Roller Paint Job Diary

I agree. My situation is much different and where you are, it would be a snap. In fact, the next one, I'll do at your place!

My wife started chatting about driving the car down to her family's place in Monterrey, MX, and I said that maybe this time we could camp along the way, instead of the hobo motels we used on the way up or visit some of the folks I've met on the forums. Anyway, her brain is working on her next strategic step, and I told her she had to share in the driving this time. At least the car will have cruise control on that trip. Didn't need it coming up, because we had the double-deck trailer loaded with furniture, but Monterrey, MX is like a raceway, they MOVE, and she has no fear, except for State Troopers.

If I did another, I'd rent a garage. That was rough. The weather was just beyond predictable, and the forecasters were wrong more often than they were right. They called for rain and there wasn't, they called for sun, and it rained. They said warm and it went cold, and not one of the 4 majors agreed with the other. Go figure.

Yeah, its a job that you can package into chunks (one door, the hood, a fender, and move to the next. The original guy said he'd paint by 10 AM after wetsanding the whole car, and do another coat in the evening like 7PM.

 

If you go through those MS Word documents, read up on Serpent Warrior's story. He'd put a coat on in Home Depot's underground parking lot (well lit, I guess) and drive to work around the corner and park far away to let it dry and sand her down when he got home, and repeat the process. It's a hoot the way he tells it.

Back to work, for me.

 

I got the Woodgrain in the Spring from JC Whitney and finally opened it today. It's made by Sharpline Converting Inc.

http://www.sharpline.com/

The package comes with a small plastic squeegee, a razor blade and instructions. Its enough, sort of, but their site has a whole bunch more on surface prepping, cold weather issues, etc.

Saturday PM additional note:
Oh yeah. They talk about a Pattern paper being included. I found it this morning when I was getting ready to throw the 'empty' roll out. It's also a self adhesive paper that you stick to the car, draw your templates and use to cut the real woodgrain with. I had made mine from waxpaper last June. The vinyl is 24" wide and the Fairmont's tallest woodie side is 12", so make sure you measure enough out before you order. That's why I did the waxpaper templates. Didn't know about the pattern paper in the kit.

I got one side on, after I got the panels cut. It's simple enough, but there can be issues. The Original Ford woodgrain vinyl probably passed through an oven after it was mounted on the car. I took a tour of a Canadian GM plant when I was in highschool. They'd take some cars to a side area. That's where they did the custom options like special radios, wood grain, pinstripes, etc. That was in the mid-60's.

I used a hairdryer to warm up the metal and the vinyl, and it went on fine. The instructions say you should do it when the weather is between 60F and 80F, away from the sun. It was cloudy and 8C (47F). The hairdryer just served to warm things up and get the self-adhesive to work properly.

One thing the original vinyl did was wrap around the door and fender edges. To do that you have to leave about 3/8" extra on the wrapped edges, then you have to snip sections of the edge that you wrap and start to wrap each one from the bottom so that the next one up higher overlaps the bottom one, all the way to the top. That way water can't collect behind the vinyl. In their instructions, they only talk about trimming to the edge, not wrapping around the edge. I'm trying both types of finishes to see if the door edges preserve better.

Sunday and Monday are 10C days, but tomorrow is a 4C icebox, so I'll do the brakes and exhaust and finish the body stuff on Sunday. That'll take a few dozen parts off the 1199 left to go.

 

I'm done all the Roller painting, but I'll post new pics next week (Tuesday/Wednesday) after the outside is complete (windows, roof rack, moldings). It's 5C today, and -1C with the windchill, so I'm finishing off the detail work on the seats and plastic parts. I started this last November 6 in -6C, so its not the cold that bothers me. Its just that the Woodgrain needs warmer weather to bond properly (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) as does the headliner adhesive and putty around the molding clips. So I'll post the rest of the trilogy to a Street-running Fairmont Squire in some of the old threads I started when I was taking the car apart.

As Arnie would say "I'll be baack!" with

 

I was just thinking that what might be useful for future readers is to do a follow-up next Spring. It's too cold to fix installation scratches and stuff unless we get a few more 11C days in November (NOT VERY LIKELY), so I'll post my findings when the weather clears up.

My wife was trying to tell me we shouldn't drive it in the Winter, and when we go shopping, one of us should stay in the car, all that over-protective stuff. I think she likes the car again... It does look good.

I think my buddy is waiting to see if I got the Windows back on, before he takes the next pics. I'll see how far I get today. I got all the door windows in yesterday. All the fixed windows hopefully go in today.

 

Being new here I read this thread from start to finish today.Being on Disability I have more time than money so this is a great way for me to repaint my new wagon.

 

Almost Final Pictures

My friend had to go out of town for a few days, so he took some more today.



The Shreddies box has the new Wiper motor ready for reinstallation!






I rust-proofed the inside of the tailgate too!

 

Right on rebel! It's a job that really gives you a lot back, besides the car.

 

My problem is going to be deciding which color. My wagon is Butternut Yellow so there might be a big color change

 

Well, you've got a dark interior, so you've got a good range to pick from.

 

My interior is Tan. So I'm thinking maybe Blue or black.I'll get some pic's tomorrow and load them here.Some suggestion will be helpful.but the only problem is I won't be able to tear it apart.

 

A few more pics

He uploaded them to his FTP directory in batches, so here's a few more.





Your's truly in his Sunday-Go-To-Meeting tuxedo! (and the trim, of course!)


My cleaned up fasteners cupboard!


And for those comfy southerners, here's a shivering thought! 7C (46F). 2 hours later it was 4C. It's 1C now.


I couldn't find any replacements for the division bar glass runs (flocked mylar), so I used weatherstrip fuzzy and cut the slots with an Exacto knife. The fabric on the back is fairly stiff and once it's in the division bar it stays put. Hardly anyone gets in the backseat anyway, so that'll give me a few months to get some mylar (print shop or die cutting shop) and flock my own (hobby shops carry spray cans.)

 

If I hasn't read everything you did I would swear thats a spray on paint.
I just started a new Cd collection using the links you set up. Thanks

 

Rebel, I restored all the interior plastic, dash, mouldings, even my new vinyl on the console. I did a thread at Fordsix.com on the whole job, but it's down right now. Here's the product I used:
http://www.sem.ws/product.php?product_id=190

Here's the thread when it comes back (in the Search results):
http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41252&highlight=console

 

Thanks that will help a lot.