Looks like I won't be in the garage tonight as I've been called to job #2. They pay $200/hr.
Jav, I am an amateur at best, a determined, newly motivated amateur. I doubt my skills on bodywork are any better than yours.
I'd be glad to help.
EDIT, removed potentially offensive comment seeing as you're out of a job.
Too bad they only pay $200/hr for 15 minutes. 
volvoclearinghouse wrote: Too bad they only pay $200/hr for 15 minutes.
One hour minimum charge. I charged 1.5 last night.
and they're paying again tonight - plus an additional emergency fee. Stay tuned for more restoration information on Wednesday night. Sorry I am making the morning oatmeal less entertaining, Jav.
In reply to tuna55:
Round up, dummy!
In reply to tuna55:
Shoot man, money sounds more entertaining to me right now. 
Javelin wrote: In reply to tuna55: Shoot man, money sounds more entertaining to me right now.
well then maybe I should be paying you to do the bodywork!
Last night was 'figure out where the gun safe will live' night, and tonight is Valentine's Day, so I guess I'll be back in the garage on Friday - four whole days of no wrenching. Weird. Let's hope this isn't a trend.
ive started that trend, and you inspired me to break it. if i can gget the time to upload and post pictures, maybe i can get you re-started.
thanks for all the inspiration and motivation youve given me. 4 builds, plus regular customer cars gets a little overwhhelming.... esecially on top of a 50 hour work week.
I took yesterday afternoon off, as my knee was feeling a bit gamey and I wanted to get off my feet. Still managed to put 10 miles on the Beetle once I got tired of lazing.
Keep the truck in the back of your mind on the evenings you don't make it to the garage. Between that and those of us following this thread, you won't start a trend.
In an effort to keep myself motivated, I am hijacking my own thread. I want to talk paint. Just for a bit. I have prepped the surface poorly by using 40 grit paper to get rid of the PO sins. Now I need to fill the scratches. I am planning on stripping everything off as far as the original coats so I have bare metal or filler as a base.
Do I fill 40 grit scratches with a polyester primer or is that overkill? Then from there on, I have these choices laid out (I will individually contact these companies before buying to make sure everything is compatible, but it should be via the literature I have seen).
SPI epoxy primer over everything - do not sand
SPI 2K primer - block sand
This is where the guide coat comes in, but I am not sure what product to use for that
Matrix (not sure on which line) base (white on top, blue or red on the bottom) - no sanding
SPI clear - wet sand and buff
Please limit to only first hand (or solid solid secondhand) information if possible.
tuna55 wrote:Javelin wrote: In reply to tuna55: Shoot man, money sounds more entertaining to me right now.well then maybe I should be paying you to do the bodywork!
I did manage to get the new alternator into the Javelin, took it for a drive, and determined the alternator was rebuilt wrong, took it back off, and shipped it back to Florida. My car has gone 5 miles since October.
In reply to tuna55:
My firsthand knowledge of sanding and painting says that no amount of primer will cover the sins of 40 grit without some sort of additional sanding. Personally, I would hit the truck with 100 grit, then primer and block sand. For a guide coat, you'll be sanding it ALL off, so most people choose to use a cheap can of flat black spray paint. I have done this.
tuna55 wrote: In an effort to keep myself motivated, I am hijacking my own thread.
Also, +1 to what Jav said. If you've sanded the whole truck with 40, I'd go over it all again with 120, if not 80 and then 120. If you want to get really fancy with the guide coat, put a coat of white/flat grey down first, then black over the top. Little bit better contrast, and gives you a little bit better idea just how deep the low spots are.
Watching the various hot rod shows has shown me that to get it really straight, you frost the whole damn car like a cake, and then you use a block and some medium paper to remove 99.8% of that, then you spray with a high build primer, then you block to remove 90% of that, then you seal, paint, clear, clear, clear, clear, wetsand, and polish.
Medium blue on the bottom and white on top. The parting line will be at the window line.
Actually I like the 501 on here better. Also medium blue, but there were two "medium blue" choices in 1971, only one in 1972. Hopefully the purists won't mind.
Saturation is a little strong in this photo, and it's not original paint, but that's how white-over-blue works on mine.
Whoa John, I didn't realize I was aiming for the same colors!
I am skipping the trim and the white stripe on the side, though.
OK folks, I WILL get into the garage tonight. I will attack the fender and hopefully get it bolted on. If all goes well, a nice picture of a fully bolted on and aligned front passenger fender will accompany Javs oatmeal tomorrow morning. Then I have next week to fix up the floor on that side before rotating the truck.
I think I should fix up the floor first and then add the inner fenders which would partially cover the back side, and then spin the truck around and begin anew on the driver side.
What a night! Not in the good way.
Rusty hole
Cut out the slot
My old flashlight. I finally bought a replacement bulb. Came in a pack of two. Good thing, because the first one burned out in a few seconds!
And then...
and then
run out of argon.
ARG!
Sugar welds suck. Back to Praxair tomorrow. I'll also get some gages so that I don't go through gas this fast. This sucks.
I think I'll repaint in 'terrace blue' now, from the 1972 chips above. It's close to what the truck was originally (510 medium blue) and it's a bit more correct as the 501 medium blue is a Chevy only color. Does anyone care? Probably not.
Terrace blue was different in previous years, and this shade was unique to 71 and 72 GMC trucks. Sort of neat and it looks better than the 510 blue everyone else sees all of the time.
http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/chipcreate.cgi?year=1972&manuf=&model=GMC&ret=code
Any nightly progress is progress. Had you waited till a weekend or something you'd have had no gas, and no place to fill...
I like the blue/white combo, regardless of which shade you use.
xflowgolf wrote: Any nightly progress is progress. Had you waited till a weekend or something you'd have had no gas, and no place to fill... I like the blue/white combo, regardless of which shade you use.
Thanks!
I am having a hard time finding a place open on Saturday to fill. I am worried I may not get any today.
Any progress is progress! And I like the Terrace Blue idea.
Cool! Tractor Supply in Mauldin has welding gas still. None of the others carry it anymore. I'll make the 30 minute trip this afternoon. I will have the fender on tonight.
Thanks for the color comments. The Terrace Blue is neat as it's unique to GMC and those years. The best part is that the only identifier on the truck for the paint color is on the inner glovebox door. You can have them reprinted, so I can make it a 'correct' color for the truck. That's sort of neat. As much of a purist as I am not, it's a neat touch.
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