Gerahead's 71 Dart

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After what seems like an eternity, I have finally gotten some color on the panels. Today I got two coats of color on the insides of the fenders, doors, deck lid and hood. Yay! I am excited to see what they look like after they've had a chance to cure a while! I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere!

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After what seems like an eternity, I have finally gotten some color on the panels. Today I got two coats of color on the insides of the fenders, doors, deck lid and hood. Yay! I am excited to see what they look like after they've had a chance to cure a while! I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere!

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Great progress! I like the paint booth too. How much paint did you go through on those panels?
 
After what seems like an eternity, I have finally gotten some color on the panels. Today I got two coats of color on the insides of the fenders, doors, deck lid and hood. Yay! I am excited to see what they look like after they've had a chance to cure a while! I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere!

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Paint looks great but the booth is stealing the show! Remember your audience is a bunch of DIY guys! Hah! Great job!
 
Paint looks great but the booth is stealing the show! Remember your audience is a bunch of DIY guys! Hah! Great job!
Thanks Sublime! The booth turned out well I thought. I thought it was plenty big, but there wasn't much room once I got all those panels on stands in there. It was pretty tight! Ha! I am one of those DYI guys myself! Thanks for checking in!

Jim
 
Thanks Sublime! The booth turned out well I thought. I thought it was plenty big, but there wasn't much room once I got all those panels on stands in there. It was pretty tight! Ha! I am one of those DYI guys myself! Thanks for checking in!

Jim
I think you should reward yourself with an Italian beef sandwich from Portellos! Oh heck yes I know exactly where Maple Grove is! I used to go to Minnetonka on a regular basis. Portellos has got the best real Italian sandwich! only place outside of Chicago you can get one!
 
I got the shell all bagged up to do the jambs, engine compartment and trunk interior and then the weather has soured. It has been hot and humid as hell here and it looks like it isn't going to break until this weekend. It's hard to sit and wait, but I have too much time and sweat equity invested to get impatient now! at least it is all wiped down and ready to go!

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The weather finally got more favorable to painting yesterday and today. I got at least 2 good coats on the door jambs, engine compartment, trunk interior and taillight panel. I am really happy with how it has turned out so far! I had so much overspray in my hair, at least what's left of it, that I looked like Billy Idol! Even busted out in my own version of Rebel Yell!
:rofl:

Next step is taking the shell off the rotisserie and getting the dollies under it to make some more room. Then hang the panels and shoot the exterior! Getting there . . . finally! L8r!

Jim

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That's turning out awesome! I may have missed it, but what gun are you using? Where are you getting your paint?

Also, were you able to fit the rotisserie into your booth?

I can't wait to see it on the ground.
 
Thanks mopowers! I am using a Sata 90 gun. I found this on Marketplace a couple of years back for what I thought was a really good deal, so I picked it up, knowing that i would like to have a better gun for the finish work. The Sata is soooooo much nicer than the gun I have been using for all the primer and sealer work! I am getting all my supplies from a local parts supply store, one of the last in my area that sells body work materials to non-jobbers. The rotisserie does not fit into the booth, so I had to do this painting where I have done all the other body work. The booth is a couple of feet short. That is the main reason why I want to also get the shell off the rotisserie for the panel hanging. I can't wait to see it on the ground either, this has been an eternity! Thanks for checking in! L8r!

Jim
 
I am going racing over Labor Day weekend, so the priorities have shifted from the Dart to getting ready to go shred some asphalt! I still managed to squeeze in a little Mopar love this evening. I got the hood scoops drilled for the 340 badges and sanded them down to 400 so I can seal them in preparation for paint. Special shout out to MoparMike1974 who sent me the measurements for the holes in the scoops for the badges! I still need to sand and seal the gas cap so that I can paint all the body color stuff at once. Small steps, but progress none the less!

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Just read this from start to finish, good job on your first paint job.
Your garage floor will be forever yellow. Single stage paint seems to stick forever.
I still have red over-spray on some of my tools that were in the tool box, when I shot my Willys in 2015.
 
Thanks sireland67 for taking a look at my project! I'm thinking that the yellow floor will make it easier to find the parts that I will inevitably drop in the coming months. So, it's a design feature!
 
In spite of an overload of adversity getting to the race track and making the call for time trials Labor Day weekend, we survived and salvaged a good weekend of competition. I have since gotten the hood scoops painted and ready to install on the hood. I have rummaged through my storage bins and dug out all the hardware to attach the external panels. I have de-rusted, bead blasted and either primed or painted them in prep for reassembly. Yesterday I painted the insides of the doors their final color.

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In spite of my efforts to get them clean, the painting still stirred up some trash from inside. I'll have a little cleanup to do. Today I plan to paint the T-shaped grill support and the bolts going into the hood, doors and deck lid. Next up is digging out the dollies I had build eons ago and getting the shell off the rotisserie for some panel hanging and alignment. I have a shipment of seals, bumpers and plugs due to arrive any day to help in the process. This part of the project is exciting!
 
My baby is finally standing on her own four legs! Working alone to get her off the rotisserie was a challenge, but I got it done! I went back through my thread and 6/23/11 is when I loaded the body onto the rotisserie. I think it should be well done! L8r

Jim

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A good friend of mine came over this morning to help me hang the sheet metal panels in prep for final paint. We got the deck lid, rear valence, doors, fenders and hood installed and aligned to satisfaction (gotta keep reminding myself that this isn't a show car). I figured it would be a good idea to install the fender extensions and check the hood alignment for the front to back position. The hood looked like it needed to go to the rear just a tad.
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Then it happened! The rear-most mount hole in the driver side of the hood stripped! Are you f'ing kidding me!!! Talk about going from a state of elation to a state of depression in a minute! :BangHead:Currently evaluating options, but man, that hurts! L8r!

Jim
 
Holy FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry man, thought Sh#t like that only happened to me...I feel your pain...that should read...in one second to (depression) or (ANGER)
 
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