Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The Garage / Shop / House Thread - Motivation

[ctandc72]

Tried to get to installing the new wheel bearing / hub on my FIL's Silverado last night...got sidetracked with my 04 GT. Hearing a not so normal 'clunk' / 'clank' type noise from it. Only noticed it when I was in an enclosed parking garage - moving steering wheel side to side with tires on the ground will reproduce it. Car drives fine. I've already done ball joints, outer tie rods, calipers, rotors and pads. So I get it on jack stands in the shop. Can't reproduce the noise when the tires off the ground. Lovely. I'm betting it's the infamous rack and pinion noise these tend to make. Got a set of the revised Ford R&P metal sleeves on the way and I'll order some Poly rack bushings to install while I'm there.

Also - at least one of the front control arm bushings is shot. Which *****. I just did ball joints. I am not installing poly bushings in the control arms - no thanks - and replacing the pressed in steel sleeved CA bushing in these thing arms looks fun...NOT. Odds are I'll just buy new control arms. Problem is the Moog arms use a non greaseable ball joint. MevoTech makes a 'Supreme' control arm that looks pretty solid. Rock Auto has 'em for less than a $100 a side. Hell it's almost $50 for just the stock control arm bushings with shipping. Likely do the front wheel bearings/ hubs while I'm in there. I'd rather not have to go back into the front end for a long time.

Told myself the next time I unbolted the front struts (likely OEM) I was going to replace them. Probably go with Fox Body spec KYB struts. Identical to SN95 except a bit shorter - suspension gurus actually recommend these for lowered SN95 cars (my '04 GT had Eibach springs on it when I got it). Likely add poly spring isolators, new endlinks as well.

Anyway - I noticed something all over the LH driver's wheel well. Got my wife to press the brakes while I was under the car. Definite leak from where the caliper meets the brake line. Installed new copper crush washers on both sides, bled the fronts, and brakes were fine today. Will check for leaks tonight - but the Silverado hub is getting done tonight. Need to tell my FIL I need to do the LH CV axle too. Boot is busted.

 

[ctandc72]

Ever have one of those stretches where everything seems to be hectic and somehow dragging at the same time? You have things planned out in your head, and you keep dealing with pop up fires. So of course it started raining on the way home this afternoon. Time to try and get this wheel hub installed on my FIL's '08 Silverado.

Everything started okay. With the wheel up in the air, I could hear the bearing that was causing the nice roar. Got the wheel off. Got the caliper off. The impact broke the axle nut loose with no drama. After a liberal shot of Aerokroil - the first 15mm hub bolt fought me. Here we go.

It's tight up against the axle. Made a bit of room holding the axle back and after a quick shot of heat - it gave. The other two, zero drama. Couple of whacks with a hammer to the old hub, it came off. Bearings sounded like gravel. New hub went on. Bolts torqued, Rotor and caliper - no drama. At this point I'm kind of in shock. Got everything back together and just sat back and savored the moment.

Got the truck moved out of the shop. Cleaned up. The only down side - my 1/4" 8mm deep well is playing hide and seek. All 10mm sockets present and accounted for though. Wife's SS back in the shop. Cleaned the inside and glass.



220k+ not much rust. Amen to that.

Even had time to take a 3m pad to the used throttle body I picked up for the GT. Polished it up a bit. Kind of aggravated - it looks good enough, I'll have to clean the plenum too before I install it.





I'll take the small wins every time.

 

[ctandc72]

Well the universe has righted itself.

The roar is still there on the FIL's '08 Silverado. Drove it to the dump yesterday. While the RF wheel hub was DEFINITELY bad and needing replacement, I'm thinking the road / vibration is coming from the LH CV axle which has been losing grease for quite a while it seems. So the replacement axle showed up last night.

Get the truck in the shop, get the tire off, open up the new axle. Rotating the wheel, I can hear the grinding coming from the CV axle, so I go and open the box the new axle is in.

Why is there grease all inside the sealed plastic bag the new axle resides in? That's probably not good.

Open the bag, it was sealed, the differential end of the axle, where a press in plate resides - that plate had popped loose in transit I'm guessing. Nice, clean axle grease everywhere. Initiated the exchange with Amazon, replacement part is on the way. Figured I'd check locally for an axle.

NAPA wants $150+ for their cheap one. $300+ for their "Good" one. (I can get a GM axle from RockAuto for less than that) Local chain stores? $140-160 for axles that get some 'amazing' customer reviews for boots failing quickly. I'll wait on the HD axle I got for less than $100 and just hope the delivery drivers don't throw it around again.

Did get the new speakers installed in his truck. Started to clean up the plenum for the GT. So I looked at how the install for my new 18K Window AC is going to go.

Here's the current AC in my shop. It's been there likely since the shop was built around '99. Previous owner did the 'custom' install. It's done a good job cooling, even warming the shop since we bought the place 5 years ago but the last two Summers it's struggled a bit.



It's actually pretty stable, 'custom' bricks notwithstanding. The new AC is a bit longer, so it's going to have to be installed on the actual window sill



Luckily, the metal cabinet I have installed in front of that window - the top of the cabinet is almost perfectly flush with the window sill the new AC will mount on. If I can get my FIL's truck wrapped up this week, hopefully I can get this installed and up and running by next week.

 

[ctandc72]

Decided to install the new Motorcraft plugs I picked up a while back for my 04 GT, and decided to install the used Accufab 75mm throttle body and C&L plenum I recently picked up. Got it installed. Fired it up. High idle that wants to hang. I knew this could happen, fairly common it seems. Reset KAM (keep alive memory) no change. High idle and it hangs a bit. Unplug the IAC? Still idles a bit high, 1K or so, but no hang and the car pulls / runs GREAT.

I did clean the IAC with the some carb cleaner and blew it out with air before reinstalling. Tomorrow I'll test the IAC, see where the TPS and set the base idle on the throttle body and go from there.

Annoying - but it comes with the territory. Car does pull like a freight train - if there was no different and it had the idle issue, I'd have likely reinstalled the stock pieces already.

Replacement CV axle for my FIL's Silverado should show up tomorrow sometimes.

 

[ctandc72]

I should have checked before I installed the used throttle body / plenum. Drove it to work today, leaving the IAC unplugged. Drove fine. Got it home, reset the KAM (Keep Alive Memory) left IAC unplugged, got the wrench and allen key to try and set the base idle on the Accufab throttle body - and noticed the locknut had definitely had a wrench on it. Lowered the base idle to @ 650RPM, plugged in the IAC, idle bumped up to @ 850RPM - rock solid, no throttle hang.

I should have checked before I installed, but for now I'm calling it good. Still waiting on the axle for the Silverado.

 

[ctandc72]

Still waiting on that CV axle for my FIL's truck. If it's not delivered in the next couple of hours, I may break down and get one from NAPA. $1110 with a 20% special they're running. I want the truck gone so I can check some stuff off my list. Still need a few odds and ends on the '03 Mustang, get the carb cleaned / rebuilt and back on the '85 GMC so I can then move it to more easily free up the frozen rear brake drum and get it road ready as a truck for now.

THEN I NEED to finish staining the front porch. I need more hours in the day. I might be staining in the dark.

 

[ctandc72]

I shared some pictures earlier in this thread about the '95 Bronco I went through, that got sold recently. Found a link when organizing email and forgot all about the pictures I'd uploaded when documenting my build on a forum. Honestly the build thread was more for me. It helps me easily keep track of where I'm at in a project, what exactly I was working on etc.

Full disclosure, until '17 I had never really owned any Fords at all, other than some musclecars / classics that I worked on, fixed up and flipped for profit. Not saying I didn't enjoy some of them - it's just that the majority of the time someone else wanted them MORE than I did. Several mid - late 60s Mustang Fastbacks (the only one I really miss is a almost ZERO option '67 that had a 3spd / 289 and pretty much NOTHING else. Gold on Gold - not sure why I really miss that one), a few Fairlane / Cyclone 4 speed cars etc. My daily driver got creamed by another bad VA driver and I ended up with a '17 Mustang 3.7 6 speed. Then my wife's '17 Mustang 2.3 EB ragtop. Then a deal on a Silverado fell through and we ended up with a '12 F150.

Right about that time I was looking for something my son could drive, then playing ball in college, that wasn't "as nice" as the '11 Silverado he had then. Sounds goofy now, I know. After looking for a fixer-upper K5 Blazer for weeks - they were all swiss cheese - I randomly found a '96 Bronco 5.0 on FB marketplace for cheap. Then a week or so later found a totally rust free '93 Bronco with no engine, missing the radiator support etc (not wrecked).

Here's the 96 after getting it off the rollback, and blowing brake line in the process



It had come from TX. Apparently while towing a trailer it took a spill



It had set for 2 years because it wouldn't start. The owner worked at a Ford dealer parts counter. Yes I'm serious. It was a bad solenoid. I jumped it off with a fresh battery and it ran / drove fine - minus the now broken brake line.

The 93 was a 1 owner Bronco that was given to the owner's son. The son decided to "rebuild" the engine. He got the engine out, along with the radiator support, but left the fuel rail / injectors connected etc. It sat inside a heated / cooled barn for several years. Then another guy bought it for a "quick project". It sat at his place until he decided to sell it.



After renting a Uhaul trailer and getting there, my son asked how we going to load it?

Backed the trailer up to the Bronco and lined the ramps up. Unhooked trailer, tied a tow strap to the F150 and the front crossmember of the Bronco and pulled it up on the trailer. Worked a lot easier than I remember.

In it's resting place



So now it was use two to make one. Then a CL ad popped up. '95 Eddie Bauer - ZERO rust, ZERO rot, 6" lift installed - guy was trying to fix it up at this shop, someone butchers the steering column trying to steal it. Got it for a smoking deal.



The 93 and 96 were now donors for the 95. First order of business was replacing the butchered steering column. The '93 donated its column w/o much protest.

Ran across this in the '95 installing the donor column



That was the first sign, and not even the worst, that apparently every person who touched this 95 should never be allowed around electricity

Here's a few more prime examples of a fine auto electrician's work from the '95





Need a new window / lock switch, but can't find one that has power mirrors like your Bronco? Just install one without power mirrors and hide the wiring in the door. Yes I'm serious

 

[vwpieces]

The worst before pic?

Poor guy. Assuming there was a Man in the house previously.

 

[ctandc72]

Totally stripped the interior. Went through EVERY wirinjg

Poor guy. Assuming there was a Man in the house previously.

LMAO yes. It was all family land. The house we bought was built / owned by a cousin and her husband. Lived here for 19 years. Apparently it was a NASTY divorce, as in they could NOT be in the same room together according to the realtor.

 

[ctandc72]

Stripped the interior of the '95 to nothing. Went through EVERY wiring harness in the entire truck - and I'm not exaggerating.







Pulled the interior panels from the 93 and bought door panels and dyed everything

 

[ctandc72]

Lined it with sound deadener





Then a water pump replacement turned into an engine replacement. Ended up pulling the entire dash out. God I'm getting tired remembering.

 

[ctandc72]

New shocks. New idler arm. New bearings, hubs, brakes, lines, suspension bushings unique to the TTB suspension the Bronco has.





New steering box and linkage





Totally rebuilt the mechanicals and wiring in the tailgate, including repairing the rear window defroster setup.

 

[ctandc72]

Went through the engine - everything bolted to that engine was new



The original paint cleaned up pretty good too



It'll be missed.

 

[Dividing Creek]

What county are you in ?

 

[ctandc72]

What county are you in ?

Believe it or not Henrico...right on the edge. We're 4 miles from the airport.

 

[ctandc72]

Finally got to the CV axle in the FIL’s Silverado. Got the left side up, got the wheel off - after opening the new axle and making sure it was good to go of course.

I have done a few of these axles in the past, but it’s been a while. I SWEAR I have replaced one without removing anything else, but this one would not budge, it would not clear. After wasting 45 minutes or so, because I didn’t want to remove the strut (I HATE when I waste time trying to “save” time). Finally just zipped off the top 3 strut bolts and the bottom two bolts and the strut came out.

Yeah. It needs struts. Ignoring that for now.
And of course it took 10 minutes to pull the old axle and install the new.





The offending axle and the original strut I am trying not to notice.




New axle in. Differential side bolts loctited and torqued. Got everything back together. Rotating the wheel, the grinding noise is gone - but there is definitely noise from the wheel bearing / hub on this side. It looks to be original too. Of course it is. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes. Will call the FIL later and ask him if he wants me to do the hub on this side too.

 

[Wreckster23]

Man, I hope your kid got one heck of a deal to let that bronco go. Looks like there is no better to be found. I like the way you get things done, looking forward to the rest of this thread.

 

[ctandc72]

Man, I hope your kid got one heck of a deal to let that bronco go. Looks like there is no better to be found. I like the way you get things done, looking forward to the rest of this thread.

We did okay. Didn't want it to sit, don't currently have room to keep it parked inside. Detached 2 car is full of furniture, golf cart, mower etc etc.

 

[ctandc72]

Well, ran across some pictures and realized I haven't posted anything about the OTHER Bronco we had. Back in '21 the wife had seen the new Bronco and really liked it. We waited until we could see one in person and test drive it. Dec '21 we did, she liked it and we ordered a '22 Bronco 2 dr Big Bend, 2.3 10spd auto, optional 4.27 gears w/ locker, mid package (heated seats - my wife's requirement it was to be her Daily) etc.

I was seeing people waiting over a year, so we figured we might see it Fall/Winter of '22. It showed up in May. Told the Sales mgr to have his guys do their PDI, but nothing else. No detail, no removing anything. Wife is not much of a "Car person" but even she enjoyed 'unwrapping' her Bronco.



I had already purchase wheels / tires and knew what would fit / what wouldn't. Drove it straight from the dealership to my shop, unbolted and removed the front crash bars, then drove straight to Discount Tire after loading the new wheels in the back. Tires were already waiting.



Used FORSCAN, made some tweaks, turned off AutoStart / Stop and adjust speedo for tire size. That little 2.3 with the 10spd auto and the 4.27 gears hauled those 35s with zero issues. In Sport mode it would bark second.



Top totally removed before I installed the Bestop soft top.



We enjoyed the Bronco - but the softop was a pain for my wife to open and close. She figured I was attached to the vehicle, I figured she was. We laugh about it now - but CarMax literally offered us $12K more than we paid for it the first week we owned it. Don't get me wrong, it was nice - but the fuel tank is TINY. I never figured great gas mileage - it's a box with 35" tires and 4.27 gears. But the range was silly with the tiny gas tank.

Ended up selling it a month or so ago. Sold the soft top to my neighbor for his Bronco, and a buyer came from Minnesota to buy it. We sold it for more than we paid for it new - so we can't really complain.

 

[ctandc72]

Yesterday I decided to tear the 20+ year old Kenmore 12K BTU window AC out of the shop. It's been there since I moved in, likely been there since the shop was built 20+ years ago. The previous owner had used a 2x4 nailed to the window frame to mount the AC high up. That wasn't really going to fly with the new large LG 18K BTU unit.

So turns out the old AC was never tilted down so the the thing could drain. Pulling the AC out of the cabinet is how I found that out. Lovely. Got it all uninstalled, cleaned the window area up and mounted the new on on the sill. Worked fine.

While it's lower than the previous AC, putting my shop fan near it to circulate air in the shop, with it 95+ outside, I left it running for about an hour - went back in - and wow - it was actually kind of chilly in there. NICE!

Next I need to install an exhaust fan in the shop attic, that's where all the heat is holding.

 

[ctandc72]

Well the FIL's '08 Silverado is ready to go back. Got the LH wheel bearing / hub installed last night. No pictures. It went fast enough I was done by the time I realized I hadn't taken any pics. I would kind of like to get a video / sounds the old bearing make when spun by hand. Test drive was successful - no roar, no noise.

There was a "new" metal clank that got me worked up for a few seconds. I'd forgotten I'd removed the trailer hitch from the receiver to gain more room inside my shop for the truck so I could close the door and run the AC inside the shop.

Did I mention the '08 is a 1500 4WD regular cab long bed? That's 18' in length.

Now it's the job I've been kind of dreading. The Edelbrock 1407 that came off the '85 GMC K1500 (the wife's truck). Going to try to take the top and see how bad it is. Debating on buying a rebuild kit....apparently the Edelbrock branded kit is $60 or so and the cheapo kit is like $20.

Think I'll wait until I tear it apart. Hoping it's just trash, but I'm guessing I need to order new gaskets.

I have bad history with Edelbrock carbs. Part of me wanted to find a QJet for it (what it originally came with - but was long gone when we got it) - but apparently those things have gotten pricey since I last messed with them. Who knew. I essentially gave a buddy of mine about 25 complete carbs, and probably as many more cores + hundreds of jet / rod combinations before I went in the Army. That would be worth a bit now LOL.

 

[ctandc72]

Got a few minutes last night to start tearing into the Edelbrock carb for the '84 GMC



Old girl isn't in bad shape. Needs LH inner/outer rocker, RH outer rocker and bed patches over the rear wheel wells. Had a so-so repaint probably 20+ years ago. Original color is a lighter blue on blue.

When my wife and I got together, she said she'd always wanted an "old" truck (it's hard to wrap my head around this thing is almost 40 years old). We worked it a GOOD bit when we first bought our place. All signs point to it still having it's original 305 /700R4 (which according to paperwork was rebuilt by the previous owner). Swapped the 3.08s for 4.11s front and rear. That definitely helped. Ended up picking up our '12 F150 FX4 (now sold) and the GMC sat while I went through the '95 Bronco we had. Last year went to fire it up and the RH rear drum brake appears to be locked up tight. I had a lot of irons in the first so I really didn't mess with it much.

Went to fire it up a few weeks ago and the carb started puking gas everywhere. So I yanked the carb, and it waited while I worked on a laundry lists of things my FIL's Silverado needed. Had a little time last night to start tearing it down. Have a rebuild kit on the way.



Gotta love ethanol gas. I'll get it broken down and start soaking / scrubbing. Thought I had several cans of carb cleaner - apparently it's time to hit up Walmart and stock up on brake cleaner and carb cleaner again.



Floats look rough - they don't appear to be leaking though. I'll test 'em when I clean them up.



I need to see if they still sell the gallon pails of carb dip locally.

Goal is to get this thing running, so I can move it in front of the shop on the pad so I can get the rear wheel / brake moving and work towards getting this old ******* the road enough to take over truck duties for a while.

 

[ctandc72]

Anniversary yesterday - wife and I took the day off. Apparently the USPS is having trouble getting my carb kit here - from 1.5 hour away. So today I had to go after the yard. Going through trimmer string like nobody's business.

At least the new shop AC is pumping out plenty of cool air - going in to cool off is a lot better than going into the house.

 

[ctandc72]

No updates - as my nights after work and days on the weekend have been consumed by yard work (I love having 5 acres and privacy so it's worth it to me) and staining the front porch. It was an addition put on that started late last year. I didn't build it. That's all I'm going to say. This was a deal with my FIL and my wife. I will say that after I had to step in and deal with the GC and the subs, I can tell you that the odds of anyone but myself or someone I know personally know building anything on my property are now extremely low.

That being said - the wife is happy and that makes me happy. So I've been consumed each night after work and a day or two on the weekend with staining said porch. Having it match the same stain of the shutters I made. It looks great - but there is no fast way to do this right - at least that I've found...and I'm definitely not a carpenter or master woodworker / refinisher by any stretch of the imagination.

Regardless I'm getting close. Also got one of the ceiling fans hung and wired up. Going out as soon as the sun decides to show itself this morning. The FIL is coming around this morning. Apparently he can't open the passenger door on his truck - so that should be fun.



The picture makes everything look crooked. Blame the photographer. 93+ degree heat and 2000% humidity isn't exactly conducive to great pictures.

 

[ctandc72]

The staining job on the front porch is almost done. Ran out of stain yesterday. Another few minutes and the inside / posts / floor of the porch will be done, all I have left is the outside. Hope to hang the second ceiling fan tonight and with any luck call this project done middle of the week.

 

[ctandc72]

Finished up the stain job on the front porch a few days ago. Need to get some better pictures.



Need to rip cut two of the custom shutters I built a while back to fit in with the porch posts and get those mounted.

Got the new AC mounted a while back in the shop....but set it up a few days ago for "E Saver" mode. Which essentially means you set the temp / thermostat and when it reaches that it cuts off. Set it at 78. Keeps the cool enough even in high 90s heat / humidity that when I go in there it's not bad, bump the thermostat down a bit, turn the shop fan on and it's actually cool in there.

Once I get this porch off the list - I need to get this carb rebuilt for the 84 GMC finally and get it running. Never ends.

 

[j p smith]

Wow, just ready thru you thread, I need to go take a nap. The new porch looks awesome, I like the look. Keep up the good work

 

[ctandc72]

Wow, just ready thru you thread, I need to go take a nap. The new porch looks awesome, I like the look. Keep up the good work

Much appreciated. Lots more to do

 

[ctandc72]

So I finally pulled the '04 Mustang GT into the shop to start on the front suspension. Front control arm bushings are shot, so I ordered Moog replacement control arms, inner tie rods, KYB struts / shocks, sway bar end links, bushings and rack and pinion bushings and new bolt sleeves.

I'd already done outer tie rods.

I've been chasing an annoying creaking noise from the front right - that comes and goes. I'd already replaced the ball joints when I did the outer tie rods - which ***** since the replacement control arms come with ball joints already installed.

Started going through and organizing all the new parts. Noticed one of the KYB front struts - the box was ripped open. Strut was fine, but the new strut nut was missing. Lovely.



Okay - not a huge deal, I can source a replacement strut nut.

Start tearing the noisy side down. (I already did calipers / pads / rotors a couple of months ago)



Spindle off, caliper hung up out of the way.



Jacked up the ball joint end of the control arm, removed the end link and slowly let the control arm down to release tension on the spring. I've personally never had an issue doing it this way. In fact most times, I've had to step on the control arm to get it to release enough to get the spring out - even with the Eibach springs in the '04 that have been in there 15+ years.

That's weird - the lower spring isolator stayed in the pocket. Huh.



Well I think I found the source of my noise. Turns out there is a piece of the spring sitting in the pocket with the isolator.



Took a break to to go ahead and order a new set of springs. Went with BMR 1" drop springs. Since I have to wait until Wednesday for those to arrive, I went ahead and did a return / exchange on the one strut that was missing the hardware. That should be there Wednesday as well.

 

[ctandc72]

Finally got the front suspension wrapped up in the '04 Mustang GT.
- New BMR 1" springs front and rear
- New struts / shocks
- New front control arms
- New inner tie rods (outers I replaced a month or so ago)
- New sway bar bushings
- New end links
- New rack and pinion bushings and sleeves



When I was going in to replace the rear springs / shocks, of course I had to remove all the Mach 1000 factory stereo setup in the trunk to get to the rear shock bolts. I've been wanting to remove this stuff anyway. It works great - but it takes WAY too much trunk space.



So I started pulling it all out.



Still has the Ford factory sticker about the fuel cut off access on the LH subwoofer LOL.



The original amp rack - these (4) amps are just for the subwoofers. They all work as well. I also have the brackets that bolt through the trunk floor - and they are mint. Apparently those are worth some $ to people restoring now 20 year old Cobras and Mustangs. There were only like 1,000 Mustangs made (All trims levels) with the Mach 1000 stereo. I also have the original CD deck that works. LOL.



This is the rear deck that mounts under the package tray. This also came stock with the Mach 460 stereo package. There are two more amps mounted underneath the edges of this contraption that power the 5x7 speakers mounted in the box. Since I'll keep this installed for now. Mainly because it's too ungainly to sell / ship, it's more common (same piece for Mach 460 and Mach 1000) but mainly because I already had new speakers to install and didn't feel like tearing apart the rear seat trim to get the package tray and mount the new speakers direct to the tray etc. I'm bypassing all the amps, so I just removed the old speakers, then ran new pigtails from the wiring for the small tweeters in the tray. They are run directly from the stereo - full signal - without using the OEM amps. Removed the amps, and remounted the tray.

Got the new shocks and springs installed. Took it for a drive - MUCH better.

So I called two local shops that do wheel alignments. Talking about an exercise in futility. After talking to both of them - no way. I'll make an appointment with the one shop I trust in the next week or so. BUT since steering wheel was out of whack and I needed to set toe.....

I broke out the jack stands, some string and a laser level. Was able to get both front wheels toe in set within specs. Easy enough to do wheels on the ground - throw a trash bag (with a bit of WD40 sprays inside the trash bag to help it slide around) under each front wheel, turn the wheels all the way out to break loose the tie rod lock nut - even on the ground there is enough room to slide under and adjust the inner tie rod to get the toe close to where it needs to be.

Car tracks and drives straight. Steering wheel is pretty much dead perfect. No pull, no tram lining. Rides great. Eventually I'll probably get some good CC plates so I can dial a bit more caster in - but I'm happy for now. No more noise from the suspension. Ride is MUCH better and steering is A LOT tighter.

 

[burger]

Excellent thread! Subscribed and will follow along. Porch really added personality to the house. How do you heat the garage?

 

[ctandc72]

Excellent thread! Subscribed and will follow along. Porch really added personality to the house. How do you heat the garage?

Garage will be heated by the new AC I just installed. If it's REALLY cold, I fire up the torpedo heater just to warm the main area up, then kill it and go to the window unit. The 20+ year old unit that was in here did a decent job. Helps that the shop gets a lot of sunlight.

 

[ctandc72]

Finally got the Edelbrock carb off the '84 GMC K1500 stripped down, then moved a bunch of **** off my shelf / parts washer and got both halves soaking. Had to throw some paving bricks in there to displace enough fluid so everything was covered.

Trying to clean the top on my wife's '13 Camaro SS ragtop. I don't think the previous owner ever bothered too. Doesn't help it's tan not black.

Then hope to throw the OEM replacement dry aFe in my '04 GT - waiting on the AEM dry filter to replace the K&N filter on the '13 SS (the only mods by the original owner were the full stainless Borla and the K&N "Cold Air" kit. I hate oiled filters.

 

[ctandc72]

So I finally got some time to address the rear bumper on the 04 GT. It had major paint damage when I got it. The previous owner, who had owned the car for 15+ years had paid good money to a body shop years before to paint it. I could tell just from looking at it whomever 'prepped' it didn't give a ****. The car is my daily, but other than the just faded front bumper cover, and the boondoggled rear bumper, the body / paint is in really good shape for 20 years old.

I really didn't have the time, room or inclination to put up a temp spray booth and break out the spray gun. I've done small repairs / repaints with base coat put into an aerosol can and using real 2K Urethane clear coat that comes in an aerosol (Spraymax). I've had great results in the past.

Started sanding the bumper while it was still on the car - these things are wrestling a pool noodle once they're off.
220 wouldn't touch it. Did they ROLL the clear coat on? 180 - HA. Ended up with 80 grit just to feather out the cracked paint / clear. You can see some of the cracked paint right at the seam where the top of the cover meets the rear 1/4. And that sanding uncovered what appears to be a repair. I figured as much. The little voice inside my head was yelling at me to just buy another bumper cover. I should have listened.



Okay - so I started roughing down some of the other spots where the replacement paint had simply left the building - you can see the OEM faded paint spots (these Comp Orange cars were notorious for fading)





Apparently the "prep" work done in the lettering and cut outs below consisted of "Screw this - I'll just lay the base coat and clear on extra thick". Time to yank the bumper.

Decade + of grime washed off after removing the bumper cover



See below the type of "prep" work I'm dealing with. This is the pocket for the reflectors. I've seen some bad paint work - but jeez this is just lazy.



And the lovely repair work. At least they used actual repair epoxy - it's bonded from the inside. Their finish work left a "bit" to be desired. So here is where I had to make a decision. I'm going to get this straightened up the best I can in the time I have and get some color and clear on it. It is a driver. Anything will look better than what it was pretty much. I'll start looking for a replacement bumper I can take my time and prep / paint.



Yeah - the lettering is so thick with clear and paint it was just flaking off in parts. So this ain't gonna be perfect. With base coat, clear, and a new $30 roll of 180 grit paper, I'll only have around $90 in materials - so a 10 footer will suffice for now. No way I'm stripping this cover down. It ain't worth it.



I had some Evercoat poly laying around. Needed to smooth out the previous repair a bit.



Apparently when the Evercoat hardener sits around - it tends to cure this stuff A LOT faster than normal. Yeah - fun fun. Also my reminder to myself that although I have a good number of LED lighting in my shop it ain't even CLOSE to being bright enough for any decent body / prep work.

80 grit on the BAD spots. Then 180 over the entire bumper. I know why the guy paid so much for this 'repair' job - they used $200 worth of clear coat just on the bumper. Jeez. Then 200-300 sanding pads. Then out into the daylight for another bath and seeing other spots in sunlight.

Adhesion promoter on the spots where I was into the bare plastic of the bumper. Then a wipe down and a bit of filler / primer. Better than nothing. I had to fight the urge to go get some good flexible glazing putty and make it perfect. I would have spent 3 full days just on that and prep. I cursed the friend who borrowed my mini air DA sander that never returned it. Then remembered - it burned up on him and he offered to replace it. It was 20+ years old when he borrowed it. A real replacement would have been a lot more $$ than he realized. So that's on me.

Finally drew the line. I'll go after a replacement bumper with the luxury of time and the luxury of not fighting a part that seems like they DIPPED it in clear.

Final 180 / 300 scuff. Wax and grease remover. Tack, a bit of adhesion promoter in a couple spots. Tack then base coat. Ended up with a VERY light first coat, a light second, then a medium third. Of course it was outside. Of course I had to flick out some bugs etc - normal.

Then hit it with the Spraymax clear. This is 2K Urethan clear. You pierce a bladder inside the can, which releases the activator / hardener. REAL clear. As in wear a damn respirator clear. Got a drop coat on it. Then a medium coat then did my best to float a heavier coat on.

Sitting in the shop now. Gonna let it set it up for a bit, then I'm gonna hit it with 800, tack it and flow another heavy coat on. Should be serviceable for now.



Picture came out weird. Last coat was still tacky at this point. I can see every flaw. But again - it's one color.

I'll add another pic once I hit it again with clear.

 

[ctandc72]

Decided to just warm it up a bit - left it out the sun (it's around 80 degrees right now), then flowed a heavy coat on after a tack rag pass.

Much better.





Better than the bumper of many colors.

 

[ctandc72]

Got it mounted last night

 

[68400BIRD]

That turned out pretty nice. Great job!!

 

[SamYoung]

That turned out great. Out of curiosity, did you use the Spray Max 1K basecoat to go with their 2K clear? How many cans of each? Did you have them mixed locally, or ordered online?

My bumpers are getting really faded and the clear is flaking on my daily. I'm trying to decide on whether to try my hand at repainting them. I don't want to spend too much since it's not worth much, but when the paint started to flake this summer it got me debating if I should just do it. It sounds like this isn't your first rodeo, so I figured I'd ask for some sage wisdom.

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

Great work. What a mess of previous work that was.

I have heard great things about the Spraymax Clear for restoring headlights too.

 

[ctandc72]

That turned out great. Out of curiosity, did you use the Spray Max 1K basecoat to go with their 2K clear? How many cans of each? Did you have them mixed locally, or ordered online?

My bumpers are getting really faded and the clear is flaking on my daily. I'm trying to decide on whether to try my hand at repainting them. I don't want to spend too much since it's not worth much, but when the paint started to flake this summer it going me debating if I should just do it. It sounds like this isn't your first rodeo, so I figured I'd ask for some sage wisdom.

I didn't use the Spraymax basecoat. I ordered online from www.repaintsupply.com - I've used my local paint and body supply shop multiple times in the past. They literally just put whatever brand of base coat they carry (PPG etc) in an aerosol can. My local place has had trouble getting aerosol cans in stock lately, so I ordered online.

Most people misunderstand what this is. The shop literally mixes automotive base coat and puts it in a can with the propellant / additive to make it spray. That's it. Most modern base coats, intended to be topped with a protective clear coat, don't use any hardener or activator - they are 1K - or 1 part. The base coat depends on the clear coat for not only protection, but the clear coat gives the base coat it's shine / gloss / depth.

The clear coat is actually a urethane, 2K (two part) activated / hardened clear. There is a bladder in the can itself. You pierce the bladder, shake it up and it mixed activator with the clear coat inside the can. Once that process is started you have only so much time before clear coat hardens, even in the can. "Pot life". Same thing happens when you mix clear and put it in a spray gun.

As for whether it's worth it for you. First thing is to check and see how much a painted bumper cover for your particular car costs. It varies, but some really popular cars, you can buy a new, painted (factory color codes) shipped to you for a lot less than you'd think. Honestly, if I'd have know how bad my rear bumper was before I pulled it off? I'd have ordered a replacement cover (aftermarket) or looked for a used replacement nearby. But you never know how bad it is until you start stripping the finish.

The problem with flaking clear / paint is that something failed in the painting process. Modern finishes need two things to work...they need a chemical 'bite' and a physical 'bite' to the surface being painted.

Some clear coats / primers / base coats are incompatible. Some are supposed to be compatible to each other and some times they just don't play well together. It's the reason most good painters I know, they have their favorite brand of paint / clear / primer etc - but they recommend to just use product lines that are KNOWN to work well together.

Other times it's the substrate being painted. Years ago most people swore up and down that you needed to add 'flex agent' to base coat / clear coat. Other painters never used it and never had issues. My personal belief is that is effected by the most important thing with ANY auto paint job... PREP

You want to know why a decent repaint, without body work costs $5k or more? Materials aren't cheap / free sure....but it ain't $5K worth. It's the labor to do the prep work CORRECTLY. The labor to take off trim and everything else that can be removed to lay down a good finished result.

Since you have clear coat failure - like I had paint / clear failure - you have to remove all of the failed products that you possible can.

If you want to save time, you can get a DA Sander with a soft pad and go to town. Or just hand sand. If the bumper cover has small recesses / hard to reach areas you can also maybe find someone locally who would mechanically strip it. I've seen people use soda blasting, walnut shells etc. But it's not as fast as you think. A friend of mine had a commercial blasting setup (side jobs). He soda blasted a bumper cover - was bragging how much time / effort it would save over using stripper or sanding.

It took several hours. And he still had to sand the bumper regardless to prep it for refinish.

I'm not an expert - but I kept my mouth shut and listened / watched a lot of experienced painters / auto body people over the years. And I know what's worked for me.

You want to use the LEAST aggressive grit abrasive you can, that STILL removes the damaged areas. In your case, you need to remove all the damaged clear coat. If the base coat itself isn't flaking off, as long as you remove all the failed clear coat and scuff the remaining finish good - you should be okay. My case was a bit extreme. It wasn't factory paint and whomever did the repaint, they did really crappy / minimal prep work and they laid the clear coat on HEAVY.

Heavy as in I was sanding with 80 grit just to get through the clear in spots. That's extreme in most cases.

If I've learned anything over the years with stuff like this, here's my advice:

- Don't cheap out on the sandpaper. Seriously - you want high quality automotive rated sandpaper, I personally like 3M. You can buy a roll of 'stick it' 3M paper for like $25. Add a soft sanding block and you just pull off enough to stick on your block and go at it.

- Once you think you've got the finish smooth and ready for paint? Get a can of primer or even cheap black spray paint. And LIGHTLY coat the piece you are working on. You'll immediately see imperfections. Start sanding this guide coat with say 320 grit - you'll likely see more imperfections. ANYTHING you can see through primer / base coat etc? It's going to be 10X more visible once you put clear coat on it.

- Wet sanding is a great tool, but I'm not a fan of using it on refinish jobs on bumpers. You need to knock the 'gloss' off any old clear / paint before repainting to guarantee a good bite for the new paint. It's easy to see the 'shiny' bits you might have missed when the bumper is dry, not so much when wet. You can get some 'scuffing gel' to help with sanding if you need to. I use it as well.

- CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Tack rags. They are cheap - get a bunch. Use wax and grease remove / alcohol etc anything that's compatible with what you're working on to thoroughly clean the surface before applying primer / base / clear.

- Use a respirator. Not just a mask. The 2K clear is no joke. Cover your eyes as well with safety glasses or a face shield. Gloves help as well.


As for how much paint? There's more propellant than paint in an aerosol can. Nature of the beast. I used about 1.5 cans for that rear bumper cover. If you don't break through the base coat on your bumper, you likely won't need as much. Me personally, I'd get two cans for a bumper cover for normal / decent size. That's just me. I essentially used two cans of clear on my cover. But I like to lay it on heavy so it flows thick enough that I can wetsand / cut and buff in the future. Plus the surface area of the Mustang rear bumper cover is larger than it seems on the car.