METAL WORK N MUD

The best slate to start on in terms of doing things the right way is a media blasted car in epoxy primer. Just enough primer on it to block on it w/ some guide coat and get a read for how straight your metal is. Before blocking, I try to work out what I can see. This can also mean working the metal out from the inside. If you look at the pic below you can see I spotted the areas inside the fender I was going to bang out. I then ran a block quickly across it to show me where to hit.



Then I begin to block with 180 grit on the biggest and most appropriate block that fits the shape of the surface I'm blocking.



After blocking the epoxy I know the areas where peppered spray droplets are my low spots and the bare metal are my high spots. I work the panel in many differing ways depending on the situation encountered. In this instance I started with a body hammer and bean bag behind it,
gently hammering it straight.



There's was also some very slight highs that just needed to be bumped down with a dinging spoon.



Once you have it straight you can smooth it out with a hammer and dolly, planishing hammer, or whatever tickles your fancy. I chose to use a dolly with a 2.5" tear drop mallet with the head flattened.



Once you're done with metalwork you can now prep the panel for filler. A da with 80 grit will work fine.



Now we move onto the filler stage. My philosophy is to metal work it a little better so I can always get my filler work done in two applications. On most occasions I pull it off. The first round of filler I'm not concerned about leaving deep scratches and I also know a 40 grit scratch cuts faster and straighter than 80 grit so that's where I start.



An air file is a great tool for cutting down time and cutting stuff down flat but you gotta know how to use it and where not to use it. As you can see I stayed away from the compound curves. I'll save those for hand blocks and I always save some filler for hand blocking anyways when I use my air file.



After using my air file I switched over to blocks and addressed the compound curves.





40 grit can be deceiving in that it will clog on you and be a hassle to unclog but the truth is the paper is tough and and can be groomed a few times before it actually gets dull.



The hardest area to block is the corner. So after I use my cut down block to initially address it, I smooth it out with a soft block thereafter.



After all the 40 grit sanding is complete you may have some small imperfections. The time is now to deal with them cause you want your top coat AND primer to be pinhole free and easy to sand.



Now it's time for your final coat. I want to make sure I expose any pinholes at this point so I use air and a wire drill bit.



Next I tape my bodyline so I get a nice perfect line. For my final coat I use 50% good filler with 50% 2k polyester glaze. Extra emphasis on thin coats!



Then I remove the tape before it hardens and lifts. I do not
want to sand with the tape on for this situation.
I then sand the top with 80 grit. After that's sanded I have other
areas that need their final coat of filler on the opposite side of the
body line. I then tape on the other side of the body line and apply
filler to those areas. I then remove the tape and re apply new
tape when it's dry and ready to sand.



After sanding, guide coat all your filler and sand with 180. Last, you
da sand with 180 on your 40 grit scratches on the surrounding areas(not filler!). This
will help buffer the scratches out for primer.

Alternative Tooling

Being a body man, I know the cost of tools is what you pay to play. For some of us, we just can't keep up with the constant demand for more and more tools but we always find a way to pony up our product of labor so we can do our labor. So with that said, there's always a thousand ways to skin a cat and when there's a will there's a way, and it's this very desperation and creativeness that compelled me to post a blog about creative tools, alternative tools, and out of the ordinary tools. These are a few things I've came across, whether it be my idea or someone elses, I'm sure there's plenty more. So if you're reading this please let me know yours and I'll re-edit this and include your idea!


PLASTIC PACKAGING WRAP



You will usually see this stuff wrapped around packaged appliance boxes,
like dishwashers, fridges, microwaves, etc, This plastic is tough, sharp,
and won't scratch your paint. This cuts right through double sided tape,
which is used frequently on your modern production vehicle. To use
just swing it back and forth like a saw. Total cost=FREE!!!


COPPER MAGNET

Not everyone uses copper but I think most can agree that it does
have its moments of clarity. As far as copper magnets go, only one
brand that I know of offers them and there's a lot of conflicting opinions
out there on the strength of magnets used. Over at Autobodystore.com
( the best auto body site period!), a fellow name Slorio made
a copper magnet with magnetic welding grounds and smashed
copper pipe. It was a brilliant idea! I decided to make one as well but
when I got to the store to get my copper pipe I saw they also had strong
magnets. So for $10 I made myself a copper magnet! Total cost=$10




CLECKOS

Commonly used in the aircraft industry and gaining popularity in the auto body industry, cleckos are used to hold panels together for welding. They are great for quick mock ups. They do not have the pulling power of a screw so often I use them for quick mock up and use screws the final time, and as a side bonus you'll get the tightest fit possible cause screws always hold the tightest the first time tightened. Total cost=$12




PALM NAILER W/ HOMEMADE BITS

Meet the poor man's version of the planishing hammer. For final smoothing of sheetmetal used with a sandbag, this thing will give you extremely good results. For $40 who can complain? Total cost=$40



To make the bits find grade 8 bolts that will fit snug into the impact area.
Then get thick washers or metal. You then weld your bolt into the washers
that are welded onto each other and shaped. I go this idea from
The Great John Kelly, inventor of the shrinking disk.


Total cost=$1.50

COPPER WIRE W/ CHIP

This silly little design actually works good and comes in handy when a hole is too small to justify a patch but too big to fill, and your copper magnet isn't suffice. Just pull the wire through the hole and pull up your chip til it's firmly seated on the sheet metal. If the surface is round you can also bend your chip to accommodate for the curve and give you a tight fit to the surface. once you get it started let it drop back through the sheet metal and weld shut the hole. Total cost = $2








HOMEMADE SHRINK TUCKER

These are great for fabricating compound curves on sheet metal.
I don't see myself needing one often so instead of paying $30 for
a simple hand tool that you have to pay shipping for, why not make
one? For $3.99 you can get 2 hardened steel pry bars at HF and that's
all you'll need! cut it up and weld it up and you've saved $26 and some
waiting time! Total cost= $3.99




COTTER PIN EXTRACTOR

This tool works extremely well for belt mouldings on some late model cars. The tool they make for belt mouldings is just a joke. Get this instead. Just be sure to not open it up too much, close it back up tight before putting it back on, and it doesn't work on all belt mouldings. Look for clips!
Total cost=$5

Blocking Body Lines

Blocking a car straight is the main course and desert as far as being the body man in a restoration shop is concerned. If that's the case, then that means giving it crisp body lines that pop is the whip cream and cherry on top. Although this technique isn't used on all body lines, for the ones it is used on it makes a noticeable difference that's nearly impossible to be unsatisfied with, unless you're just an old stubborn goat. :)

Anytime I guide coat anything I want my guide coat to be nice and even. If it's not even I may sand more or less in those areas with unequal distribution of guide coat. When dealing with body lines and doing the "tape trick" you want to use a flat black lacquer. The cheaper the better. The reason I say flat black and lacquer is cause they contribute less to clogging your paper.The powder 3M stuff is great but does not give you a definitive read on your bodyline and how straight your line is. For this very reason I spray it a tad heavier on the body line.



The best tape for this job in my opinion is a 3/4". Not too thin or too thick. Don't try this with cheap tape that feels plasticky or you will never get it straight! Spend some time sighting down it with one eye to ensure it's straight and of course off to one side of the body line. Once you have it lined up press down hard on the tape so it can sustain a little abuse from the block. You then block that section. In this picture I did the top of the fender and then did the curve to the body line as one plane and up to the tape line as well.



You then clean off the dust and remove the tape and apply new tape on the opposite side of the body line. When you're done with all your blocking you then block the tiny remainder that is dead on the body line. Since this point of contact is very small I make sure I use a soft block and block very softly over it, using my palm and NOT my fingers as the pic suggests.



The great thing about this technique is that it can be used
for filler applications as well as primer.
It can be used to just sharpen up the look or it can be
crucial in getting a good body line back.

1965 MUSTANG FENDER SPLASH SHIELD ASSEMBLY

Rebuilding your original splash shields is an awful lot of work being that if you spend around $30 more you can just buy new ones. However this does not fit with in everyone's budget, including mine. So you first start out by getting off all the undercoating. Then you tear out your old rubber and staples. A screwdriver works well for this. You then strip and/or prep and paint your shields. I chose Zero Rust. After it's cured and ready to be handled it's time to staple on the rubber pieces. This is where I've read in a Mustang message board that several people were irritated at the process, so while I was doing mine I decided to illustrate the simple steps to help somebody out if needed. Here goes...


First you get a sharp pic tool and enlarge the staple holes a tad. Then you tape your rubber piece to the shield so it stays aligned. You next use your sharp pic tool and mark your staple holes on your rubber.



It probably won't penetrate all the way through unless you have a real sharp tool or you enlarged your holes too much.



Since the mark didn't go thru the rubber I have to fold over the rubber piece and finish my hole. I then insert my staple into the holes and rubber



I then hold the staple tight to the rubber with my finger and squeeze it with channel locks. This starts the bend and does all the work. You then flatten them with a plastic tool so you don't mar your paint, and again your finger is holding the staple tight til it's seated firmly.





Then do the next one and keep going. If you do it this way you'll have no worries about the holes not matching or rubber bunching up.