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bit of bodywork.


It was my day off today and I went out to the shop to work a bit on the trunk floor...but man you run outta steam fast when its 34 degrees outside. Once it cools down a bit outside I'm gonna get at it again. I've had the itch all summer to drive the damn thing, such beautiful weather and everything.

Still up in the air about the drivetrain. I've got a running 302/c4 combo that was in the car and I have a non running 429/c6 combo that needs to be built sitting here too....

Thinking i'll run the 302 till I can come up with the funds to do the machine work to the 429.
 
Thinking i'll run the 302 till I can come up with the funds to do the machine work to the 429.

that's the plan-git 'er out there,do the fun stuff later.an engine swap can be done in a weekend.
 
ok,back to it.these are the next supplies to use.
liberty002-1.jpg
the 1000 sandpaper is used to block sand the blend line.after the paint is level,i sand out a little further with 1500.then i sand the whole panel with 2000.next comes the compounds,which are really just liquid sandpaper used to get a finer and finer scratch.i start with a coarse compound,the one on the right,with a wool pad.this just takes out the 2000 scratches,but doesn't leave a good gloss.care must be taken as it will remove material quickly.next i go to the middle compound with a foam pad.this brings up the gloss,but will leave swirl marks.the fine compound on the left i use by hand with a soft cloth to get the final finish.do not apply wax for a couple of weeks-there will still be solvents coming out of the clearcoat for a while.
 
liberty001-1.jpg
this is the blend line before finishing.this shows why i said to sand well past the blend line location with 1500 prior to clear.the clear needs a sanded surface to grab onto,but it still needs to be a fine enough scratch to polish out.
 
liberty003-1.jpg
now,the same spot after finishing.the way that i use to determine if i've done a good job is that if i can find my blend line(or any other sign that the car was worked on)then it's not good enough.you should not be able to find any evidence of your own work.
 
I dont have the eyesballs for doing body work. I can weld and fix anything mechanical or electrical you want, but body work is strictly for Warlocks, Magicians, and Miracle workers.
 
liberty004-1.jpg
and the other repair area after blending.note the tag that say's 'north edition'....know what it has that others don't?a tag that says 'north edition'.bet you guys in the south are pretty jealous,huh.
 
They have "Oklahoma" packages down here, they are usually just the badge and ugly wheels.
 
liberty005-1.jpg
everything reassembled....after this,i just washed the dust off and sent it back to the owner.job done.
 
In high school I painted a couple of cars. Scary. When is your book coming out? You know - the one titled "Painting for Dummies." or "All you ever needed to know about Painting but Were Afraid to Ask." Seriously - Jim's gotta be drooling over a tech section write up from you.
 
this job was coming in anyway,and there have been some questions from folks about bodywork....figured it was a good fit.i just hope some on this site got some useable info out of this.it takes some time,and the materials are pricey,but anyone should be able to do basic body repairs and have it look like nothing was done..
 

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