The Paint Project has Begun...1-19-06

[Mark B]

Hey everyone,
I just started the prep work on my 91 RS Convertable last night. Today, I made a website where I am going to document the steps I take as I do them. I dont know if I would use what I am writing as a guide. Afterall, this is my first paint project. But mabey it will be able to help someone on there project, or at least give you guys something to read to kill time.

Check out the website in my sig for pics & info. I will let you guys (and gals) know of any updates I make to it.

[TraceZ]

Are you going to remove the bumper covers, ground effects, spoiler, mirrors and all that stuff? Your end result will be much better if you do, and assuming you plan to do that, you might as well do it sooner rather than later. It will make sanding easier to have it apart too. The bumper covers can be chemically stripped.

[SteveH95Formula]

You might want to check this forum out too. Its a second gen. Camaro forum and they do a lot of body and restoration work. The basic body and paint work seem to have a lot in info. on. I have a 2nd Gen '79 Camro myself as a project car.

http://www.nastyz28.com/

Check out their forum too at
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/index.php

[Mark B]

I was planning on taking that stuff off. Heres my list of stuff to be removed:

Windsheild Wipers
Headlights
Taillights
Marker Lights
Rear Center Spoiler
Ground Effects
Interior
All Weather Striping
Door Handles
Antenna
Front Grill
Wheel Well Liners
Door Moldings
Front Spoiler
Front Bumper
Rear Bumper
Key Cylinders

Thats all I can think of right now. I was planning on having the door jambs painted. Do I need to take the doors off to do that? I hope not.

Steve - I will check out that 2nd gen forum that you suggested.

[TraceZ]

yes, you'll need to remove the doors to "properly" paint the jambs.

[Mark B]

Damn. Mabey I will take everything else off and let the shop do that part? I will give them new hinges to put on too.

[TraceZ]

Damn. Mabey I will take everything else off and let the shop do that part? I will give them new hinges to put on too.

I've had a door off my car, had it painted and reinstalled it myself. It's not that bad. Go for it.
If you're in this far....

You might want to practice paint a door jamb or two before painting the entire car. You could actually paint the doors hood, mirrors, bumper covers and ground effects and deck lid seperate from the rest of the car, then assemble it all after it is dry.

Jamb paint everything first. Get your practice on the less noticable parts of the car, like the bottom of the hood and the engine compartment.

I'm just tossing out ideas.... brainstorm style..

[Mark B]

I was going to leave the spraying to the pros. I might end up getting a compressor and spraying the primer myself. I havent decided yet.

[TraceZ]

I was going to leave the spraying to the pros. I might end up getting a compressor and spraying the primer myself. I havent decided yet.

If you get a compressor and a gun to spray the primer, you are already 90% of the way there. I've sprayed all 3 stages of primer now, and will spray color and clear today. I'll let you know how it goes, and if I'd consider a whole car even possible for an amature.

The only issue I can see, is dust aprticles getting in the paint. But wet sanding pretty much eliminates that. Lay several thick layers of clear coat and wet send it until it looks like glass. It should be perfect.

[Mark B]

Updated the site. Lots of progress. I am wondering if I should take the convertable top frame off? I imagine I will have to remove the trunk lid and tonneau cover anyway.

I will be taking the door handles, key cylinders & door latches off soon. How do I keep the doors from flying open when being moved? Can I just tie them together with a rope or bungee?

[TraceZ]

Looking good.

I have a few questions..

What is all that bondo in the drivers quarter behind the wheel? Are you going to leave it there, or remove it?

This looks like more of a restoration, not a simple paint job. Is the car going to stay white?

I see you have the hood removed. It also looks like the front bumper cover is brand new. You could remove the bumper cover and fenders and paint them seperately. You could also remove the doors and paint them seperately. That would make painting the door jambs and hinge areas really easy.

I dont know how deep you want to get into this project, but it looks like this could become a pretty serious restoration. What is the intended scope of this project?

Another idea: Do you plan on keeping those rims and tires? If so, I'd recommend removing them, cleaning them up and placing them out of the way so they dont get trashed. You can pick up 4 donut spares and roll the car around on those until you are done, or just place it on jackstands and keep it stationary.

[Mark B]

Ahh!! I just realized I made a mistake.

I have a ton of text on that website... but I have the background & text both set to be black! hahahah My web brower settings on my computer are all screwed up, so when I go to the site I can see the text fine. I will fix it right now... They you will see all of the comments/info I have made.

[Mark B]

More updates. I need to straighten out the rear quarter before I can take off the rear bumper. That will probably be my next step.

TraceZ- To answer your questions...
-I am going to remove the bondo, bang out the dent as much as I can, and then re-fill it.
-The car will definitly be staying white. (I love the white)
-The front bumper is actually used. I sprayed it black 6 months ago to make it look alittle better while I drove the car (It was red) After I strip it, I will see what kind of condition the plastic is in. If it doesnt look good, I will get a new one from GMPartsDirect.
-I am still up in the air about taking off the fenders & door panels. I am so far into disassembly I probably should do it. But I am going to bring the car to the body shop that will be doing the painting tomorrow and see what they say. I need to start talking numbers with them to make sure I can afford everything I want to do. If I can swing it, I will probably have them take the doors & fenders off. That way they can deal with setting the gaps when they put those pieces back on.
-As far as the scope, im not really sure what you are asking. Are you asking about just the paint/restoration? Or are you asking what else do I have planned for the car afterwards? As far as paint, I want all of the jambs painted as well as under the hood, trunk, and tonneau cover. I will probably end up getting new lights & stuff when I put it back together. I am sure the new paint will make my current lenses look like crap. Then I will move on to the interior. New carpet, a new top & mabey recover the seats. Thats pretty much the plan as it stands now.
- I would like to get a set of 17x9.5" ZR1's for the car. But I will probably be too broke after the paint to get them.

[FroSSty]

Looking good so far...Just remember to take your time and do it right now so you wont have to redo anything in the future. TraceZ is correct. the painting isnt that hard but it takes a lot of practice to master. Spraying a few coats of primer is very easy compared to sprayind the actual basecoat and clear. If you want this project to really look nice then I would say do the body work yourself and primer it yourself. But leave the final finish to a good body shop. Remember you can primer it and block it multiple times to acheive a straight panel... Anyways good luck and keep us posted.

[Mark B]

Exactly how hard is it to remove/install the doors? I am tempted to do it myself.