What the World needs now is... a progress thread, An update after 2 years? Unpossible! Yet, true. Options

[VaccaRabite]

So, when I started this restoration in October of 2005, I started a progress thread on the Subaru Board (NASIOC) that I active on. I have been meaning to create a thread here, but I never got around to it. I figured the kids over in ricer land would find it more amusing to see a classic resto in action then the folks here that have lived it.

But, I now post more here then I post in NASIOC OT, and feel more involved in the community then I did when I started. So, for the sake of ease, I am going to port over my posts from NASIOC, and posts from today on will be unique here.

As I get ready to paint (JUNE 9th - 13th are PAINT DAYS!) this thread will get more active. :-)

Zach

PS, it kinda fun for me to do this. Looking over the old posts brings back memories of the ride...

[VaccaRabite]

So, painting.... Its fun, but it looks that I am going to be as slow a painter as I was a welder and a body man.

Pics:

First, the paint booth, to make sure that I don't paint my wife's car. Its not perfect, but it works well enough. You can see the 914 behind the plastic.
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/farm1.static.flickr.com-179-1274377277.1.jpg)

2 coats of epoxy sealer/primer yeilded this:
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/farm1.static.flickr.com-179-1274377278.2.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/farm1.static.flickr.com-179-1274377279.3.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/farm1.static.flickr.com-179-1274377279.4.jpg)

I'll be the first to admit it is not perfect. This morning I went out to look at last night first coat, and found all sorts of body irregularities that I could not see when it was steel and body putty. So, I mixed up more filler, and went to work leveling things out. I also found a few pinholes in the filler that I am going to need to close. I had not seen them before, and was hoping not to need a glaze. After sanding the filler down, I put on another thin coat on one or two spots that warrented it, and sanded it again.

I wiped the car down again with wax and grease remover, and then dusted with a tack cloth.

Last night, I had the pressure set at 30 PSI at the hose, and that was too high, got runs too fast. So I set it this time for 20 PSI. My test spray looked okay, but as soon as I put it on the car I saw it was crap. Not enough pressure to atomize the spray, so I am going to need to sand that out. I raised it to 25 PSI and that seemed to work well. Nice spray, but not laying so fat that it runs.

Somehow, I found dust, again, on the same quarter panel fender that I needed to sand any how. So, that will have to be sanded out too.

The rest of the car went well, except for a run at the rear where I was not paying attention. *sigh*

There are areas where the paint lays differently over the body filler then the metal. I hope that is just how sealer works, and when I spray the sandable primer that will just cover over.

So, its not perfect, and I still have a long way to go, but MAN do I feel happy to see the car one color!

Zach