And so it begins....323BG hatch ----> V6 powa with a few extra surprises

[Dan [Sac]]

I just did my first auto to manual and swap on a bg.. was real nice to just have to jumper the auto safety switch... Just put it on a switch and used the empty slot for awd protege used a spare mx3 defrost swith..

That's a good thing to know. Which way is it for an auto and which for a 5-sp? It's possible that the harness came in 'auto' mode (I hope)...

[MD323]

if you look infornt of the shifter there should be a 4 wire plug with a jumper cap on it (in 5 spd mode) or its up by the clutch pedal (in auto mode)

[Dan [Sac]]

Today's work:

*did 3 more iterations of bondo/sanding in the engine bay, each time it gets a bit better. Applied the last coat before lights out, should finish sanding in the first hour tomorrow, then into the booth to poly-prime the engine bay.

*finally located a front right fender...the stock one had some damage (kinks) and initially I bought a new replacement (aftermarket)...that fit like ass...the contour to the door wasn't even close to matching. ****ing cheap southeastern asian garbage....returned that and scored an OEM one at a recycler. Unfortunately with the huge influx of clunkers from the Cash for Clunkers, all the small cars from pick-n-pull (mostly imports) have been ditched and there are hundreds of stupid useless Explorers and other american garbage...ughhhh...hope this goes away soon.

If I have an incredibly awesomely productive day tomorrow I *might* get to prime the whole car but that's a stretch right now...

[DeeAOne]

progress is good!

[Dan [Sac]]

Today:

*got final sanding done in the engine bay...this was more trouble than I cared for. If I were to start this again, I would skip this step...

*got engine bay poly-primered, and it looks good. I'm gonna have to bubble-wrap the engine when I drop it back in, cuz if I nick the paint I will be pissed at myself.

*fixed the driver side....errrr, right hand side door keyhole (metal around it was jacked)


Here is a cell phone pic -don't mind the quality, the phone is almost 5 yrs old....




Monday will be a key day in getting the primer done, as I only have access to the paint booth 'till wednesday eve, so I'm working hard to get'er done in time.

[progt91]

those engine bays can be a pain in the ass. believe me it will be worth it when its painted and looking sweet. looking good dan

[DeeAOne]

i wish i had time to paint mine..i was borrowing the hoist i was using from a friend, and he needed it back. im hoping i can get my hands on it again another time.

[Damkid]

Looking good as always!!

[Dan [Sac]]

Well I won't be able to get it painted wednesday, but that's not all bad news. It will get primered tomorrow, and then I have till the 4th to go trough 220, 500, and 1000-grit on the primer at my leisure on the whole car and get a really nice finish. When the booth reopens on the 4th then I'll be ready to color & clear it, and color sanding after that. Still not bad at all.

It's taking longer because I wanted to do the door jambs and hatch inside so it won't look like a Maaco job done halfway. The color is pretty close to stock, but I don't know how far off it is and I don't want to regret not doing it later.

[neuspeedescort]

paint booth photo's are right up there with engine stand photos! sickness!


NEUMAN

[progt91]

that is one big spray booth

[viper_707]

Well I won't be able to get it painted wednesday, but that's not all bad news. It will get primered tomorrow, and then I have till the 4th to go trough 220, 500, and 1000-grit on the primer at my leisure on the whole car and get a really nice finish. When the booth reopens on the 4th then I'll be ready to color & clear it, and color sanding after that. Still not bad at all.

It's taking longer because I wanted to do the door jambs and hatch inside so it won't look like a Maaco job done halfway. The color is pretty close to stock, but I don't know how far off it is and I don't want to regret not doing it later.

hey no need to go all the way to 1000 grit. i wouldnt go any farther than 800 wet, will be more durable in the end. 1000 just to fine and not really needed. i'm not sure how much paint work u do either so i'm not trying to step on any toes, but i would make such large jumps in the sand paper grits. which paint system are u using?

[Dan [Sac]]

Glasurit water borne. The last car I painted this way came out ok, so I trust the system. It's all DA work with HookIt2 pads, all dry.

Like a lot of arts, paint has many ways of delivering results, and if you ask 10 people how to paint a car, you'll probably get about 8 different answers.

My method (assuming body is straight) - 120, 220, then primer....220, 500, 1000, then paint, then clear (you don't sand water borne color before clear)...then 1500, 3000, then polish. The DA is a Snap-On finishing DA and the matching micro DA. Guns are all by Sata.

Here's the last work:

[93BlkOnGreenPro]

Is the trailer getting some paint action too?

[analytical]

People need to stop questioning the man's skills; everytime we turn around Dan shows us more work that we envy. Overkill is the dood's middle name.

Let's get back to that booth... my God that's what heaven looks like. Gross! Did you catch this is all done w/out involving water during the sanding process. Yes that paint's so wet it'll make a girl pee. Killing it Dan-O only uses the bomb products, tools, process... get you results like you see here.