1964 RHD Impala Wagon - Australian Delivered

just a tad OCD...
shes gonna be pretty......

 

Block sanding and paint!

I guide coated the remaining panels first of all with $2 matt black spray cans - yes, they work but for dry sanding it does tend to gum up the paper. I switched to dry powder and then spray on powder for later passes.



Out with 180 on the long blocks which quickly found all the highs and lows.



For the first pass with 180, I worked to tape lines to get the body lines nice and crisp



Little flexible pad on the wheel arches and tight curves


I was pretty happy after the first pass - this is where the black etch primer comes into it's own, screaming at you when you are getting close to metal. I had to tap down a few highs while the majority of lows looked like they would come out with next coat of hi-build primer. For the deeper lows I used Dolphin Glaze - 2 part and nice and easy to sand.





2nd run with the primer - under-reduced it slightly to get it to lay on nice and thick.





Still had a few pinholes here and there so dolphin glaze with a razor blade so that there's not too much to sand.



For the next pass with 320 I switched to control powder rather the $2 spray cans - on the upside it doesn't clog the paper and you don't have to mask the door gaps but on the downside it's just super messy.



It blocked out pretty nice with the 320 but it was pretty thin in many spots.....so round 3 with the primer.



Then more blocking with 320. I completely underestimated the concentration and finesse needed to properly block a car.



The difference between it blocking out nicely and blowing through to the etch primer was not much ...so when I was all done with the dry blocking I had primed it 7 times - admittedly each pass was less and less with the last pass being half a door.

Here was the 5th pass (lower rear quarter, driver door, front guard):


The dry sanding was done....so out with the 800 grit and the water and squeegee.



...and here was the moment when I realised that I was rubbing an 18 foot long car with a 2cm piece of sandpaper!



Again I underestimated the finesse and technique required - squeegee bottle, light touch, let the paper do the work, don't keep rubbing when the guide coat is gone!





..and at 11:45 pm one cold Wednesday night, 3 weeks of sanding came to an end.



Then it was out with the jet washer to get rid of the dust and primer slop.



All clean and ready. My painter has a dealer plate so I put the seat in, taillights on and it was off on it's first big drive since 1999.

 

"....Yes Officer......this particular model didn't come with glass, seatbelts or bumpers..."



Into the booth for 2 sessions of paint - masked up for some Ermine White direct gloss on the roof on the first day...





Big roof = 2 guys painting (Scotty and Dan)



Out of the booth after being baked at 60 degrees for 1 hour.


Back in the next day for the Saddle Tan Base and PPG 2k Clear. Base first:


Then 3 coats of clear:



Finished! There were a few scratches that I missed, a very small ding in one of the doors and a block mark on the tailgate - otherwise very, very pleased.

Time to put it all back together - hopefully full registration before Santa gets here.

 

Awesome job and writeup, keep up the good work!:2_thumbs_up_-_anima

 

So far 11 out of 10 !

 

Congratulations and jealous at the same time. Looks very nice, imagining it with trim to set it off.

 

great car and great write up! Loved the detail that went into the car and the article.

 

What a great thread. Thanks so much for all the details and updates. The Chevy is looking fantastic. Your hard work is really paying off.

 

What can I say?


rating!

 

Thanks for the great thread and updates.

 

Wow, nice Work!!!! Great car!!!

 

Thank you all for the kind words - I am on holidays until xmas so it's all hands to the pump over the next week or so. I look forward to showing you the finished product.

 

geez OZ....she looks freekin beauty

 

"there were a few scratches that I missed, a very small ding in one of the doors and a block mark on the tailgate"

Considering you had more square feet to cover than most small homes, I think you get a pass. Beautiful work! Can't wait to see the finished car!

 

Looks great. Can't wait to see this thing cruising around town.