Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

[Gary71]

I’m interested to see how you get on with the painting in the garage.
Should be fun (of sorts!)

[PeterK]

I sprayed my Lotus Elan Plus 2 in the garage, but that was with cellulose. This will be my first time with 2 pack and my first time painting with an air fed mask.
Plans are for the epoxy very soon, then hopefully the underseal and topcoat on the underside and engine / froot area so that I can start re-assembly. Top coat of top sides, etc can wait for warmer weather, and when there's less chance of me scratching it putting bits back on

Today was spent cleaning


Firstly with the vacuum and a small brush (dustpan variety). Then over the little areas where residue from the paint stripping (powder that had got wet in the rinsing stage but then dried on horizontal surfaces, like the torsion tube area) with a toothbrush.
A quick rub-over with passivating solution for the freshly welded & linished areas and some Fe123 rust converter over any spots that looked a little pitted still, but not bad enough to warrant attacking with the hot machine.

Need to wipe over with a salt remover once the passivating solution has dried and then wipe all over with de-greaser, but running out of excuses not to get the paint gun out. Probably just hiding behind the cold weather excuse at the moment

[911hillclimber]

I painted my 911 in a single car garage in cellulose 30 years ago but in the early summer. Worked a treat, but came out looking pale yellow and HIGH AS A KITE..

Had the re-paint recently done in a pro body shop as I wanted cellulose but nobody would do it, so had 2K, hence pro shop.

Biggest deterrent was the time of year (now) and the fact the central heating boiler is in the garage..

I sort of trust "room sealed combustion chamber" but seemed too risky.

Having said all that my DIY paint job was better than the pro job, but it did not cost a lot.

[PeterK]

Painting has started …….

….well, just a trial bit anyway. But more of that in a moment.

In a moment of excitement, I dropped the plastic sheeting to the floor


and set up my painting cr4p on a small table


Honest guv’, it will not be this messy during painting ‘proper’, but I got out everything I might need and just piled it up.

I then spent far too long scuffing up the entire body, inside and out with scotchbrite. First , where I has rinsed the residual salts from where I had earlier brushed on passivating solution, had left stains.


Then, as mentioned before, there were also some areas that still had residue from the stripping process. Paint, underseal, etc is turned to powder by the heat process, but where it was not fully rinsed away, it has gathered in a few places, and dried to a consistency of household filler – friable and not securely attached. So, lots of rubby, rubby needed.



The inside sill pieces (removed so that the stripping process didn’t destroy the heater tube silencers) still need welding back on, and before they go back on it makes sense to apply a splash of paint. The cavities will get doused in rust preventing fluid after the car is painted, but it seemed like a good opportunity also to check out the new primer spray gun, and whether I could spray epoxy mastic with it still curing in this cold weather.

So, clean and degrease the bits


Prepare the patient to avoid spray anywhere else


And set up a test spray panel


Then mixed some paint, let it stand, added thinner (settled on 15% as it was a tad chilly this morning) and off we went.




So, painting has started, but will now take a small pause while the inside sill bits are re-attached, the dust removed from the car and then everything generally degreased. It is expected to get very cold today but warmer next week, so that’s my new target.

[PeterK]

So, at last it seems that progress is actually being made, but no spoilers yet (no, it isn’t painted).

Having painted the inside of the inside sills, it was time to refit the heater silencer tubes. This is when I realised that the inside sill was actually two layers of steel, with multiple spot welds holding them together.


Option 1 was therefore to undo all of the spot welds, and weld in the inner piece, then weld in the outer piece. Option 2 was to stitch weld the edges of the hole and the piece to be put back in, and then weld the piece into the hole. Still following – did that make any sense ?

Given the multiplicity of spot welds, especially around the clips that hold the heater silencers, I went for the easier option. It would have been much better to have remembered this before I painted the bits, but I was where I was.

With the edges of the hole stitch welded, the heater silencer tube could go back in


The top edge was welded


Ground


And fully welded and finished


both sides


It’s been long time coning, but finally the bracing could be removed



Found another lightly perforated area, so while I was close with the hot machine ..


After a good clean up, much better




Next, onto lead loading. Not sure that it is completely necessary with the modern fillers available, but it’s another thing that I’ve never done, but am too stupid to know that I can’t. So, out with the bits bought at the NEC a couple of years back


My learning was that a MAPP flame is probably too severe for this game, and a simple blow lamp would have been more controllable. Also, picking a collection of vertical and underneath surfaces to attempt your first ever efforts was not the most inspired decision. It was hard enough chasing the lead around the panel, let alone having enough presence of mind to photograph anything mid-process , but anyway, after some filling and (wearing a full mask) a quick polish with an air tool, we arrived at ..









Not too shabby, and will do me just fine. Maybe the thinnest of skims when I block sand before top coats, we'll see. Maybe the filler primer will suffice.

Of course, having made more mess there's more cleaning to do, but I can't think of anything else that I can find to delay painting, so watch this space ........

[911hillclimber]

I love lead loading, almost a therapy with the balance of heat and 'catching' the solid/melting point.
That is a very posh kit, but does not make it any easier!
I use a small block of hardwood, a candle and the right lead stick. A milleni cut hand file with a cranked handle from my apprenticeship days still does the flatting job.

Great progress and now you really have no excuses but to paint it as long as the temperature and humidity are ok.
What are you painting with?

As an aside, you and Gary are now Master Grinders from what I can see, the welds are disappearing better at every step, far better than me...

[PeterK]

Thanks Graham
It’s RustBuster’s epoxy primer first (121 underneath & 421 topsides). All will be followed by seam sealer over seams & welds.

Underneath will then get underseal & topcoat (2k GP white). Topsides will get filler, epoxy, 2k filler primer, then topcoat.

Well, that’s the plan anyway !

[PeterK]

Well what can I say. I’ve teased, prevaricated, and goodness knows what else, but finally, it’s started.








2 coats epoxy primer on underneath and inside surfaces. Off to Jonny’s part of the world tomorrow and maybe Wednesday, so outside surfaces will have to wait a little longer.

[Gary71]

Nicely done! What kind of kit (compressor/gun etc) are you using?

Always interested in how the diy world works, particularly as I’m following the steps (including the lead loading) you are taking.

[PeterK]

Thanks
14cfm, 3hp compressor with 100/150litre tank, which is fine for spraying epoxy primers (no air fed mask needed). Fast over HVLP spray gun, with 1.8 tip (and another with 1.4 tip for top coats).
For top coats (2 pack) I'll be using the air fed mask, and the compressor won't cope with both gun and mask. I've got a 2hp compressor that I'll slave in to give more capacity, and if that doesn't work, then a 200 litre tank, just to give some extra tie before I need to take a break.

[Gary71]

Thanks, I’m also running a 3hp 14.6cfm 100L that will do the job.

I’ve sprayed before (many years back) so just need to get back into it.

[911hillclimber]

I've read that green with envy!

The only reason I took my 911 to a small local painter was because the house boiler is in the garage so could not keep turning it off these last months.
When I painted mine 30 years ago, the finish was better than what I have today...

I painted a few years ago my Lambretta in the garage, in cellulose, in the summer.

Getting back to doing it with a new gun and my 35 year old compressor was like riding a bike, really easy.
I've only used cellulose mind.

[Phill]

Great work! May have to make another inspection visit, or, buy a house with room for a bigger garage and.........inspiring.

[sladey]

Not too shabby, and will do me just fine. Maybe the thinnest of skims when I block sand before top coats, we'll see. Maybe the filler primer will suffice.

Of course, having made more mess there's more cleaning to do, but I can't think of anything else that I can find to delay painting, so watch this space ........

On the lead - make sure you've washed the surface thoroughly before any paint or filler goes on there - there are powerful chemicals in the tinning stuff. I didn't wash one bit of mine off properly and it cracked/reacted with the paint

[PeterK]

Let’s hope I did