Getting the hood ready

Unfortunately, the sander and paint gun that I was going to use are now unavailable. The compressor motor went out and there is not enough funds to purchase a new one. I have decided then to do the sanding and painting by hand which also has taken quite a bit of time, as of now the hood is sanded and there are 2 coats of primer on it. Then there where more issues. the place where my parts where being stored is no longer available to me, therefore I have had to go on hiatus with the paint. there is no telling when I will be able to continue the work. In order to do so I must find an acceptable place to store and work on the parts. Until then I am at a stand still other than getting information on how to proceed when I am ready

the new hood!

This is a bit off our topic, however i am pretty excited about this. I recently ordered the new hood for my vehicle. I finally came in on Monday and it looks phenomenal. The old hood was damaged beyond repair so replacing it was a must. I ordered the hood from Liberty Fiberglass, located in Cincinnati Oh. The hood is completely fiberglass cutting weight on the vehicle by approximately 50 pounds. It has a 3" cowl induction with the actual screen on the back of the cowl for added air flow. Even though the motor has not been modified at all, the added height and air flow allows for a variety of engine modifications. Finding replacement parts for your 92 camaro is very easy. There are three places that I would recommend searching, ebay, craigslist or or local junk yard. This particular hood cost me $279 plus shipping and handling, which is very reasonable considering that fiberglass required a mold and is usually all done manually.

Since the hood came in at the beginning of the week, I have yet to be able to begin work on it. However, new parts such as this require much of the same work that we have been discussing. Because this is a replacement part there is no need for any repair. The sanding and priming techniques are still the same though. Since this is the largest part that I will be working on thus far, I have chosen to use an air powered sander and a actual pain gun to do the work. Both of the tools will be new to me though, so learning to use them must come quickly. With the basic knowledge on this subject that I have, I am completely self taught, the job should really be o different than what I have been doing with all the other parts we have been discussing. However, if anything were to be different, which I'm sure there will be something, it will be discusses as necessary.

Primer cont.

Now that the parts we are using have been prepped for primer and paint we can now get started. The first part that you will be painting should already be in a spot where you can paint without the over spray getting on the other parts and so that you can easily access all areas of the part. Most of us know already that when you paint you want to try and keep it as even as possible. Before you start with the primer, you will need to vigorously shake the can for quite a few minutes due to all the different chemicals and their properties. If you were to not do this, the primer cannot do its proper job of protecting the metal from breaking down and oxidizing. Most of us know already that when you paint you want to try and keep it as even as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to not stop painting on the part. You can either paint until you run out of room and paint the air, or you can gently twist your wrist til the nozzle is off the part completely. Either way works fine. When painted the primer on, you will notice that it goes on very thin, this is proper for primer. Because of this aspect of primer, it allows for the paint to easily be evenly distributed.

It typically is easier to apply the primer when it is fairy warm and dry out, if priming outdoors. If you do decide to prime when it is humid out you must be vary careful because the humidity can cause the primer to run if u dont pay attention. If doing this indoors, say in a garage, you will probably not run into any issues other than small particles possibly clinging to the primer. After you have put on a nice even first coat. Carefully inspect the job, are there any places that seem uneven? Are there any runs? are there any particles stuck in the primer? If so, take note of the location of these spots. After the first coat has been applied you will need to sand the part preferably using a 280-320 grit sandpaper for the general area. If there are any areas that include the aforementioned issues you will want to use approximately 180 grit and gently work these areas. BE SURE NOT to sand all of the primer off since it would result in a low spot that would be difficult to cover, a gental sand should be all you need. Will be continued next week.

Primer

Now that we have completed the body repair and sanding for the front end and fenders, we must now start with the primer. Typically, the basic grey primer is used for this, however, you may want to use a different color depending on the paint scheme you are going to be using in the final process. I, myself will be painting my camaro a pearl white with pearl burnt orange racing stripes. For this particular application, a white primer is the color that would best fit my application. The reason for this is so that I wont need to use excessive coats of paint to cover the primer. If a darker color had been used, it would be difficult to cover properly. Primers now comes in a variety of colours such as red, white, black, grey and a multitude of others. Be sure to choose a primer that will be close to the same color as your final paint color. If this is not possible, use a primer that can be easily covered by only a few coats of your final paint color. Most people dont have access to a sprayer or compressor to do the paint so we will use spray cans to lay down our primer. This type of primer is sold at most, if not all, auto parts stores.

Before you begin painting your parts, they must be thoroughly cleaned, The best way to accomplish this is to take a damp rag and wipe all parts. ALL dirt, grimes, dust, anything that could cause the primer to not go on smoothly must be cleaned. You should feel comfortable eating of these parts, that is how clean they need to be. Also, your going to want to cover anything around you to keep off any over spray. Set the first part you are going to prime on a flat surface, saw horses with a board in-between is a very good way to set your parts for paint. Whatever you choose to use, be sure that you can easily move around and access all areas of the part. This is a necessity in order to have a even paint without highs and lows. We will discuss actually spraying the primer next time.

Using Bondo and Filler

Bondo, which comes in many different varieties, can be used to fill holes in the metal, dents, and most all physical defects on the body of a vehicle. the best bondo to use for small areas is simply a small thread fiberglass bondo that has a separate hardener. For larger areas, one can use the long thread bondo, and for even larger areas there are fiberglass sheets that can be cut to size, then attached to the body with the bondo. For our project, and most projects that you will run across, the small thread bondo will work fine. You will also need small putty knives and a cup of water and rags to clean your knives. Before applying anything to the parts you are working on you must first thoroughly clean the part you are working on. If there are any small dust particles it will cause the bondo to not set and harden properly to the area it is being applied to.

A 1'x 1' piece of cardboard will be needed to mix the bondo on. First take your putty knife and scoop out as much and you feel is needed to cover the spot. Put this on the cardboard and add the hardener. It will mix at approximately five parts bondo to one part hardener. Thoroughly mix the two until you get one uniform color throughout the mixture, then apply. If you have ever filled a hole on drywall it is exactly the same. Get a generous portion on your putty knife and gently go over the spot. You will want to make sure you cover the entire spot as well as a small area around the place you are working, for sanding purposes. These areas where you apply the bondo should be as smooth as possible, however it is not completely necessary, because we will sand these areas as much as possible. once all areas have been filled with the bondo allow to dry. Depending on environment and temp this could take anywhere from 2 hours- 12 hours; the colder the longer it will take. After the bondo had completely dried you must sand to a smooth and flush finish. This is done by first using a 120 grit sandpaper. After completing this, use a 220 grit sandpaper for the final sand

Removal and prep of final front end parts

This session I will discuss how to remove the fender and prep the parts you have for body work and primer. First you want to remove the hood, if this hasn't already been removed. This will required two people since the hood is quite heavy and can be awkward to move. Remove the hood by taking out the four bolts holding the hinges to the hood, two on each side. Once this has been done and the front end has been removed, you need to then remove the side skirts of the body kit. This is done by taking out the screws in the door jam, as well as removing the rear clips from the back of the skirt, in front of the rear wheel. Once you have done this its just a matter of removing the bolts on the inside of the hood and underneath the back of the fender. These are located right in front of the door. Once this has been done gently lift the fender and remove. Use the same process to remove the other fender.

When prepping the parts for body work and primer, you will need a palm sander or a mouse sander, a mouse is recommended to have for corners and tight areas. A palm sander is simply a small rectangular piece of equipment that has clips on two ends. These clips can be loosened so that the paper may be changed. A mouse sander is very similar to a palm sander, however one side of the sander comes to a point, for access to small areas. Also instead of clips to hold the sandpaper in place, there is usually Velcro on the bottom to attach the sandpaper to. The sanding can be done by hand but will take much of your time. Start off by cleaning all grit and dirt from the parts. Next your going to sand, start with no less than 120 grit sandpaper. Anything less could leave deep scratches that would require a lot of time consuming work. Use your palm sander to gently remove most of the paint from the fender. If you start seeing metal you have gone too far and DO NOT sand anymore in that area. The front end is made of polyurethane so be very careful and only do a light sand, you can tell when your close because the part will become dull and feel smooth to the touch. You want to periodically run you hand across all the parts to make sure you maintain a smooth surface. Once you have completed this, you want to take a 220-320 grit sandpaper and do a quick, light sand. This is done so that any body filler or bondo that you use will have more surface area to cling to. Once all your parts have been sanded to a smooth finish you will want to clean them with a damp cloth. Be sure that you remove all dust from the parts, if not, your filler will have a difficult time grasping the area around where your trying to fill in, and may bubble up or peel off. When all your parts are clean go over them with a clean dry cloth to remove any excess that may have been missed and to dry up any water residue. I will go over using filler and bondo next session.

The Begining

I started the project of rebuilding my 92' camaro in the fall of 2009. I have some legal issues that don't allow me to drive till July 0f 2011, and they weren't DUI's either. I began this project with the simple plan of doing a little body work as well as doing any other minor work that was needed. This, however, didn't happen. Once I began tearing the car down, my mind was flooded with ideas. Having my son tell me that he wanted "daddy's race car" when he turned sixteen gave me even more motivation to do more work then I was planning. Between my friend in California, who works on many high end cars, a website that I use, www.thirdgen.org, and other people that I know, I came to the conclusion that doing almost an entire rebuild wasn't unfeesable.

The work has started with me pulling the front bumper of as well as the passenger side fender. Neither of which was a small task. The whole front end comes off in one piece, bumper, headlights, bumper lip, etc. This worked very well because it makes for somewhat easy removal. After removing the bolts from the engine compartment, you must then tackle the bolts that connect the front end to each fender. This wasn't difficult, just time consuming. Because of their location,it requires a deep well socket and a few busted knuckles to remove these bolts. once they are removed, the entire front just slides right off. When the front end is off the headlight assembly is just one piece, so just remove those bolts and the bolts holding the running lights as well as the grill and your home free.
Fender removal is next, as well as prepping your parts for repair.