liquidh8
Comic Book Super Hero
Looking good! The seam sealing them damn doors is a time consuming affair. I used painters tape over all the joints to get nice clean lines. Ughh, a lot of guys never put it back.
'83 Cutlass Cruiser Build Thread
- Thread starter Blake442
- Start date
Thanks, Jim!
I put fresh sealer where ever it was removed. Nothing like rust stains to compliment fresh paint! 😱
Removing the old sealer took a lot of time... Definitely needed to be done though.
The stuff I removed was of such varying consistency around the car that I decided to just completely wing it putting it back on.
I've been leaning pretty heavily on the "just like the factory did it" state of mind as a way to excuse my short cuts... lol
On the plus side, with the exception of a few small spots I'm holding off on in case I need to shoot more primer, I'm done with the seam sealer.
I'll also run a bead along the top of each hinge once their locations are finalized.
Just like the factory...
I put fresh sealer where ever it was removed. Nothing like rust stains to compliment fresh paint! 😱
Removing the old sealer took a lot of time... Definitely needed to be done though.
The stuff I removed was of such varying consistency around the car that I decided to just completely wing it putting it back on.
I've been leaning pretty heavily on the "just like the factory did it" state of mind as a way to excuse my short cuts... lol
On the plus side, with the exception of a few small spots I'm holding off on in case I need to shoot more primer, I'm done with the seam sealer.
I'll also run a bead along the top of each hinge once their locations are finalized.
Just like the factory...
Blake,
Sealing the hinges is a good idea...especially seeing how badly they rust over time. But sometimes the seal is responsible for crap being trapped there.
Sealing the hinges is a good idea...especially seeing how badly they rust over time. But sometimes the seal is responsible for crap being trapped there.
liquidh8
Comic Book Super Hero
I hear ya there! I may end up just using strip caulk, or seam sealer, under the hinges right where the square holes are for the bolts. I'll be painting the jambs and hinges apart I think, then putting everything together to paint the exterior. So, adding the seam sealer or anything after will look like sh*t.
I was thinking that too.
Blake, I'm doing this in my 78 monte, can you elaborate about the seam sealer in the doors a little more about where you seam sealed them? Also, what seam sealer brand did you use? Was that the same sealer used throughout the car? Where did you get it? Thanks for all this- great thread man, like reading all your wisdom
I cant believe I just read threw this whole thread. Now I want to sell my conversion van and buy a station wagon. I always loved vans expecially the 4x4 ones. I had a Quigley at one time, plus panel wagons were always cool. I did have a v8 vega wagon but I always thought the big wagons were cool. I like the wood grain now because its not used anymore and its retro. Saving this wagon and making a daily driver was cool in its self but going b the extra mile with everything else make this thread super cool. Keep up the awesome work!
Seam sealer is used around the perimeter of the doors where the outer door skin is folded around the inner door shell.
Same goes for the rest of the car. Any overlapping seam gets a smear of seam sealer to prevent leaks and rust.
Once the old is removed, a small bead along the edge of the seam is all you need, though the factory sure liked to pound it on there sometimes.
An acid brush and a little wax and grease remover will smooth it down and into the nooks and crannies.
I like 3M Fast 'n Firm #08505. I've been getting all my stuff from www.autobodytoolmart.com lately.
Prices are good and they have detailed product descriptions, which a lot of sites lack...
For some reason they say not to use it inside the car, but that's never stopped me...
https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/3m-fast-n-firm-seam-sealer-08505-p-10384.aspx
Jack and Jim...
I think the reason all of these cars rust behind the hinges is the fact that they are bolted on at the factory while the body is still in bare metal.
The mere fact that we have got primer and paint behind ours puts them well ahead of when they were new...
And for an update, I started blocking out the front doors yesterday.
Not perfect, but coming along.
I forgot about the damage along the front edge of the drivers door that I had been putting off, so I'll have to get that where I want it and take care of a few other spots before I'm ready to hit them with more primer.
Feeling a bit impulsive, so I might not make it out to work on the car tomorrow... we'll see how ambitious I feel in the morning.
liquidh8
Comic Book Super Hero
Been keeping my eyes peeled for a nicer aluminum hood for the wagon, since my enthusiasm for fixing #2 is absolutely zero.
Haven't found one yet, but I did stumble upon another one for my 442 in the process.
I drove down to Iowa Saturday morning and picked it up, so I didn't get anything done on the wagon this weekend.
This one has the same small crack along the front edge by the hood release that my other one does, but it's lazer straight.
Since I can't weld aluminum, I think I'm just going to take it and my current steel hood down the road to the body shop.
That way they can weld up that crack, and paint it to match my car.
I'll have to steal a little wagon time getting it cleaned up before I drop it off.
Today I wasted a ton of time staring at and feeling the front doors at various angles and directions.
Once I was satisfied with that, I threw a little more filler on a few spots and sanded it off.
I've got two more spots I want to take care of before hitting them with their second round of primer.
Hopefully I can also knock down the header panel quick and give that a blast of surfacer at the same time.
Haven't found one yet, but I did stumble upon another one for my 442 in the process.
I drove down to Iowa Saturday morning and picked it up, so I didn't get anything done on the wagon this weekend.
This one has the same small crack along the front edge by the hood release that my other one does, but it's lazer straight.
Since I can't weld aluminum, I think I'm just going to take it and my current steel hood down the road to the body shop.
That way they can weld up that crack, and paint it to match my car.
I'll have to steal a little wagon time getting it cleaned up before I drop it off.
Today I wasted a ton of time staring at and feeling the front doors at various angles and directions.
Once I was satisfied with that, I threw a little more filler on a few spots and sanded it off.
I've got two more spots I want to take care of before hitting them with their second round of primer.
Hopefully I can also knock down the header panel quick and give that a blast of surfacer at the same time.
Blake,
It's good to see you making progress. Those aluminum hoods aren't easy to find these days. I guess your original hood got pelted by that hail storm a few years back. Glad you were able to find a straight replacement despite having a crack in the latch area. Nothing that can't be rectified.
You're absolutely right about the lack of paint behind the hinges. They didn't even bother priming behind them. Of course I found surface rust and a few crusty areas behind mine. I guess GM's rational was that people most likely would trade them in in 3 yrs or so.
They certainly did their share of cutting corners on these cars. As you disassemble these cars you notice more and more where the General f**ked up.
Even under the headliner...no coating of any sort, just some cheesy tar paper. Raw metal. Even my '95 Olds Ciera had a coating under the headliner board. I discovered that just recently when I had to redo my headliner.
Sorry guys...I didn't mean to turn this into a rant.
It's good to see you making progress. Those aluminum hoods aren't easy to find these days. I guess your original hood got pelted by that hail storm a few years back. Glad you were able to find a straight replacement despite having a crack in the latch area. Nothing that can't be rectified.
You're absolutely right about the lack of paint behind the hinges. They didn't even bother priming behind them. Of course I found surface rust and a few crusty areas behind mine. I guess GM's rational was that people most likely would trade them in in 3 yrs or so.
They certainly did their share of cutting corners on these cars. As you disassemble these cars you notice more and more where the General f**ked up.
Even under the headliner...no coating of any sort, just some cheesy tar paper. Raw metal. Even my '95 Olds Ciera had a coating under the headliner board. I discovered that just recently when I had to redo my headliner.
Sorry guys...I didn't mean to turn this into a rant.
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