First time attempting actual bodywork

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Phils67
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First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

This is my first time attempting actual bodywork. I have never prepped or painted anything other than a rough scuff and rattle can. I still plan to rattle can but I will be using gloss instead of satin in the hopes it won't fade to flat in under a year. Figured this hood is a good place to start. I have zero experience with fillers and getting a smooth surface that gives a semi decent appearance. First pic is the hood i am working on, second is my poverty level limited supplies. I already welded up a hole from a hood ornament someone installed previously and fixed some dings with a body dolly. Just looking for some prep advice for a decent look from someone with experience. I am not looking for a show truck restoration, more of just a straight and presentable truck from 50 feet away.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/j ... veltin.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/j ... m47on9.jpg
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Also, i now understand why body shops get so much money. This is time consuming. Literally sitting here watching primer dry to continue forward
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.

SJTD
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by SJTD »

The hood. Prolly the hardest part to make look good.

You need a big sanding block, sand in all directions. Use a thing guide coat of paint to detect low spots to fill them and high spots to tap them down.

Don't sand a low spot just to smooth it out if it needs more filler.

Thin coats of filler.

Go to autobody101.com and start reading.

I'm sure there's lotsa videos on utube too.
Sic friatur crustulum

'84 GW with Nissan SD33T, early Chev NV4500, 300, narrowed Ford reverse 44, narrowed Ford 60, SOA/reversed shackle in fornt, lowered mount/flipped shackle in rear.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Cool thanks. Yeah i figured the hood would suck the most. Hopefully it doesnt tiger stripe when i paint it. I just got done sanding it to bare metal. There are some tiny pinholes i found but nothing that cant be welded up. For the most part its pretty damn straight though. I just washed it down to remove all the dust. No high spots, only 3 lows and they are minor. So far so good. Side note, next time i am doing this outside. My entire garage was piled with blue dust. Had to clean the whole shop with a leaf blower lol
Should i filler prime the whole hood or just fill the low spots first? Do i have to wet or dry sand the primer? Also when i lay the paint should i go side to side or front to back for best results?
Last edited by Phils67 on Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Image
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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tgreese
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by tgreese »

I would shoot epoxy primer, then a polyester surfacer, then block. This will fill the low spots and also point out where you need to rework or skim coat filler. Some body men skim coat the entire part, then block. Up to you. It's also possible to block the epoxy to look for the highs and lows, wet or dry. Seems like body shops shoot etching primer, but the custom and hot rod guys like epoxy as a first coat. If you don't remove all that old paint, the epoxy will seal it. With this stuff, typically you ask a half dozen different guys and get six different procedures - there's lots of possible approaches, and it seems like the body guys find a way that works for them and stick with it.

The autobody101 forum is really helpful.
Tim Reese
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

I just finally shot primer. Forgot there was a spot on the underside i had to replace (lip at the fender). All i have is filler primer so i used what i have. It brought out the imperfctions i need to address so i will tackle that once the primer is dry. Im really working on a tight budget so as far as supplies i can only use what i have. Eventually i need to do the whole truck but this is my trial and error test dummy and will be the final hood i swap over (later model hood currently on it). I am checking out that autobody101 as well. Thanks for the input so far. I will take every piece of advice given to me since this is uncharted territory for me
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

First coat of color :D
Not too shabby for rustoleum Image
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.

SJTD
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by SJTD »

Looks good from here.
Sic friatur crustulum

'84 GW with Nissan SD33T, early Chev NV4500, 300, narrowed Ford reverse 44, narrowed Ford 60, SOA/reversed shackle in fornt, lowered mount/flipped shackle in rear.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Has some tiger stripes and imperfections still im noticing with the color layed now. Honestly i am ok with the minor imperfections but i want more uniformed coverage. I keep reading about rolled paint jobs and it has me considering trying it. Anyone have experience with that and what is the opinion of the results? When i hit the powerball i'll pay a shop to do it but until then im all about preservation
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.

SJTD
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by SJTD »

Just depends what you're after.

Rolled on Rustoleum or other enamel isn't going to to get hard enough to color sand and buff so it's going to look like a bathroom wall.

If you use a nonmetalic lacquer, urethane or catalyzed enamel you could use a paint brush, roller and bug sprayer to put it on. Then color sand and buff it and it would look fine.
Sic friatur crustulum

'84 GW with Nissan SD33T, early Chev NV4500, 300, narrowed Ford reverse 44, narrowed Ford 60, SOA/reversed shackle in fornt, lowered mount/flipped shackle in rear.
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Tatsadasayago
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Tatsadasayago »

Back in 2009 I decided to do all the body and paint on my Chief. A friend who was a Rolls Royce body man taught me how to use shrinking files and heat/ice to mend panels. Instead of using filler to cover the dings and dents, I employed his methods with good success.

This photo doesn't show the depth of the dent. It was about 1/8" deep and I didn't want to just throw mud at it.
Image
Below is a shot of a dent in the door panel where I heated up the metal with a 3000 watt heat gun, then ran an ice cube around the perimeter which caused it to shrink rapidly, pulling the center flat.
Image
After the metal cooled, I block-sanded to visualize the changes, and did more shrinking as needed.
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After heating and chilling, the dent was gone and the area only needed a tiny dab of body putty to make it perfectly flat.
The hood was full of hail dents and I used the same method but didn't need filler or putty at all since the dents were all worked out with heat and ice.
I used Acrylic Lacquer base/clear with an HVLP gun for the color and rattle-can flat black for the center. Turned out pretty good, and the black still looks great after 9 years of baking in the sun.
Image
Image
Image
1977 Cherokee Chief - The Blair Jeep Project III
A collection of parts flying in close formation
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Dude that hood looks amazing! Im going to try that technique this weekend when i mess with it more! Side note, did you have the hood stamped like that with the vents? I love how that looks
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Gumby
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Gumby »

Phils67 wrote:First coat of color :D
Not too shabby for rustoleum Image

Looking good. :ugeek: I can see why the color choice :-bd
1984 GW 360/727/208.... 4"/ 31"
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Thanks. Tons of tiger stripes now tho. Im gonna go over it with a 70/30 cut of rustoleum and mineral spirits using a foam roller. I think it will give me more uniform coverage. I will update when i get to that point
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Tatsadasayago
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Tatsadasayago »

Phils67 wrote:Dude that hood looks amazing! Im going to try that technique this weekend when i mess with it more! Side note, did you have the hood stamped like that with the vents? I love how that looks
Thanks! The hood was louvered by a shop in Reno back in the day for Bill Harrah's Jerarri, but some of the louvers were badly done so another hood was done. I got the hood from my brother, who got it from the service manager at Cal-Vada/Reno Jeep Eagle and put it on the Chief.
On a frosty morning the louvers defrost the windshield way faster than the heater does :)
1977 Cherokee Chief - The Blair Jeep Project III
A collection of parts flying in close formation
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Thats a good thing, the original heat systems leave alot to be desired if you ask me. Mine is bearable on a cold day but it definitly isn't great. The defrost only actually defrosts the glass in patches. I have a clean 2 foot circle on the windshield above each duct and thats all it does lol
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

Today i am experimenting with body filler. So far so good. The low spots are built up and sanded now. Also since my rattle can paint job left tiger stripes i decided to do the rolled rustoleum method. I will post pics of the results. Im going to be using a 6" high density foam roller, a quart of oil based rustoleum stop-rust enamel, mixed to 70/30 with mineral spirits. Worst case scenario i sand it back down and start over. Well....here goes nothing (fingers crossed)
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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Phils67
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by Phils67 »

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Well here is an update after two coats of paint. Not bad for doing it with a foam roller. Took about 8 hours with sanding, priming, taping, and rolling the two coats. Looks way better than the flat spraypaint it had and is presentable from 50 feet away. Thats all I really wanted. Maybe its not ACTUAL bodywork but its something I have never attempted. Maybe in a few years it will go to a bodyshop but for now I am happy it doesn't look like complete sh!t and it will slow the rust down some.
1967 Gladiator J2000, 1998 4.0L OBD2, T18, D20 twin sticks, D44HD/D60, Detroit lockers, 3.73s, 4wheel disc brake, FSSR, Dakota digital, etc.
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HeavyMetalThunder_81
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Re: First time attempting actual bodywork

Post by HeavyMetalThunder_81 »

Phils67 wrote:Looks way better than the flat spraypaint it had and is presentable from 50 feet away.
Hey, it's a truck at the end of the day. Trucks are meant to do work, not look pretty. However, I think yours turned out great! At least it looks like it from here :-bd
-Jonny B.
1979 Cherokee Golden Eagle - UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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AMC 401 - Pro-FLo 4 FI
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1979 Cherokee Chief - Parts
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