One clean ’57

Its been crazy around here the past few weeks. We have been very busy with deer hits and general accidents. We sent the ’57 over to the blasters a few weeks ago and got it back last week and we were very impressed with what we have. This is a very solid car. We immediately began sanding it in preparation for primer. We sanded every single square inch of this car to ensure good adhesion of the primer. We then dug out all of the old seam sealer in the car and slid it in the booth this afternoon. We then meticulously wiped the car down to be sure we had the metal as clean as possible. Before spraying we masked off the frame, floor, and rear inner fender wells. We applied 2 coats of PPG’s high build epoxy from their Vibrance line. Things are looking really good. Tomorrow the wheels go back on and it waits for its turn over at Kelly’s place to get the new right quarter installed.

Gotta keep ’em separated

As you can see we have been making great progress on the ’70 beetle. Unfortunately, our progress has revealed a few real rust issues. Some of these rust problems were caused by a leaky master cylinder and brake fluid  resivoir others good ole fashioned water. Because the owner wants to keep this car for another 45 years we will replace all rusty parts and take all measures to keep it from returning. We didn’t have any issues separating the body from the pan and all of the pan bolts came out with no problems. Most of them however, were just about rusted in two so they will all be replaced as well. The engine was also removed so that we can more easily degrease the chassis. The engine runs well already so we will just clean the engine tins and paint them. Next on the agenda will be to remove the old wiring harness, windshield and back glass so we can get the body over to the blaster. Once back from the blaster our replacement parts should be in so we can start rust repairs. Stay with us on this repair. We are looking forward to this project. 

Clear as glass

We’ve been here. I know its been a while since my last post, we have been busy. Paul, my painter has been out with shoulder surgery and its just been Cole and I for the past 7 weeks or so. Its been crazy. Things are settling down some and we have been working on the Ghia recently so here is an update on it. The door glass, rubber, quarter glass and all rubber parts pertaining to them are in. All of these parts are original to the car, we just polished them up and detailed them so they would look as good as possible. The door sound so tight now when you close them. Its really nice. We also have running and driving car now. Although its not road worthy just yet. Its close. Plans for this week are to have the bumpers on, windshield in and get a couple of nick knack stuff painted. Its really coming together now.

Hit the Ridge

This Honda Ridgeline hit a deer a couple of weeks ago. It really must have been a good sized one too. It really did quite a bit of damage. We replaced the fender, bumper headlight and grill. It did quite a bit of damage under the hood as well. A new air box, new apron, and a few brackets were all called for as well. As you can see the finished job turned out pretty nice.

Escape

This Ford Escape came in to get a new front end which was damaged from a deer collision. As you can see, this has the new shutter system that they are putting on the newer model cars. There were also tons of little brackets and braces that was also damaged that go on the bumper that we replaced. After a few days of finding parts that we either didnt know existed or didnt know were broken, we were finally able to get it buttoned up today. Tomorrow it will go for clean up and the customer will be back in her car tomorrow afternoon.

Halloween scare

This little Mazda is in the shop to get a little bump up repaired that happened on Halloween. A new hood, bumper, grill and radiator support is on tap for this one. We did find a bit of damage to the radiator and condenser as well, so these are being supplemented to the insurance company. Once we get that squared away, we will start putting it back together and get it in the booth to make it shiny again.

Not again

 Yes again. You remember this Mustang don’t you?  We painted it a couple of years ago for the owner and over time it has been attacked 3 times by deer. So, thats what we have here. It had been hit twice on the right side and now they are after the left. We were able to repair this fender and quarter with the exception of the side scoop, thats on order. We removed the wheel and fender liner to allow access to the damage. We then used a hammer and dolly to flatten out the damage and prepped it for filler. Once the body work was in ship shape it was primed. This morning, this one was first on the list. We blocked out the primer and prepped the panels for paint. Once that was all done, Paul did his magic in the booth. As you can see, its like it never happened. We are still waiting on the scoop so as soon as that comes in, this Mustang will be ready for the road again.

Doors are done

Phew, what a day. Today we started priming the doors first thing this morning. The epoxy primer takes a while to dry so we wanted to get it on as soon as possible so we could get the urethane primer on it before we left. This now brings us to the point where the hood, deck lid, and doors are all ready for paint. Next for these panels they will be blocked sanded and prepped for paint. While Paul was spraying the doors, Cole and I got back to work on the body. I am very pleased with the quarters and rear body panel. The back half of the car is pretty much done. Maybe a little work here or there but for the most part they are done. We also worked on the jambs and left fender some more. We did make great progress on the fender but its not quite ready just yet. Stay tuned.

And the beat goes on

Work continues on the Ghia. Today we all spent some time massaging the body and doors. The quarters are getting close to being ready for primer. Paul worked on the doors. He went over them making sure the body work was complete then started sanding the jambs to prep them for primer. Cole worked some magic on the right fender and the right door jamb.

Prime time

Here you can see we have the Mazda all ready for paint. We finished up the body work today and primed it. After blocking out the primer and prepping the rest of the panels for paint we washed it and have it in the booth for tomorrow, paint day.