Rookie body man

[otef546]

Well I have always had my good friend do all my paint and body work on all my past projects but this 59 me and my son are working on I have decided to do it myself. My buddy is a professional and has been in the business nearly 30 years. He is coaching me step by step and I'm learning and getting good results. I'm enjoying the satisfaction of doing it myself and getting good results but the main reason I'm posting this is: If anyone out there thinks body work is easy and the professionals charge too much then they need to have a go at it. I have always been ok with paying my buddy but wow I never realized have much work it is. The price of good materials and good tools is also a eye opener. It will be worth it in the end :-)

[topdown99]

nice!

I am in the same boat... had a 76 Nova and 72 Blazer that I had work done on but the 57 3100 is going to be my first stab at doing it myself...

Its not going to be easy, I know that but i figure I cant make it worse than the rusted-through holes ... hopefully.

[58CameoAZ]

Its the Body Man that makes the paint job and the Painter Look Good!!!!
Most of the time the painter gets the credit!!!!
Allen

[OrrieG]

Good tools will make a difference, I've gotten most of mine from retired body men at yard and estate sales. A cheap picking hammer will do more damage than good.

[franken]

I love tools so I keep an eye out for tools in general, hammers, dollies as well as good air tools at swap meets, garbage sales, pawn shops, CL and so on. I don't usually pay more than $10 (and usually less) for US made tools.

Good air is pretty important. After 3 smaller compressors I got a nice 80 gallon Saylor-Beall off CL. Once you have air, you need 50' or more (better) of metal line to help cool the air. Then comes the separator, filter and regulator. Having cool, clean air with no waiting is like having another utility.

Check out the videos from the guy in the link. He said he had no body experience when he started.

http://www.youtube.com/user/1gibsonl...w=grid&sort=da

Just cutting the rust out is a major pain in the butt...

[mr48chev]

I the big difference between a guy who gets good at body work and one who stays a hack is patience.

I'd also think that for a lot of guys just starting to do his own body work and maybe paint work not buying a DA sander and using sanding blocks and a long board might make the biggest difference in doing a great prep for paint the first time around. There are some local guys who do body work and can handle a paint gun with the best of them but none of them even knows a longboard exists as they only sand the cars they do with a Da and then shoot it with a row of ripples down the side. They turn out some very shiny metalflake washboards though.

[otef546]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

I the big difference between a guy who gets good at body work and one who stays a hack is patience.

I'd also think that for a lot of guys just starting to do his own body work and maybe paint work not buying a DA sander and using sanding blocks and a long board might make the biggest difference in doing a great prep for paint the first time around. There are some local guys who do body work and can handle a paint gun with the best of them but none of them even knows a longboard exists as they only sand the cars they do with a Da and then shoot it with a row of ripples down the side. They turn out some very shiny metalflake washboards though.

AAAWWWWW PATIENCE . That's why I have never tried before, lol. I'm 42 and have finally started to developed a little patience. I agree with u about the DA. The set of blocks I bought have become some of my best friends. I bought a set a dura blocks. They seem great but then again they are all I have ever used.

[DransportGarage]

I'm an obsolete engineer, not a body man. I always look at the Durablocks at the swap meets, then go back home to my Hutchins 16" board sander and paint stick. 3 years ago, at a show, I had 2 pros look at the pictures and the body work on my GTO for about a half hour, then came over to talk to me. I don't remember exactly what they said, but I do remember them asking what shop did the work. When I told them that I do a car about every 5 or 10 years they had a little trouble with that. We took home the Best of Show.

Day 1:


In the garage:


At the show:

[otef546]

Originally Posted by DransportGarage

I'm an obsolete engineer, not a body man. I always look at the Durablocks at the swap meets, then go back home to my Hutchins 16" board sander and paint stick. 3 years ago, at a show, I had 2 pros look at the pictures and the body work on my GTO for about a half hour, then came over to talk to me. I don't remember exactly what they said, but I do remember them asking what shop did the work. When I told them that I do a car about every 5 or 10 years they had a little trouble with that. We took home the Best of Show.

Day 1:


In the garage:


At the show:

Dang that's nice work, I hope mine turns out that well!!!

[DransportGarage]

Thanks, otef. In my case I definitely substitute patience for skill. If I had to make a living at this like real hammers do, I'd starve.

[OrrieG]

Nice Goat, always had a soft spot for them, expecially the 66/67 years and Judges.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Nice Goat, always had a soft spot for them, expecially the 66/67 years and Judges.

Thanks, OrrieG. You're favorites are my favorites, but don't tell my '68. I actually like the Judges now, but back then I thought they were a little hokey.

[OrrieG]

I have a great Judge story. In 1972 I was at Ft. Hood. My Lt. got a Judge that ran like crap. It was the orange with black/yellow decals. I took it to the hobby shop and gave it a tune up, had it running like a top. That night I took it by his house and he jumped in the passenger seat, it was the first muscle type car he had even owned. I said ok lets see what she will do, found a straight rural road and dropped the hammer from a rolling start (4 speed car). As you know all hell broke loose, tires up in smoke (posi rearend), still burning thru second, big chirp when I hit third and well past 100 after we hit 4th. So much fun I did it a couple of more times. He about pooped his pants. I turned it over to him and the first time it about did a 180. Second time was not much better and he decided to call it a night. Later in the week he showed up with another car, 63 split window vette. He said the Judge running like it was supposed to was to much for him and he had traded straight across for the more "docile" Vette. Another fellow soldier had a 67 with Edlebrock manifold, holley carb, 4 speed and I always suspects a little lower gearing, but I never checked. It was a burn out queen too, but not as much top end as I expected. Fun times.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

I have a great Judge story. In 1972 I was at Ft. Hood. My Lt. got a Judge that ran like crap. It was the orange with black/yellow decals. I took it to the hobby shop and gave it a tune up, had it running like a top. That night I took it by his house and he jumped in the passenger seat, it was the first muscle type car he had even owned. I said ok lets see what she will do, found a straight rural road and dropped the hammer from a rolling start (4 speed car). As you know all hell broke loose, tires up in smoke (posi rearend), still burning thru second, big chirp when I hit third and well past 100 after we hit 4th. So much fun I did it a couple of more times. He about pooped his pants. I turned it over to him and the first time it about did a 180. Second time was not much better and he decided to call it a night. Later in the week he showed up with another car, 63 split window vette. He said the Judge running like it was supposed to was to much for him and he had traded straight across for the more "docile" Vette. Another fellow soldier had a 67 with Edlebrock manifold, holley carb, 4 speed and I always suspects a little lower gearing, but I never checked. It was a burn out queen too, but not as much top end as I expected. Fun times.

Very cool. Reminds me of my Navy days when I ran the Auto Hobby Shop in Los Alamitos, CA. I buddy of mine bought a '64 Vette with a crunched fender for $600. (I missed that one.) I ended up getting my '55 Belair for $250 when another guy shipped out. I learned a lot there from a guy named Victor Herrera who claimed to have invented the Craftsman pushbutton ratchet and sold the idea to Sears. (Hey Victor, you out there?) I never caught him lying, so who knows...