Project Boondoggle (or, so I went and bought a Z!)

[rcb280z]

I agree, it looks great!. I love the fusion of the headlight buckets with the fenders. Didn't think I was going to but I do.

What are you using for bumpers?

Glad to see the hood sitting right.

[charliekwin]

Thanks @grannyknot. I really appreciate it.

I'm being particularly critical because 1) it's the only way I'll get better; 2) I've seen many instances online where people choose bury their setbacks and highlight their successes, which doesn't paint a realistic picture of what's involved in a project, and 3) I've been in my garage this whole time in a particularly harsh environment that's made me very aware of all the blemishes in my work.

I'll also say that I've been moving the goalposts. My original goal, according to my own post in 2017 was: "I don't want/need a show car. I do want the Z to look like something to have some pride in, or that I could take to a Cars and Coffee without feeling the need to explain it." And by that measure, I'd say I've succeeded. But the more I worked on it, the more I felt like a show car paint job was my measuring stick, and every blemish was a failure to get there.

 

Anyway...yes, both the hood center line and the body lines have filler on them.

The sides required a bit of filler after removing the molding and welding the holes shut. I used masking tape to help keep things straight, but mostly just a long block and followed the panels.

The hood was basically the same. Masking tape down the middle to set the line, then a long block following the hood contours.  I never got it quite straight because the profile of the hood makes it difficult to get the tape straight. I've seen some people use a laser level. I might try that next time.The quarter required the most work. I scribed the profile of the wheel arch on the passenger side in about 8 places and transferred it to some heavy card stock (cereal boxes) to use that as a rough guide to the shape I needed to get. Then used the stud welder to pull things into shape as much as I could, then laid on body filler. I used both masking tape and a pencil line (different times, multiple times) to identify the location of the swage line. The upper portion of the shoulder was in good shape and I followed the contours of that with a long block. The line itself (and the fade at the top of the wheel arch) kind of appeared naturally. To shape the bottom half, I used shorter blocks and a Dura-block cylinder. There's generally a flat plane that extends from the wheel arch and out to the swage line or the end of the body panel, which I followed and makes blocking easier. I also picked up a profile gauge and used that to fine tune the wheel arch shape against the passenger side. And I used a metal straightedge a lot (all over, not just on the quarter panel). Both to check for straightness and on curves to compare one side to another and to make sure they're smooth by rolling the edge on the panel. I probably have photos if the wall of text doesn't make sense.

[charliekwin]

1 hour ago, rcb280z said:

I agree, it looks great!. I love the fusion of the headlight buckets with the fenders. Didn't think I was going to but I do.

What are you using for bumpers?

Glad to see the hood sitting right.

Thanks :) I think the welded headlight buckets look a bit disproportionate when the fenders are off the car, but on the car with the hood (which is still not quite right), they look pretty sharp. Glad you like it too!

I'm going to put 240z bumpers on it...once I can scrounge up $750 for a set.

[Patcon]

I think you did excellent!!!!

It is very challenging to paint in your garage where you are also sanding. You are making dust in the one space you don't want dust, the spray booth. I have shot plenty of panels and they look perfect. I come back in 15 minutes and there is all kinds of trash in them. Really frustrating!! I agree with Grannyknot, there are plenty of professional paint jobs out there that don't look half this good! You did really well and the next attempt at paint will turn out twice as good. In some of this, there is no replacement for hands on experience. You get a feel for what a smooth panel looks like and feels like and you get a feel for how much paint you are really laying on. Also a respray is far less work, just don't use any waxes in the mean time with silicone in them! Scuff the panels with guide coat. Fix the misc, tape and shoot. Man, I make that sound easy! ?

[wheee!]

Anything you do yourself is going to have so much more "value" in the pride of ownership that small defects like yours are part of its "beauty marks" as they say. Love it. Hope mine looks half as good when I'm done!

[charliekwin]

Ha, funny Charles, I had the exact same thoughts: a little bit of body work, remove some trim, scuff, mask, shoot. Why, that sounds EASY!

When or whether I reshoot this car or take on another project in the future, the experience has been tremendously valuable. YouTube videos, internet comments, and the like help make it accessible, but as you say, there's simply no substitute for doing it.

[Captain Obvious]

You got nothing to beat yourself up about! You will probably be the only person who would ever see those flaws!

Looks great!  

[charliekwin]

Progress updates later, but this weekend I finally (finally!) got the car beyond the driveway. Just a couple trips to the gym. Two people at the gas station came up to ask about the car. Gym member with a 70s 911s parked by me and we talked for a bit. All three asked or remarked about the color. I still see all the flaws in my work, but the comments from strangers were awfully gratifying. Good weekend.

[AZDatsun]

What is your setup for spraying? Compressor size/gun?


Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

[charliekwin]

8 hours ago, ryanotown22 said:

What is your setup for spraying? Compressor size/gun?

21 gallon and 10 gallon Harbor Freight compressors joined together with a T-fitting and check valves.

I used two guns: Devilbiss Finishline FLG-4, for the sealer and color. I didn't want to spend big money on a gun, and at $200, it seemed to be one of the better values out there. The other gun was from the two-piece kit from HF (https://www.harborfreight.com/2-pc-professional-automotive-hvlp-air-spray-gun-kit-61472.html) to shoot high fill. That's why I bought it, but the small detail gun turned out to be surprisingly useful. I've used it a bunch of times on small parts.

[charliekwin]

Going back in time a little bit for a recap of some of the things that happened in December and January trying to get the car back on the road.

Interior

The only new thing on the interior (so far) was re-doing the trim around the sides of the roof. I remember going home on a Friday afternoon and thinking "this shouldn't take more than an hour or so." Then I screwed up the windshield piece three times. I didn't get anything else done that weekend. The first time my brain short circuited and I stuck the piece on backwards. The second time, I cut it too small. The third time had too many wrinkles. The fourth time was good enough. The trim along the doors, at least, went on easier. I still need to do something about the sun visors.

Rubber and Seals

When Black Dragon closed down their Z store a few years ago, I bought everything I thought I might need one day. It's been sitting in a box in my office since then, and finally that decision paid off. Good thing, too, because almost every part that wasn't missing outright was long perished. Off the top of my head: there's new seals for

• quarter windows (body seal and door)
• hatch glass
• outer hatch weatherstrip
• upper door trim
• window glass
• door to fender
• door to sill
• windshield
• fender (these weren't even on my car before, and I ended up installing them wrong and having to cut them. Oops.)
• hood to cowl
• headlights

Side Mirrors

One of my Christmas presents: a new set of side mirrors from Z Car Depot. Drilling holes in my newly painted doors that I spent hours fixing...that's nerve-wracking. Measure five times, then once more. The mirrors come with sheet metal screws. That doesn't seem particularly robust, and I think contributed to my driver side door getting torn up over the years, so I thought nuts and bolts would be better. Since I could reach through the back, I again thought "this shouldn't take more than an hour or so." I'm a slow learner. Being able to reach an area and threading on nuts and washers are totally different things. If I knew exactly how long it took to get those mirrors mounted, I would be embarrassed to share it. Because they have a long base, they don't fit quite as tight against the door as I'd like, but at least they look good, even if the passenger side mirror (being flat) is basically useless.

Windshield Wipers and cowl

The wiper linkage was a dirty mess and tough to move. Everything was taken apart, cleaned thoroughly, and re-greased. I cut some new washers from leftover felt that I've been holding on to for about a decade (I knew I might need it some time!). While I was at it, I brushed some black Rustoleum on the cowl and the wiper motor bag.

[charliekwin]

Continued from above...

Cleaning things and polishing the shiny bits

All the nuts, bolts, and other miscellaneous hardware pieces were cleaned up as much as I reasonably could with a red scuff pad, wire wheel, or buffing bad. One day, when I run out of projects, I think I'll try re-plating some of the hardware. Meguiar's 105 did a great job buffing up the stainless trim pieces. My old Black Dragon order also included a new set of outer door window trims. Can't say I'm super happy with them: the tips were bent in transit, the protective film was cut badly and super glued on, and to top it off, don't seem to fit very well.

Power Locks

The power lock kit has a soft zinc block that connects the actuator rod to the door rod via set screws. It would always fall off. Never more. Please don't judge my welds.

Lights

The marker lights were all filthy, but mostly just needed a good cleaning Three out of four are passable, but the front lens on one is a mess. Alt least it's only $30 for a pair of replacement lights. Headlights were cleaned up too. The turn signals needed more attention. The reflectors were rusted, the housings were dirty, and the paint on the surrounds was coming off. I still had material left from the paint job, so everything was cleaned, sprayed with adhesion promoter, epoxy, then rattle can white on the housing, and metallic gray on the surrounds. White is still plenty bright, so rather than trying to repair the reflectors, I left them out entirely.

Badges

The only badges I've left on the car are on the vents. Mine were pretty rough. Replacements aren't terribly expensive, but I'll salvage what I can. Removed as much of the old paint as I could, then sprayed with some Rustoleum, and scraped off everything that should be shiny. This'll do; I'll save the hundred bucks for something else.

 

Hood and front end issues deserve their own post, but I think there's a football game about to start.