Newly Painted 280Z

[sblake01]

Not sure what you mean by the "honeycomb" hubcaps.

I believe he's referring to these. The second picture is the factory alloy option from 74-78. Some people refer to these as the 'Black Pearl Wheels' but they were an option for any 260z or 280z.

[lonetreesteve]

BD280Z,

Your 280Z looks great!! You should be very proud of all the work you put into it and how it turned out! Now that your BD is done, I'm anxious to see the progress of your new desert project -#4880!

[jmortensen]

Looks great! I'm still trying to decide if I want to paint mine with a roller or if I want to spray. My compressor is way too small for HVLP, so this electric deal sounds like a possible alternative. Was it one of these, and could you comment on any problems you had?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91772

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44677

[=Enigma=]

Wow! Nice job man. Looks better than come so called "professional" jobs I have seen. I'd love to try this some time myself. Maybe in another 10 years or so.

[EScanlon]

I believe he's referring to these. The second picture is the factory alloy option from 74-78. Some people refer to these as the 'Black Pearl Wheels' but they were an option for any 260z or 280z.

I've always liked the look of both those wheels.

The first set is what I referred to as the "Maltese Cross", but not because of that being their name, but rather because that's what I recall someone naming them. It may have been here or in another discussion group.

The second set looks really nice if in a gold tone finish on the "rough" cast, leaving the smooth in silver.

I'm wondering if he's referring to a set of WHEELS that had the "honeycomb" hexagon on the radius out from the lugnuts central core to the actual rim.

E

[sblake01]

I thought he was referring to wheels and hubcaps that would have been oem or factory option for a 78 as are the two I attached.

[BD240Z]

Virto, the 944 is in almost pristine condition and handles better than anything I've ever owned but it's not as quick as my 280Z. It is fun to rev it out though. A 951 would be a different story.

Matt, I have no mileage figures, I've just never checked. The car runs well and I'd expect to get some good numbers. I asked a local Graphics House about recreating the SAP graphics and they said no problem. Quote was $325.00 Since I didn't use the Black Pearl paint color, I've dropped the idea.

datto, I had many dust specks and some insects in the clear coat. I used a nib file and wet sanded with 2000 grit to get to the buffing phase of the job. You can't see them anymore.

sblake, thanks for posting the pictures. What I have is what's in picture number one, the hubcap.

Lonetree, I'm already working out a budget on the 240Z. I'd like to use all of my experience from the 280 and do an even better job on the 240. I got a quote from a Media Blasting house yesterday of $450 to do the complete car inside and out. I'm getting a little ahead of myself though, I need to get a title first.

jmortensen, I used the unit that's on sale for 79.99. My primer was a 2K high build primer and it took me a number of gun adjustments to get it to spray/atomize to the right pattern for a nice even flow. I still had my share of orange-peel but I had to block it our anyway so it didn't bother me to much. The basecoat & clearcoat went on just fine. I recommend you practice on some scrap sheet metal to get the feel of it, thats what I did. My opinion is that I'd use the same unit again. I feel it was the amount of preparation I did getting the car ready for paint that made the difference. There was a number of times I found myself starting to cut corners because I wanted it DONE. I had to walk away and not work on the car for a week or two to get that out of my system.

Enigma, thanks for the compliments. I recommend when the time comes to give it a try. It's the second most satisfying thing I've done on a car!!!

EScanlon & sblake, I've considered buying a set of the OE wheels but all that I've seen are too expensive. I have the hubcaps re-finished and ready to go and I really like the way they look. I'll always try to return the car to stock/OE unless price gets in the way.

Thanks everyone for the compliments, questions and feedback. Good luck with your cars.

[kenz240z]

Great looking paint job! The engine compartment looks great, too!

I used PPG's Omni AU on my '73. I constructed a temporary paint booth in my garage with plastic sheeting, stuck a fan up in the rafters that blew air in through a couple of filters, and cut a hole in one plastic sheet for a second fan that sucked air out through a couple of filters. It made for a clean painting environment. I sprayed the car with a $50 HVLP gun I got at Harbor Freight and used my Craftsman 5hp compressor with 40 gallon tank to supply the air. I wore a mask with cartridge filters while painting.

[Palmer]

BD:

Is this your first time that you have ever painted a car? Just curious because I've got that in the back of my head to do it myself. I've got visions of visqueen curtains hanging in my garage right now. How much of the body work (dent removal/filler) stuff did you do? And, what size tires are those...curious. I've got the same car a www.project280z.com that is 'nearing' the stripping process. Congrats on the outcome. Drive on!

[Blue Meanie]

Gorgeous, but black scares the hell out of me. Had a few black cars in my day. Look great when they are clean, but damn try keeping them that way!

BTW Love the Blue wires. Taylor 8mm pros? Put those on mine. Really look good under the hood!

[BD240Z]

Thanks Kenny, I also used PPG's Omni AU series and I'm pretty satisfied with the results. I thought it was easy to work with.

Palmer,

I like your car man!!! This is the first time I've painted a complete car. In the past I've painted various panels, fenders, mirrors, etc. I did all the bodywork on my car and took my time doing it. I repeated the skim-coat, block-sand, guide-coat routine until I knew all the panels were straight. I skim-coated the complete car. I easily spent over a hundred hours working on the body alone, however it only took a couple of hours total shooting the primer, base/clear coat. I used Evercoats "Rage" for body-filler and lots of sandpaper. I alternated the color of the hardener with each coat, (red/blue) so I could see where the last coat of filler, filled in. Everything I read about painting a car explained that preparation was the key to success and I have to agree. With the HVLP spray-gun I used, I didn't have to cover the walls, just the floor. My tires are Kelly Platinums, 205-70-14's. I like your wheels, I have a re-finished set of those hubcaps that I'll be installing on my car someday. If you decide to paint your car, good luck!

Meanie,

I hear what you're saying, the car is dirty before I even get it dry. Dust is a real bugger here in Phoenix but I have a California Duster and I pay my daughter a quarter to wipe it down, she does it once a day.

Good luck with your cars!

[Blue Meanie]

LMFAO! My daughters would only make it worse! My old girl is going to the paint shed in a couple weeks. Really leaning towards Blue Ocean Pearl (Audi). Nice deep metallic blue. After painting, I think I'll pay my girls just to stay away from it! !