll set the paint booth back up and try to get color/clear on this weekend.

Car looks great! That's got to be exciting to get it outside even if you do see a few more issues. I agree with John S. In addition, record the positions of shims/washers so that you can get it back that way on final assembly. I had issues because I didn't tighten everything down and when I did the "final" time it changed the fit of the doors substantially.

Yep, this thread constantly teaches and illustrates the value of breaking down a problem, building tools to fix it and if doesn't work finding another way until it does work. In today's world it really stands out as what people _should_ be doing.

Yep, I can get different guide coat and also I can get different color epoxy primer. I'll do both and then I'll have plenty of combinations. Got the other 3 hood panels flat and sprayed another 3 coats of 2K on all hood panels and that one rear fender. I'm hopeful that the fender is complete and thus all fenders will be ready for paint. I think the hood panels will be close so at worst one more round for them. That leaves the two step fenders that connect the front and rear, a nose and tail piece and fuel tank. I still haven't decided on what to do with the tank. There are other miscellaneous pieces that need to be painted but none of them will require block sanding... so I'm getting pretty close.

I'm using Mirka Dry Coat. I do like it, the only issues I have is that 1) it is same color as my epoxy primer so it can be hard to tell difference between a high spot where I sanded through the 2K primer (gray) and a low spot. 2) A little does a lot and it will get on anything and go anywhere and stay. You almost can't wipe it up if you spill it somewhere. Don't ask me how I know For using it, I get the surface smooth, spread just a bit on with the applicator (circular foam pad with a knob for a handle) and get whole panel (or area) evenly coated. Block with 240 grit (or so). The idea is to block until the guide coat is removed on the majority of the surface/panel, the areas where it stays are low. This is similar to changing filler colors as you work, but you're removing much less material. The only thing I really don't like about it is is that it doesn't lie. If you're blocking with a low or no flex block, then it will show everything. I can understand why it is used for concourse restorations and I'll admit I'm not going to that level.