Yes, one more Mustang

 Yes, we have one more Mustang to go.  This one will be getting stripes as well but not racing stripes. These pictures were taken right after washing it. So although it doesnt look sanded, it really is. The water is making it look shiny.  We are going to try to have this one in the Hot Rod Expo as well, if all goes smoothly. Stay tuned to see the style of stripes that get painted on this one. It will be a first for us.

On the mend

This CTS is in the shop to get the door and fender replaced. I knew the A post was pushed in when I originally looked at the car. Now that the door is off, you can really see the damage. Monday this goes to our frame guy to get this straightened out. He will pull this post out to the factory specs then fit the door just to be sure everything fits correctly.

The finished product.

Well, here is the finished project. We had a blast doing this one and  it turned out great. Racing strips, a body color change, painted “Mustang GT” in the door jambs and rear bumper and new head lights round out the custom touches. The owners took delivery today and couldn’t have been more happy with the job. I get the hint that there may be an argument or two on who gets to drive it. If you would like to see it in person, this car as well as 5 others that we have done will be at the Hot Rod Expo on Feb. 14th and 15th. Click the link for more information on the show.

http://shrinershotrodexpo.com/

 

Cadillac that got whacked, dont talk back

This Cadillac took a pretty hard hit to the drivers door and fender. It was hit hard enough to push the post in that holds the door on. We will have to get the door and fender off tomorrow to see how bad the damage is for sure then get it over the frame shop to get the post pulled back out and into specifications. We will then fit the new door and fender. After everything lines up properly we will prep the car for paint. Then it will be back on the road before you know it.

Beds on

As you can see, the bed is back on the F350. We had to borrow a couple of strong backs from the wonderful guys at Southern Tire to give us a hand lifting it. Once it was on, we installed the bolts in the 5th wheel and the stock bolts that hold the bed on. We also installed the tail lights. The new rear bumper is built and ready to go on. We just ran out of time today. We will also install the new tail gate tomorrow. We should get this done by lunch tomorrow and if its warm enough, we will get this one cleaned up for the customer.

She’s got a ticket to ride

Today we were able to get the fenders, rocker moldings, front and rear bumpers all back on. We also put the rest of parts on that were taken apart for the repair process. We did finish it in time to get it over to one of our detail shops to give it a deep cleaning. If  Murphy doesn’t rear his ugly head, this Pony will go home tomorrow. The owners should be super exited to see it. We have done a couple of things to the car they don’t know about or gave us permission to do. Nothing over the top, just a small touch here and there. Hopefully, they like it. That’s why there has not been any outside pictures, or ones overall of the car. The suspense is killing me.

Corner pocket

This is the cab corner on the F350 that we have been working on. We painted the bed and tailgate yesterday but the owner wanted to paint the cab corner too. There was a previous repair on this cab corner and there was a little bit of clear coat that was peeling. So while we had it in the shop, per a request from the owner, we went ahead and fixed this too. Tomorrow we hope to get this one back together as well, or at least a good portion of it.

Reassembly time

Yesterday and today we wet sanded and buffed the Mustang. We also had time today to start some of the reassembly. When we wet sand we start with 1000 grit paper. This process is to remove any orange peel and/or imperfections in the clear. After the 1000, we switched to 2000 grit paper then we used 3000. These last two steps are to make buffing  easier. When we buff we start with a heavy cutting compound the switch to a lighter cutting compound, followed by a polishing compound. After the buffing was complete we started putting parts back on. We were able to get the trunk back together, spoiler on, the sail panels on, and the doors all back together. Tomorrow we hope to get the fenders on, bumpers on and the rocker moldings. Once that is done, all thats left is to get it all detailed for the owner. Who knows, if the weather cooperates it could be Friday.

Fender bender

Yesterday this Frontier came in to get a new bumper and the fender fixed. We started by removing the front bumper and repairing the fender. After a well placed hammer and dolly, we were able to get the metal straightened out. We then used filler to put the finishing touches on the repair. Once the body work was done, we applied 3 coats of PPG high build urethane primer.

Back in the saddle

We are back on the F 350 today and as you can see we did get some paint on it. We started by performing a trial fit to ensure everything lines up properly. We then prepped the panel for welding, re installed it, then welded it up. After welding, we ground the welds down and used a little filler to smooth them up. Then we followed that up with a few coats of primer. After that Chris sanded it all and got it ready for paint. It was then time to slide it in the booth to make it look nice again. A full coat of sealer followed by 3 coats of black base coat then 2 coats of clear completed the paint process. Tomorrow we hope to get a small area on the cab corner repaired and painted so we can start the reassembly process on Thursday.  This job is moving along smoothly now and we are on the downhill side of things.