Mustang Convertable Complete
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Well here is my new little project.. Its a 96 drop top, that was a burn victim.. the owner has a 94, that is where the chrome yellow parts came from.. He is using all his parts from the 94 to rebuild this 96…
As you will see from the pics it has a small amount of burn damage inside the engine bay and on the firewall..
The body is all but straight.. It has a few dings here in there on the doors and quarters, but nothing out of the ordinary.. Its actually in great shape to be as old as it is..
Im very curious as to how you guys would do this job.. Since I am trying to push myself toward the collision side of this business and get away from the rust buckets that set for months at a time, I want to improve my productivity here at the house..
Im going to lay out my plan.. I am asking you all to critique it.. I may or may not use all suggestions, however I need to learn how things are done in good quality collision shops to speed up the turn around..
You have to remember, while i am not new to this business by any means, I am the guy who takes his time, uses slow products like epoxy and tends to tear everything apart into many pieces.. While that is all great for resto work, from my understanding, its counter productive in the collision side..
The car is going to be Chrome Yellow
1. prep the engine bay,exterior body and jambs
2. fix any and all dings
3. pull fenders, front and rear bumper covers, hood and deck lid for prime session
4. prime engine bay since it is a burn victim as well as any body work spots
5. seal with white
* Here is any area I am unsure about.. the fenders, bumper covers, hood and deck lid are all chrome yellow.. should I seal them white also?? I ask because if I use white to get better coverage with my base then im not really getting total hiding right.., I mean the light ground coat is just easier to cover.. Because if I had true total hiding of the base I could put it over purple or black sealer… I’m sure the front cover will have chips too, so those are going to have to be filled and spot primed.. Just thinking out loud here
6. Cut in engine bay and jambs since I am working in such a small space here.. 20X20.. Thought I would cut in the underside of the hood as well as the deck lid to while I was at it
7. next day if clear is cured enough, tape off jambs and spray exterior with base and clear
8. then cut and buff of course…I had considered putting together a makeshift booth out of PVC for this car, but since my space is so tiny I would not have enough room i did not think
What I want to avoid here guys is not sealing the yellow parts and then the other panels are just a shade off, even though I would spray a coat of two over them since we are using a light ground coat which is going to aid in getting it in color..
I work with the owner of this car every night at Ford.. So in my quest for quicker turn around I cant cut corners and sacrifice quality.. I don’t want to do that anyways, I just want to be more efficient..
i told him I would shoot under his hood and deck lid, so those will have to be shot. In hind sight I should have told him I would not do that.. My mistake striking a deal all the while spraying prime across from one another :wak
Anyways, here is the car.. Like I said, its in great shape.. I would like to have it out of here next weekend.. I will be layed off all next week, so I thought surely i could turn this one out???
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4797.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4798.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4799.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4800.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4801.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4802.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4803.jpg[/IMG]
Ok here is the hood damage.. and yes its nothing.. Curious what you all are using for SMC repairs..
I ask cause a couple years ago I did a repair on smc that I thought was fiberglass and it let go and I had a mess.. It was my wifes truck no less and she has never let me forget that i messed up her truck.. NEVER :pcorn:I plan on grooving this out, sealing with epoxy, since i had such a bad experience doing repair work right over smc. then using an smc compatible filler.. I used Fiber Tec by Evercoat last time and that crap would peel right off of the raw smc.. I dunno, makes me leary of it
This circle spots are very soft in the center.. I can push in on them and they give
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4804.jpg[/IMG]
Another one just a tad down the way
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4805.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd258/BondoKing/96%20Stang%20Convertable/100_4806.jpg[/IMG]
Well thats it.. A simple job in my opinion.. Now tell me how to make it easier on myself, how to save product cost and how to get it out faster :exci
I don’t think your to far off. I would seal the whole outside being that it is yellow. Another color maybe not, but I wouldn’t take a chance.
I would probably take my front end, doors and trunk off for jamb first. While I had the parts off I would fix the dents and scratches, prime the outside, flip over and jamb.
On the engine bay I wouldn’t prime, I would get the part where it was burned down to bare metal, sand as much of the rest of the engine bay as I could then wet scuff it with a red scothbrite and a product like scuff-it. That way it would help clean while abrading. Once all dry I would use a metal conditioner on the burned spots and just seal the whole engine bay and paint it. Why sand it twice?
3M makes a two-part product in there Automix line that is used on SMC. You can go straight over SMC with no problems. Used it for years.
no priming on the engine bay, I agree. sand the burned areas to bare metal scuff the rest. shoot a light coat of etch (i know you dont like etch but in this case its a good thing) then a coat or 2 of epoxy as a sealer then paint.
I don’t know why people change colors to ANOTHER stock color :huh:
Sweet.. I like your ideas already.. saving me time and money.. So you guys think etch would be better here , than just sanding down the burnt engine bay area and spraying epoxy eh??
I have never used etch.. NEVER.. since its flippin lacquer, I will opt to buy a rattle can of it.. Sound ok?? I assume i will just paint right over the etch??
keep the idea’s coming guys.. I appreciate them!!!
You could use epoxy as a sealer with no etch or etch and urethane seal. Just make sure its white!I wouldn’t just etch and base over top make sure you seal over etch. I’m not sure I wouldn’t paint the car apart. If you have someone to help you hang the doors I would probably paint and jamb the car at once then paint fenders, doors, bumpers, hood , and decklid in another session.
I wouldnt use rattle can etch. i would use a good 2 part etch like variprime or something similar, i always like putting an etch over bare metal, especially burnt metal. but definately need a sealer over the etch and i would use epoxy for the best protection
If you use epoxy, you don’t need an etch.
Some epoxies even say not to use over etch.I probably have a few good tips since this is all i do (collision) while trying to find a happy middle ground.
And we both use SPI products! I’m at the shop so i’ll do a better write-up later…1. Euro Clear (and Polar for jambs) will be perfect. It’s a must have.
2. The new sealer is fast and ideal for most jobs. Have yet to try it but we both know it’s good.
* You can also reduce 2K to use as a sealer. 1 coat of adhesion promoter and reduced 2K over the bumbers.
3. Either Bulldog or the SPI “bulldog” will do wonders.So, with basically 4 SPI products (not including reducers) you can do most collision jobs very quickly
while not sacrificing quality. Though i love epoxy, it’s rarely used.come on guys. give the etch some respect 👿 a good quality etch with epoxy over it will provide maximum adhesion and corrosion protection. do you need it with epoxy -no. but it doesnt hurt 😉 .
just gravel guard it, it would also help you replicate the orange peel ding produces.
Etch is a one trick pony! Epoxy is so much more versatile. And when working from home, fewer products
that can do more is the way to go. The SPI Euro clear is awesome stuff; with the different reduction ratios
and speed, it’s the most versatile clear i’ve tried (4:1:1, 4:1:1.5, 4:1:2, etc.). Add a splash of Polar and it’s
a turbo clear! With NO amber cast like most budget clears. Hard to beat. Hell, how do you beat this?Man, i can’t seem to go home today…
BK, What are you charging for this job?
[b]Han wrote:[/b]
[quote]BK, What are you charging for this job?[/quote]It probably will make you sick Han.. I am only charging the guy $2500.. Let me explain :pcorn:
I already have the white epoxy I will use as my sealer cause that is just what I use and its one less product for me to have to keep around and I have a barely used Universal Gallon kit of clear so there will be more than enough clear and some left over.. I have to buy a light colored 2k as I only have black 2k so that is one cost along with the base.. Figure I will make about $1800 or so once its all said and done with.. I buy products as I need them and of course I buy in gallon form so they last for more than one job.. Later on this summer I will have to buy clear and primer again, but it will just make a small collision job a re stocking job without a cash in hand profit.. Right now, i will be taking all this job as profit minus the things I have to buy..
The car is in good shape all things considered.. I did not take in consideration the extra time for some of the burn areas but that is what happens when you strike a deal without seeing the car as I know better than to do..
:whistle: :blush:I try to look at it like this.. If I can get it out by this next weekend, that will be $1800 cash in hand.. I dont make that in 2 weeks at Ford, so i will gladly do the work for that amount.. Dont be greedy is my motto.. The owner has already hinted that he will probably have another one later this summer that will need a fresh squirt.. To me its money in the bank..
Same with that Zephyr I am doing for the little old lady.. While I am not charging her enough especially for all the extra things I have done at no charge, she has 2 other vehicles now that she wants me to repair ( daily drivers for her and her husband ).. Money in the bank and life customersI am fortunate not to have the overhead that most of you guys have.. One day I may have to have the overhead as it may be the only way I will be able to continue to paint or if Ford and the economy keeps failing I may be out of a job and then it will be the only option I have to take care of my family.. Its the only trade I have and I could not make enough probably working for someone else..
So there is my long winded version of what i charged for this job
What brand of basecoat do you use BK?
I get a healthy discount on Dupont products, if you need anything let me know.
By the way, how about those Cards!
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