E-tek Restorations: PROJECT THREAD
- Thread starter e-tek
- Start date
jarhead
Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by y20dth View Post
You can get money for scrap metal, you know that right?
Well ya, My wife drinks so much Dr Pepper, I have a retirement account on just those cans
Originally Posted by y20dth View Post
You can get money for scrap metal, you know that right?
Seriously?
Well ya, My wife drinks so much Dr Pepper, I have a retirement account on just those cans
Lots going on and lots done at the E-tek shop!
The Z is finally READY for paint! Sanded it with 320 dry, then 400 and 600 wet.
This being a Dupli-color sponsored build, they sent me enough of their Color Shop paint and clear to do the car. At first I had just specified "Silver" as per it's OEM color - but after much thought I want it a Blue-Silver, so they are sending me a can of their Brilliant Blue Metallic. I'll come up with a one-off custom color that will really 'pop'!
And speaking of Dupli-Color, I gotta appreciate how they went all out in sending me pretty much anything I asked for:
While waiting on some sealant and the tinter for the 240, I got a start on the Camaro -
The trunk fit so well I decided to drill some alignment holes. I don't always do this, but When something fits well it's worth it to keep it that way!
The car must have been in "moist" storage. Trunk floor has newer rust stains from parts that were stored inside it. Hopefully the floor under the black paint and sealant isn't much worse -
The moisture rusted any exposed metal, like these pieces under the trunk spoiler -
Here's how the first restoration was done.....and if you know what you're looking at, well....nuff said.
But if you need some help, the last hackers just chopped the original quarters off "somewhere in the middle", then stuck repopped quarters on over top, filling the overlaps with filler. The worst kind of restoration for sure.
This is never a good sign.....add-on weather-stripping to seal the lid against the trunk rubber:
The Z is finally READY for paint! Sanded it with 320 dry, then 400 and 600 wet.
This being a Dupli-color sponsored build, they sent me enough of their Color Shop paint and clear to do the car. At first I had just specified "Silver" as per it's OEM color - but after much thought I want it a Blue-Silver, so they are sending me a can of their Brilliant Blue Metallic. I'll come up with a one-off custom color that will really 'pop'!
And speaking of Dupli-Color, I gotta appreciate how they went all out in sending me pretty much anything I asked for:
While waiting on some sealant and the tinter for the 240, I got a start on the Camaro -
The trunk fit so well I decided to drill some alignment holes. I don't always do this, but When something fits well it's worth it to keep it that way!
The car must have been in "moist" storage. Trunk floor has newer rust stains from parts that were stored inside it. Hopefully the floor under the black paint and sealant isn't much worse -
The moisture rusted any exposed metal, like these pieces under the trunk spoiler -
Here's how the first restoration was done.....and if you know what you're looking at, well....nuff said.
But if you need some help, the last hackers just chopped the original quarters off "somewhere in the middle", then stuck repopped quarters on over top, filling the overlaps with filler. The worst kind of restoration for sure.
This is never a good sign.....add-on weather-stripping to seal the lid against the trunk rubber:
Thought I was going to paint the inners today but by the time it was actually finalized - including 6 hours of cleaning and prepping the shop, plus some final sanding, cleaning, initial wipe down, masking, blowing it out, a final wipe down and tack off, I went to mix the primer sealer and found it was too hot to paint! We've been having a heat wave and it was 31C (95F) and about 80% RH, so I left it until tomorrow morning when it's cooler.
So I went back to stripping the Camaro:
About 7PM I was about to knock off for the night but as I put the Galaxie on the lift I decided to change it's oil and filter.
So I went back to stripping the Camaro:
About 7PM I was about to knock off for the night but as I put the Galaxie on the lift I decided to change it's oil and filter.
FINALLY!! 
Color on the 240Z today - inners anyways. Hopefully complete it on Sunday. The local jury is still out on the color (Mrs E-tek and Colt had plenty to say 
), but I think it'll be fine. I didn't over-think it and of course had to use Dupli-Color's pre-mixed colors, but even so, I made up my own shade with a 4:1 custom mix of their Brilliant Aluminum and Deep Blue Metallic colors.
I got started at 9am to catch the coolest part of the day, but by the time I got through applying the primer sealer, then the base, then clear, it was an 8 hour process and the clear was STILL going on at 2PM and it was 30C....
First up - final masking (9am 21C/74F)
Sealed up, ready for final wipe and tack: (10:45am 22C/76F)
First application - Primer Sealer: (11:15am 25C 82F)
While the Primer Sealer (large can in back) flashed, I mixed my base color:
The Deep Blue Metallic was mixed into the Brillaint Silver:
As I had decided on a 4:1 mix ratio, I just used the appropriate mixer gradient on the mixing cup:
The new, custom color. That's a TON of metallic.... (12:00PM 28C/88F)
The re-coat windows were considerably shortened due to the temperature in the shop, so - after a bunch of test sprays to set up the gun were shot - on went the base coat: (1PM 30C, 92F)
Me likey - but Colton wasn't so sure....
Oh well, time for the clear coats: (31C, 94F)
A couple hours later and the floor was dry and we could open the doors:
Tomorrow I'll tear off all the masking paper, Lower it down on the rotisserie, install the doors, hood and hatch, wet-sand all the overspray, then re-mask and seal it all up - again. Hopefully I can shoot the outer on Sunday and be done with for a while. I have to leave it for a while anyways before color sanding it and I really want to tear down the Camaro so that when the body parts come I can get right on it.
Color on the 240Z today - inners anyways. Hopefully complete it on Sunday. The local jury is still out on the color (Mrs E-tek and Colt had plenty to say ), but I think it'll be fine. I didn't over-think it and of course had to use Dupli-Color's pre-mixed colors, but even so, I made up my own shade with a 4:1 custom mix of their Brilliant Aluminum and Deep Blue Metallic colors.I got started at 9am to catch the coolest part of the day, but by the time I got through applying the primer sealer, then the base, then clear, it was an 8 hour process and the clear was STILL going on at 2PM and it was 30C....
First up - final masking (9am 21C/74F)
Sealed up, ready for final wipe and tack: (10:45am 22C/76F)
First application - Primer Sealer: (11:15am 25C 82F)
While the Primer Sealer (large can in back) flashed, I mixed my base color:
The Deep Blue Metallic was mixed into the Brillaint Silver:
As I had decided on a 4:1 mix ratio, I just used the appropriate mixer gradient on the mixing cup:
The new, custom color. That's a TON of metallic.... (12:00PM 28C/88F)
The re-coat windows were considerably shortened due to the temperature in the shop, so - after a bunch of test sprays to set up the gun were shot - on went the base coat: (1PM 30C, 92F)
Me likey - but Colton wasn't so sure....
Oh well, time for the clear coats: (31C, 94F)
A couple hours later and the floor was dry and we could open the doors:
Tomorrow I'll tear off all the masking paper, Lower it down on the rotisserie, install the doors, hood and hatch, wet-sand all the overspray, then re-mask and seal it all up - again. Hopefully I can shoot the outer on Sunday and be done with for a while. I have to leave it for a while anyways before color sanding it and I really want to tear down the Camaro so that when the body parts come I can get right on it.
jarhead
Well-known member
Outstanding!
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
That made a nice looking color, but I've saw quite a few people get into trouble mixing paint that way. You create a shade that there is no code for. If just per chance a panel gets hit and needs a repaint, if you don't have it mixed "exact" to the gnats ***, you will end up with a mismatch. The last person I saw do that was my nephew when I painted his Charger. He ended up with a sort of a maroonish, pink, metallic color. It looked great after I shot it but I warned him about problems down the road. Someone keyed his drivers door. The color never matched when he bought some more paint to mix. Just sayin'
That made a nice looking color, but I've saw quite a few people get into trouble mixing paint that way. You create a shade that there is no code for. If just per chance a panel gets hit and needs a repaint, if you don't have it mixed "exact" to the gnats ***, you will end up with a mismatch. The last person I saw do that was my nephew when I painted his Charger. He ended up with a sort of a maroonish, pink, metallic color. It looked great after I shot it but I warned him about problems down the road. Someone keyed his drivers door. The color never matched when he bought some more paint to mix. Just sayin'
It's a great point to bring up Kevin, but I've been doing this long enough to know better!
That was the reason to mix it 4:1 (Silver to Blue) using a mixing cup (and not just eyeballing it). Having mixed colors for years on the bench - that'll get me pretty close for a blend - and if not - as there's only two colors, a little tinting one way or the other would get it damn close.Thanks Lhorn....the jury here at E-tek World Headquarters was still deliberating last night, but I'm happy with it. You also gotta imagine the finished product - it'll get either white rally stripes, or fender ghost stripes:
....and hey - if one REALLY hates it after it's all said and done - what's another 40 hours.....
Last edited:
Time for some "house keeping".....As Mrs E-tek likes to say: All PLAY and no WORK makes her wonder why she keeps me around....
I was speaking with my Mom by phone later on and telling her about it and she asked: How do you know how to do all that? It must be the German in you! I said that may be true, as both my real Dad (who I learned bodywork from) and my Stepdad, who I spent a lot of time helping build basements and stuff, were both Germans!
All done:
I was speaking with my Mom by phone later on and telling her about it and she asked: How do you know how to do all that? It must be the German in you! I said that may be true, as both my real Dad (who I learned bodywork from) and my Stepdad, who I spent a lot of time helping build basements and stuff, were both Germans!
All done:
Last edited:
Zeke
Well-known member
I'm sure it tried, but the block was loose. Sitting on a wood bed wouldn't have offered a lot of resistance. But you probably wouldn't want to have loose bed rails.
These magnets are centred and adjustable, so they can have its power directed into its centre or outer edges and turned on/up just to grab the block. Also, the block is 300 pounds and the truck 3000.
It is cool to see tho - when it gets about 8" from the block it just ***** it up!
Last edited:
Couple smaller parts for the 40 Ford got painted yesterday to check the color and it ROCKS. Leonard picked a winner: Stormy Blue Mica.
The body and pieces get painted next - and after a couple hundred hours of bodywork and blocking, it should look great.
At the same time, the 68 Camaro is in full tear-down mode. The quarters and door shells are on order and the Vintage Air unit needs to be mocked in:
Some krusty seat frames are gonna need some TLC!
This was either one of those assembly line autographs....or the last restorer...apparently you can look these up online.
As usual - parts are bagged, tagged and piling up!
While all this is going on, the 240Z is getting sidetracked. I've changed my mind on the color and once I put the doors back on I noticed a couple tiny spots on the body and some gaps on the drivers side I'm not happy with....
The body and pieces get painted next - and after a couple hundred hours of bodywork and blocking, it should look great.
At the same time, the 68 Camaro is in full tear-down mode. The quarters and door shells are on order and the Vintage Air unit needs to be mocked in:
Some krusty seat frames are gonna need some TLC!
This was either one of those assembly line autographs....or the last restorer...apparently you can look these up online.
As usual - parts are bagged, tagged and piling up!
While all this is going on, the 240Z is getting sidetracked. I've changed my mind on the color and once I put the doors back on I noticed a couple tiny spots on the body and some gaps on the drivers side I'm not happy with....
40 Ford Rod - REASSEMBLY!
The paint looks great - a few spots that will need wetsanding with 600, before the color sanding treatment - but that won't be done for a while.
Now its time to paint and detail the other 200 or so pieces!
Sorting parts:
Started on the fender welting -
The paint looks great - a few spots that will need wetsanding with 600, before the color sanding treatment - but that won't be done for a while.
Now its time to paint and detail the other 200 or so pieces!
Sorting parts:
Started on the fender welting -
Last edited:
honda_fox3
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2013
- Messages
- 327
raskal
Well-known member
Anybody out there?
I'm still waiting to see how there can be a better colour for the "Z" ... that blue/silver looked awesome.
Re: 40 Ford Rod - REASSEMBLY!
Did you also use the Dupli-color Paint Shop paint on the '40?
Since you've used it on the Z and maybe on the '40 how do you like the product so far? Sprayed any clear over it yet?
(IMO the Z needs just a little more blue in the color mix)
Please be UN-biased on the reply please!
The paint looks great - a few spots that will need wetsanding with 600, before the color sanding treatment - but that won't be done for a while.
Did you also use the Dupli-color Paint Shop paint on the '40?
Since you've used it on the Z and maybe on the '40 how do you like the product so far? Sprayed any clear over it yet?
(IMO the Z needs just a little more blue in the color mix)
Please be UN-biased on the reply please!
Re: 40 Ford Rod - REASSEMBLY!
HaHa! I gotta tell you I liked it too! I just wanna make sure it only happens once!
I'm ALL ABOUT un-biased on the products I test and review!
The 40Ford was sprayed with production-shop paint (Sher-Will ATX Color and U-Pol Catalyzed clear).
I also hear you on the Z color.....I like darker blues too....choices, choices!
In spraying the inner and undersides of the Z, the Dupli-Color paint went on easily and covered well (3 coats). The clear is a little harder to review yet though, because inners are a lot different than seeing how it performs on large exterior panels. For what I did it was also easy to spray right out of the can, didn't run and has some gloss to it.
It's a LACQUER based system, which is interesting because most people think lacquer was "outlawed", but it was just discontinued by most production suppliers because it's just not as durable as a catalyzed clear. The Dupli-Color instructions make it pretty clear that it takes a while to dry and to be gentle with it for 30 days. However, it can be color-sanded (I don't know why we use that term when we only sand and buff clear) to a high shine, which is good.
The benefits to the Dupli-Color system are:
1. cost, about $30/quart and you need 3-4 quarts color and clear, so lets say $240 (max), while the paint for the 40Ford was $800.00!
2. Ease of use - sprayable right from the can, no catalyst or reducing required.
3. As for VOC's, although there are no isocyanates, it was pretty hard on the eyes and respiratory system - even with a proper mask. MSDS Sheet.
4. There's apparently no re-coat window, so you can leave the color any length of time and then either spray more color or clear it without sanding.
5. This means you can also touch it up at any time. Say you get a scratch, you can sand it out and re-spray the area easily.
Thanks for the questions - I'll post more about when I paint the body!
I'm still waiting to see how there can be a better colour for the "Z" ... that blue/silver looked awesome.
HaHa! I gotta tell you I liked it too! I just wanna make sure it only happens once!
I'm ALL ABOUT un-biased on the products I test and review!
The 40Ford was sprayed with production-shop paint (Sher-Will ATX Color and U-Pol Catalyzed clear).
I also hear you on the Z color.....I like darker blues too....choices, choices!
In spraying the inner and undersides of the Z, the Dupli-Color paint went on easily and covered well (3 coats). The clear is a little harder to review yet though, because inners are a lot different than seeing how it performs on large exterior panels. For what I did it was also easy to spray right out of the can, didn't run and has some gloss to it.
It's a LACQUER based system, which is interesting because most people think lacquer was "outlawed", but it was just discontinued by most production suppliers because it's just not as durable as a catalyzed clear. The Dupli-Color instructions make it pretty clear that it takes a while to dry and to be gentle with it for 30 days. However, it can be color-sanded (I don't know why we use that term when we only sand and buff clear) to a high shine, which is good.
The benefits to the Dupli-Color system are:
1. cost, about $30/quart and you need 3-4 quarts color and clear, so lets say $240 (max), while the paint for the 40Ford was $800.00!
2. Ease of use - sprayable right from the can, no catalyst or reducing required.
3. As for VOC's, although there are no isocyanates, it was pretty hard on the eyes and respiratory system - even with a proper mask. MSDS Sheet.
4. There's apparently no re-coat window, so you can leave the color any length of time and then either spray more color or clear it without sanding.
5. This means you can also touch it up at any time. Say you get a scratch, you can sand it out and re-spray the area easily.
Thanks for the questions - I'll post more about when I paint the body!
Thanks E-tek, I was just wondering what you thought of the Duplicolor. I had just used The Duplicolor Paint Shop line for a large antique safe I was restoring. I found it was easy to use and the finish came out looking pretty good. But that's a smaller scale than an overall car paint job. Unlike you I'm not sure I'd would take the chance with the Duplicolor on a full on, over all paint job so I was curious.
Installing the Fender Welting on the rear fenders is a major PAIN - but with enough patience (and effort!) it turned out nice.
After measuring it against the body of the car, I marked the bolt holes and where I wanted the pie cuts, in order to get the smoothest overall look with the curves in the right spots.
I then used a hole punch to open bolt holes.
After a ton of adjustments, they came out OK:
The left side needed an extended vent tube so I got that done while the fender was still off:
Fenders on! Look at the shine on this thing!
This color is exactly what the owner wanted - light in the sun (here with a flash) and dark in low light (no flash):
And check out the hood!!
.... then just imagine it after the wetsand and polish and with some chrome!
After measuring it against the body of the car, I marked the bolt holes and where I wanted the pie cuts, in order to get the smoothest overall look with the curves in the right spots.
I then used a hole punch to open bolt holes.
After a ton of adjustments, they came out OK:
The left side needed an extended vent tube so I got that done while the fender was still off:
Fenders on! Look at the shine on this thing!
This color is exactly what the owner wanted - light in the sun (here with a flash) and dark in low light (no flash):
And check out the hood!!
.... then just imagine it after the wetsand and polish and with some chrome!
signcrafter
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 9, 2012
- Messages
- 12,317
Looks good Etek. It amazes me the work you put out of that garage of yours. How much less durable is the duplicolor then a "normal" clear? I guess what I'm asking is if someone like myself was thinking about spraying a vehicle for the first time would the duplicolor be something to look into? So there's no mixing or do you still use a reducer and just not a hardener? Also the no recoat time seems a lot nicer for a "newbie" sprayer. And the price sure fits my budget a lot better then 800 dollars! How is it to spray compared to a normal catalyst clear, easier, same, harder? I'm pretty interested based on the price and from how I read your post the ease of use.
For sure it's easier and definitely WAY cheaper. No reducing at all, spray right from the can. I used an HVLP gun with a 1.4 tip and 25 psi.
I'm pretty sure it will harden up to be durable over time - like 30 days - otherwise they'd get a lot of blow-back from consumers! Lacquer was OK when used in the past - and it usually wasn't clear coated.
I'll be posting more on the product when I spray the complete car and then over time I'll review it's quality, durability and maintenance on my Dupli-color FB page (for those that use FB: E-tek Racing/Duplicolor FB page)
HOTFR8
Banned
Looking good Ed. Whats with the new Avatar ?
signcrafter
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 9, 2012
- Messages
- 12,317
Thanks for the feedback. I'm REALLY interested in this now. It will be a while before I even think about ordering any paint but thanks for sharing all the info.
Looking forward to seeing more when you spray the whole car.
Also approve of the new avatar.
jarhead
Well-known member
just signed up to the FB page... Joe T.
MP&C
Well-known member
Ed, that's a nice looking blue on the 40. Did you spray it or did you finally find a local shop to spray it for you?
It's Erin Heatherington (Victoria Secret Model) wearing something I just bought for Mrs E-tek. They look somewhat similar in it...
Cool!
I farmed out the final 2 rounds of block sanding and paint. I wanted to get both this and my Z into paint by summers end and don't like spraying catalyzed clear in my shop/yard/neighbourhood. I finally found a great guy who paints on his farm not far away from me - and his brother owns a bodyshop. Between all the work I did, plus his efforts, the car came out really straight - but there's LOTS of cut and polish to do as he really laid on the clear! As you know, that'll be 40+ hours at the end of the build....
Last edited:
Worked on taillights - wiring and polishing lenses and bezels:
Had a GREAT day today doing a ton of stuff, but not all of it belongs here, so I threw it into another thread here.
Had a GREAT day today doing a ton of stuff, but not all of it belongs here, so I threw it into another thread here.
HOTFR8
Banned
It's Erin Heatherington (Victoria Secret Model) wearing something I just bought for Mrs E-tek. They look somewhat similar in it...
...
Trust you
, looks good........I mean the work on the car looks good.jarhead
Well-known member
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Well ya, My wife drinks so much Dr Pepper, I have a retirement account on just those cans
An Asian couple living in CA paid for their children's college education INCLUDING MED SCHOOL by getting up every morning at about 3 or 4 AM pulling aluminum cans out of dumpsters behinds bars.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
slopdog
Well-known member
We are allways looking and enjoying . On a side note , would it be alright to pm you about a tool you gave a good review about from princess auto ?
I have a couple of questions .
I have a couple of questions .