update on Rich's build

[KYBlueOval]

Rich..........take your time sir.I might need it around December!
Thanks
John

[RICH MUISE]

John... Post office said Monday or Tuesday. The rain gutter that is on it's way is the last pic.

Been busy with my side project...determined to get my work area organized and straightened out before I get into the bodywork, but I'm almost done. My dirt floor now is covered with a layer of 2 x 6's and 3/4 osb. Very quick and dirty, not exactly level, but that would have slowed the project down big time and just wasn't worth it. But now I can roll things around...even bought a cart for my mig welder and a work stool on casters!, lol.  Also getting insulation put up, and the best part...cleaning out 10 years of crap building up!!

[RICH MUISE]

Today I'm going to get the epoxy primer on the front fender's reworked areas.
Tommorrow the car is going to my friend's hot rod shop to figure out why my A/C stopped cooling. ...lol...another "just cause I built this thing doesn't mean I can fix it" thing. He's pretty good with A/C systems and has a set up to pressure check the system for leaks. Actually could be a leak, an electrical problem or a compressor problem. A leak would be the most likely culprit, but also the hardest to find/fix. I'm doing this now because if it is a leak it's posible the front right fender will have to be removed to get at the bulkhead on the cowl/side panel. If the fender has to come off, I want to get it done before repaint. When I had the system charged 4 or 5 months ago, it passed vacumn and pressure tests.
Yesterday I ordered a pro-grade spray gun from Eastwood. It's a Devibliss Finishline Plus gun with 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 tips. I've got a fairly good Sharpe gun, two Arwata Air Gunsa guns, and an old Craftsman made by Devibliss. This new Devibliss should be the cat's meow though. On sale for 300. + shipping., so it's not a top level Sata, but should be better than what I had, especially in the metallic basecoat spraying. Looking forward to using it, but for the next month or so It'll be sitting on my shelf while my hi build primer gun (air gunsa 1.8 ) is being used.
I was thinking about buying an air supply breathing system, but aside from the 5-800 cost, I was having a hard time getting around the thoughts of having two hoses to contend with while painting. My breathing is pretty bad, so I need to do something more than I have in the past when spraying this stuff. I had used the cheap 15. mask/filters. After reading about Isocyanides being absorbed thru the eyes as well as breathing into your lungs, I bought a 3M full facemask setup yesterday.Kinda pricey at 140. plus 40 for additional lens protectors, but we're talking health issues here. The fresh air system is definetly the better way to go if alot of painting is going to be done, but this full mask/filter setup should be ok...at least it's a big step up over what I was using.

[gasman826]

I use a 3M full face for my eyes but also my glasses.  The filters are not economically practical for a profession.  For once or twice a year, an air supply system is not economically practical.  Between daily uses, I store the mask in a zip lock bag.  It helps keep the filters fresher.

[RICH MUISE]

Used it today...then promptly put it in a zip lock after I was done in the work area. I think it probably worked pretty well because I could not detect any odors at all when I had it on, and that stuff is pretty nasty smelling.
I was probably a little too hasty though in getting ME prepped for painting though. I need to get a body suit with hood and wear gloves...I did neither today.
Got the epoxy primer sprayed on the reworked area. Hard to tell in the photo because the primer is almost the same color as the sanded clearcoat, but the primer ends about 3" above the sharp crease line. Not perfect, but I learned a long time ago the easiest way to get it done much faster is to get it close enough for final finishing/blocking/shaping with the high build primer.

[RICH MUISE]

Got my A/C fixed yesterday...long term this time I hope. Turned out to be a leaky fiting on the interior side of the bulkhead. So, that also took care of what I thought was a leaky heater hose getting the carpet damp.
On another subject...installed one 4' shop light yesterday. I had got fed up with the cheapy 4' florescents not working more than a few months. I had bought a couple of expensive florescents years ago that have worked consistently, but at Lowe's I noticed they now have 4' LED shop lights. Perfect I thought..no ballasts, no cold temp. problems, brighter light, bulbs should last a lifetime. 50 bucks each, but come with the bulbs. Got one and put it up..significant improvement in the amount and color of the light.

KYBlueoval/John...you should have gotten a package a few days ago with the rain gutter??
update on that...got your thank you card today...so I assume you got it, otherwise you wouldn't have had my address. Thank you...appreciate the $ but unnecessary.

[KYBlueOval]

Got my A/C fixed yesterday...long term this time I hope. Turned out to be a leaky fiting on the interior side of the bulkhead. So, that also took care of what I thought was a leaky heater hose getting the carpet damp.
On another subject...installed one 4' shop light yesterday. I had got fed up with the cheapy 4' florescents not working more than a few months. I had bought a couple of expensive florescents years ago that have worked consistently, but at Lowe's I noticed they now have 4' LED shop lights. Perfect I thought..no ballasts, no cold temp. problems, brighter light, bulbs should last a lifetime. 50 bucks each, but come with the bulbs. Got one and put it up..significant improvement in the amount and color of the light.

KYBlueoval/John...you should have gotten a package a few days ago with the rain gutter??
update on that...got your thank you card today...so I assume you got it, otherwise you wouldn't have had my address. Thank you...appreciate the $ but unnecessary.

Rich the "gutter" was perfect and just what I needed. As to the $$.......I would not have it any other way. Your time and trouble, postage and the part are worth something. Should have acknowledged sooner. Been very busy with "Life". Thank you very much sir.
John

[RICH MUISE]

No big progress on anything the past few weeks. Today I did fix several things I'd been putting off. I got a loose tailight taken care of, and while I was in the trunk I relocated the trunk latch catch. The solenoid wouldn't release with the new seal putting a bit too much presure on it, so I sloted the catch so I could move it up a bit. May have to fiddle with the solenoid a bit also and do some more adjusting on the catch. Might ultimately have to replace the solenoid with a stronger one.
Had a leaky lower radiator hose...got that fixed....I think.
I had mentioned previously my tachometer was acting sporatically. I think I found the cause of that issue...and it was the first thing I checked. The wiring gurus always tell you when something electric is acting weird, first thing to check is the grounds. I found the ground stud on the back of the tach was loose in the housing. Tommorrow I'll take it out for a spin and see if it reads good consistently. Speaking of taking it out for spins...I've had 4 or 5 in the past week or so..either really getting use to my handling or as my alignment guy suggested, the car may handle better as all the new stiff stuff loosens up a bit. Also, my A/C is still working great, so I guess Kip found the only problem when he checked/fixed/recharged the system.

I had some scratches developing in my drivers side door glass. Today I figured out what was causing it. It's the staples that I used to install the anti-rattler strip to the door. Tommorrow I'll check the strip to see if I can salvage it, and just figure another way of attaching it. Classic Auto Parts sells the kits for just the front doors, so at least I won't have to buy an entire front/back set. I've already got the replacement glass.
After thinking about it, I'm surprised there are staples there. I thought I remembered the door piece having the push in clips...some investigating to do there!
BTW, the reason I got into checking out the problem with the Tachometer was that I've been looking into a new set of gages. My speed shop friend told me about Speedhut Gage Co. that he's installed into 6 different cars so far.  You can design them yourself.. bezel shape and finish, gage face color needle style and color, font selection, tick design, graphics,etc.etc. They have electronic or GPS speedo's available. All gages with or without warning lights built in, shift lights for the tach if wanted, etc etc. The fuel gage is calibrated by installer to match the sending unit. The tach does not require a sending unit. The set I was looking at would run 603....gps speedo, tach, oil, h20.fuel, volts.  www.speedhut.com
Made in the USA, and lifetime warranty!

[Ford Blue blood]

Rich you might try what I do.  The "staples" are just about impossible to get in correctly.  I use 1/8" pop rivets.  Clamp the fuzzy in place, drill the hole, pop the rivet in and then dab a little flat black paint on them and they disappear.  Have used this on every car I have built and have had no problems.

[lalessi1]

I used epoxy for mine, no problems.

[BWhitmore]

Weatherstrip cement made by 3M.

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks for the suggestions..they all sound good. The anti-rattler won't go back on until after repaint, so I've got a while to decide.
My tachometer has been working so well, I decided to give my electronic programable(NOT) speedometer one more attempt. FAIL. I think I drove 1/2 way to New Mexico on the I 40 surface road...one mile at a time. Gave up...it ain't happening, so now I'm back to figuring out what I want to do with ordering the Speedhut gages. There are so many design options, I could actually design them to a  close match to what I have, so I could order just a GPS speedometer and get away with blending it in with the "old" gages, BUT, there's always that but. I came up with a design I really like that's similar to what I already have (TPI gages..no longer in business), but enough different to make them much classier looking. I already have a color sample from speedhut on the tan/beige color I was looking at, and it's a perfect match for what I already have that works well with my interior colors. This link is to another customer's design that's identical to my design except my fonts are easier to read....
http://www.speedhut.com/gaugedesign/3870589323

[RICH MUISE]

Update...I emptied the driver's door out so I could get in there with the football as Bill suggested. I may try that later today. Anyway, got the glass and wing window/glass channel out that was in the way of repairs. I also removed the anti rattle strip I had mentioned earlier was scratching the window, and my second thoughts on it were correct....I had not stappled it on to the door. It was actually the strip's clip-ons where the clip's ears/tabs that penetrate thru the strip and  folded over   that was scratching the glass. Very frustrating to find that out as I can't remember how many times over the years I've recommended ClassicAutoParts for those...URGH!!!!! Anyway, I've got the pieces I need to redo them already. I had previously bought the anti-rattler kit to do the whole car, then decided to do the rear windows fixed ala Business coupe, so I have the strips for the rear I never used, but were keeping in case I elected to convert the car back to roll-up rear windows. The rear strips just need to be shortened to fit the front. I will use strips without the clip-ons and attach as you guys suggested when I replace it.

Can't remember if I posted this previously or not, but the rear quarter damage/washboarding is almost gone from the car on it's own. The waves in the rear quarter were my main concern after the incident occured, but I guess a few months of hot/cold cycles went a long way in the metal's memory coming into play...cool!!

[RICH MUISE]

Wow, lots of updating to do.....trying to find time between being out of town and nightly baseball games.
First, I mentioned I had ordered a DeVibliss spray gun. That got backordered and not due back in for a few months so I cancelled. After lots of looking, and not wanting to spend 700. for a new Sata, I went with the 3M Accuspray sytem. Long story on the reviews I was getting, but after I shoot the car with it for the metallic base and clearcoat, I'll do a review on it. It's a totally different concept in gun design. Here's a link to a querry I did on the main board of the Hamb if any one is interested...
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/3m-accuspray-recent-experience.1021474/#post-11553125

The first pics are the door glass scratches caused by the bent over tabs on the anti-rattler clips.

I'm changing my approach on the primering of the car. Instead of epoxy primer only as I move to the next panel, then shooting the whole car with the high build where needed, I'm applying the epoxy, then the high build after an hour. Sanding that epoxy primer in a major pain, so doing it this way will save tons of time.
So...I got the door creases, dents and pancaking all pulled out pretty close. The door was stripped to bare metal on the outer skin from the bottom of the window down. I applied a thin coat of Rage Gold and got it all blocked out. I dug out some little pockets down to the metal in 3 areas where the filler was the thickest after shaping so I could actually check the thickness with a depth micrometer. Those three areas were .023, .024, and .028, so that's way less than the 1/16 max recommended. As far as getting the pancaked area popped out, I used the football trick Bill suggested. Worked great except those darn footballs won't hold 80 psi!!, lol. THANKS, Bill.
I did have to use the stud welder along the top of the pancaked area where the crease was hard. I ran a line of studs all the way across the door just under the crease. From there, the football, hammer, slide hammer, ect...got it all out in a few hours.
I sanded the epoxy primer on the front fender, and reworked a few areas I wasn't feel was ready for the high build. I then epoxy primered the door and touched up the fender, then shot a few coats of high build on all the worked areas.
Today I started working on the rear quarter panel. As I mentioned before, most of the washboarding had come out all on it's own. I blocked the clearcoat to hilite the damaged areas and took the area surrounding the wheelwell down to bare metal. I also took the areas that had been scrapped/paint damaged down to bare metal just to make sure there was no underlying filler/primer problems. The area around the wheelwell had been pushed in, so I dug out the stud welder again and got it pulled out pretty close. That was another area I couldn't get behind the panel to hammer and dolly, so the welder saved my butt again. I also used it to reshape the metal a little better than I had years ago where the two rear quarter panel replacements were welded together.
I actually had dents in a few areas I could get behind to hammer and dolly. When the building door jamb was forced into the side trim, the side trim was actually pushed into the sheetmetal. I never even saw that until I removed the trim and there was a sharp crease forced into the sheetmetal by the lower edge of the trim. I was able to hammer and dolly it almost entirely out

[RICH MUISE]

s'more...
I don't have a pic yet, but in blocking the back quarter, I discovered a crack where I no-seamed the tailight housing. It is a few inches above and below where the the sheetmetal was creased by the side trim ...pic 2