Need some help with my spyder free food, beverages included

[nova1313]

I own a 97 spyder gst (previously owned a 99 spyder gs). I painted it during the summer but hate the new color so I plan on doing it again this weekend. I have alot of parts that I'd like to get on my car in the while things are drying. I'm looking for some help with those parts and also with the painting. Even if you never painted before I did it a cheap way and it came out excellent so I plan on doing it that way again... I'll show you how (you will laugh till you see the car, most poeple don't believe me... ) but I did it for slightly over 100 dollars.

My biggest problem: I can't seem to figure out how to get my front bumper off. I've had all the rest of the trim on the car off before though. I tried with a website that had pictures and I just can't figure it out. 20 bucks to the person who comes and helps me take it off

But I'll be starting friday night on the car (around 7pm), working most of saturday, sunday and monday.

What I have in mind: Color change to a darker blue, mount my undercar led lights from my old spyder (need to fab new brackets and remount), install volt, a/f, boost gauge, install 1g bov, install mbc.

If you help I'll provide food and drinks (non alcoholic ).

I'm 21 and from Allentown, PA email me (nova1313 at novaslp.net) if you would be free and interested in helping out a fellow DSM'er. Thanks much.

 

[skinnykenny84]

If you had beer I would even make it out there! !

But seriously, the front bumper is cake once you figure it out. You have to get under the car and take the 4 bolts holding the front bumper support to the chasis. Theres 2 on each side. Then you got the obvious ones under the hood and I think 2 more on each side behind the side marker lights.

 

[nova1313]

I had the bolts on the side and top out. But I the page I saw had me breaking tabs and stuff... Knowing that the 4 underneathe remove the bumper support I'll have to try that thanks..

Picture of car before:
http://www.novaslp.net/pics/v/newcar2/img_0083.jpg.html

After last paint job:
http://www.novaslp.net/pics/v/newcar2/paint/img_0440.jpg.html
http://www.novaslp.net/pics/v/newcar2/paint/img_0443.jpg.html

But it needs a darker blue that one is way to bright so I'm going with a color called sapphire blue this time..

 

[skinnykenny84]

So whats this painting technique you got?

 

[cs82685]

If you had beer I would even make it out there! !

You have to get under the car and take the 4 bolts holding the front bumper support to the chasis. Theres 2 on each side. Then you got the obvious ones under the hood and I think 2 more on each side behind the side marker lights.

The 4 to the bumper support are a PITA to get at but once you do it once you just leave em off and it will be a lot easier for the next time the bumper comes off, if your planning on changing it or installing a FMIC. I'd help if I was closer.

BTW good choice on wanting to change the color again, and the Turbo spoiler on spyders looks sexy

 

[10minutequarter]

You should leave it that color and change your plate to papasmurf

 

[nova1313]

Thanks much for all the help. Yeah some of my friends were calling it the smurf mobile. The color on the can was a bit darker then that. But the new blue is much darker... Almost a midnight bluish? It's called sapphire blue. My goal was close to nissan 350z blue as possible without paying a load of cash.

Maaco quoted me 1600 if I wanted it to look good (they remove everything) and a clear coat. Other shops quoted me 3000-4000. So I hit the internet...

I found a post on the mopar forums about painting a car with a roller and rustoleum. Don't laugh I didn't exactly do that... I read through the thread and tried it first on the spoiler it worked really well actually was a smooth finish it just took long as you had to do 8 coats and thining was a pain. So it took too long. I needed my car finished in 3-4 days so I could do it over a long weekend and drive to work on monday.

Then someone mentioned a paint called interlux brightside topcoat. It's for boats. (okay now you can laugh). It's designed to self level (read: no orange peel) and goes on a bit thicker then the Rustoleum. I bought 2 cans in largo blue (35 bucks a piece) plus a roller and some foam brushes for small stuff and the leveling stuff. Sanded the car with 400 grit. Rolled a coat. You roll a small section then brush over it with the foam brush and it levels. No roller marks after if you have some just sand them out before the next coat. You do 3 coats of it on the car, then after the last coat sand with 1000,1500 and finally 2000. Then polish to a very very reflective finish with a random orbit buffer.. It's really hard to tell the difference once it's waxed. It holds up fine and since there is no clear over it when i get a chip I can touch it up with a foam brush very easily. The car looks great other then the smurfyness of it. It's been on since mid july, no fading or peeling or anything. I love it it's cheap and fast. The reason it takes 4 days is drying between coats...but it took about 12 hours total.

Available colors are here (check the brightside section): http://www.yachtpaint.com/USA/general/colorcard_topsides.asp
Note it's not a good indicator at all however of the actual color as you see my car there is largo blue.. and sapphire blue is way darker then it shows there. Dark blue is almost black when seen on something.


I've done my car this way and we just did my friends 240sx in brightside black 2 weeks ago. It also looks excellent.

Thats the second part of the thread:
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2655425&an=0&page=0#Post2655425
If you are interested in the first part (I think it's like 40 pages but it doesn't really set the method till around page 30 or so)... then find it on their boards. There is a nice mustang on there done in brightside red it's so shiney.

It's okay if you don't believe me and I understand if you are still laughing at how "ghetto" that is. Most people don't believe it till they see it finished. But I'm going to try to bring it to the next Local DSM meet with the new color on. You can judge then

 

[skinnykenny84]

I believe you, I just cant believe it! Looks like you need to do a "How To" in the tech section for this. The "smurf" blue isnt my favorite color, but looking at the pics the paint job itself looks great.

 

[skinnykenny84]

I would also like to see pictures of the 240 you did in black, since black is about the hardest color to paint and make look good.

The one thing I dont understand is if there is no clear coat then what protects the paint?

 

[nova1313]

The paint kind of protects itself it's odd to describe. But this was my test case after I finished. It sat in the sun for about a week and in the rain that week too no staining. Fresh paint no wax over it. Cleaned it at the end of the week and it's still good no fading or anything. Parked it under a tree known for bird dropping for a day. Cleaned it 3 days later no staining or paint came off.

When you finish painting you will have some spots that are glossier then others but it's still acceptable to drive around. Once you final wetsand and polish it's amazing looking. Very hard to tell. But since I painted it i could point out all the blemishes right for you. However my friends were hard pressed to pick anything out.

I've since driven it 800 miles highway to and from buffalo to paint my friends 240. No rock chips on the hood. Smacked and went up on several crubs in parking lots. The underside of the front bumper is still solid blue.

Thsi weekend I took a key to it on the trunk. I was able to scrape through the first coat it seems when I used alot of force (as if I was keying my own car). but generally brushing against it didn't seem to harm it.

The parts I didn't prep well (by the trim for the conv top in the back) I could peel up some paint around the edge when I scratched. But you could see the unsanded original coat there. I could only peel up about 1/8 of an inch of paint. Once I got to the other stuff that was prepped and actually sanded it was good. I can sand that and it doesn't peel it creates dust. I plan to actually remove that trim this time so it works out fine.

I then took a chisel to my hood 2 nights ago and delibrately chipped it alot. I sanded the area around it. Painted the area with a rush, left dry (about 6 hours), recoated (left dry 12 hours), Came back and put a final coat on the chips (let it dry), I wet sanded the area's this morning and hit them with the buffer. They look excellent for chip repairs. So it can be fixed from my experience.

It dries really hard. Note: I wouldn't try this stuff within the first week you paint it... give it some time to set and dry completely. I painted my last coat and took it on the road 12 hours later.

2 things scared me when I did it:
1) The initial shock after the first coat of oh god what have I done to my gorgeous red car?
2) the first week driving it around I kept insisting it looked horrible cause I could see all the problems in the paint since I did it. After I drove it a week I don't notice it anymore. It's not show quality by any means but it's much better then the keyed up red coat and shines very nicely with wax on.

NOTE: The rustoleum aparently looks very dull when done. The brightside paint does not. I first painted the spoiler with rustoleum and it looks kinda crappy. But if you have an older car it has that appearance. Many people on the mopar boards are happy with that because thats close to how their cars came from the factories.

The 240sx:
Note: These are pictures after the first coat. I'll have to get the latest and completed pictures from him sometime tonight and put them up. You can see how glossy it is after 1 coat. Note there are some spots where coverage is questionable. There were no roller marks from it just some wasn't painted yet. The second coat took care of that.
http://www.novaslp.net/pics/v/NewYorkBuffalo/JonsCar/

 

[rigbender]

I know this thread's been idle for a while, but did you ever repaint using the sapphire blue? I've also been following the moparts thread. I think your car came out good, just not a color I like. I like the sapphire blue, but would like to see it on a car first.

 

[nova1313]

I never got around to doing the entire car yet. I have to sand down some orange peel from the first time an an area I didn't prep well. I'm hoping to do that this weekend. I've done some small area's of the car with it. I'll have to take pictures and post. I like it much better then the old blue.. However I must say after driving around for 3 months with smurf blue it started to grow on me.

 

[rigbender]

, well hopefully the sapphire blue looks better. Can't wait to see how it looks. I'm gonna be starting mine sometime next month, so it would be great to see how it looks.