Street Build bkrathwohl's Galant VR4 #1228/2000

[turbolover10]

Great progress, very impressive! Is there a certain type of acrylic enamel you are using?
I ask because I'm very interested in the process I might try and do the same on my gsx.

So you clean with simple green, kerosine. Sandblast, couple coats of primer and enamel?

Keep at it man, oh and btw that Sti is purdy!

 

[bkrathwohl]

I will have to check out a steering rack from them if this one starts to leak. Thanks for that info!

Yeah I couldn't believe that they would even send a part of that condition out to a customer.



For the super oily/greasy areas kerosine is really great for cutting through the stuff. If you have parts that are not oily or greasy then I think some other cleaner (Simple Green for example) will do just fine.

After that I use Eastwood PRE Paint Prep, I bought a gallon for the underbody and have a TON left over so i've been using it on everything before I prime it.

For primer I have just been using Duplicolor Self Etching Primer. I've been doing 2 or 3 coats of this.

And then I top it off with 2 medium coats of the Acrylic Enamel (center in this picture), and one thicker coat.

So far everything i've done with a spray can has turned out fantastic. Mind you there is no road time on any of these parts so I don't really know how well it is going to hold up to getting hit with road debris. Worst case I will take these parts back off and have them properly sandblasted and powder coated.

 

[bkrathwohl]

Had some fun over the weekend. Me and some of my buddies went up to Sno*Drift in Atlanta MI. We try to make it a yearly thing. Here are some pictures of the festivities. The blue laser is Mulldawg on the forum (and his AWD non turbo).

Sadly the laser didn't even make it past the first day. While driving to one of the stages (on another stage) he had a bit too much fun and the transfer case ujoint/yoke on his driveshaft failed. Luckily I had my driveshaft rebuild kit handy so I gave him those while he gets me another kit on order.

When I got back to work I was told that my control arms were ready. They were able to get the measurements of that stock sleeve and machine one of their own. You would never even know anything happened!

 

[92AWDHX40]

Great I saw some videos on the event.

 

[bkrathwohl]

I took a few videos as well, if anyone is interested. There is a modified 2014 Mirage with an Evo X chassis that was tearing it up. I want that car!

https://www.youtube.com/user/bkrathwohl

 

[FallenKing]

Bro, you're an artist

 

[turbolover10]

Thanks for the info on the underbody paint, I bet it will hold up pretty well. Looking forward to future progress on your build!

 

[bkrathwohl]

It was a gorgeous day out so I figured I would start some of the engine bay cleanup. I cleaned up rust around the battery tray area and the front bumper support area.

This was the worst part of the rust in the front of the car. I need to prime it and paint it still.

I still need to apply rust bullet but I am going to wait until it is consistently above 35* out (as that is the minimum temperature you can apply it).

 

[92AWDHX40]

I'm working on all my sub frame bushings soon gotta buy them. And clean up

 

[OGDSM1989]

Lots of great little tips in here, glad to see this VR-4 is getting the royal treatment.. Although I cant say I agree taking out the rear active control. Either way man keep up the great work.

 

[livedsm4g63]

The result is better turn-in, improved cornering power, and higher MPH in the quarter. Herp a derp

 

[OGDSM1989]

, I am sure there are plenty of great reasons why people take it out, if I was rebuilding/ restoring I would put it back to factory OEM, but thats just me. Not to take away from what he is doing, because that is a VR-4 worth paying for. I am just saying from my point of view a factory OEM VR-4 would be a worth its weight in gold at this point as most are far from the OEM car that is was sold as.

 

[bkrathwohl]

Thanks for the kind words. I don't like the idea of the rear flexing differently in every corner, that was my reasoning for installing the active toe eliminator kit. Plus I've never had it so I wanted to try it out!

Even if this was in mint condition its a 25 year old car, its resale value is still pretty low. At least I was able to rescue one of the 2000 and restore it the way that I saw fit, so I don't think ill be too heartbroken if I sell it...although I won't sell it to anyone other than a DSMer.

I was able to get some more rust repair done today. I wanted to paint the whole engine bay but the only bad area was the battery tray and a few spots on the front bumper support, the rest of the engine bay really is in great shape.

I will have to move in the next few months so I decided I would just repair the rust for now. I will probably revisit this down the road and take it to a body shop, but for now this will do. This will allow me to remount the motor and trans before I move.

Ill be tackling the battery tray area tomorrow.

 

[GST with PSI]

First, amazing work here.

I know you're under tight time constraints, but I think you'll regret not dong the whole bay now. Your bay is wayyy more stripped down than mine was when I painted mine. Additionally, you'll have to do very little prep work with the condition yours is in. I basically cleaned mine, removed the surface rust, then sprayed it.

Like I mentioned above, you can literally put a trash bag over the wiring harness and drape it out of the way.

You can have the bay prepped and painted in a day. 12 hours later you can be dropping the motor in. Just a suggestion to think about. Either way, the car is coming along great.

Here's a bunch of pics from then I did mine for reference...May have posted this already, so I apologize if you've already see this: http://www.galantvr4.org/ubbthreads...00&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=5&vc=1

 

[bkrathwohl]

I really don't care for your input........FINE ILL DO IT THE RIGHT WAY! After spraying primer on these areas today I was really questioning myself as to why I wasn't just painting the whole bay anyway. Although your "tutorial" makes it sound a lot easier than its going to be, or at least a lot less stressful.

I'm not sure how much paint I should get for the engine bay/front support. I see on 1837 you used automotivetouchup.com with great results, how much was left of the pint that you used? I may need to get a heater for the garage as well, the 2 part urethane clearcoat has a minimum temperature of 55*.

I was really hoping the first thing I painted would be less visible. I guess this is what this build is all about though, doing things i've never done before. Ill have to pick up a couple of the cheap HVLP guns from Harbor Freight.

I guess next step is getting some more cleaning supplies and doing a more thorough cleaning. I was really hoping that the underbody was the last thing I had to properly clean. Its ridiculous the amount of dirt, grime, and grease that makes its way everywhere in the engine bay.

 

[GST with PSI]

Niceeeee! Ok, for cleaning, I just used simple green and a pressure washer. The good thing about the painting the engine bay, is it's the engine bay. A run here or messed up spot there can be easily fixed, or even ignored completely if no f***s are given. Damn near anything you do in that engine bay will still look a thousand times better after a fresh coat of paint...Perfect or not.

So I get all my stuff from Automotivetouchup.com:

Here for X68 (Nile/Onyx Black Metallic according to them): http://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch-up-paint/mitsubishi/1991/all-models/

You should only need a pint for the engine bay alone, but I'd get a quart if you have more stuff to spray. You'll need to pick up a quart of their clear coat as well: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/urethane_clearcoat.aspx

You shouldn't need primer. You can just scuff the bay with a Scotch-Brite pad. Just make sure you cover any rusty areas with inhibitor, or primer before spraying the base/clear.

Here's the shitty part, you can't cheap out on a spray gun. A good spray gun is a must if you want this to turn out decent. I'd recommend borrowing a nice gun if you have a friend in the biz. I've used Harbor Freight guns before, and I wouldn't recommend them, this one specifically: http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-with-regulator-69705.html

I think they do have a new "professional" line of HVLP guns that might be better, so IDK. You could give those a try: http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-professional-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-68843.html.

I have a Devilbiss GFG-670, and a blind person could lay a clean coat of paint with it. I'd say buy or borrow a nice gun if that's an option.

More pics/info from my thread: http://www.galantvr4.org/ubbthreads...00&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=3&vc=1

 

[bkrathwohl]

Thanks for the info! I must have stumbled across your other build thread as you were writing this up.

This is on the way:

Sadly I don't know anybody who paints, so I will probably be starting with the "Professional" Harbor Freight gun (which has some pretty good reviews from DIYers). I know it isn't going to turn out as well as a DeVilbiss gun but that isn't something i'm ready to invest in...yet. And like you said, its going to look a million times better with a fresh paint job anyway.

I also still have that Rust Bullet undercarriage kit that's just been sitting, waiting for warmer weather. I've noted that you suggest going with a 2.0mm tip.

I'm contemplating doing what you did with 1837. Not worrying about rust would be fantastic. Then I can coat the wheel wells at that time as well, and blackshell them. At that point I think the body will be done!

 

[mbyoung424]

This looks great. I did my front subframe last year and am not happy with how to held up. Currently working on my rear suspension so I'm going to try this Rust Bullet kit.

 

[GST with PSI]

Yeah, the HF professional gun looks like it might work OK. Just make sure your air compressor can deliver the air volume needed.

Shoot a few test passes on a something before you spray, and you'll be alright.

I started out like you, telling myself I was going to patch up what was needed, and move on. Before I knew it, I was respraying the entire front clip. It wasn't a fun process, but I'm so glad I did everything at once. I saved tons of time on (dis)assembly and prep work that I would have had to repeat over again had I waited.

It will suck up front, but I promise you'll never regret popping the hood on the Galant after it's all said and done

 

[bkrathwohl]

I did a bit of research today on paint guns, turns out there are a few paint gun kits on Amazon with surprisingly good reviews. The one I choose had some great reviews and was 50% (maybe a new model was out or something). Either way I snatched these up. Buying a 2.0mm nozzle was $20 plus $10 in shipping, so I figured i'd just buy another gun for that price!

 

[2gGst98]

I would love your review on those as I was also debating on getting them myself. I have no experience with painting gana learn on my car. I have a few months before I am ready for me to attempt on painting myself, but when you get to use them please let us know how they are.

 

[bkrathwohl]

Sure, i'm sure I will have tons of pictures of my process/finished product. There was also a good looking DeVilbiss starter kit, but this one being 50% off caught my eye.

I need to snag an inline filter for the air line and I should be set for the guns.

I'll try to do some more disassembling of the front clip, removing the hood latch and seeing how far out of the way I can get the harnesses. I think ill stop off on my way home tonight and get some more cleaning supplies as well.

 

[2gGst98]

Nice well I'm more then enjoying watching your build keep up the master work

 

[Type1DSMr]

I will suck up front,

Always get the cash upfront . Sorry it was too funny.

Anyways, great build can't wait to see it all painted.

 

[GST with PSI]

Lol. Good catch.