Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium

[njhoudini]

Happy belated birthday and annual trip around the sun!

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[shortykorte]

Happy Birthday from the FC stooges


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[Duker]

Happy Birthday from the FC stooges


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Another Happy Birthday greeting from the wanna be FC .... Texas Stooge....


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[Grizz1963]

Bit late, but of course another birthday wish.

Trust it was as good as it could be.

Soon it will be Christmas too.

 

[bolensboneyard]

Birthday???!!! You still have those. Andy you need to cast a candle snuffer; could call it a duffer snuffer! Happy you're still here Bob!

 

[Guster]

Belated happy birthday Bob. Most would agree you are off the hook opening up gifts you bought for yourself. Else I've been flaunting with the law for ages!

Nice job on the polishing. The 3M combination flap wheels work great getting the initial buff on the surface before polishing. The ones with the scouring pad material between the paper flaps. I will have to keep an eye out for those belts though after I source some flap discs. Got caught out using up my very last one today.

Though I have to agree with Riaan, header and other parts polishing is a path you don't come back from! I'm quite happy with the brushed look which hides a lot of sins.

 

[xtremek]

I missed your b'day? I hope it was filled with family and joy.

 

[Bob Heine]

Happy belated birthday and annual trip around the sun!

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Thank you Eugene!

Happy Birthday from the FC stooges

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Stewart, someday I hope to talk my son into a road trip to get together with the FC again.

Another Happy Birthday greeting from the wanna be FC .... Texas Stooge....

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Duker, someone with both Woodworking and Metalworking shops would really class up the FC.

Bit late, but of course another birthday wish.

Trust it was as good as it could be.

Soon it will be Christmas too.

Rian, it's never too late. You are back home and enjoying all the great memories this trip brought you.

Birthday???!!! You still have those. Andy you need to cast a candle snuffer; could call it a duffer snuffer! Happy you're still here Bob!

Bobby, some of my family members remind me each year. Fortunately no one offers a birthday cake to mark the occasion. Pretty sure 74 candles will set off the smoke alarms all over the house. Every day I wake up and celebrate the duffer snuffer's absence.

Belated happy birthday Bob. Most would agree you are off the hook opening up gifts you bought for yourself. Else I've been flaunting with the law for ages!

Nice job on the polishing. The 3M combination flap wheels work great getting the initial buff on the surface before polishing. The ones with the scouring pad material between the paper flaps. I will have to keep an eye out for those belts though after I source some flap discs. Got caught out using up my very last one today.

Though I have to agree with Riaan, header and other parts polishing is a path you don't come back from! I'm quite happy with the brushed look which hides a lot of sins.

Guster, thanks for the birthday wishes. I probably have too many flap wheel disks, Roloc disks and abrasive rolls and cones. Seems like I buy a few, forget I have them then buy a few more.

I missed your b'day? I hope it was filled with family and joy.

Kirk, you didn't miss it, you were just kind enough not to mention it. Thank you for that. The Sunday before my birthday, my son brought one of my granddaughters and one of my grandsons to the house for long overdue rides in the Corvette and Cadillac. This granddaughter is Car Crazy but not a very good driver. She has wrecked a Mustang, two 350 Zs and is now trying to be more mature in a Cadillac CTS coupe (with the little V6). I think an $1,100 a month insurance bill helped with the maturing. The grandson is going to be 15 in November so he won't be driving too soon. Drove the speed limit on the local roads with only one short 0 to 45 blast to demonstrate the cars' power. To them the top-down '87 Corvette seemed faster -- traction control makes the Cadillac seem calmer.

 

[xtremek]

Having family around to celebrate your birthday is always the best.

 

[lango]

Bob, I sure do enjoy your thread- A daily 'check' for me. I feel guilty seeing what you're up, all the time it seems. I don't get nearly that much done with all the free time I have these days. But, don't feel bad about the guilt trip you're spreading around- and I won't mention the birthday thing.
Thanks! David

 

[Bob Heine]

Having family around to celebrate your birthday is always the best.

Kirk, you're right. As they grow up and have busy lives of their own, it's harder and harder to get them all together but we try.

Bob, I sure do enjoy your thread- A daily 'check' for me. I feel guilty seeing what you're up, all the time it seems. I don't get nearly that much done with all the free time I have these days. But, don't feel bad about the guilt trip you're spreading around- and I won't mention the birthday thing.
Thanks! David

David, you are very kind and I'm honored to have you post on this thread. Don't feel guilty, everyone spends their time their own way. I enjoy playing with tools and trying to learn how to use them. Considering how much time I have to waste, I don't really get much done. Now Don Long, he really knows how to fill his days. Although he has more and better toys, I feel like we both are having the same kind of fun.

 

[Bob Heine]

Because they frown on temporary structures in Boca, I decided to put mine up in a less visible spot. I haven't broken it to my wife but I'm thinking I need a covered walkway from the garage to the workshop. It feels so peaceful and I don't have to worry about getting wet.

Put a second hook in the fascia board to hang the reinforcement. I had to re-do the curve on both ends so it better matched the bumper cover that is sitting on the paint stand (this cheap Harbor Freight stand has held up well).

It was pleasant in the shade but recalling my efforts putting the shelter up made me break out in a sweat. Well, as long as I have the remote tank hooked up to the garage compressor, might as well do a little work on the intake manifold. I love my pneumatic angle and die grinders.

After a little finessing on the outside, I got out the tapered abrasive roll and gave the passages a little cleaning up around the injector end of the manifold.

I have no idea why but there's a big 5 in the wall of the runner. When I have more time, I'm going to clean off the 5 and all the parting lines at the engine end of the manifold. I'll also spend time at the other end and then get to work on the upper half of the manifold. I'm focusing on the major curve where the upper and lower manifold join and the area around the injectors. The rough casting portions of the runners should be insignificant.

I quit for the day at this point. It's close to final sanding time with finer and finer grits, followed by the buffing wheels and cones.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Happy Birthday big brother!!

Looks like I'll never catch you...

Great job on the manifold. I have three to ship you.

I'm sure that was core box No. 5, in case there were some core failures they would know where to look.

 

[Grizz1963]

Looking good Bob.

Trust Andy to make sense of it.

 

[xtremek]

The intake looks pretty good.

 

[jimreed2160]

Wow! Your new walkway looks pretty elegant. Does music play when you make the walk now?

 

[oldironfarmer]

I'm telling Liane.

She can make things happen...

 

[sawduststeve]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=812298&stc=1&d=153773734
Hi Bob, if you’re enjoying polishing/buffing things,
You could try this on your front door. Two coats of grain filler
followed by 12 coats of lacquer, all polished between coats

Steve

 

[Bob Heine]

Happy Birthday big brother!!

Looks like I'll never catch you...

Great job on the manifold. I have three to ship you.

I'm sure that was core box No. 5, in case there were some core failures they would know where to look.

Thanks baby brother! In percentage terms, you keep getting closer but I think you're right.

For me, polishing stuff is an almost free pastime. The electricity to run the tools and cool and light the rooms is almost a fixed cost.

I'm going to do my best to destroy all trace of where this particular failure originated.

Looking good Bob.

Trust Andy to make sense of it.

Thanks Rian. As you have discovered first hand, Andy makes sense of just about everything.

The intake looks pretty good.

Kirk, this is the second manifold I've polished but I don't plan to port-match this one. I probably should have paid the extra for the polished version.

Wow! Your new walkway looks pretty elegant. Does music play when you make the walk now?

Jim, the dumbest part of it is having to water the plants under the canopy. Because the rains stopped a week or two ago, the sprinklers will take care of it for now.

Sometimes music plays in my head. Some synapse gets pushed and D4 Hound Dog starts up for no reason.

I'm telling Liane.

She can make things happen...

Andy, please don't. She'll call it silly and three days later tell me she has this idea to extend the arbor from the two sections next to the garage to 27 sections down to the workshop.

 

[Bob Heine]

Made a little progress today. Started off by scratching the primer with a gray Scotchbrite and then blowing off the dust. Then I wiped the bumper cover down with wax & grease remover (three times) until the shop towel came away clean. While I waited for it to dry I got out the silver paint and some slow activator. In South Florida I use extra slow even in winter so the paint flows out better. The first coat shouldn't take too much to cover so I'm mixing a half pint.

I plan to use two spray guns for this job. The Sata has a 1.3 tip and works well for spraying base coat. For silver it's important to use a decent gun that is less likely to make tiger stripes. The Iwata has a 1.4 tip and sprays clear coat really nice. If I'm lucky it won't need a lot of cutting and buffing.

I gave the bumper a half hour to dry and it looks pretty good.

It didn't take long to paint the bumper. That's the story of automotive painting. You spend 95% of the time prepping for paint and 5% painting. This first coat is going to sit for a couple of days. I'm out of activator so I need to get more and give it a second coat. The activator is also needed for the clear coat that gives the bumper its shine.

The first coat covered pretty well but there are a few spots that may be thin enough to show the black primer. The worst spots will be covered but as long as I've spent this much time on the bumper I'm going to do it right. Because the turbo intercooler is behind this section of the bumper, I cut some of the vertical bars out. It isn't much but I figured "while I'm at it."

In a way it isn't very smart because the billet aluminum lower grill blocks more air than the original checkerboard design.

 

[WarrenJ]

Nice body work.

 

[shortykorte]

Ah, so you’re an automotive painter. I hear Boca is nice this time of year.


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[1/2 Cup]

Bob you have done well with the bumper.

 

[Bob Heine]

Nice body work.

Thanks Warren!

Ah, so you’re an automotive painter. I hear Boca is nice this time of year.

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Stewart, it was a balmy 89 (in the shade) today. Finished painting before my second shirt and glove overflowed with sweat. If you can figure a way to get the Mercedes down that 4-foot walkway, we can paint it here. I think with a couple of those end jacks we could do it. I mean what's the worst that could happen?

Bob you have done well with the bumper.

Thank you Steve!

 

[Grumblebum]

That's a timely post mr H. About to start looking at spray guns in the next week or so myself.

The bumper looks great.

 

[jimreed2160]

Ahh...September. When the Florida temps drop from "surface of sun" down to "Sahara".

 

[oldironfarmer]

 

[rmalkow2]

The bumper is looking good so far Bob. Looks like you got nice smooth paint coverage. The prep time does make all the difference doesn't it!
I agree on that HF stand. I bought one recently on sale for $15 and it has worked out very good. Just enough higher than my workmate with cardboard on top to make the job easier.

Bob

 

[xtremek]

The bumper looks really nice. Ready to start a bump and paint shop?

 

[cbacres]

Because they frown on temporary structures in Boca, I decided to put mine up in a less visible spot. I haven't broken it to my wife but I'm thinking I need a covered walkway from the garage to the workshop. It feels so peaceful and I don't have to worry about getting wet.

Put a second hook in the fascia board to hang the reinforcement. I had to re-do the curve on both ends so it better matched the bumper cover that is sitting on the paint stand (this cheap Harbor Freight stand has held up well).

It was pleasant in the shade but recalling my efforts putting the shelter up made me break out in a sweat. Well, as long as I have the remote tank hooked up to the garage compressor, might as well do a little work on the intake manifold. I love my pneumatic angle and die grinders.

After a little finessing on the outside, I got out the tapered abrasive roll and gave the passages a little cleaning up around the injector end of the manifold.

I have no idea why but there's a big 5 in the wall of the runner. When I have more time, I'm going to clean off the 5 and all the parting lines at the engine end of the manifold. I'll also spend time at the other end and then get to work on the upper half of the manifold. I'm focusing on the major curve where the upper and lower manifold join and the area around the injectors. The rough casting portions of the runners should be insignificant.

I quit for the day at this point. It's close to final sanding time with finer and finer grits, followed by the buffing wheels and cones.

Happy Birthday Bob!
I'd just add another section or two of canopy, it fits right in, maybe some shades of green and blue and the wife won't notice.
I see your using those little tapered sanding things, funny, I just bought a bunch at a shop sale, look forward to using them.

Where do you like buying parts for the Sata gun?

 

[Bob Heine]

That's a timely post mr H. About to start looking at spray guns in the next week or so myself.

The bumper looks great.

Rod, good luck on the hunt for spray guns. I started with a Craftsman suction gun about 50 years ago. Bought a set of Devilbiss Finish Line gravity feed guns (full and detail size) and a cheap primer gun. On the advice of some professionals I bought the Iwata LPH400 for spraying clear and I have to say it's an amazing gun. The Sata was a used gun I bought for $100. The seller said it was in great shape. Apparently his idea of great shape was "shiny on the outside" because it was full of rock-hard epoxy primer.

Even the packing nut and spring were full of crud.

I found the right chemicals to get the inside cleaned up but it took days to do. Surprisingly, the carburetor cleaner worked the best. It took soaking overnight to loosen one layer and there were five or six layers.

Ahh...September. When the Florida temps drop from "surface of sun" down to "Sahara".

Jim, you've got that right. I used to tell people "You get used to the heat and humidity" but that was only true if you never turned on the A/C. Every year I get a little less "Used to it."

Thanks Andy. Equal parts failed attempts and luck leading up to this.

The bumper is looking good so far Bob. Looks like you got nice smooth paint coverage. The prep time does make all the difference doesn't it!
I agree on that HF stand. I bought one recently on sale for $15 and it has worked out very good. Just enough higher than my workmate with cardboard on top to make the job easier.

Bob

Bob, the Sata wasn't working perfectly but still good enough. I've had two of those stands for at least 10 years and I'm amazed how well they still work. The one I'm using spent a few years outside so it.s doubly surprising.

The bumper looks really nice. Ready to start a bump and paint shop?

Kirk, if I could get paid minimum wage for this work, I'd be rich (it takes me that long to get it done).

Happy Birthday Bob!
I'd just add another section or two of canopy, it fits right in, maybe some shades of green and blue and the wife won't notice.
I see your using those little tapered sanding things, funny, I just bought a bunch at a shop sale, look forward to using them.

Where do you like buying parts for the Sata gun?

Craig, Liane forgot I bought the canopy and asked "How much?" When I said less than $100 she smiled and turned around to go back to her gardens. I think I have to stick to white and only add one canopy at a time.

Those sanding cones are great but make sure you have an extra mandrel or two because the skinny tip does snap off after a while.

I bought my Sata parts on eBay -- still not cheap.

 

[sawduststeve]

Bob, great work on the Bumper, quality tools and good prep work always shine through.
I reckon two canopies would do it here, from back door to garage, you gotta love a covered walkway.
Wait, what ? 89 deg, we had frost on the windscreen this morning.

Steve

 

[Toolfool]

89 !?! We had 61 today. Maybe I should rethink this Florida thing.

 

[Grumblebum]

Bob I travelled into the spraygun rabbit hole a bit last night and this morning. There is a lot there to peruse.

Yes the "starting line" kit offerings then the "LPH400" as you have came up but the end result is that a DeVilbiss GPi unit will be enroute to me hopefully when the sun shines in the UK in a few hours. Will have 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 tips with it along with an adjustment regulator.

Seems to be a good all round unit for the stuff I'll be working on from what I can gather.

https://thegunman.net.au/devilbiss-gpi-review/

Cheers GB.

 

[Coolabah]

<snip>

I plan to use two spray guns for this job. The Sata has a 1.3 tip and works well for spraying base coat. For silver it's important to use a decent gun that is less likely to make tiger stripes. The Iwata has a 1.4 tip and sprays clear coat really nice. If I'm lucky it won't need a lot of cutting and buffing.
<snip>

Thanks Bob a timely post for me as I have a silver bumper to spray for my daughter's "new to her" car and I am a bit rusty and probably never was un-rusty as far as painting cars even though I did a few in acrylic in my younger days. It really does look great !

Bob I travelled into the spraygun rabbit hole a bit last night and this morning. There is a lot there to peruse.

Yes the "starting line" kit offerings then the "LPH400" as you have came up but the end result is that a DeVilbiss GPi unit will be enroute to me hopefully when the sun shines in the UK in a few hours. Will have 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 tips with it along with an adjustment regulator.

Seems to be a good all round unit for the stuff I'll be working on from what I can gather.

https://thegunman.net.au/devilbiss-gpi-review/

Cheers GB.

Bob - apologies for the thread hijack but ....
Rod- this gun looks pretty good but will end up a good few $$$ landed in Aus. I won't ask you to let me know how it goes as I am still waiting on your findings on the best dilution rate for Grime Reaper , you lazy ba$tard !! ( jokes) . FYI I tried 1:20 but it is pretty weak , I reckon 1:10 will be my general purpose/standard mix

Actually , I would love to hear how the gun goes...

 

[Grumblebum]

<hijack>

I've sent you a PM coolabah.

No I haven't had a chance to play with the detailing stuff yet.

</hijack>

 

[rixtrix1]

I always love catching up here, Bob. A belated Happy Birthday to you! So nice when a tool necessity falls near a gifting holiday! I've been on 6/12's for the last 5 weeks and I haven't spent much time on the forums, or anywhere else, but then there's so much more to read. You definitely have it covered there! Thanks for sharing.

 

[bolensboneyard]

Ahh...September. When the Florida temps drop from "surface of sun" down to "Sahara".

I'm so used to humidity here in Charleston I save some sweat in a jar for cooler weather so my body can adapt to it slowly.


Great job on the manifold Bob. Hope you live to be 100! Keep plenty of oil on hand. Better get one of those railroad oil cans with the long spout!

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, great work on the Bumper, quality tools and good prep work always shine through.
I reckon two canopies would do it here, from back door to garage, you gotta love a covered walkway.
Wait, what ? 89 deg, we had frost on the windscreen this morning.

Steve

Steve, I appreciate the compliment. The best tools can't hide incompetence but I'm trying to learn how to improve so it isn't obvious.

In your neighborhood and with your skills, there would be pitchforks and torches in the street if you put up two of those canopies.

We had frost in the garage freezer this morning -- does that count?

89 !?! We had 61 today. Maybe I should rethink this Florida thing.

John, it's 90 in the shade today but it is expected to drop down to 81 tonight. A week from Friday they are predicting 86/77 so we're getting out our winter bathing suits.

Bob I travelled into the spraygun rabbit hole a bit last night and this morning. There is a lot there to peruse.

Yes the "starting line" kit offerings then the "LPH400" as you have came up but the end result is that a DeVilbiss GPi unit will be enroute to me hopefully when the sun shines in the UK in a few hours. Will have 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 tips with it along with an adjustment regulator.

Seems to be a good all round unit for the stuff I'll be working on from what I can gather.

https://thegunman.net.au/devilbiss-gpi-review/

Cheers GB.

Rod, that's a good decision, I think the GPI is made in Great Britain and isn't readily available in the US. I have heard nothing but good comments on the GTI and it looks like the same gun. It's hard to beat $300 for a decent gun. I was hesitant to spend $400 on the Iwata gun but when I looked at the details, I understood why it isn't cheap to produce. The "Tulip" on the left is the Iwata nozzle that contributes to the gun's ability to spray a very wide pattern even when spraying only five or six inches from the surface. That's the Devilbiss Finish Line gun on the right.

Thanks Bob a timely post for me as I have a silver bumper to spray for my daughter's "new to her" car and I am a bit rusty and probably never was un-rusty as far as painting cars even though I did a few in acrylic in my younger days. It really does look great !


Bob - apologies for the thread hijack but ....
Rod- this gun looks pretty good but will end up a good few $$$ landed in Aus. I won't ask you to let me know how it goes as I am still waiting on your findings on the best dilution rate for Grime Reaper , you lazy ba$tard !! ( jokes) . FYI I tried 1:20 but it is pretty weak , I reckon 1:10 will be my general purpose/standard mix

Actually , I would love to hear how the gun goes...

Greg, I painted three cars (whole car) in the past; the first was acrylic enamel, the second lacquer and the third was a two-part something (expensive but terrible paint). I'm working my way up to painting two-part epoxy primer and two-part polyurethane finish coats. When I started my research, the price of the spray guns was a shock. Then I priced paint and the gun seemed cheaper. The biggest shock was the ancillary stuff like sandpaper. A box of fifteen 6-inch, 5000-grit 3M Trizact hook and loop disks goes on sale for just over $100. And getting a show-car finish requires boxes of the slightly cheaper and coarser sanding disks as well. Welcome to the automotive paint rabbit hole!

<hijack>

I've sent you a PM coolabah.

No I haven't had a chance to play with the detailing stuff yet.

</hijack>

Hijack, what hijack?

I always love catching up here, Bob. A belated Happy Birthday to you! So nice when a tool necessity falls near a gifting holiday! I've been on 6/12's for the last 5 weeks and I haven't spent much time on the forums, or anywhere else, but then there's so much more to read. You definitely have it covered there! Thanks for sharing.

Ric, thanks for spending your rare and precious time posting here. My daughter-in-law is the only one who even asks what I'd like for my birthday. I need to find a use for 18 bottles of Old Spice After Shave and 22 bars of soap on a rope.

I'm so used to humidity here in Charleston I save some sweat in a jar for cooler weather so my body can adapt to it slowly.

Great job on the manifold Bob. Hope you live to be 100! Keep plenty of oil on hand. Better get one of those railroad oil cans with the long spout!

Bobby, that's a great idea for the cool weather but this far south, I usually sleep through those four hours.

Thanks for the kind words. Polishing car parts is an affliction with no known cure. I found myself polishing brake calipers you can't even see without a mirror. I'm setting my goal at 100 but I happily set it for one more year.

 

[Bob Heine]

My shipment of paint supplies from SPI (Southern Polyurethanes Inc.) arrived on schedule today (2-day Fedex). The packaging is amazing, with the box being worthy of mention in my will. The only flaw is the generous use of Styrofoam peanuts and packing. If you love Styrofoam peanuts, read no further -- there's nothing to see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Styrofoam Peanut Haters, Read On ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My trash collection is a local government service paid for as part of my property taxes. Therefore I shouldn't care how much trash I produce. I do separate recyclables so my grandchildren won't hate me when I'm gone but Styrofoam is not recyclable. I used to just fill a garbage bag with five ounces of peanuts and send it on its way. Now I have a slightly more time-consuming but way more rewarding method of disposing of them (as well as other Styrofoam packing shapes).

I forgot to take a picture before I started but here's what it looked like after I disposed of some of the peanuts (it was filled to the top fold).

I poured about 1/2 cup of cheap spray gun cleaning solvent (mostly lacquer thinner) in a 19-ounce soup can. Dropped a handful of peanuts at a time and they instantly disappeared into the liquid, turning it dark pink. Emptied that whole box full of peanuts into the soup can (more than doubling the contents of the can).

There was a 1-inch thick Styrofoam board at the bottom of the can so I decided to test the capacity of that 1/2 cup of solvent. I broke the board into small pieces so they would drop into the can.

Styrofoam weighs almost nothing but it melts almost instantly and sinks into the solvent like a rock. I dropped the last piece into the can, grabbed the camera and shot a picture. In that second or two, a hand-size piece just disappeared (sorry for the blurry picture).