mikeatrpi

That aurora is my folks'- its also a 97. Its an electrical basketcase- many many problems.

Thanks guys, no I replaced the door with one from my parts car. The hood, hatch, and both doors are "new". Also replaced the lower fenders, lower part of the rear quarters, and the "dogleg" portion of the rockers. Phil I watched your recent video (thanks for sharing), and I love the lights up front on your car.

Finally- after two years I have painted my ZX. I used PPG Omni: MP170 Epoxy, MP182 high build primer, and MAE Acrylic Enamel. You can find details in the link in my signature, or just ask! Thank you to everyone on the forum who provided tips along the way! before: after: I sprayed in the back yard of my house, and needless to say I have a "couple" of bugs and tree debris in my paint. I will need to colorsand and buff... I've found this thread in the archives- http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=112031 but I am left with some questions. How long after I paint my enamel do I have to wait before buffing? I have three coats of color on- I sure hope this is thick enough to colorsand and buff. Lastly- should I buy the $20 harbor freight buffer or spend the $100 for a porter cable random orbital? Thanks in advance.

Cutoff wheels on the grinder and the sawzall. Don't cut on the line with the sawzall because you'll never get it straight. Plan to clean it up later.

hardocp.com, its a computer geek web site. They used to have a car forum and the moderator's handle was "Rags".

I'm an hour from Bear Mountain. I heard there's an import-friendly car show there during the summer? If anyone is putting together a list, please add me. Also there are a couple of CT guys on zcar.com who are relatively nearby. When an event is planned we'll cross post it there. Rags, are you the same guy from the [H]?

I am interested, let me know where and when. I'll be back on the road soon

How far is Logan Steel from you? http://www.logansteelinc.com/

Thanks for all of the advice. The car will be black. I have a new hood (as if you couldn't guess!) and I've already painted the insides of the doors. I have had the car completely apart, and the photo above was taken while I was test fitting the fenders. I'm afraid that if I remove them I'll scratch them severely when I try to reinstall them. The tip about painting them upright as they would be on the car is a good one, thanks particularly for that. Looks like I'm going to be removing the fenders!

I'm finally preparing to paint my ZX. I test fit all of the panels on the car this weekend. I plan to keep the doors on the car, the hood off, and the hatch off. I will also remove the bumpers and similar pieces. But, should I keep the fenders / head light buckets on the car, or take them off?

Angle grinder with a flap disc... 60 to 80 grit works wonders!

I enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing.

It looks great, good work! You had a good assistant too- Dave is the only guy from a car forum I've met in person. He supplied me with numerous parts for my ZX. His car is impressive, isn't it? Buzz are you in NY too? Dave I still have your original fan you gave me, let me know if you want it back to keep with your old motor. I haven't used it yet.

No. The tack cloth is generally the last thing to touch the surface of the car before paint. How did you use the tack cloth, though? You're supposed to open it up and ball it loosely, then lightly drag it over the surface. The sticky stuff isn't meant to be transfered to the primer but instead to pick up loose dust and debris. You could call the store you bought the supplies from to be certain.

1) Only where there was rust. 2) Ospho. 3) PPG Omni MP-170 / 175 Epoxy, 3 coats, wet sand, 1 or 2 more for recoat time 4) PPG Omni Acrylic Enamel, single stage.

So, the autodark screen you look through is actually an LCD. The solar cell on the front picks up high intensity photons from the welding arc, and triggers the helmet to apply a voltage bias to the LCD. The individual crystals in the LCD rotate, effectively blocking the arc from vision, in proportion to the amount of bias applied. The shade control is nothing more than a resistor- you can dial in the bias and set a maximum angle for the crystals- and change the shade.

Hi! I'm finally _almost_ ready to paint my '82 coupe. The car will be black, and I've already sprayed black bedliner on the front air dam, rockers and lower rear quarter panels for quick touchups from rock chips. I need to decide what to paint the bumpers, bumper extension trim, mirrors, wiper arms and cowl and hood vents with. I'm thinking body color bumpers, trim and mirrors, and flat black wiper arms and vents. Another option I've considered is satin black on the bumpers. Thanks for any suggestions. This picture was taken last weekend. Don't worry I have a new hood in my basement!

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Well, I'm not quite done yet (the car is primered finally...) so take my advice with caution! I took a very budget approach to painting: I bought my sandpaper at the flea market, and went with PPG Omni (low end) epoxy primer and single stage acrylic enamel. The body prep work is enormous! Especially when you find rust or damage that must be repaired. Anyways, here's what I'd do differently next time: 1) use a waterproof filler direct to metal, such as fiberglass bondo. 2) spray epoxy primer over metal repairs and fiberglass bondo, then do regular plastic bondo over it. spray again with epoxy (since its waterproof) 3) only buy a quart of epoxy not a gallon... I used 1/2 gal and i have 3 coats of epoxy on my entire car. I'd rather buy a quart of epoxy for items 1+2, and then a quart or two of high build primer 4) I would have gotten my sears random orbital sander much sooner in the project 5) DO NOT use aerosol primers, particular rustoleum. VERY VERY bad idea, paints are often incompatible and I found that out the hard way. Other things- I painted my rockers, air dam, and lower rear quarters with truck bedliner. Since my car will be black anyway the bedliner will protect me from rock chips while still blending in with the paint. Touchups are quick and easy. Wear a mask when sanding, and at least a respirator when painting. Don't be stupid, safety is key. And, have fun... don't get discouraged when the going gets tough.

WOW, that really looks great! I remember your last thread when you buffed it. Looks even better outside!

Yes you're right, its not a 175+... I read the ebay ad too quickly.

Over at the Weld Talk Forums, the Lincoln SP-175+ is the recommended low-end 220v welder. Beneath it in class, the Hobart 140 (110v) and above it, Millermatic 210 (also a 220v) are also recommended. I have a lincoln sp-100t and love it. I imagine this 175+ would be just a little smoother and able to weld thicker metal. Good luck with your purchase.

I'd be willing to host the pictures for you as well, at least temporarily. I have a zx that's just barely too good to be a parts car. One night I had a dream that I cut the roof off... I couldn't help but draw some diagrams the next day.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard

You transposed the ratios there, some-guy. "Argoshield" = "C25" = 25% CO2, 75% Argon = the basic mild-steel gas mix. Some people run pure CO2, which is cheap, but your weld will be hotter- which is bad in this instance, for sheet metal work. Good luck.