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HybridZ

question of paint, and or techniques...


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ok. if you dont know already, which you probably dont (because i am new to the forum as well as the s30), i LOVE my z. i am 23 and this is car number 13 for me. i have built z32's, and 240sx's, along with civics and e36's... but the s30 is on my "DREAM CAR" list... so, i want to take my time with the build, i definately dont want to bore myself out in the process of it... i plan on having this car when i die, so what ever i do to it, i want to make sure its done right...

 

 

 

my question is for the painting process. if i had the ablility, i would strip the metal shell and replace it with 100% fiberglass... that just sounds like a pretty long and tedious process, and i doubt that the body lines would be identical to the original, so that is out of the idea for now.

these cars obviously rust out pretty good... if by me repairing and painting the exterior of the car, am i going to wind up painting the car again in the near future because of returning rust????

because if possible, i want to paint this car once... (unless i find a way to do fiberglass panels down the road)

 

 

thanks in advance.

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bsaically, these cars rust from the inside out. If you want to have a rustproof Z, the way to do it is to strip the car to the bare shell. Have it soda blasted and sandblasted to bare metal inside and out, and cut out and repair all rusted areas. Use Rust Bullet or Por-15 as a primer on all interior portions and the bottom, and an undercoat sprayer with a flexible wand probe attachment loaded with Por-15 to paint inside the frame rails, rocker panels, door shells,and all the other nooks and crannies. Use a good epoxy primer on the outside. paint the car with high quality paint compatible with the primer. Undercoat the car with truck bed liner spray. If you are careful and thorough, you can produce a shell that, if not exposed to pervasive salt spray, will remain rust free. This work is best done with the shell mounted on a giant rotisserie, which you can build yourself. Many folks here have gone through this total "frame up" procedure, the results are very successful.

Edited by theghosttanker
correction
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that sounds about right, Though how much is it really worth to do that kind of work? You can get a Southwestern car, w/ little to no rust then strip primer and paint as above, with the bedliner as he'd described, and likely the car would last longer than you'll need. It is also possible to take a car, strip it completely and have it vat dipped and zinc plated. though again what's it really worth to have that done? You can go through all the work you want, then get a scratch and in a salty humid climate (rust belt) you'd have bubbling under your "perfect" paint job. So, I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying you'll need to keep in mind that maintinance is just as important.

 

Phar

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yea, agreed. i think ive decided to do all w/o the sand blasting... if it bites me in the ass, then i'll address it then. but for now, im ready to strip it out, sand, cut, glass, sand primer and paint. then i'd be able to join the galleries like the rest of you.

thanks for the support and perspectives on my situation guys.

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Don't use fiberglass for any of the repairs....I've seen too many jobs crack or rust at the seams....replace metal with metal. Getting a car dipped and zinced used to be a common practice but I have not been able to find a company that still does it for many years now. The EPA really cracked down on them.

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EPA, the environmental protection agency. they're the guys who'll come fine your butt heavilly if you pour used motor oil out in your back yard.. (just take it and drop it at any oil change place. )Yeah, It's important when you're doing body work, to pay atention to both sides of the panel you're repairing, if it's external, then the back needs to be sealed too. Could rust from behind if you don't.. Seen it lots of times.. Phar

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I would like to add, that before you start jumping into body repairs with what seems like little experience/knowledge to do a lot of reading (especially about how oxidation works). It sucks, I know from personal experience, to do what seems like an awesome repair job only to start to see bubbles a year down the road.

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I would like to add, that before you start jumping into body repairs with what seems like little experience/knowledge to do a lot of reading (especially about how oxidation works). It sucks, I know from personal experience, to do what seems like an awesome repair job only to start to see bubbles a year down the road.

 

 

 

yea, i do have little experience with body repair... i have done a few jobs on a couple of my previous cars, but nothing having to deal with a rust bucket, so this is very new to me. luckily i do have someone who has professional experience with older model/rusting vehicles, and i am just going to help/learn...

 

but i will start reading up on it. thanks.

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