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Street Build Red5.

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So, FL heat is very un friendly to any DSM especially a 2g, idk why. I add 2x pushers the right way. Sealed the radiator and created some ducting to force air into the fans+condenser+radiator, it worked very well, i still get hot with A/C on but that is something that will be addressed later in the build.
Oh i also used a oil cooler to aid in water temps.
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Now i begun to remove the cancer.

also meet up with a local at a junk yard that doesn't TAX the crap out of Dsm's
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So science has proven men have a harder time distinguishing shades of red, and since i couldn't read the faded code on my wall i picked p88, which was the wrong shade of red. This has to be the best mistake i've made so far as you will all see soon.

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PREPPING FOR PAINT !!!!!!
YEAR (2015)

picked up a canopy to build a paint booth, also tried to use a fender roller to roll my rear lips, TOTAL FAIL P.O.S broke and shaved paint of my brembo, that's what i get for trying shit the right way, so i grabbed a mallet, a hammer and a rubber mallet and went to town, worked perfectly! no more rubbing on the tires.
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Excuse the absence, lots has taken place; found a nice home for her out of the ghetto, to keep her safe. And since then.......
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i had a bad valve regulator on the gun, so even though the paint went on well on the body the gloss has a bad case of peel. Ill re sand and redo in the future but for now it will have to do.
 
Since this car is... 1998-2015= 17yrs old now, all of the bolts snapped off upon disassembly.
This is what i did to remedy the problem.
And DREW(Team Vanquish) thanks again brother.
If any one finds this through google since i couldn't; here it is, the bolts for the body are m6x1.00+ w.e lenth you wish. You can use a 13/64 to drill first then tap.
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Since the oem fasteners cost more than a human life, i used these from a local parts store to reassemble the sideskirts and ect.
Also idk wht this pic is upside down, yeah , yeah i know already did that. must be one of those mysteries.
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see the orange peel?
yeah, i also used a bolt/nut to reduce the pull needed to open the door since we all have this issue.
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used paint thinner to rid myself of the leftover cancer, works well better than any of the other crap used on the internet.
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Alright fellow enthusiest, i said in the beggining that some of you may remember this name. RED5. well here she is.
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Im a nerd too so here it is; like luke i to wish to become a jedi, but have only been a trooper thus far, so this is my X-Wing which will accompany me on my path.
(some will get the references, some will not)
 
I added rally armor black mud flaps, + painted the lettering with left over paint to match.
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After wetsand, cut + buff.

My two favorite things in one pic AMERICA and my DSM
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Also, on this memorial day weekend i feel even more proud to have walked amongst the warriors that have made it possible for people like myself to enjoy the tranquility of peace and freedom, paid by their sacrifice; to those who never returned home, I salute.
 
since now i am caught up. i want to thank all of the people who have helped me one way or another along the way.
Mark, thanks brother you were the 1st mentor i had, you exposed me to a world i didn't understand and threw me head first.

Nancho
, never has there been a time where i could surprise you; your knowledge of dsm's is vast, thanks for all the answers you provided over the years.

Drew, Andrew, Eric (T.V) i love what you guys do, thanks for allowing me the opportunity to have gotten to know you guys, look forward to seeing more of you guys, and re-tuning the next two power plants.

last thanks DSMTUNERS its members and its vendors, there wouldn't be dsm if it weren't for all of you.
 
She just looks beautifull!
Do you have by any chance pictures of the inside of rear fender?
I would like to have an idea on how much i can hammer it ;)
thanks man,
Scroll above to post #29
But you can go all the way till you completely folded it againt the body...this may not be the best option for you, I was primered then.
 
The car has come a long way from beginning to end. I can appreciate the time and work you've put in.

As far as the orange peel goes, your problem is the Harbor Freight paint gun you used. I use that same gun for painting little stuff like engine brackets and parts for small projects. I use the Harbor Freight gun when I don't want to dirty up my nice gun.

The problem with the Harbor Freight gun is it doesn't atomize the paint very well. It ends up blobbing the paint by the time it hits the panel, and at that point it's no longer covering evenly. As a result, the paint builds in some areas unevenly which causes that excessive orange peel look. Regardless of the paint gun used, this always happens to some degree, hence having to wet sand and buff a fresh paint job. Just with a cheap paint gun that atomizes poorly, the orange peel effect is more pronounced. That's also the reason you pay $300+ for a quality paint gun. Most people who don't work in paint shops don't own high end painting equipment, which is also why most people don't paint their own stuff. For a job like this, it's always good to ask around and see if you can borrow a nice gun from a friend or something rather than buy one. You can also find good deals on Craigslist. You may find an autobody guy unloading stuff or getting out of the game. That's always a good scenario to get a good deal.

If you wanted to correct the issue, you do have some options. You could sand the car down to the color coat (assuming you applied a clear coat) until you knock the high spots of the orange peel. At that point, apply a few light coats of color with a better paint gun, followed by a few coats of clear.

Please, don't take this post as me knocking you. The car looks a million times better than it did, and I can really appreciate a DIYer like yourself taking on a job like this single handedly. I just wanted to provide you with some feedback from lessons I learned painting over time.

Good luck, and looking forward to seeing progress in the future.
 
The car has come a long way from beginning to end. I can appreciate the time and work you've put in.

As far as the orange peel goes, your problem is the Harbor Freight paint gun you used. I use that same gun for painting little stuff like engine brackets and parts for small projects. I use the Harbor Freight gun when I don't want to dirty up my nice gun.

The problem with the Harbor Freight gun is it doesn't atomize the paint very well. It ends up blobbing the paint by the time it hits the panel, and at that point it's no longer covering evenly. As a result, the paint builds in some areas unevenly which causes that excessive orange peel look. Regardless of the paint gun used, this always happens to some degree, hence having to wet sand and buff a fresh paint job. Just with a cheap paint gun that atomizes poorly, the orange peel effect is more pronounced. That's also the reason you pay $300+ for a quality paint gun. Most people who don't work in paint shops don't own high end painting equipment, which is also why most people don't paint their own stuff. For a job like this, it's always good to ask around and see if you can borrow a nice gun from a friend or something rather than buy one. You can also find good deals on Craigslist. You may find an autobody guy unloading stuff or getting out of the game. That's always a good scenario to get a good deal.

If you wanted to correct the issue, you do have some options. You could sand the car down to the color coat (assuming you applied a clear coat) until you knock the high spots of the orange peel. At that point, apply a few light coats of color with a better paint gun, followed by a few coats of clear.

Please, don't take this post as me knocking you. The car looks a million times better than it did, and I can really appreciate a DIYer like yourself taking on a job like this single handedly. I just wanted to provide you with some feedback from lessons I learned painting over time.

Good luck, and looking forward to seeing progress in the future.
don't worry, i like the constructive criticism, unfortunately i must say i believe your argument to be less than factual, see when i tossed the valve and sprayed the body parts separated without the valve i got no orange peel, so yes even though it's a cheap gun the root cause is the valve not the gun.
And ill be sanding it down(getting rid of clear) since that is the orange peel not the paint, paint came out fine.
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I assure you, the root cause of your horrible orange peel is that cheap a$$ paint gun. If you've ever painted with a high end gun, you'd see the difference. On smaller parts, the effect is less obvious. On the larger panels though, it's easy to see. You'll save yourself a lot of work sanding and buffing of you upgrade your paint gun, I promise.

Even in this photo after you said you wet sanded and buffed, you can still see the effects of the orange peel. You probably won't be able to buff that level of imperfection out until you sand down to the color coat and respray the panel, which is why I suggested it. Again, I'm not knocking your project. I'm just trying to give some friendly advice for next time, or whatever.

I added rally armor black mud flaps, + painted the lettering with left over paint to match.
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After wetsand, cut + buff.
 
Sorry man, I don't mean to come off as a know-it-all. Having done a few DIY paint jobs, I just wanted to pass on some of my lessons learned so that others don't have to do it the hard way.

I've tried various things to make the Harbor Freight gun work better. I've tried to use my good regulator off my Devilbiss gun, and it made no difference. I tried different feed pressures and 3/8" fittings to ensure I have the volume needed; still no change. I've also tried different paint mixing strategies as well, trying thinner mixtures to no avail. Overall, the gun is just not a quality piece, and it shows in the way it lays paint. I still use it to this day to paint engine brackets, apply paint to the wheels wells, and spray areas where looks don't really matter.

Alternatively, I have a Devilbiss GFG-670 Plus that is the complete opposite. Even an amateur like me can lay a nice coat of paint down with it. I've done a fair amount of painting during both of my most recent Galant builds, so I've had plenty of practice figuring out what doesn't work. I've resprayed more panels than I care to admit, that's for sure. You can check out either of my builds to see most of the stuff I've done over the years.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to tell you what I know. I'm no painting expert but I've done a fair amount of it. I've sprayed everything from rust inhibitor and primer to color and clear.
 
I believe it when I see it! Is that the same gun you used on those wheels? Because they came out Devine. Honestly ill be buying a quality gun for the next "merry go round" maybe even the same brand as yours:). Thanks for taking an interest I appreciate it a little more, since you can relate ,since you have an exceptional build many of us are fans of. When that time comes ill remember to I.m you.
 

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