Sweepspear

There was a guy a few years ahead of me in school that took the rear wing off his Superbird and replaced it with Shark fins he made since the movie Jaws was so popular back in '75. Just a used car. Nuthin' special. I'm sure 80's-90's Camaros and Firebirds will be collected and restored.

I think of the Buick Gran Nationals, the bustle back Sevilles and even the copycat bustle back Chrysler Imperial as being cars of interest. Miata I can see, late model Cobra Mustangs. The '95-'99 Buick Riviera. The '79-'85 models already have a bit of a following. Hard to say really. I know there are many others I just can't think of or forsee. Never say never about the collectability of a car. I think back to High School in the late '70's when the muscle cars were just 10 year old used cars and we were beating the bejeebers out of them. Who knew back then that in 30 years that AAR Cuda, Buick GS, Charger 500 etc. that we drove through the backwoods to kegger parties would be sought after and worth what they are. Me and a friend turned our nose up at a '70 Buick GSX that was for sale for $500.00 because it was a little rough. Ok, my turn to kick the horse. Boy, be careful of the words you choose around here! I grew up in a CCCA family, so I know the definition of what "that word" means and fought it's misuses myself for years. But life is too short and we are outnumbered. The OP never once questioned or asked the meaning, he just unfortunately used "that word" and stepped in a deep pile. Maybe "that word" should be added to the list of naughty words that won't appear on the board when typed since it brings about such conflict and sleepless nights by it's mere mention. Upper case 'C' or not. :cool:

Here in Minnesota we have 4 different classifications of plates. Pioneer. For cars built before 1936. Classic. For cars deemed as Classics by the CCCA. Collector. Any car 20 years and older. Street Rod. You qualify for these plates if your vehicle was manufactured before 1949 or was recreated to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949. All have restrictions such as not being used to drive to work, go to the store, etc. But the police rarely if ever enforce it.

On May 10th 2005, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed a bill into law that could result in a requirement that the state's gasoline supplies contain 20 percent ethanol (E-20). If the rules go into effect, it would double the current 10 percent ethanol blends that are now standard throughout the state. Under the legislation, a new E-20 mandate would take effect in 2013 unless ethanol has already replaced 20 percent of the state's motor vehicle fuel by 2010. The rule would expire at the end of 2010 if Minnesota is not granted federal approval to use E-20 gasoline blends. One can only hope MN doesn't get federal approval. I can't find any updates.

I love scrutinizing old photos for the cars! Looks to have been around '74 or so? I was 13 then. Funny how you can't remember lots looking like that. The attrition rate of cars is so gradual you don't notice it happening. Even a parking lot photo from 15 years ago will look somewhat vintage. I of course spotted the Boattail Riv right off the bat! :cool:

My guess has been that CTS stands for Cadillac Touring Sedan. Doesn't really work with a coupe though does it. CTC? :confused: I do love the look of that new coupe!

I checked that vey book out from the library. It was very informative. All the how to paint your car books I have are old, and other than basic prepping they are 30+ years out of date when it comes to paint technologies.

Thanks Kris! Once I have it all together I will do that! I thank everyone for their encouraging comments.

Well, you asked, so here is what I did step by step for the most part. Thanks again for all the kind words. I used Sherwin Williams primer and paint. The primer is called Finsh 1 FP410. A high build primer. The color is 3rd Dimension 5.0 single stage Urethane Enamel. These are their value line products similar to PPG Omni. I bought both at a local Sherwin Williams automotive paint store. When I was looking into buying paint, I stopped by a few of the local auto parts stores that are also PPG paint dealers. But, I couldn't find anyone that was knowledgeable enough to give me guidance, or the person in the know wasn't in when I stopped in. They also seemed bothered by my questions. Their loss. This Sherwin Williams store wanted my business and was very helpful. This car is for the most part a very rust free car. The only 2 spots that had bubbling under the surface was just above both rear wheels. When I ground down these areas I discovered bondo from a previous repair. I cut all this out and welded in metal patches. Approximately 2" x 8" sections. The majority of the paint was in good shape, just a lot of nicks and scratches. After removing the trim I washed the car down using Dawn dish washing liquid. I had read that this was very good at removing any wax. As a good measure I also wiped it down with wax & grease remover. I sanded the old finish to roughen it up and feather any nicks with a random orbital sander using 80 grit paper. I bought an aerosol can of SEM self etching primer to spray on those spots were I had exposed bare metal. I then sprayed 4 good coats of the high build primer. This is where I left off last year. Come Spring, I block sanded the car dry with 320 grit paper and used a black guide coat to see any low spots and keep track of where I was. What a dusty mess this process was. Then sprayed another 3 coats of primer and blocked it again wet using 500 grit paper. I didn't guide coat it this time. I probably should have, but felt I had it pretty straight from the first round of blocking. Time for the color. As many of you know first hand, we had many days of hot and humid weather here in the Midwest. More so than normal. It seemed that during the work week the temp, humidity, and dew point would drop only to return just in time for the weekend. :mad: For Labor day weekend the forecast for Saturday was a high of 68* with low humidity and light wind out of the NW. Perfect! I forewarned the Wife not to make any plans or honey do lists for Saturday. It wasn't until I went to mix the paint that I noticed I wasn't sold enough reducer. The color used a 4-2-1 ratio of color, reducer, hardener instead of the 4-1-1 of the primer. So the first several coats were a little on the rich side only being reduced ½ as far down as recommended. For the last 2 coats I did reduce it down as instructed. I went around the car 6 times, (maybe 7) and still have a little less than a quart of color left for future use. And here I was fretting that a gallon wouldn't be enough, especially when I found out I didn't have all the reducer that was recommended. How I prepared the garage. I bought a 12' x 400' roll of painter's plastic and covered the ceiling and all sides. The ceiling was more time consuming than I expected. I took down all my florescent fixture and cleaned them of nearly 20 years of accumulated dirt as I went along. I used an electric staple gun and cut up bits of cardboard to staple into, so the staple wouldn't pull through the plastic. For the windows, I found at Menards a roll of furnace filter material. Cut to size and stapled in the same manner as the plastic. I wish it would have come in the color white and not blue, but oh well. I also covered the intake side of 2 old 20” box fans I used as exhaust fans. They have induction motors so there is no risk of a spark igniting the fumes. I closed the garage door down on top of the fans, and closed off the remaining openings with plastic sheeting. The night before I hosed down the floor and used a squeegee to remove any dust. For my personal protection, I bought a quality respirator with charcoal filters rated for organic vapors including Urethanes. There is a lot of disagreement as to wether these are adequate or not. While a fresh air system would be ideal, I felt that for the limited exposure I was going to have along with the ventilation I provided for they would work fine. You will have to decide if they are what you want to use for yourself. I am not endorsing charcoal filters as the way to go. I also wore a paint suit that covered me head to toe, along with chemical resistant gloves and goggles for the eyes. Since I have one elderly neighbor who's garage is right next to mine, I gave him a heads up a few days ahead of time when I primed and then painted. I suggested he may not want to work in his garage or garden for a couple of hours on those days. He did anyway, but I felt better knowing I let him know ahead of time. I think that about covers it.

My Dad restored a '37 Jaguar SS100 when I was a kid back in the early 70's. I have many memories of riding in it. Even let me drive it a time or 2 on sparsely traveled roads well before I was of driving age. Definitely what cemented the old car bug in me.

I also did a lot of research and read many posts on other boards. Most of which said you can't use an HVLP gun with a small compressor. My compressor is rated 6.5cfm @90psi, and 8.5cfm @ 40psi. The gun is rated at 12cfm @45psi. Of course this isn't ideal, but if you are just doing a panel at a time and allow the compressor to catch up a little it can work. The pot life on this 2k paint is 2 hours, so stopping for a minute or two won't hurt. I contemplated renting a bigger compressor, but in the end just decided to go for it. Sometimes you have to work with what you have.

Thanks Kevin! Don't know if you recall since it was some time ago, but it is wearing the hood I bought from you several years ago. Not sure I will get it entirely done before winter, but springtime for sure! Yeah, I know. I've been spreading it around.

This is the first car I have painted. Did it in my garage with a $50.00 Harbor Freight gun and a 20 gallon compressor. I'm very happy with it. A couple of runs but nothing color sanding won't cure. I'm chomping at the bit to put all the trim back on.

They would have sold well I believe had they built them. The body lends itself well to a convertible treatment.

"My lug nuts require more torque than your Honda makes."

It would be the '40 Continental my Father restored in the early 80's. Loved driving that car! With the Columbia 2 speed rear axle it would cruise at 60-70 mph all day effortlessly. It served as a wedding car in not only my wedding, but the weddings of many of my friends. Sure miss that car. Hope it is in good hands. P.S, The turn signals you see in the bumper were removable for shows.

I do like the current one. "The new class of world class."

I remember back in the 80's seeing a lot of full size GM wagons with miss matched taillights. Chevy, Buick, Pontiac & Olds. All interchangeable.

I always look forward to these updates of your progress Roger!

I recall seeing many of them in the Mpls. area. I think GM assumed no one would make the connection between the Cavalier and the Cimmaron. Most likely, only those with an interest in cars knew what they did. I still see one roaming the streets near me. Not a great car by any means.

Doesn't surprise me. Sounds typical of a lot of exotics.

I always thought the Aston Martin Lagonda was kind of cool looking. Eye of the beholder as they say. :cool:

That air pump is located just ahead of the rear suspension on my '96. Mine is an early car built in Sept. '95, could it have been moved later in the model year? They really should have put it under the hood where it belongs in my opinion. Under the car is a nasty environment to subject that pump and it's associated parts. Especially where salt is used on the roads during the winter.

The Avanti is stunning! Being a Buick Riviera guy, I especially like the Toronado.