billybunters - from a bmw z4 to a mx5 se

[billybunter]

I don't plan to clear coat it this time round. so once I do around the other side and do the spray I will then put on the front guards-roll it back into the verandah then a bit give it a bit of a wipe over and spray the lot

[billybunter]

DAY 22 4 hours

fixed up this door with a mask up and spray




same too with the other side







rubbed back the door to include it in the spray




did inside the door jam




put the boot back on







fitted both front guards in position. it is now ready to give a light rub over maybe tomorrow and then throw a good litre or so of the colour over the lot.

[Gladiator]

Bloody hell Billy, I go away for 6 weeks & you’ve rubbed back & painted again!! Good work!!


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[billybunter]

sorry! it should have been completed. I've slowed down

[billybunter]

DAY 23 - 3 hours


today I ran a coat of clear over the boot to see how it looked - not bad at all






then I let the boot dry out and did a wet 1500 rub on the left side rear






then hand polished it out and the verdict - so far this is a very good paint job! may be even ahead of the red job. no reason at all to hit this with clear to get the shine





so I then decided to tape up this right side and spray the pinch weld black











fitted a small bit of the rear hardware





fitted a bit to the front end and the wiper swing arms





then decided i'd better paint the wiper cowl. and wipers etc





that tidied it up a bit more





then took a look at the door handles these will have to be cleaned up pretty well and completely done over and this time put in without scrathing the car

[billybunter]

DAY 24 about 3 hours

I started of on the door handles and the job took a lot longer than you would expect





these were rubbed back with 240 /then 400 and wipe over with grease and wax remover as they did pick a lot of grease from the mechanical side. after that primed and rubbed back





given an hour or so to dry and top coated. paint too soft to take the risk fitting them into the doors





then I did both the external side mirrors in gloss black. they too followed the same. rubbed back with 400 wet then plastic primed /2 coats and then a couple of coats of the gloss black





prior to fitting the mirrors I rubbed back the window area with 1500 wet





then did a quick hand polish around the door handle and external mirror hole plus the area where the window rubber seal goes in. better to do this now as the excess is easy and no chance or damage to the paint work








after that I finished the day with the fitting of the bonnet

[billybunter]

DAY 25 4 hours

took about 3 hours just to cut back the rear bar. first I had to spit the two parts which are bolted from the rear. just worked on the larger part today








then used a plastic primer/filler and after an hour wet sanded it with 800




2nd coat of 3 coats




overall it took 3 hours to do this rear bar and its only the main part not including the smaller lower unit attached by several bolts. all the work is really tied up in the prep.
so actual time to spray this rear bar would be - 3 coats of paint and roughly 10 minutes per session and each spray would be over well within 90 seconds- so in other words - less than 5 minutes to paint this rear bar

so if you have your car stripped you can paint it very very quick- but if you are stuffing around bits here and there- it will take longer





I then hand polished the rear deck area so I could fit the body line back in place








in position




door handle in and trouble free fit




next up front bar

[billybunter]

DAY 26 -5 hours

started off again with the rub outs








then plastic primed the front bar. waited about an hour and wet rubbed out with 800 grit




gave it 43 coats of the top coat, plus a pullover and a scarf





sat aside to dry





I decided to gloss black the inner section of the front bar








then a test fit on the car to see how it looks

[Daffy]

decided to gloss black the inner section of the front bar

Your giving me ideas BillyB!!!

[RS2000]

Looking good Billy, you certainly don't take any shortcuts! Question time again....
What sort of sanding block do you use on panels that have concave & convex surfaces? Or just palm of hand?

[billybunter]

well it cost me nothing but a bit of time to see how it looks. its better to throw the black on now take a look and see and if I do or don't like -quick rub out and back to the other colour.

here's another shot for you. I still have a bit of reserve paint so can experiment a bit I wouldn't say it looks RS so at this stage I will wait and see how it looks as I put the lot back together.





RS2000

I have several of these foam rubbing blocks scattered around the place. just photograph this for you in its natural habitat I just divide my sheet of sandpaper into four and wrap it around one of these. they are pretty flexible and can move about
these are not the norm though. they can be pre-formed into areas where other foam blocks wouldn't go a more softer compound. think the wife got them in 3 packs at Bunnings but I did the whole car with them. flat and on edge.
after that palm job and at times fingers in tight spots etc. all boils down to one word...pressure!

[RS2000]

Thanks Billy

[KevGoat]

Hard to tell, but looking at mine I reckon from side on that black front lip would make the front bar look like it's been cut off high. Might look ok once a new side stripe is fitted though ....

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[billybunter]

DAY 26 - 4 hours

KEVGOAT- time will tell if it stay or not

interesting day today - that's for sure. started of with the rear spoiler and stripped the remaining paint with 240 and then over with 400 - all good








then got a visitor who i'd know for many years plus a bit of a know all too. said he would help with the masking up should have stopped then and there BUT I carried on. after-all he was wearing glasses and I thought maybe his eyes were better than mine








even I could have done better corners than this crap!




anyway he pissed off after a coffee and biscuit session and I went back to work. this time I cut back the boot lid with 1500 wet and gave it a cut polish. came out pretty good too


before




after

hard to get a good idea on an off white car but its like glass believe me


[img]
https://s19.postimg.cc/975xmodlv/DSC01043.jpg[/img]





I then went into the boot area for a tidy up and got rid of any or most overspray PLUS I re-wrapped the power wires again in black electrical tape to freshen it up








I was about to go further then realized I would not be able to fit the roll bar later so stopped




its not perfect -but better considering its come for a pure red





I then decided to give the door jam a bit of a polish up. it too came up good but again hard to pick from the photo in this off white colour




ive been thinking lately too. why the f//k I play with a small compressor which struggles to do the job when I waste so much money elsewhere. I should be flogged for this stupidity -that's for sure. I will make sure I buy one good compressor soon just to see what it is like to spray with power





I then decided to fit the rear bar to see how it looks





now fitted to the car you can get an idea on the shine on the boot from the cut polish - so I think anyone would be happy with that





now this isn't about a perfect paint job -its about what I can put together for a $1000 and save myself paying any-one else. after fitting the rear bar I stood back and looked. sh*t I thought - not enough paint on the rear bar
looking at the right untouched rear guard and the lower rear bar attachment -you can see the lighter colour of the main bar. so the top and bottom on target and centre too light
this is the problem from pulling and spraying bit at a time although I did go around the lot at the very end. anyway I have the spare paint and I can pull the bar tomorrow and a quick scuff and I can add the extra colour and all good
apart from that small error - all good and no paint runs or insects etc and although it may not equal the red job its a far better job than the previous white car
while I am at it -why it doesn't equal the red is only visual only. the job is as good but the red stood out more.
that matters little because I could have had a RED ABARTH 595 demo for $8000 cheaper and went WHITE . I should have bought that bustard and painted it WHITE...LOL
anyway on again tomorrow

[KevGoat]

Just looking at that boot is enough to put me off doing something like this myself

That said ... per last time you did it, the "ND style" blackouts around the windscreen and side mirrors are really tempting .....