let the fun begin.....

[Colin]

Hi Esty,

What grit sandpaper are you using to strip the car?

[esty]

Hi Esty,

What grit sandpaper are you using to strip the car?

i initially strip'd the majority of the old paint with chemical stripper...(off the shelf at home depot)...then 60 grit on my sander to clean up whats left and surface rust...in tight places i use a s small wire wheel on a drill

[BLUNT]

wow i am impressed. nice work esty. you have to have some pretty damed good bodywork to pull off black and make it look good. but you probably have the skill to do it. if it were me id go with that green as its a great unique color. if the bodywork were like glass id do the black and then set up movie ropes around it everywhere i went

[Armond]

Esty,

I like the green as well. Will look classic on the 69. Good work.

[esty]

you have to have some pretty damed good bodywork to pull off black and make it look good.

yep...that's my big hesitation about doing this one in black...black will accentuate every flaw...fortunately, the filler work is gonna be minimal on the large, flat panels...

for some reason..whoever worked on this car in the past had an obsession with bondo...there was bondo all over the car that didn't need to be there as there was no body damage underneath just heavy sanding marks...

the filler seen on the doors and trunk is only a skim coat to fill some deep scratches formerly made by heavy sandpaper or a grinder....it's easier to skim them than to grind away more metal

the only spot that needs or needed substantial work was the nose at the front fender area and there's one spot on the drivers quarter that will require a small amount of filler to fill the dimples i made hammering out a small dent

i'm still undecided on color...i have both black and green and might spray the door and the hood in green and the door and trunk, which i used filler on then look at them a while before shooting the entire car....i'm in love with oz_tom 's black beauty

if the black pieces past muster, i'm inclined to go black and use the green on my 72

armond....what about a green/black 2-tone.....like a 54 buick paint scheme

[AndyS]

Dang, Esty. You should contact the WE channel and talk them into a show. All kinds of show with guys doing the same thing.

[esty]

Dang, Esty. You should contact the WE channel and talk them into a show. All kinds of show with guys doing the same thing.

no me...i'm too shy and not outspoken

[Armond]

Yuo alreday own a 2 tone car. I would pesonally stick with a solid color. The green you posted (not Andy's) would look great I think. Simple yet classic.

[esty]

Yuo alreday own a 2 tone car. I would pesonally stick with a solid color. The green you posted (not Andy's) would look great I think. Simple yet classic.

although i feel you can't own 2 many 2-toners...diversity is a spice of life....and i agree..the green is extremely classic....pretty too

i'm fortunate to have another o2 that will be done in whatever is not used on the 69...so regardless of black or green...in the end, if i live long enough, i'll have both

[esty]

more on the subject of straight panels...this will be the 1st time i've tried any of the polyester primers...think of them as sprayable body filler....they are very thick and for best results you need a gun with a 2mm nozzle...i picked up a throw away bottom feeder at harbor freight just for the polyester

here's the doors and trunk lid....now i can more easily see any dimples, heavy scratches and other imperfections that need repair....

my 1st impression is regret...the stuff is almost too thick to spray and lacquer thinner won't clean the gun..acetone is required....

[future_assassin]

Are those BMW Turbine wheels or Aplina? 15"

[oz_tom]

Alpina 15x7.

Tom

[esty]

how about a rat-rod....?

after priming with epoxy then blocking 2 coats of 2k filler primer, i sealed it with another coat of epoxy to keep the moisture out

just about to get the front bumper re-do finished on my 76....i need to block the nose once more and re-paint and she'll bee good to go....as soon as i get my ignition key problem sorted out that is

[oz_tom]

Hows the colour decision going? I 100% agree black is hard to get right. Mines not perfect but damn i think it still looks great (first ever car prep, etc job for me so i think you can make it look great with your skills)

[esty]

Hows the colour decision going?

tom...i've had each of the cars & colors on my desktop for a while and it's still a hard call to make...i think what i'm gonna do is one shoot black and one green, hang them back on the car and look at them a while

if all goes as plan'd, i'll have the final coat of sealer on this weekend and the blocking begins...i finally have all the bumps & dings taken care of