Build Thread-85 Cutlass Brougham-New Pics Added!
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kyhunter89 said:
Not when there is lightning striking all around the house!!! Seriously though, that storm blew up all of the sudden and I didn't have the shelter tied down to the car. It started to lift and I had to hurry up and bungee it down before it damaged the car, or I got hit by lightning!
The second picture was taken on another day, and did not develop into anything. I don't even think we got drizzle from that one. It was odd, because we got the wind from the outflow boundary, but no storm. I just thought it was a cool picture, and wound up using it on my desktop too. I sometimes like doing nature photography, and keep my digital camera with me at all times.
More on the horror of the roof. I can't just let it be. I have to try once again to fix it. So, tonight I found 2 high spots, backed up the bottom of the roof skin with a board and whacked them down with a body hammer. I then skimmed the whole area that was wavy with some Bondo Ultimate, a polyester putty that can go over sanded paint or primer. The highs were not the only bad point, it was wavy over a square foot of the roof which would ruin the look of the car if left to be the only big flaw in the dark blue paint. The real oddity about this spot is that through three blockings, it comes out smooth and the guidecoat disappears, but you can see the waves in the primer after 400 grit sanding. Plus, I can find them with my hand as well, so I know they are there. I just hope I am not chasing my tail again, and that this will make it better, if not perfect. I will post a pic of the spot that is filled so that others can see where it is, and avoid messing with it if at all possible.
Well, it is all my fault, but for various reasons. You have to think of the car's life as a pizza delivery car with a magnetic sign that was not always placed carefully on the roof. Plus, it had a vinyl top and the trim on it that I eliminated, and I tried various things that made it worse over time. Hammering it, leaning on it too hard, etc. all contributed to making it worse over the years as I have tried to fix it. It is hard to read too since there are no edges anywhere near to get your bearings from. It is almost dead in the center of the roof and needs to be perfectly flat. Not easy when it oil cans in and out on you with the slightest touch.
I was just outside sanding it, and all seems to finally be going well. And yes, it really is 12:37AM and I am using Bondo and sandpaper outside. (I am dog-tired, but have incurable insomnia, and hate to waste the time in a non-productive manner.) My repair technique is to sand in a crosshatch pattern basically going from the right rear corner to the left front corner, and vice versa. I am also using my ultimate ace in the hole: an 18in long Dura-Block sanding block with adhesive 220 grit paper. This way, I can use the block to bridge the filled area while having both edges of the block touching unfilled metal. This allows me to blend the whole area together into one seamless section and avoid the dreaded waves as much as possible. I am also laying my stomach on the roof so as to spread my weight, and not create a pressure dent that would compound the problem. If I fail this time, I give up. I gotta paint it in the next two weeks or I am sunk.
I was just outside sanding it, and all seems to finally be going well. And yes, it really is 12:37AM and I am using Bondo and sandpaper outside. (I am dog-tired, but have incurable insomnia, and hate to waste the time in a non-productive manner.) My repair technique is to sand in a crosshatch pattern basically going from the right rear corner to the left front corner, and vice versa. I am also using my ultimate ace in the hole: an 18in long Dura-Block sanding block with adhesive 220 grit paper. This way, I can use the block to bridge the filled area while having both edges of the block touching unfilled metal. This allows me to blend the whole area together into one seamless section and avoid the dreaded waves as much as possible. I am also laying my stomach on the roof so as to spread my weight, and not create a pressure dent that would compound the problem. If I fail this time, I give up. I gotta paint it in the next two weeks or I am sunk.
85 Cutlass Brougham said:
You have bondo on it now, but you could have tried heat stress relieving it. Basically you warm it up pretty hot (you'll need a torch). Then you start misting it with water. Helps if you have someone pushing it up inside if it is really sucken.
Hey man, it has been a while since I last logged on here. I was just cruising through your journal here and was impressed with your progress. Glad to see you working on it, my Regal has sat largely untouched for the last eight months or so (it has been a rough year). You ride is looking good, best of luck with the paint job.
Heat is a no-go as I would need to strip it all off and start anew. Plus, heat has the potential to do way more harm than good on such a big piece of metal. I could warp it far worse than it is, and make the panel unusable. You also have to consider that I started the body work in 1999 and am not completely sure what is under there, or what I did in every area. ( I painted it once, but the paint failed before I could get enough money to put the car together.) Anyhow, what I did seems to have worked ( Success after 40+ hours of trying!!!) and I finished it this morning when I couldn't fall back to sleep at 7am. It's in primer now, and I will let it cure for a few days before I block it in 400 grit and call it a day. Hopefully, it will be entering the paint booth this time next week. If not, then definitely the following week. I have blocked all the flat parts and most of the detail areas of the trunk lid, doors, quarters and sail panels already, and have the front clip, the roof I just primed, the bumper covers and miscellaneous pieces left to sand.
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