Junkyard Jimmy Super Low Buck Build Thread

[Bomp]

Your getting there. I've used a big flat paint mixing stick to slap the paper to free it up. That and a big blast of air.
Like the snow covered grill too.
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[fxdxharley]

the blow gun tip is a great idea. or you can wet sand using a squeeze bottle. its the guide coat that is loading up the paper. your using a pretty coarse paper to so yah less pressure is right as you dont want to make deep scratches. you can rough it down with the 220 then switch to 320 then 600. will come out mint.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Your getting there. I've used a big flat paint mixing stick to slap the paper to free it up. That and a big blast of air.
Like the snow covered grill too.
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks for the tip.

Originally Posted by fxdxharley

the blow gun tip is a great idea. or you can wet sand using a squeeze bottle. its the guide coat that is loading up the paper. your using a pretty coarse paper to so yah less pressure is right as you dont want to make deep scratches. you can rough it down with the 220 then switch to 320 then 600. will come out mint.

I didn't use a guide coat on this because its black with lighter shades of primer under it. It might just be the paper too. Some just load up faster than others. I think I used more air cleaning the paper than I did spraying the primer. I kinda figured I'd wet sand with the 320 and finer.

[Low Elco]

Good plan to go wet 320 and up. A friend has a trickle hose on a mag base that works awesome.
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[hgs_notes]

Did more sanding today, couple hours worth. About half way done with the passenger side. It's looking pretty good so far, but I think I'll need to spray another coat of primer down before the next round of sanding. There are just too many high areas that the block is revealing yet. Should be able to finish this side tomorrow, then spray it again for the final time before paint.

I know I've done a lot of work so far and should do as good a job as I can, but it just doesn't need to be that great. It's already straighter than any factory panels were new. Its about as good as my C-10 was. I'm not building a show truck here, so don't give me too much grief if I don't take to the next level. I'm getting seriously tired of this process and just want it done.

[Tynee]

Hang in there, don't rush. You'll be sooooo much happier with the finished product if you out the time in now. You've hit the point when some guys give up and sell a project, but you don't strike me as "some guys."
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[turp mcspray]

If you're getting burnt out, step away and let it sit for a week or two, or whatever you need. You will never get it done and say "I wish I wouldn't have blocked as much, it's too straight". But after you get it done, and have a break from it you WILL say "I wish I would have blocked it one more time". I've been working on my blazer project for 4 1/2 years now, and I know what it's like to be soooooo close to paint! I go 100 miles an hour working on it, and it still isn't getting done fast enough!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Tynee

Hang in there, don't rush. You'll be sooooo much happier with the finished product if you out the time in now. You've hit the point when some guys give up and sell a project, but you don't strike me as "some guys."
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Thanks for the encouragement. The fact of the matter is that it really is as straight as I want it, and then some. I'm not saying that I'm just gonna say the hell with it and spray it as is. But if I have a few spots that ain't quite perfect, it's close enough that most people would never notice it. There's no chance I'm giving up on it.

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

If you're getting burnt out, step away and let it sit for a week or two, or whatever you need. You will never get it done and say "I wish I wouldn't have blocked as much, it's too straight". But after you get it done, and have a break from it you WILL say "I wish I would have blocked it one more time". I've been working on my blazer project for 4 1/2 years now, and I know what it's like to be soooooo close to paint! I go 100 miles an hour working on it, and it still isn't getting done fast enough!

Not burned out, just f'ing bored. I'm not the type to take a break when I'm getting down to the end. I usually push harder. I'm going to end up blocking it one more time as it is. It's not where I hoped it would be at this time, and that's where the mounting frustration is coming from. I had hoped this was the end of spraying and sanding, but I have one more layer to go.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? (Just watched part of Animal House )

It really is looking good. There are no major problems. I have bare metal on a couple spots the size of a dime. I have a few lows about the size of a quarter. Thats why I'll be spraying another coat and blocking again. I know it will be as good as I can do it at that point. Hell, it's gonna be fantastic! When you guys see this ex-junker with the paint, all cut and buffed and sparkling in the sunshine with the top off and the black accents, no one would ever believe it got there from what I started with for about $5000. Done in my home garage, and parked next to a corn field, and out in some guys backyard, and in the driveway. There will be no regrets.

[hgs_notes]

I had to go back 5 pages to find my punch list. Latest total spent is still at $4322.

Punch list (in no particular order, * for priority items):
*finish body work on the outside
*Finish roll bar install
*tranny o-rings and kickdown cable
*change fluid in both differentials
*install windshield
*make sure wire for gas gauge is hooked up to sender
*lights, lights and more lights
*tranny cooler lines
*seat belts (have them)
*e-brake cable
Al's liner inside of tub (half way done)
inner fender tubs, repair, paint, install
rebuild vent windows
door glass, handles, locks, mirrors, etc.
mark/drill holes for single wall top in bed rails
Fab front and rear bumpers
electric fan install (got it)
plumb vac and oil gauges
seat bracket spacers
replace rear lift blocks with taller ones (need new u-bolts)
heater control cables and vents
rebuild carb
heater install (half way)
wiper washer pump
manual throttle
door panels, dash pad, visors, etc. (have them, need paint, cleaning, etc.)
stereo (radio in, need marine speakers and antenna)
paint (getting there, summit racing mayan gold metallic)

Future plans, as time and money and ability permit:
Long travel link suspension front and rear
lockers
rock sliders
roll cage
skid plates

[Dieselwrencher]

I won't blaim you for not getting it perfect. After all you do plan to wheel it so you already know what could happen to the sheet metal. And, like you said, it's a huge improvement over what it once was.

[hgs_notes]

I finally finished blocking out the passenger side and whats the next thing I do? Add more filler

I'm a glutten for punishment.

Pics after the blocking...




Added some filler, couldn't leave well enough alone...



I'll knock the filler down, clean it all up again and spray some more primer. I'm just going to use the finer grits after that and get it ready to spray paint on. Then spin it around again and do the same to the driver side. Paint in March. I have a firm goal now. If it's not painted by the end of March I will be very disappointed in myself. It's just too close now to make excuses.

[Bomp]

Admire your determination. Looking good.

[Dieselwrencher]

Keep at it man! It'll pay off in the end. If you keep nit picking it, you may have to buy a beater to build the wheeler out of.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Admire your determination. Looking good.

Thanks. It comes and goes.

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Keep at it man! It'll pay off in the end. If you keep nit picking it, you may have to buy a beater to build the wheeler out of.

As bad of a case of the "might as well's" as you will ever see. No more beaters. (unless it's a really sweet deal )

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

No more beaters. (unless it's a really sweet deal )

That's funny. I tell myself the same thing.

[Dale99]

Looks great to me. Cant wait for mine to look this good.

I think I have already spent more on my beater then you have on this. So your doing great for a "beater"

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Dale99

Looks great to me. Cant wait for mine to look this good.

I think I have already spent more on my beater then you have on this. So your doing great for a "beater"

"Beater gone wild" is what it is. And thanks.

Took a few minutes to sand down the filler tonight. Turned out pretty good. Just need to fill some pinholes and sanding scratches, sand the top of the rail a bit and it's ready for the next (LAST) layer of primer. Maybe this weekend.

On another note, I found out tuesday that I'm getting a raise and earned my bonus for this year. Not much of that will get dumped onto this project, (super low buck remember) unless I break something or something fails once I get it back on the road. But I should be finishing up some things on my C-10. I found a source for the right material for the interior and really want to get that done. Also may look at adding AC to it. But that's a story for another day and the other build thread. It's just nice to get some more breathing room in the old checking account if you know what I mean.

[hgs_notes]

Finished up the sanding on the passenger side. You would not believe how long it takes to finish all the little nooks and crannys by hand, like that little radius on the edge of the wheel arch, around the front of the fender and tail light areas, etc. Especially when it was bumpy as all hell like mine was because I ignored those areas until now.

I filled a few little pinholes, retaped around the wheel arch on the front fender (had to remove the tape to sand it properly ) I have it degreased and its ready to spray.

I borrowed a DA sander from the body shop. They had one that they had borrowed out to a guy who banged the edges of the pad up real bad. I told them I wouldn't make it any worse. That thing is the BOMB! I have a random orbital sander and use it for knocking down the filler with course paper, but it's just too much action and too heavy for light sanding. The DA is great for the finer grits. Wish I had tried it out when I was doing my C-10, would have saved me hours, if not days of work.

So the plan is to spray primer on the hood and passenger side, maybe in the morning. Then DA with 320. Then start the other side and get the cowl and tailgate prepped. I'll probably wet sand with 400-600 once the other side is ready as the last step before sealer and paint. I don't have to work any weekends this month, but next month I have to almost every weekend. So I'm really going to push to finish the paint in March. Wish me luck, I'm going to need a ton of it.

[hilljob26]

im sure ready to see some color on it...keep it up brotha

[Bomp]

Good luck Man
You can do it. Coffee lots and lots of coffee.

[hgs_notes]

Got it sprayed with primer. Its all black again. Used a little more acetone in the mix than last time and it sprayed much better. About 3 oz added to 16 oz of primer.

[hgs_notes]

I got the hood sanded with 320 today. I tried the DA with it, still loaded up fast. So switched to wet sanding, and believe it or not that even loaded up some until I cut through the top skin of the primer. This featherfill is good for filling and cures real hard, but its a pain to sand.

Looks like a snow storm is rolling in tonight. If there is too much on the ground in the morning I'll cancel my inspection appointment for the day and sand some more.

[hgs_notes]

I finished wet sanding the passenger side this morning with 320. I figured out how to sand this primer without it loading up the paper so bad. I started by wet sanding with 220. That got the outer skin off and the orange peel or anything else off quick. Then did the 320 and had no problems. Other than its messy. But a different kind of mess. No piles of dust all over but dirty water on the floor. When it warms up this spring I'll have to use the pressure washer on the floor.

I did the cowl with the 220 also, but might need to spray more primer on that, it was pretty thin. I'll touch it up and finish it with the 320 soon. Then get it turned around to do the driver side. So close right now.

No pics. Looks like black primer, same as before, just smoother.

[hgs_notes]

Its been 2 weeks since I had an update, That sucks. There have been some huge changes in my life that began on 3/2, and I'm not going to go into it here on a public forum. Lets just say that my life is in transition right now, not really sure where it'll end up, but I'm making the best out of a bad situation. I'm doing fine really, but it has not been a good month to say the least.

Enough of that though. Today I made a garage day for myself and it felt damn good. When I left off last time I needed to block sand the driver side. Well that still needs to be done. Today I went a different direction because I just needed to. I started out by painting the edges of the hood. I did this so I can mount it for painting to keep the color consistent.



I did that before I painted the underside of the hood simply because it made taping easier. So yeah, I also painted the underside of the hood black. I had some left over chassis black paint which is a 2 part mix that is durable, and I already had it, so kinda like free.



While I was contemplating all this I thought there was a chance that I would have enough of that black paint to do the inner fenders also. Turns out I didn't, but no biggie. The passenger side is a new part, just needs scuffed and sprayed. The driver side one was mostly solid, except for one spot.



It was rusting between the little corner reinforcement piece and the fender skin. The rust on the brace piece was too bad to fix, so I found a piece of heavy gauge scrap and made one. It's not all fancy ribbed like the original, but so what. It will do the job just fine.




The inners are wiped down and pretty much ready to spray. I need to sandblast the hood hinges and spray those. I need to spray paint on the edges on the tailgate and in the bedsides where the tailgate mounts and the cowl cover so those can get mounted before paint. Still need to block the driver side. So probably wont get the whole thing painted before the end of the month, but I'm ok with that considering the circumstances.

On another note, my youngest turned 16 last week, bought her first car, and got her driver license the next day. Very proud of my kids. They all bought their own first car. All are beaters, but with some help from me, they keep getting them around from A to B without a monthly payment and no worries about fender bender accidents. The latest low buck beater find is a 94 Buick Le Sabre with just over 200k on it for $700. Needed new front tires and brakes and rotors, battery was replaced under warranty, still need to find a radio and fix the heater controls and paint the fender I found for it to replace the broken one, but it runs good and rides nice.

[71swb4x4]

Good job on the progress Mike.
Also glad to read about first cars. It's no fun when the bank owns your car. I played that game for a long time before I wised up. Putting new front tires and brakes on it is reassuring too, now you know exactly what is there.