My Tenth Anniv.

[roadking77]

Heat is my biggest concern using my ro sander. The hood already needs some work and I dont want to add to the damage
I have heard good and bad about repro hoods. I would hate to get a bad one then get stuck with return shipping costs. I am going to look for some paint stripper discs and see if they work. I have used chemicals also and may go that route as well. In my experience I have found that typically there are multiple steps and ways to do the job on each piece. Do some chemical first, then maybe a bit of scraping, then some sanding as a final step.

[5th T/A]

I remember when I got my hood, I was surprised at how little protection the box offered. Fortunately, it was not damaged and I didn't have to pay shipping. I checked catalogs and saw prices ranged from 418.00 to 569.00, not including tax and shipping. That is less than I was expecting. If you can make your current hood work you could save a lot of money plus have the satisfaction of using an original part that you salvaged and restored. Of course if the hood isn't up to your standards, you wasted a lot of labor and materials. It would be great to hear from someone who recently purchased a repo hood and get some useful feedback regarding their satisfaction.   

[FormTA]

Ya, I second the paint stripper. It won't bubble like new paint, it just liquiffys it and you use a squeegee to scrap off the liquid.  Then a quick run over with 80 grit.

[roadking77]

20240806_174834 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
This was about an hour with 60gr on my random orbit electric sander. Works ok, but gonna take forever and Im concerned about building up too much heat.

20240806_174837 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Harbor Freight had a grand opening of a store fairly close, so I went there Sat and picked up some 'stripping discs'. The go into a drill. I got two kinds, one is a plastic version of a wire wheel, the other is made just for stripping paint, also some kind of plastic. Anyway, this was after about a half our with a combination of the two. Not working very well.

20240806_183936 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Picked up some paint stripper from HD. It worked great! Only problem is I dont have a lot of patience. I attack it too soon. If I let it soak in longer I'm sure it would work even better.

20240806_192958 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
After about an hr and a half, but a lot of wait time, one side stripped with chemical and then a once over with 60gr on the RO sander. Still needs a good bit of work, and the bird is etched in with rust so I will do a shot of evaporust to see if I can knock that out. 
All in all this hood is not too bad. I would prefer to use something better but its what I have. Also, this one is leaps and bounds better than the one I used for my 77, so I know I can bring it back to life.

[5th T/A]

Good progress on what is a labor intensive task. This is an excellent example of why bodywork and paint is often very expensive on a classic car.

[FormTA]

It always amazes me that the birds are etched in. On the few I have done i have used an acid etch (probably phosphoric) to get into those pits, wash it really well and then epoxy. Looks like you're making good progress, but wait until you get to the under side.... not to discourage you but that side is a real booger.

[N PRGRES]

That etched in bird would make awesome wall art!

[roadking77]

Someone else made the same comment about the wall art. I could probably finish the stripping process, clear coat, then sell it on ebay for enough money to buy a decent new hood

Yes Luke, I am not looking forward to the underside. Def a pain. At least this one is straight from front to back. The one on my 77 was almost bent in half, I suppose form bad hood hinges. I had to take it apart at the seams and welded in a piece of steel for reinforcement.

[roadking77]

20240810_115440 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
A little more done on the hood. I soaked it with Rustoleum rust remover gel, then washed it, then hit the rusty bird outline with my roloc and angle die grinder. After the roloc I sanded the whole thing with 120 on my ro sander. This is showing one more treatment of the rust gel on the bird outline itself. I will wash this off and sand one more time. Its coming along nicely at this point.

[FormTA]

Could get some perfect factory measurements off of that for regular TAs. Looking good Kerry!

[stros]

That etched in hood looks awesome.  Now I regret tossing my original rusty hood that had its decal embedded into it too. 

[roadking77]

Picked up some epoxy primer yesterday, gonna try to get the bare metal coated today or tomorrow. Experienced a bit of sticker shock. I went to my local mom n pop store. They are not branded i.e. autozone, oriely's etc. But an old school store that mainly specializes in paint and paint supplies. They have been around since my older brothers were customizing vans in the 70's. Great guys to deal with and knowledgeable. They always help me when I have questions.
Anyway, I figured I only needed a quart, BUT the only company they had that sold epoxy in the quart was high end and was $180. I got the next level of quality by the gallon(2 gallons sprayable) for $200! The last gallon of epoxy primer I bought from Eastwood was around $60!! I cant wait until I get to buy a couple of quarts of paint for the hood

[ryeguy2006a]

Yeah, it's crazy how much paint has gone up.

[roadking77]

20240820_190922 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
I finally got the under side cleaned up enough to paint. Epoxy on it last night. Will do the face side today.
Going back to the price of paint, I went to get a gallon of final clean ( I used to call it prep sol). This is used to wipe down the bare metal surface before the paint is applied. It was $180 a gallon That is not a misprint. SO, no way I was spending that. I bought a quart of acetone at Sherwin Williams for $10 and used that. Paint went on fine.
20240820_191050 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
In my spare time I cleaned up my washer nozzels.

[wheels78ta]

Thanks for posting all the work you do.  This will help me do the same thing in the end.  Not quite that far yet but slowly getting there.

Great work, Kerry.

[ryeguy2006a]

Looks great Kerry! DANG, that's expensive prep-sol!!!

[5th T/A]

Beautiful Kerry, It's hard to believe that's the same hood you started with. I am almost afraid to say anything, but you are really moving right along with the hood.

In early 2021 I bought some Prepsol at my local NCS supplies store and couldn't believe it was $48.00 a gallon.

[FormTA]

Ya, u was shocked at the price the paint prep I used to buy which was PPG. So this time I just bought a quart of it from eastwood when they had a traveling sale near me where I picked up my brake flaring tool.

Hood looks great. You really moved quick on that under side. That took me forever.

[roadking77]

Yea, It was pretty much a PIA. I worked most evenings for an hour so during the last week to get it there. There was some original smooch from the glue that seals the hood skin to the bracing that was spoozed out in big piles. I took a sharp chisel and cut it all back flush. I know it should have been left for originality but it just looked ugly to me. The skin itself has come loose from the bracing. I know they sell body adhesive which really isnt all that expensive (at least it wasnt?) but the 2 part caulk guns are easily $100+. (Broken record-I had one that burnt up in my fire years ago). Im not about to buy a new one so will look around and see if I can find some kind of glue/sealant that I think will do the job.

The only thing I need to purchase to finish my interior is the seat covers. A big expense with this car that I have been putting off. I picked them up yesterday afternoon

20240821_162930 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Unfortunately there was a refrigerator in the box!  My fridge that was 7 years old crapped out a couple of weeks ago and I had to replace it. Seat budget is now keeping my food fresh Whats another month or two?

[roadking77]

20240822_105623 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Got the top primered this morning. NO, I typically do not paint outside. The weather has been more than ideal and if I painted in my shop I would have to cover up my car good enough not to get overspray on it. Outside was good enough for this step as its going to be sanded and painted over a couple of more times before the colour goes on. Actually being under a tree there was ZERO junk of anything in the paint. If this was a finish clear coat I am sure it would have been full. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good
20240822_102628 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
This is the gun I use for epoxy and primer. Its an hvlp from lowes, cost about $50. I have gone through a few of these. This one is getting to be on its last leg. The finish is almost like a bedliner, but again for this step it doesnt matter.

20240822_150333 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
The front edge on the dr side had a bump in it. It was really bad before I started to work on it. I beat it down pretty good with a bfh but after getting the paint on I could feel it pretty badly. I cut a wood template to match the profile of the front using the pass side as a template. Identify where the hump is and get the beast out again for a couple of whakks! Put it in its place. A little filler and it will be fine.
20240822_150456 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240822_151429 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240822_151444 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240822_151457 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

This is the filler I use. I used the blocks to determine low spots. Some of the wings were still showing. A coat of filler, let it sit overnight sand it off and some sealer primer. Then do it all again until its pretty straight and flat. I like to use the store bought mixing board with tear away sheets. I am cheap and try to reuse a sheet as many times as possible. I also re use the throw away rubber gloves! Did I say I was cheap?

20240822_111208 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
And lastly, the sunbathing beauties whilst I was working.

[N PRGRES]

Wow great progress!  I can't wait to see it painted

[roadking77]

I made a big goof
When the hood was bare metal I used acetone as a final clean before painting (see my above comment about prep-sol @$180 a gal.)
I sanded the body filler and sanded the epoxy. To get the dust off I figured why not hit it with some cleaner. So I sprayed a shot of the acetone on and it immediately turned to gel EPIC FAIL!
So, I stopped there and ordered some purposeful stuff from Eastwood along with some 2k primer. Supposed to be on my stoop Tuesday. I can get the exhaust buttoned up in the meantime.

[5th T/A]

Sorry to hear you hit a minor snag on the hood restoration, other than the acetone incident it is looking great. Those two little four legged supervisors must have been sleeping on the job. Their sensitive noses should have sniffed out the acetone and warned you it would give you problems.

[FormTA]

Kerry, you make me laugh..... I do exactly the same things. I reuse my plastic gloves until they rip, I use the tear off paper over and over, I clean my bondo spreaders with wd40, I have one that is probably 30 years old....

Progress is progress. Looking great!

[ryeguy2006a]

Looking good Kerry! I reuse things like that too. My wife gets so mad when I leave a cup on the side of the sink haha. It just had water in it, so why put it in the dishwasher when I'll get another glass in a few hours.

[roadking77]

I rinse out my drink ware too I can use the same glass all weekend. After I drink a quick rinse and I will set it on the counter. After a day or two I figure its time for the dishwasher.

[81Resto]

Looking good.  I can understand the worry about possible shipping damage when buying repops.  I got a trunk lid due to extensive rust under the rear spoiler.  One of the corners came slightly bent.  Easily
fixable but frustrating nonetheless. 

[roadking77]

I got the mess from the acetone cleaned up and sanded. Got the entire hood sanded with 200 dry. I cleaned that up and wet sanded with 400 then cleaned that a couple of times. Hoping to get some primer put on tomorrow, then sand, bondo, clean and primer again! As many times around the block until it looks pretty flat. I got some pre pain cleaner from eastwood and it works pretty nice. I like that its in a spray bomb. I think it was a bit under $20. If I figure the amount to make a gallon it probably equals the $180 that the paint store wanted
Also picked up some sprayway cleaner at Marshalls the other day for $4.  There were some guys on the Antique forum that said they use that as a pre paint cleaner? I used it between the 220 and the 400, did a nice job.20240828_192803 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240828_192807 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

[roadking77]

20240830_114200 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240830_123615 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240830_130530 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
This was the only bad spot in the hood. Cut out the bad, weld in a new piece of metal and clean up with some bondo. Sand and paint.
Ready to put some more primer on the hood a this point.

[roadking77]

20240831_122110 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240831_135605 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
Got this thing sanded yet again and 2k primer over the filler and epoxy. Overall it looks pretty good and is nice and flat for the most part. There are 2 dips in a mirror image about 8in. from the front edge. I didnt look underneath but I suspect that is where its glued to the bracing. Its not very much but I think I will try and fill a little anyway. Now it needs block sanded with a long block looking for any other small dips that are not easily visible. Fill then prime again. Repeat.
I forgot how much fun the hoods are to work on
I thought the doors were bad but this is creeping right up there to #1 PIA.

[FormTA]

Ya, I feel the doors are #1 then the hood but it's a close second.  Looking good!

[N PRGRES]

Also picked up some sprayway cleaner at Marshalls the other day for $4.  There were some guys on the Antique forum that said they use that as a pre paint cleaner? I used it between the 220 and the 400, did a nice job.20240828_192803 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240828_192807 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Plus it will smell good too!

[ryeguy2006a]

Nice tech tip Kerry! If you left the hood flat black, it would still be a T/A. Challenger T/A, but none the less.

[roadking77]

20240903_164631 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240903_164058 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr
20240903_165106 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr20240903_171504 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

Getting closer to be ready for some real paint on the hood. It should arrive any day and I want to be ready for it. I used the TATA hood I had as a template. Its nice to have something like that just laying around I first outlined the where I think (hope) the colour change will occur. I used a 1/2" fine line painters tape for this that makes bends pretty easy. Then using a heavy construction paper cut to the line, flipped over for a mirror image to get the bottom half done. Fill in the above for the top half. My plan is to paint both colours at once, then clear coat the entire thing. When I painted the body of the car I painted the silver, after it was clear coated I masked it off and painted the grey. I think that was a mistake I wont live to regret

My plan for this is to paint the dark grey at the top of the hood just a bit oversized. Then swap templates and paint the silver. Once this is ready I will clear everything at one time. Getting excited to get this thing finished.

[5th T/A]

Kerry, the other day when we texted, I was thinking what a challenge it would be to line up the decals on the fenders and hood without thinking the hood is two colors. Not a job for those lacking confidence or ability. The right man is on the job! I really think you enjoy a challenge.

[FormTA]

Never thought about the two tone on the hood.

Why do you feel clearing over each color separately was a mistake? Just curious.

[roadking77]

I do like to challenge myself, sometimes a bit too much

When I painted the car I did the silver then clear coat. I then taped that off and painted the grey and clear coat. When I pulled the masking tape off there was a distinct ridge of clear coat build up at the tape line. I tried my best to get it flat before I buffed. The roof looked pretty good but I think I got a bit of wave in the doors. I can see it at the right angle, but otherwise it looks great. Its only about 1 inch below the window line I am hoping that between the window sweep and the tape it may not be noticeable. I am afraid of what its going to look like in the sunshine though (something this car has not seen in upteen years IF it looks too bad I may have to consider a repaint

The directions from Phoenix graphics say to install the hood bird first, then the fender tip decals and the tape to align everything. I took all of my measurements from this ratty Tenth Ann hood that I have and will do so when I place the bird. I dont think I will have to worry about alignment, fingers crossed.

[N PRGRES]

putting on that bird seems very daunting to me

[FormTA]

If it's just not flat (different levels if paint thickness), you could just scuff and shoot a path of clear over it and then wet sand to blend. Now, if your tape lines are wavy that's a different issue. I have never waited between a base coat and clear I try to minimize the time the base is left uncoated to reduce contamination.  I at least put one or two coats of cleat on let it dray and then scuff, tape and then clear, pull tape and clear everything with a few coats. Sand and buff. But, you don't need any help, you're doing a fantastic job, everything looks great!

[roadking77]

Yes Luke, I follow the paint, let it flash for prescribed amount of time then clear coat. I know you can paint, let it sit for a day or two then scuff and clear. My plan is to paint the grey, once its dry enough mask off and paint the silver, once its ready clear coat. I want to do it all at one time. It will be a long stressful morning 

As to the hood bird install, I am not too worried at this point. I would have rather had it on whilst the summer sun was still nice and hot but oh well. When I did the one on my 77 it came out perfect. I had my son help and we both commented on how simple it was and how nice it turned out. The next day it was full of air bubbles. Looked worse than the moons surface. I panicked and even considered ripping if off. I started squeezing and popping bubbles. Once I calmed down I parked it in the sun for a couple of weekends and between that and the underhood heat from the motor running the decal turned out perfect and is completely flat. There is one very small wrinkle which was damage I did popping a bubble. If I had left it alone that would not have happened. So, If this one bubbles up I will not panic, just let it get some heat and a little time.