62 Corvette rebuild

[don long]

I spent the day working on the vette.
I managed to get the window regulator with the motor mounted in the door to give me power windows. Took all day to get my fat hands inside the door along with the window, but I managed to git ur done. The right door should go much easier tomorrow

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: i should have been here long ago just to watch the work you do, but i'm not a big car guy so sadly this is the first time i've even noticed your thread.

i'll catch up when i can and i wanted to mark it so i know when you post to see what new items you've worked on. if you already posted that great picture of you and your bride from maybe 30 years ago i'll have to find it or if you haven't might i suggest you do just because it's a keeper just like your bride is.

one other thing are your fingers skinnier now or are you saying the other side will go easier because practice makes perfect?

best of luck with that.

 

[don long]

Don: i should have been here long ago just to watch the work you do, but i'm not a big car guy so sadly this is the first time i've even noticed your thread.

i'll catch up when i can and i wanted to mark it so i know when you post to see what new items you've worked on. if you already posted that great picture of you and your bride from maybe 30 years ago i'll have to find it or if you haven't might i suggest you do just because it's a keeper just like your bride is.

one other thing are your fingers skinnier now or are you saying the other side will go easier because practice makes perfect?

best of luck with that.

Drives
I'm happy you found this thread. I believe that the picture is posted here somewhere!

The right door will be easier because practice makes perfect and I'll bet that I had that DAM window and regulator in and out of the left door a dozen times before I got it right lol

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: just remember everything is backwards or forwards or opposite or something like that on the other side. sounds like you worked out all the issues and you are set for tomorrow's adventure.

thanks for the welcome and best of luck

 

[Leakie]

Don, glad to see you back at it on the vette. I have enjoyed following along and can't wait to see the end result.

 

[don long]

Tonight both doors have power windows installed. The new windshield is reassembled and ready to mount.
I painted the trunk area this morning and worked on the exhaust system this afternoon

I really like the way the exhaust is coming together
The brass ring will be chromed after everything is fitted

We are working back to front making sure that everything is assembled and working correctly before moving forward

 

[MP&C]

Awesome!

 

[930dreamer]

The Corvette is looking good.

 

[rmalkow2]

Beautiful car, you're getting closer and closer to a stunning finish!

 

[don long]

Thanks guys
I'm happy to be back on the car after a 4 month break in the action due to having custom moldings made for it.

 

[ODIS]

You have over 100K miles in the seat of your '62 Vette. Are you going to miss that old suspension and big steering wheel?

Going to be a very nice car!

 

[ODIS]

You have over 100K miles in the seat of your '62 Vette. Are you going to miss that old suspension and big steering wheel?

Going to be a very nice car!

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: was the other window a bit easier to put in than the first one was? hope so.

just curious is your Vette a steel or fiberglass body cause i think i remember they used to be steel at some point before they changed?

looks like you had a smart quality control guy helping you while it was up on the lift. always good to have a second and maybe third pair of eyes at our age.

the vette is looking good so best of luck going forward.

cheers

 

[don long]

You have over 100K miles in the seat of your '62 Vette. Are you going to miss that old suspension and big steering wheel?

Going to be a very nice car!

Thanks Ody
At my age I doubt I'll be missing the old buck board ride And one of the higher requirements for updates on the car was power steering. LOL

Don: was the other window a bit easier to put in than the first one was? hope so.

just curious is your Vette a steel or fiberglass body cause i think i remember they used to be steel at some point before they changed?

looks like you had a smart quality control guy helping you while it was up on the lift. always good to have a second and maybe third pair of eyes at our age.

the vette is looking good so best of luck going forward.

cheers

Yes Drives it was
I only had to take it out again once. The corvette has always been a fiberglass car and yes there were 3 of us inspecting each others progress on the car.
I'll be working on my other projects the rest of the week but Paul returns on monday and we'll hit it hard again (waiting on more parts)


Thanks for checking in guys. It is very much appreciated

Don

 

[damnesia]

I found this thread last night. Read it until I fell asleep and caught up to the last post after working in my shop all day. You've done truly awesome work, very impressive. I'm not really a Corvette guy ( normally ) but this is one of the coolest builds I've seen. I'm very anxious to see more updates.

You're obviously a busy person but I'm hoping you may have time to give me a little insight. To get good at body work, I've been trying to work on cars that are next to impossible to get body parts for. This forces me to make the parts out of steel. I've gotten to where my skills are passable and I'm on to honing my painting skills. I've painted a few trucks but nothing too fancy ( they weren't show cars, just daily drivers ). I am now getting set to start to do a nice paint job instead of just making them one color. I don't recall seeing a car primered, blocked, primered, blocked with finer grit paper, etc. I assume this is a way to get a smooth, glass like finish to paint? The one's I've done I primered and sanded with finer and finer grit.

 

[don long]

damnesia
The way to a nice paint job is to not get in a hurry.
When I get something ready to paint and want a mirror finish on it I want the surface to be very straight and smooth.
I finish my body work by sanding with 150 grit paper
Then I apply a fairly heavy coat of build primer then leave it alone for a few days to let it cure.
I come back to the area with a long block with 220 grit dry paper and sand the primer until the gloss is all gone. Then with some black charcoal dust I wipe down the primer and sand it again with the 220 paper
Next I prime the surface again with another coat of primer but don't apply as much as the first coat and let it dry for a few more days before sanding the surface with a block and 400 grit wet paper. I use a spray bottle to apply the water to the surface and my sand paper I repeat the same process with the charcoal powder after sanding the shine away. A quick note: keep cleaning your sand paper to be sure not to put gouges in the primer while sanding.
My next step is to reprime the area one more time with a primer/sealer .
after letting it sit and cure for a few days I go back over the area with 800 grit sand paper and a sponge hand block and sand the area until I have removed all the gloss and don't see any more sand scratches
Now you are ready to apply your color and the clearcoats
When working with the original paint I start the process with the 400 grit paper and go through the same process.

After applying the color on the car I again let it sit a few days. At this point I decide how deep I want the color to be so I may sand the entire car with 1000 grit paper and apply another coat of clear or Sand the car with 1500 grit paper then 2000 grit paper and start the buffing process.

Another tip is to put your 1000,1500,and 2000 grit paper into a clean pail of water and let them soak a day or 2 before using it on your fresh paint.
Hope that helps

Don

 

[damnesia]

It does help. Thanks for taking time out of your schedule and providing such a thorough answer.

damnesia
The way to a nice paint job is to not get in a hurry.
When I get something ready to paint and want a mirror finish on it I want the surface to be very straight and smooth.
I finish my body work by sanding with 150 grit paper
Then I apply a fairly heavy coat of build primer then leave it alone for a few days to let it cure.
I come back to the area with a long block with 220 grit dry paper and sand the primer until the gloss is all gone. Then with some black charcoal dust I wipe down the primer and sand it again with the 220 paper
Next I prime the surface again with another coat of primer but don't apply as much as the first coat and let it dry for a few more days before sanding the surface with a block and 400 grit wet paper. I use a spray bottle to apply the water to the surface and my sand paper I repeat the same process with the charcoal powder after sanding the shine away. A quick note: keep cleaning your sand paper to be sure not to put gouges in the primer while sanding.
My next step is to reprime the area one more time with a primer/sealer .
after letting it sit and cure for a few days I go back over the area with 800 grit sand paper and a sponge hand block and sand the area until I have removed all the gloss and don't see any more sand scratches
Now you are ready to apply your color and the clearcoats
When working with the original paint I start the process with the 400 grit paper and go through the same process.

After applying the color on the car I again let it sit a few days. At this point I decide how deep I want the color to be so I may sand the entire car with 1000 grit paper and apply another coat of clear or Sand the car with 1500 grit paper then 2000 grit paper and start the buffing process.

Another tip is to put your 1000,1500,and 2000 grit paper into a clean pail of water and let them soak a day or 2 before using it on your fresh paint.
Hope that helps

Don

 

[akdiesel]

Don

Your hard work and patience has paid off well.
The door and hood gaps are clean and consistent. I am not a painter by no means but it is nice to see results like this and to get helpful info from you and others on these types of projects.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: thanks for passing on your tips for painting and wetting the sandpaper and so on. good stuff!!

 

[don long]

I worked on the vette yesterday
It's starting to look like a car again. The deck lid and trunk are on for the last time and the hood is on but needs the latches installed and aligned.
Installed the windshield after polishing the stainless moldings only to discover that I had broken the glass while assembling the thing

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ BEAUTIFUL work on the Vette !! Will be stunning when complete.

+1 that your thorough and consistent approach has resulted in excellent results.

Thanks so much for sharing. Have yourself a nice Thanksgiving.

 

[Irontoys]

Don: I looked for but didn't find the answer. Are you going with base/clear, or using acrylic enamel with hardener? I have a 1960 on a rotisserie. Not quite as far along. I have purchased supplies for base/clear, but having second thought. With acrylic enamel, I can always touch up. Never tried BC/CC system. Thanks for your thoughts. Scott Ferguson

 

[don long]

^ ^ ^ BEAUTIFUL work on the Vette !! Will be stunning when complete.

+1 that your thorough and consistent approach has resulted in excellent results.

Thanks so much for sharing. Have yourself a nice Thanksgiving.

Sorry CNG

Didn't see your post til now. Thanks for sharing those kind thoughts.

Don: I looked for but didn't find the answer. Are you going with base/clear, or using acrylic enamel with hardener? I have a 1960 on a rotisserie. Not quite as far along. I have purchased supplies for base/clear, but having second thought. With acrylic enamel, I can always touch up. Never tried BC/CC system. Thanks for your thoughts. Scott Ferguson

Irontoys.
I have painted the car to this point with single stage acrylic enamel and hardner.
But when I start on the outside it will be a 3 stage process actually 4 steps
First a white base coat then the red color next will be the pearl mixed with the clear then sand and add another coat of clear prior to a complete color sand with 2000 grit and 2500 grit before buffing it up

 

[don long]

I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week working on the Vette.
I managed to find a nice polished aluminum electric hood opener and managed to get it installed. Then put the radiator in and found the custom stainless tubes for the radiator (forgot where I set them last year) so the engine compartment looks more finished

The linear actuator

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: your corvette restoration was starting to disappear off the front page and it definitely deserves to be there. nice find on that part and don't you LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS? i can't tell you how many times i've bought something that i already had one, two or three or more of.

keep up the good work on your cool car!!

 

[don long]

Don: your corvette restoration was starting to disappear off the front page and it definitely deserves to be there. nice find on that part and don't you LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS? i can't tell you how many times i've bought something that i already had one, two or three or more of.

keep up the good work on your cool car!!

Thanks Drives
The pipes I had misplaced were custom made stainless tubes for the radiator so I had to find them. The Corvette is rising back to the top of my to do list so I plan on spending every Monday and Tuesday in the garage working on it

 

[don long]

Got the Corvette out of the shop and down to the mechanic to get it fired up today.
First time out in the sun in quite a while I think she looks pretty good
Can't wait to start driving it again.

 

[TimeWarpF100]

Got the Corvette out of the shop and down to the mechanic to get it fired up today.
First time out in the sun in quite a while I think she looks pretty good
Can't wait to start driving it again.

Looking good Don!

Anxiously waiting to see it completed!

 

[akdiesel]

don

She looks damn good. Good luck on the test start.

 

[don long]

Thanks guys

I heard the beast run yesterday and it sounded great. A few more safety checks and the car will be back in my hands to get road worthy then torn down again for the final chapter (The paint job) Can hardly wait

Thanks for following along this long journey

Don

 

[drivesitfar]

Don: you've come a long way restoring your Vette and good to see you are almost done. looks great as is, but i know it will look like a million dollars once you put your painting skills to it. or are you hiring this job out?

i can see the smile on your face from here after starting the Vette and hearing it run.

good luck

 

[don long]

Don: you've come a long way restoring your Vette and good to see you are almost done. looks great as is, but i know it will look like a million dollars once you put your painting skills to it. or are you hiring this job out?

i can see the smile on your face from here after starting the Vette and hearing it run.

good luck

After spending a few weeks putting together my wifes garden I really ready for some garage time and the vette is in my cross hairs.
I will be painting the beast myself with the best paint money can buy.
Thanks for checking in Drives.

I always appreciate your time and visits

Don

 

[1949 caddyman]

Don, in your opinion, what is the best paint? (That money can buy)

 

[don long]

Don, in your opinion, what is the best paint? (That money can buy)

I only spray P.P.G. paint and I use their middle of the road stuff for most of my restos. But for the vette I will step up to their top of the line color and their top of the line clear though very expensive is the best on the market IMHO

 

[flyng_fool]

Can't wait to see the final product. Your work and attention to detail is just awe inspiring.

 

[Leakie]

Glad to see you back out at it Don, can't wait to see the end results. Did you have any problems getting the LT1 running?

 

[don long]

Can't wait to see the final product. Your work and attention to detail is just awe inspiring.

Thank you flyng_fool

Some times its a curse to being too ****

Glad to see you back out at it Don, can't wait to see the end results. Did you have any problems getting the LT1 running?

Hi Leakie

It has been a while that there wasn't much to post about but I have tinkered with the vette a little each week until I felt it would be ready to fire up.
I sent the car to a friends mechanic shop and in 15 minutes it was running
The only problem with it was I had reversed the fuel lines so the motor was not getting fuel.
We are checking out the hydraulic clutch and bleeding the brakes and it's ready to DRIVE home

Thanks for checking in

Don

 

[dchance]

Don the vette looks great. If you find time any documentation that you include in how you paint it would be appreciated.

Dwight

 

[don long]

Don the vette looks great. If you find time any documentation that you include in how you paint it would be appreciated.

Dwight

Dwight
When I get ready to spray this beast I'll document the process that I use

 

[don long]

I do have the vette home again and on the hoist. It sounds great!!
I failed to find the excelerator pedal. I've got one on order so I can't drive the car yet.
While I wait I'm working on building some engine covers to hide the injectors and wiring for the motor.