Mustang GTT - Paint Project

[SilentInsomnia]

Ok.. I'm probably REALLY going to regret all of this.. but here goes.
*I promise that if you read this thread and you didn't already think I was certifiably crazy, you will by the time you're done reading*

About 9 months ago... give or take, I got totally fed up with the fact that my 82 was getting to a really nice point mechanically and I was still embarrased by the looks of it. I mean.. it's an 82 GTT afterall. (and yes, I am hereby coining the term GTT to reference any and all Mustang GT T-Top cars from 81-88...lol)

So here's what I have to work with. I bought my GTT back in 04 and have done the following so far. *I noted which items were done by previous owner as well

Lifelong Dallas, Texas Area "rust free" vehicle

1982 Mustang GT T-Tops w/factory A/C

Engine

New 87-93 Spec Roller Block 302 at 61,982
B303 Cam
Edelbrock 650 Carb
Holley Street Dominator Intake (custom paint!)*
85 Steel Cam 302 Distributor
Hi-Flow Polished Water Pump
Polished Aluminum Underdrive Pulleys
Holley Blue Electric Fuel Pump
Braided/Custom Formed Fuel Lines
Ford Racing Timing Chain Set
MSD 6AL Ignition
MSD 8.5 Wires
MSD Blaster 2 Coil
Factory A/C Converted to R134a*

Drivetrain

Rebuilt CHP Edition World Class T-5 Transmission
King Cobra 10.5" Clutch
Steeda Billet Clutch Quadrant
Billet Shifter Knob/Trick Stick Shifter

Suspension
Ford Racing "b" Sport Springs (dropped 3/4")
MacPherson Struts/Shocks
MAC Adjustable Billet Caster/Camber Plates
17 x 9 Black Cobra "R" Rims
AGR Street Rod Rack & Pinion
Poly Sway Bar End Links
Poly Trans Mount
Poly Motor Mounts
Weld-In Subframe Connectors W/Steel DS Seat Support Plate

Exhaust

BBK Shorty Headers
H-Pipe
Flowmaster Mufflers
Mac Flow Tubes

Electronics

Alpine Alarm w/radar
Alpine CDA-7892 Head Unit w/Aux Adapter
Sony PSP MP3 System
M.A. Audio 6 Channel 1600w Amp
Custom Amp Rack and 12" Enclosure
12" Kicker CompVR Dual Voice Coil Subwoofer
Cadence 1 Farat Capacitor

Paint

Engine/Accys Painted by Owner(myself) and Dan Hunt/Paris,TX
Exterior-(in progress) Wal-Mart Red Spray Paint and Rustoleum Clear Coat Enamel with various processes during application. Rear section car will be completed after new doors,disc rear end, and larger gas tank are finished to go in.

Extras

85 GT Interior for red instrumention*

Complete 85 GT Wiring Upgrade througout car*

Custom Rear Bumper Cover Support

Extreme Dynamat From Door Jambs Back.

Fuel Lines Relocated to avoid vapor lock w/tru dual exhaust mod

T-Top Doors Reinforced with Ford Kit




Ok.. that sums up my GTT

Here's some of the "before" pics..





As you can see. The front air dam was just pretty crappy overall. Had a small tear that always worried me over 100 mph and the paint was flaking mile after mile.

The biggest thing was that the ..ahem.. moron, had filled in the area for my pony (on the hood)... my guess is this was pre-ebay era and the guy thought he could never find the right black emblem for the 82. Shame. Anyhow, I had to deal with that, and quite a few spots on the airdam and front of the hood... from rocks, hail.. you name it.. is was pretty bad with almost 30 years of no bodywork and a couple "earl shieb" paint jobs!!

More pix...








During the initial sanding process.. (roughing up old paint) I think I used something around 300 grit with a firm sanding block to reveal major high/low spots. I also did repairs to the small tear on the front clip and filled many many holes with scratch filler. Let scratch filler dry, resand with like 1000 grit over those spots.

Also, I uncovered the filled logo hole on the hood with a wire brush attachment for my drill. It took the bondo right out.

Then I did something I'll either love or hate... time will tell. I used a product available at Wal-Mart called "self-etching primer". It seems to eat well into the old paint surface and actually "float" general low spots. After about 3 coats of this stuff (an hour or so in between) and then a good day or so drying, I was able to sand this down and pretty much only be able to see scratches. This stuff was amazing!! It seems to really level out low spots in the body and just kinda smooths everything up!

After sanding that down with a 320 grit sanding "sponge", I had an extremel adhesive surface ready for color! I applied the following...

This is "Colorplace" Fire Red (about .83/can). The method was as follows. Sprayed Hood being hung vertically from ropes, 3 coats (first one pretty light, second medium, third MEDIUM.. not real heavy!)... yes, this is SPRAY PAINT... Hrmm... think I'll tag this accordingly. About 45 min to an hour between coats. Then LOTS of drying time.... like a week. After which I sanded with same flexible type "sponge" sanding block.. (this one is about 400 grit WET sand flex block). This was the main piece I used throughout the paint and not sure where it came from. I looked and it was not readily available at the auto parts stores athough they did have 320 and lower grit flex blocks.

After first 3 coat "session"...



Now.. It's important to note again that this paint job so far has taken about 8 or 9 months... but most of that was sitting around here in Dallas waiting for the heat to break. Don't want to sweat on my work afterall!!

So, after about a week of dry time for color, you COLOR SAND. (doesn't this all sound familiar? I used alot of the same processes as the pros, but this was a very slow process and I did it fresh, never having painted much more than a manifold before!)

This is just after first color sand..



Ok.. I don't have anymore "before" pics...

The rest of the process was as follows...

On the fenders I ended up sanding back down to the primed in alot of spots, so I did second complete "3 coat session" on them (including overwindshield area) and re-sanded.

IMPORTANT!!!!

In my travels I read about how cheap spray paint has a different composition of the top coat that requires the paint be "rolled" with a flex sanding blok during wet sanding... meaning, do not "SAND" it but rathed "WORK" the paint back and forth in straight "in/out" motions.. NOT CIRCLES!! This worked so incredibly well to hide defects from the crappy paint I was using. ( on a side note, I'm doing this with cheap wal-mart spray paint to 1. See if I can and 2. Future color availability- this paint has been around forever and probably always will around!)

After entire surface has been "rolled/not sanded" with water and the 400 wet flex pad, I sprayed clear... (did I mention to have smooooth motions when you are spraying??) I used Duplicolor Premium Automotive Acrylic Enamel spray paint clear (Autozone) for the hood and front bumper cover/airdam. However, after seeing that this crap turned out with WAY too much orange peel, I switched to Rustoleum Enamel Clear Coat (wal-mart) for the fenders and overws area. (Very little orange peel).

After the clearcoat dryed for about 2-3 weeks (not sure how long it NEEDED to cure but wanted to be safe than sorry!!) I wet SANDED it with 1000 first, then 1500, then 2000. I'll continue more in the next day or too... but I'm tired.

SI

[87gtVIC]

I am intrigued. I want to see your final results!

[yobarry]

Dude the front of my car looks almost exactly like yours, (except mycar is black). Same areas of paint chipping, tear in the same spot on the air dam, right down to the missing and filled in hood badge spot. I've even been contemplating doing the work and respray all myself. Ive recently been gathering up parts to make it all look like new again. Just got a new black badge off ebay and I have a new air dam from FMR wiating. Ill be using automotive paint through a paint gun though.

A friend of mine recently two toned his Mustang black from the belt line down using spray cans and I mean you cant even tell its rattle canned till you get right up to the car. Its so glossy and smooth. He used Duplicolor brand paint. Seems to be about the best rattle can paint Ive come across.

Good luck on the final results man! Keep us posted.

[SilentInsomnia]

ok, so to continue...

And btw, YoBarry.. like I said.. I would just recomend to stay away from Duplicolor clear coat... Rustoleum has WAY less orange peel.

So... after lots of wet sanding clear coat, I took to the buffing. This again is a very long process, but I used Meguire's "Ultimate Compound" rubbing compound, along with a buffing/polishing pad kit from Autozone. The pad you want to use for removing the rest of the orange peel is the long "wool" type. The pad I bought was a 5/6" wool pad. I tried at first for days using terry cloth pads, but even though they are more aggresive, something about the wool seems to work so much better to "lift" the orange peel out of the clear coat!

So.. lots and lots of buffing with the ultimate compound...

After compound, I washed the car. It's important to remove the rubbing compound with a good wash before you go to the No. 9 polish, because rubbing compound is an abrasive, you don't want to "polish the compound into the paint"!! lol...

After wash, I switched to Mequire's No. 9 swirl remover to get smaller swirl marks and the rest of the smaller orange peel in some places... I put it on with a terry bonnet on the buffer and WIPE DRY with microfiber cloth. Then.. I used Meguire's carnuba wax and applied it by hand just like you would wax anytime.

Ok.. so here's some after pics.. It's pretty nice today so I'm gonna wash her up real quick and try to get some more.. but you can get the idea of my "garage paint results" pretty well from this.




This other pic was from the other day when the sun was setting... just so happened to put a shadow from neighbor's fence right at the beltline on the car....lol, but you can see.. the paint turned out fantastic. So much better than I ever could have hoped for garage spray paint. Again, the first stage was to the doors, because I'm replacing them and the rear end and gas tank so I want to get the work done on those pieces now for a few months before I finish the back of the car. The color I used is exactly the same as my old paint, but the old had a much darker primer underneath which is the reason they appear to be such a diff. shade in good lighting.



Anyhow.. I'm thrilled, and will welcome any questions.

more pics l8r...

have to get washin..

SI

[SilentInsomnia]

Oh yeah, one other thing to mention.. it's way too long to explain why the hood was taped off halfway during some of those pics, but it must be disregarded. I screwed up at first during this whole process cuz I tried to do the paint and body to just the front side of the front clip and "blend" it into the old paint. This actually would have worked except as I mentioned, the diff. in primer was so evident that I decided to start over and work complete panels with the end goal of an entire repaint of the car. I had to resand past the hi-tech primer and the sand the whole hood and fenders to eliminate the "line" I had made... (yes.. see.. I told you I'm a dumbass sometimes!! LOL) but it worked and I got rid of the "merge line" completely before proceeding to paint and clear as described above. Glad I did even though it was a bit of extra work.

SI

[85 GT Kid]

Dang not bad. ALOT better than what you started with.

[bo3367]

Dang that looks good. I never thought a spray can paint job would turn out so well.

[SilentInsomnia]

Thanks.. I'm probably gonna try to keep this thread going for a while, so I can discuss some other specifics too as they come to mind, and make sure alot of you guys can reference this.

Like I forgot to mention.. it's pretty important when you're working with paint to pay attention to the type of buffer you use. Again, if you don't follow all these little steps of wet sanding and buffing you just won't get the results you want. I ended up hand sanding, but for the buffer I used a Dewalt 18v Cordless Right-Angle Drill. It seems to be so perfect for buffing, as it has two speed settings that both allow variable speed (speed varies with pressure of switch). The low speed is like 500-1500 and the high speed is 1000-2500rpms. Both of these work great as the buffing wheel (wool) calls for speeds not to exceed 2500 rpms. If you use a high-speed grinder, they are usually up around 5 or 6000 rpm or more, and most of them are NOT variable, meaning you find out it was too high of a speed very quickly when you "try it out"!!

K>?

SI

[escogt]

Excellent job.

Looks 100% better than before!!
Love your avatar by the way.

[87gtVIC]

Looks sick man. And the trick to getting less orange peel out of the Duplicolor clear coat is to spray it closer to the surface you are painting which Allows the clear to flow more before it dries severely reducing orange peel. You did a great job nonetheless.

[SilentInsomnia]

Thanks guys... I really appreciate the encouragement! I can't believe how great it's turning out either... the pictures just don't do it justice. Like I said, I'll post some more in a few.

Also, forgot to mention... if you have any alignment issue with your front bumper cover/fenders I recommend strongly fixing them BEFORE you mess with paint. That's what I did and it's prob. a good idea to mention before anyone would attempt this craziness we're talkin' about here!

SI

[87gtVIC]

Take a picture of the spray can for giggles.

[SilentInsomnia]

Take a picture of the spray can for giggles.

Good idea, but I think I'll include the spray cans for paint and clear, and all the compounds and crap that I used.

SI

[wannabe82]

looks good so far..

[SilentInsomnia]

Ok guys.. so here's some better pics I took this evening.. I spent the last week finishing up the engine compartment.. I'm sure I'll do more buffing on the clear under the hood, and maybe a bit more touch-up, but you get the idea.






















..


Ok, I'm spent.. I'm going to bed... for a lOOONg time.



SI

[varn82]

I dont know how i missed this thread. I like it. Nice work. I'm all about hard work and doing things yourself to save a ton of money. and that looks great. What was the final cost of paint and supplies for the nose?

[SilentInsomnia]

I dont know how i missed this thread. I like it. Nice work. I'm all about hard work and doing things yourself to save a ton of money. and that looks great. What was the final cost of paint and supplies for the nose?

Thanks Varn!

It's real difficult to say.... but I think I prob. spent about $100-$150 bucks for everything I needed to do the front clip (fenders, hood, and front bumper cover). Seriously.

And I'll tell ya, it prob. came out about as good as the cheepie $200-$300 quick paint jobs around here, but I was able to control the quality of work, therefore avoiding overspray on my engine compart. I'm just a freak about even leaving my car in the lot at the grocery store, much less to leave it overnight at a body shop. lol...

Besides, I love the way the acrylic is holding up so far.... I've been well over 100 mph and to my pleasant surprise, all of the paint is still there.

SI

[BigSkyGT]

Wow that is amazing. I could never imagine doing something such as this. I am at the mercy of my local body shop and the $5250.00 they want to paint my car.

[bad82gt]

Thanks Varn!

It's real difficult to say.... but I think I prob. spent about $100-$150 bucks for everything I needed to do the front clip (fenders, hood, and front bumper cover). Seriously.

And I'll tell ya, it prob. came out about as good as the cheepie $200-$300 quick paint jobs around here, but I was able to control the quality of work, therefore avoiding overspray on my engine compart. I'm just a freak about even leaving my car in the lot at the grocery store, much less to leave it overnight at a body shop. lol...

Besides, I love the way the acrylic is holding up so far.... I've been well over 100 mph and to my pleasant surprise, all of the paint is still there.

SI

i sure hope there are no LEO on the board


Turned out good though

[dburdyshaw]

Wow that is amazing. I could never imagine doing something such as this. I am at the mercy of my local body shop and the $5250.00 they want to paint my car.

I have the same issue facing me. I've gotten estimates between (roughly) $5500 and $8500 to repaint my X-90 (tiny vehicle, no rust) ---- and I also want new paintjobs on my Galaxie 500 -- Packard -- Mustang -- EXP ---- so you see where this is going.

Granted, I want quality paintjobs ---- and my friend who gave me the $8500 estimate does good work. He has won lots of trophies for "Best Paint" at car shows ---- and I'm sure it's worth it ---- but signing those checks would kill me.

[87gtVIC]

I have the same issue facing me. I've gotten estimates between (roughly) $5500 and $8500 to repaint my X-90 (tiny vehicle, no rust) ---- and I also want new paintjobs on my Galaxie 500 -- Packard -- Mustang -- EXP ---- so you see where this is going.

Granted, I want quality paintjobs ---- and my friend who gave me the $8500 estimate does good work. He has won lots of trophies for "Best Paint" at car shows ---- and I'm sure it's worth it ---- but signing those checks would kill me.

It is situations like this that you begin learning a new hobby.

[dburdyshaw]

It is situations like this that you begin learning a new hobby.

And that's the reason I ask so many questions (though I hope that I don't bother anyone).

[BigSkyGT]

It is situations like this that you begin learning a new hobby.

I have toyed with the idea of trying some painting myself. But the fact is I know my limitations. I would do much better following someone else's direction rather than doing it all on my own.

[etc1006]

Doing awesome!

[82Boss]

Success as long as your final product looks better than what you started with.

My wife's car was damaged in a 1985 garage fire and it wasn't insured. Being on a tight budget, I painted it using shaker cans of Duplicolor. A few important things I recall is to have enough cans on-hand to complete your work to a good finishing joint, I used lacquer paint which produced a harder, shinier surface and dried quickly, and spray with two cans simultaneously to avoid streaks. I was encouraged to try this after reading an article in a Hot Rod Magazine in which a Camaro was painted in a driveway over a weekend using spray can paint. Looked really nice.