carascoupe

Yesterday was spent priming small parts and the fenders with the epoxy "build" primer. It was then blocksanded to get it smooth.
Today the parts were painted with 2 coats of color and one coat of clear. The clear will be sanded with 1000 grit wet-o-dry sandppaper and than another coat applied,then sanded with 2000, then buffed.
The picture hides it well, but the fender in the middle has a bunch of BIG runs in the clearcoat...
It's that LEARNING CURVE thing...

This Web Site is to document the repainting of Cara's 65 Mustang Coupe
Note that all the work will be done by a kid not yet old enough to drive.
(Well, NOW she is old enough to drive - this took a bit longer than expected)

Two Hours With An Impact Wrench =
Entire Front End Removed

These are the "BEFORE" pictures

And then...

Removing all the trim...

An Hour With a Screwdriver and Wrenches = NO INTERIOR

The REAL FUN Begins ...

DAY # 1

DAY # 2

DAY # 3
Sunday 8-17-03

DAY # 5
Sunday, 8-24-03

Rolled up towels keep the solids from flowing too far, making cleanup easier

The ol' man helps out...

Paint on the stripper with a natural bristle brush, wait 15 minutes, and then peel it off with the high pressure washer. (See Cara's reflection in the window - she is the one doing this...remember?)

Girls can too!

First paint removal was done with a paint brush and Aircraft Stripper, then a wire brush, then water hose.
This quickly proved tedious and the wire brush makes the stripper fly all over the place, and it STINGS if it gets on the skin!

Mr. Tim's power washer to the rescue!. Just hose the stripper and paint right off!

DAY # 6
Monday, 8-25-03

Back to the brush-on-the-stripper-scrape-it-off technique...
Notice that it is raining in the background. We could make alot more progress if the weather would cooperate.

Always wear safety glasses when working with this stuff.
(This picture was posed while waiting for the stripper to do it's work)

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DAY # 7
Wednesday, 8-27-03

The top of the hood only took two applications to strip it this clean. This is an almost perfect hood. It has one tiny ding in the top.
Notice that it is getting dark sooner now...

DAY # 8
Monday, 9-1-03

Back to MustangSteve's HOME PAGE

DAY # 9 - ???
We lost track...(thru 10-3-03)

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It rained all weekend, so the car stayed inside. Here, Cara is removing everything from the back end of the car.
Hopefully we will get some dry weather soon so we can get rid of the rest of the Poppy Red paint.

We went to the paint store in Dallas last week and bought the materials to get the primer on the car.
Bill so far is $253, JUST FOR PRIMER!!!

UPDATED April 3, 2004

We have been pretty busy with the project, and the day gets away before we remember to take pictures. This one reminded me of STONEHENGE for some reason

PROGRESS!!!
We now have a perfectly blocked HOOD and two FENDERS, ready for final priming. The doors are stripped and will be easy fixes, with no rust at all.

Dad kept hearing this little voice saying..
"TEN days until I get my license!" Then "NINE days until I get my license!", then the countdown...
Well the car still looks pretty much the same, and she now has her license. I am wondering if the picture above reflects a "WHAT have I gotten myself into?" theme...

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DAY # ??? (call it 15)
We lost track...(thru 10-7-03)

The tough part is coming soon. There are two big rust holes in the driver side quarter panel that will have to be cut out and welded up with a new patch panel. We will use the smallest piece of the patch panel that will do the job.

Now, someone please explain this one to me...

The quarter panel in this picture is as straight as any I have ever laid eyes on. WHY did the previous body man spread 1/4" of Bondo all over it and make it wavy? Maybe he was a SURFER???

There are maybe three small dings, easily accessible from inside the trunk, that needed filler. All three are right in the center of the panel. See them??? Neither did I...

At least he was consistent. The other side is identical.

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X = Areas to be cut out and replaced with new metal

Driver side quarter panel, behind rear wheel

LAST UPDATED
April 3, 2004

Back to FYIFORD Forum

DAY 16
10-9-03

OK, Dad had to take over for a while to cut out the rust. A very steady hand and some experience was required to cut out just enough, but not too much.

We used this acid etch stuff to kill any flash rust from the stripping process. It has something in it that keeps it from rusting after it dries. Bare metal can go for weeks after being coated with it.

This is the quarter panel behind the driver side rear wheel. It was a pleasant surprise to find the inner wheel housing completely solid and intact. The plan is to leave the fender lip in place and weld the new piece to it so it won't be detectable. Rust killer was used inside to stop any future rusting.

The area in front of the rear wheel was in worse shape that we thought. After cutting out what we thought was the rusty metal (see the triangular hole), it was then decided to remove the entire lower edge of the quarter. The panel has a 90 degree flange that is spot welded to the lower piece. A chisel was used to break the spot welds, and then they were ground smooth. Rust converter was then applied.

Note the cool magnetic work light the kids gave me for my birthday. It has an automatic retracting reel for the cord and the magnetic part is handier than I ever imagined. (Sears)

This is the next area to be tackled...
Pictures coming - this was a real pain to fix. It did not look too bad, but that little chamfer at the bottom is tough to get right. We should have gone with a new tail light panel, but they just don't make them with the proper curvature any more.

DAY # 4
Saturday 8-23-03

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DAY 17
October 12, 2003

A small piece of a patch panel was hammer-welded in place. That means there is no overlap and the pieces are an exact fit and butt welded together. Minimal filler will be required.

Cara block sanding the quarter panel. I never knew that trips to the mall were absolutely required on Saturdays until we started this project. She is motivated to get the sanding finished so she can go shopping.

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DAY ??? (we lost count)
December 12, 2003

Month 5
(gave up on counting days...)
January 12, 2004

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Previous body work was less than perfect and they had eroded away the lead joint between the roof and quarter panel. Cara filled and sanded until it was "just right" to make it blend in better.

The front valance was trashed, so we got another original one that only had one small dent in it. Cara filled and sanded. This was her first real filler work, and it came out perfect!

Doors and deck lid were painted after the fenders. Holes were cut in the front of the doors and on the car's hinge area to install the rubber boots from a 90 Mustang so the power window and lock wires will have a conduit to run in

Fenders are painted and color sanded, awaiting final buff job. They are just "sitting there" held with two bolts. At this point, hood had been blocked out and primed with the green etching primer.

Month 5
(gave up on counting days...)
January something, 2004

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Here are the latest pictures. We have painted every last drop of blue paint that we owned. Everything has at least two coats of clearcoat. Doors are hung, decklid is buffed out and installed. Fenders are just sitting there,awaiting Cara to sand the upper part of the inner fenders to repaint black. We will let it cure for a week or so before sanding with 2000 wet-or-dry and buffing the remainder of the car. New bolts have been ordered to install the fenders.

Month 7
(My, how time flies...)
March something, 2004

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New registration sticker going on.

This girl is on the road!

Month 8
First car show!
April 2004

First Car Show...North Texas Mustang Club's April 3, 2004 Cruise
at the Cracker Barrell in Lewisville, TX