I was going to ask the same thing. I've got a 18" sanding block and it saved me when trying to keep thing flat and lines straight . Your work is great and I might be referring to your thread in my next few builds.


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I used fiberglass mat when I deleted my rear bumper . I filled the indentations with fiberglass and finished out with bondo. So far so good, no issues with the body work .


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Looks great and no spaces for water intrusion

45 minutes ago, madkaw said:

I was going to ask the same thing. I've got a 18" sanding block and it saved me when trying to keep thing flat and lines straight . Your work is great and I might be referring to your thread in my next few builds.


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Thanks! I am looking forward to the long block work actually. Hoping it goes well...

43 minutes ago, madkaw said:

I used fiberglass mat when I deleted my rear bumper . I filled the indentations with fiberglass and finished out with bondo. So far so good, no issues with the body work .


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I welded in new metal, then short strand fibreglas filler over the welds to waterproof them in case of pinholes. Both sides. 

26 minutes ago, Patcon said:

Looks great and no spaces for water intrusion

Thanks! The seam sealer worked very well and the DTM primer/sealer completely covered it and made it almost invisible!

Made a trip to the friendly Body Shop Supply store and picked up my water based paint samples! I have 4 pint sized samples of the original 240 Green, as well as 3 other similar "British Racing Green" colours. Also picked up a tub of the Norton brand guide coat powder. Very interested to see how it works as it is very inexpensive and twice the size of the 3M Guide Coat! Also picked up some high quality clear coat and water based paint gun cleaner. While I'm at it, I also ordered a water based paint panel dryer. A small directional gun for blowing clean compressed air over the panels to speed water evaporation and drying. I'm looking forward to the test panel! I will sand the sealer coat with some 600 grit prior to spraying the test colours then post the results as soon as I have them!

Water based - how cool. Wonder if it smells as bad ! So you thin it with water ?


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14 minutes ago, wheee! said:

I'm looking forward to the test panel! I will sand the sealer coat with some 600 grit prior to spraying the test colours then post the results as soon as I have them!

Be sure and read the P-sheets. 600 seems really slick but water based products sometimes have less build. I haven't run any water based products. Will be interesting to see how it goes

30 minutes ago, madkaw said:

Water based - how cool. Wonder if it smells as bad ! So you thin it with water ?


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Water based is pre-mixed and requires no reducing. It covers better due to higher solids content and lays metallic on more evenly. 

18 minutes ago, Patcon said:

Be sure and read the P-sheets. 600 seems really slick but water based products sometimes have less build. I haven't run any water based products. Will be interesting to see how it goes

The Body Shop guys tell me that the best results seem to be coming from 600 grit. The 800 is often recommended but has less "grip" than the 600 finish they say. They use the stuff regularly and seem to have great results. I have done some test sheets (spraying water based) at an auto body painting class earlier last year, but have not done any proper panel prep. We shot bare aluminum panels and they looked stunning. I was very surprised at how easy and even the results were. When spraying, it is very difficult to predict final colour due to the water content of the paint. It changes as it dries, hence the need for a proper test panel before choosing a colour for the final spray.

I remember back in the early 90s when our PPG paint rep said they had come up with waterborne trim paint for homeowners. High gloss trim paint you clean up with water! Smelt just like Windex. Couldn't believe what he was saying back then and now to read this, wow. Whodathunkit, water based automotive paint. Can't wait to read your post on this. 

Be sure to post up pics and tips. I use alot of paint but haven't used any water based stuff. I am not even sure my paint supplier handles them...

13 minutes ago, siteunseen said:

I remember back in the early 90s when our PPG paint rep said they had come up with waterborne trim paint for homeowners. High gloss trim paint you clean up with water! Smelt just like Windex. Couldn't believe what he was saying back then and now to read this, wow. Whodathunkit, water based automotive paint. Can't wait to read your post on this. 

PPG is a main supplier for sure. Most OEM paint jobs are all water based now. Europe has been doing it for years.

9 minutes ago, Patcon said:

Be sure to post up pics and tips. I use alot of paint but haven't used any water based stuff. I am not even sure my paint supplier handles them...

I am by no means an expert and can't help but feel a little nervous over this as it is my first automotive paint job! However, I am confident that my lack of experience and knowledge will allow my ignorance to protect me... hopefully resulting in a nice paint job. Ignorance is bliss....

and yes, I will post pics as I go, as usual!