U.P. Z

I've used both. For a cheap paint, Nason isn't bad. I like it better than Omni, but I wouldn't use it on my car. I would spend the extra for PPG concept. Personally, I would stick to base/clear.

WOW! I just love the rear of your car!

After reading probably all the same stuff you did, I decided to use a roofing product call peel-n-seal. I have a buddy who's a roofer and I got 100 sq ft for $55. Enough to cover everything twice. No road test for while, but it really deadons the sound of the metal when you hit it. And the cost is right.

I'd keep the bigger compressor. You can't have too much air. Autobody forum These guys are very knowledgeable and can probably help you decide. I'm just a hobbiest, not a pro. Search their forum, I'm sure you'll find answers. This is where I bought my gun from. Len is the owner and very trustworthy. Jeez, you guys are up late!

Here's a budget gun I've heard some good things about. Develbiss

or this more SATA's

I think I paid $300 and it was like new. Found this one on Ebay SATA NR2000

The 1.4 tip is the only one I have for that gun but I have sprayed epoxy primer, high build primer, single stage metallics and solids, base coats and clear coats. It seams to be a good all around tip. It sprayed the metallics very well, I didn't have any problems with mottling or striping. I like this gun so much better I no longer use a seperate primer gun. I just take it apart and clean it really well, which is easy to do.

I can't help you much on inexpensive brands but I can tell you what I have used. I bought a used Sata NR2000 a couple years ago. At first I didn't like it, but the more I used it the more I grew to love it. The efficiency of it is incredible. I use so much less materials and there is way less overspray in the air. Still have trouble with the old mindset of how much paint I need to buy for a particular project. I also like how easy it is to clean and very easy to adjust. I like the big aluminum cup and the no drip lid they have. No more fears hanging out over a hood. I don't think I'd want to spray anything but flake out of a 1.8 or bigger tip though. HVLP guns don't atomize as well as standard guns and you will need a smaller tip to break up the material. I use a 1.4 on my SATA for everything and there are times I would like a 1.3. Once you get used to it you'll probably will leave the old gun on the shelf.

I did mine myself except for the outer body which I da'd. Z's have thin sheetmetal and warping is easy, at least for me. The undercoating was the worst. Had to scrape it off first with torch and scraper before sandblasting. Once it was all blasted, I welded all the seams on all the frame rails etc. Really tighten up the car. Nice working with all clean metal after it's done. All in all, I would do it again and would probably pay $500 for someone else to do it, I don't know about $1200.

Use a sawzall.

You'll have to remove all the bondo first and then see what wrong. It may be oil canning from previous damage. That's when you can push on it and it will pop in and out. If this is whats happening you need to shrink the metal and it will tighten up. I've used a torch to heat the metal till it just turns blue, don't let it get red, and then quench it with a rag soaked in cold water. A propane torch will work. Work around the area and then use a hammer and dolly to knock down the high spots. Of course, you'll have to remove your headliner. If it's stubborn, you could tack in some metal underneath as you suggest. And then some Evercoat fiberglass filler followed by some lightweight. Remember to rough up the metal before the filler. And don't buy it from Walmart. Go to an autoparts store and get Evercoat.

Try this stuff www.picklex.com it works better than anything else I've tried. You can buy it here autobodystore.com. They also have a great forum for autobody work. I've used 3M weld thru coating before and the can ALWAYS clogs before you even get halfway thru it. Picklex will covert the rust and give you a weldable coating.

I made one out of 16 guage and welded it to the floor pan. The worst part will probably be cleaning all that undercoating and crap off. Also, make sure your carpet don't catch on fire if you weld to the floor pan.