News: Gail's first week in the paint shop

[bill81vette]

Lance,

Those are original to the car, and they're not hurting anything, so yes, I am going to leave them alone.:ugh

You are right, though. I have never seen anyone using them except for this one corvette in Alameda, California which the owner cruised up and down the beach strip with the tops on their rack on the back, but that must have been 1983 - 1985. With the cost of T-Tops as they have always been (expensive), I would not have the courage to place them on the rack either. :crazy

Looking good,Gerry!!!!

I agree,I have them on mine but I'd be afraid the tops would get launched at high speeds :ugh :ugh

 

[pbcanney]

Lance,

Those are original to the car, and they're not hurting anything, so yes, I am going to leave them alone.:ugh

You are right, though. I have never seen anyone using them except for this one corvette in Alameda, California which the owner cruised up and down the beach strip with the tops on their rack on the back, but that must have been 1983 - 1985. With the cost of T-Tops as they have always been (expensive), I would not have the courage to place them on the rack either. :crazy

If you have the racks, I suppose I'd trust them at a cruise in or show. If I didn't have the racks, I'd fill 'em

 

[JohnGrawcock]

Are they going to remove or at least lossen and create a gap between the front and rear bumper covers and the body prior to paint?

 

[GerryLP]

John,

I plan to go by there tomorrow, and I'll ask. I am curious too...

GerryLP:cool

 

[GerryLP]

John,

I spoke with Bill today, and he said that it will be fine by leaving the bumpers on. He admitted, that the bumpers could be removed, but he implied a higher cost related to this.

He showed me other vehicles in the lot which had been repainted, and showed me what the joint areas would look like, and the joint areas looked factory-like, so the joints should look fine.

hnoes

GerryLP:cool

 

[GerryLP]

Well guys and gals,

I got a call from Bill today, and he asked me to stop by the paint shop, so that I could take some images of the Vette in the paint booth. And here is Gail with her new primer coat:

The primer has the "guide coat" on top, which is that funky charcoal tint on the body.

A frontal shot...

Here is Bill Sr. removing the masking off the Vette.

Another angle....

Here is the "guide coat" sanded off the car. You can see where the charcoal left over shows the low points.

Now Gail is going to sunbathe under the New Mexico sun for about 3 or 4 days. Then, they will block the body and smooth those voids visible with the guide coat.


GerryLP:cool

 

[82ColEd]

Good to see the progress.. :cool

 

[Eleanor]

Awesome Gerry. Thanks!

 

[pbcanney]

pretty amazing transformation so far! wouldnt know about the grafted nose unless you'd told us

 

[Peer81]

Great to see the project comming along this fast!
Are they also going to keep the bumpers on as they are now when the paint is going on to the body?
Keep it going

Groeten Peter

 

[GerryLP]

Peter,

I spoke with Bill, and yes, he is going to leave them on. He told me that the extra cost in labor did not justify removing them. He assured me that they will come-out just fine.

 

[Peer81]

Please ask him if you get a free repaint it cracks appear within 5 years. Polyester and the Polyurethane bumpers are two different materials so two different expansions rates. I've seen numerous vette's with the bumpers painted to the car and most of them have cracks. You see the difference on meetings and know it could be better with minimal extra cost. Of course it's your vette and your decision but please think about it.
Maybe a good idea to do...
Buy 5 meter wire (the ones with a steel core and a plastic outside, we use to hang things on to dry outside). Loosen the bumpers but don't take them off! Put the wire in between the bumper and the body and softly tighten the nuts. Paint everything and after the car is dry loosen the nuts a little, take the wire out and re tighten the bumpers to the car. It will maybe take you 4 hour's extra to do it right. Just a tip!

Groeten Peter

 

[Tom Bryant]

Having painted cars for many years I have to agree that you never paint over a seam where 2 panels are bolted together. The paint bridges and sooner or later it will lift, crack or bubble along the edge. Sorry but it's just a fact of life when painting.

One way you might get away with it is to take a single edge razor blade and cut the seam before the paint is fully hard. This will allow the 2 panels to move seperately without pulling on the paint of the other panel.

 

[GerryLP]

I will speak again with Bill. I know that he told me that the paint does not need a flexing agent to paint the rubber bumper. But I'll ask again about the seem between the two surfaces, and I'll get a quote for removing the bumpers...

 

[Tom Bryant]

He is correct that new paints do not need flex agents like laquer did when painting flexible parts but it's the seam I'm concerned with.

 

[Yoda]

Gerry,

FWIW When I had Rare painted (base coat / clear coat) they did not remove the front or rear end. I asked the same question about the mismatch of material, and the body shop told me Not to Worry about it, with the prep work done right, it would be ok

That was April 2004 and the paint job looks as good as it did when it left the shop, well except where I nudged the nose getting it into the narrow doorway of my shop ad Now there is spider cracks on the nose, but really only visable under floresent lighting.

When I had Abby touched up from the rear "Mud Flap" incident :eyerole ... completely different story. The body shop here in TX said they would have to remove the back bumper in order to make sure the CLEAR Coat was applied correctly. They said it needed to wrap around the entire painted surface to be done correctly

How's that for sitting on the fence without helping ya at all I am pleased with both paint jobs even though I had to loosen Abby's butt up and re-align it ad to get if to fit like it did before they took it apart, plus I found the ground strap for the rear lights and antenna broken and hanging loose ad

Bud

 

[GerryLP]

Thanks, Bud,

My commuter car was painted the same way, and it has metal and plastic / rubber surfaces connected to it, but it all was blended just fine.

Peter, Tom, et al,

I know that it is the genuine interest in everyone that I end up happy with the paint job, and truly, I do appreciate and want/like to hear your inputs, but in perspective, there are many levels of quality and reliability between the factory finish, Bill's shop, and that shop that put together the "Last Stingray".

I just spoke with Bill, and he asked me to call him later to find out how many more labor hours would be needed to remove and install the bumpers.

He did mention that he is aware of the bumper-issue among the Corvette community, and brought-up a very fair point: Having the bumpers removed will also cause cracks on the paint, for once the bumpers are removed, painted, cured, and then re-installed, new stresses will affect the paint finish. Once removed, these bumpers never go back in the same position. So, that will also lead to cracks.

It is true that one-gets-what-one-pays-for, and I am expecting to only pay $2,600 dollars for a paint job by someone who has tons of experience in Corvette painting, so I still believe that this is an awesome deal. If I was doing a "frame-off" restoration, then I would have replaced the bumpers with new ones and finished / painted off the body (and I guess that Peter and some of you could relate to this ).

But that is not the case here. What I have done is an ON-THE-FRAME restoration, and balancing these facts with my other funding /income requirements, it perhaps will have to be done this way.

The way I look at it is that I am already getting what normally is a $5,000 dollar paint job for $2,600 dollars. A "Barret-Jackson" paint job quality would have cost me up-wards of $12,000 dollars. So what I got is NOT a bad price indeed.

Besides, most everyone has seen Gail with her old clothes :ugh, and they were raggedy indeed, so the transformation in your eyes will be unbelievable. Trust me!

 

[Eleanor]

Gerry,

Well thought out and spoken! Go for it!

Can't wait to see pictures and if it turns out like we think I may have to bring Eleanor to your guy for her next new dress.

Frank

 

[GerryLP]

Thanks Frank!

And I respect you and my friends here at the L81Vette Registry and the CAC, and I am not rejecting my friends suggestions (to the contrary, I welcome them!!!), but I think that my dear friends will realize that I DO NOT go shopping for Zanieri or Rozzetti suits in 5th Ave...:ugh:ugh:ugh....I go to Mervyns for blue-collar clothing, Macy's for casuals, and occasionally, I go to the Mens Warehouse for Joseph & Feisse shirts or Ralp Lorenz's sport coats....:Lotfl, ... (tongue-in-cheek, guys), and the same kind of situation awaits my dear "Gail." We all have to live with-in our means.

Anyway, I spoke with Bill, and he told me that it would be about 4 additional labor hours per end of the Vette, so instead, of adding $600 dollars on top of the work order, I decided to keep on going as planned. Perhaps in another 5 - 7 years I will be able to afford a frame-off restoration...:confused

 

[GerryLP]

Bill called me again, and asked me to stop by to snap some more images. The Vette was blocked, and primer was re-applied.

He says that what is left is to Sand the primer smooth to receive the new paint coat. I had also asked them to include in the quote the pin striping the Vette the way it was (which was done at John Webber Motors, inc. 121 West 7th St., Harvey, ND 58451 where the original owner bought the Vette AND which is now known as Ripplinger Motors, Inc.,2321 Hwy 52 South,Harvey, ND, 58341).

A faint original pin striping

And here is Gail in sleeping flannel colors (underwear????:L)

Angle number 2...

Baby got back!!!

And so while a lot of our members are having a great time in CruiseFest, my Gail still not ready to party.

GerryLP:cool