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From Concept to Reality... GTCustomz can take any project and bring it to perfection. from custom to oem
Bodywork in a nutshell..
Assessment
You will need to determine what the car needs before you begin. If the car has rust holes, you will need to note them and how much disassembly you will need to do in order to fix them properly. If the car is lacquer checked, there is paint stripping in order. If you need to replace any panels, or buy new parts, do your hunt and acquisition before you touch the car. This minimizes down time. You also want to be sure to have enough money to see the job through to completion. Many cars end up ruined because the owner did not have enough time or cash to get the job done in a timely manner. Body work that goes unpainted has a fairly short expiration date, so be prepared to either garage the car and not drive it, or spend every spare moment finishing it. I have even started buying paint before I start so that I know I have the materials to see it through. Just know that a decent paint job with materials, paint, sand paper, etc. will easily run you $1200-2000. Fabrication And Rust Repair The first thing you should do is cut out and repair any rust the car may have. Do this before you strip any panels so as to minimize the formation of surface rust. Do one spot at a time, and do any roof repairs last. This way, if the glass needs to come out, it will be prolonged and keep the car mobile as long as possible. If the roof needs to be stripped, do this first so that the windows will keep the material out of the interior. Seal any repairs using etching primer, which is available in spray cans. Avoid lacquer primers as they will not stop moisture from attacking the metal. Paint Stripping You will want to do any stripping next. Stripping is not always required on every car, and only needs to be done in cases of lacquer checking, peeling paint, or excessive buildup of prior paint jobs ( say more than 2). Stripping can be done mechanically with a grinder ( chews stuff up if you're not careful),Mechanically with sanding, mechanically with abrasive media blasting ( sand, baking soda, etc), or chemically with caustic stripper. Once again, after you are done you will want to use the etching primer to cover the bare metal in order to protect it. Stripping also requires disassembly to prevent damage to glass, trim, and plastic or rubber parts that are in the area to be stripped. Most methods will also require you to rough sand the now wavy remains of old paint smooth with some 60 or 80 grit paper before applying the etch primer. Body Filler Now is the time to get out the Bondo, All metal, or Dura-Glass ( depending on application). You will need to go to bare metal with any of these, but if you use Polyester Glazing Putty on minor flaws, you can put it over 80 grit sanded old paint instead. This can save time on dings and minor scrapes, but at $20 a quart, it is 4x as expensive as regular Bondo. Rough it into shape using 36-80 grit paper, then refine it with 220 grit wet or dry used with a guide coat and a hand sanding block. I like to use a jitterbug sander or Air File to rough shape my filler as they offer the best control, and can make straight lines. For the blocking, I have an 18in long Dura-Block, a medium soft block, and a paint mixing stick wrapped in sand paper. Cover the regular Bondo areas and any bare metal spots with the etching primer to avoid rust. Regular Bondo is like a sponge, and will hold moisture against the metal unless it is sealed. Remember too that you do not want to put filler on top of unsanded paint, or any kind of rust. This is also the time to remove any trim you want removed. First Primer-Surfacer Application Sand the whole car by hand with 220 grit paper, using a guide coat and blocking techniques to cut down minor flaws if desired. Then, apply 3-4 coats of Primer-Surfacer to give sufficient build. Next, dust the whole car in a contrasting color of paint from a spray can. This should only be a light dusting of paint, and you should still see the color of the primer over most of the car. Let it stand for a few days to reduce the sand scratch bleed through after blocking. Now, you are ready for the first blocking. Take care to protect the bare metal spots left over with the etch primer when done. It may take several days to block the car using the 220 grit paper on a variety of blocks. Always use the longest block you physically can to even out the longest flat surface possible. As much as is possible, move the block at 45 degree angles, making a crosshatch pattern on the car. This gives the best amount of contact area, and blends a wider area than straight up and down or side to side. Try not to sand in one area for too long, and move the block down the panel with a 50% overlap of prior sanded areas when blending. This way, you minimize waves in the finish. If you have a low spot that remains, you can use the Polyester Glazing Putty to fill it on top of sanded primer. Just be sure you clean the sanding dust off first, or the filler may not stick. Second Primer-Surfacer Application and Blocking Now that the whole car is blocked the first time, you are ready to do it all over again! This time, let the car stand for at least a week before final blocking. This allows the solvents to evaporate so that most of the shrinkage will take place an minimize sand scratch bleed through. Blocking in this instance will be done in 400 grit paper as that is the grit you want for best paint adhesion. Once you have blocked it, wash the car off and hit the whole car with red Scotchbrite pads to give tooth to anything you could not hit with the paper, and to even out the surface. This is the best way to do door and trunk jambs too as the irregular surfaces are hard to hit with paper. It is important to leave no glossy surfaces in the jambs if you are going to paint them. Anywhere you do not sand will likely peel within a year once the paint fully hardens. Masking and Final Pre-Spray Prep Ready for the paint booth. wash and give it a very good once over. You want to blow out all of the little nooks and crannies, and be sure to clean off any sanding dust residue. If it blows off some of your primer, or old paint, count yourself as lucky. It could have been the new paint that blew off.
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