Build Thread-85 Cutlass Brougham-New Pics Added!

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, the white spots only appeared after wet sanding, so the base must have been rough in spots and raised the white sealer. This is why I hate using sealers that do not closely approximate the color of the paint being applied. I used to use the DP epoxy primer as a sealer back when I used Deltron because of the availability of multiple colors at an affordable price point. I tried this generic stuff this time because Diamont only sells it's sealers in expensive gallons which I would never use up. So.. whatever. I may redo the passenger's door at a later time because it is the worst panel and can be easily masked and isolated from the rest of the car.

As for the wheels, if I keep them, they will be gold when they are done. I am not doing anything with them just yet because I do not know if I will be able to use them with the tall spindle conversion I plan for the near future. Besides, I have so much other work to do before I am ready to tackle them.

Coming up next: Door window installation, cleaning dirty power window wiring contacts, application of dielectric grease, installing weatherstripping, and installing the quarter windows. That should all be done by Monday or Tuesday next week. After that, the front clip comes off again for the last time to detail all the flat black under hood structure and let me seal the leaks in the firewall. Stay tuned as this thing is becoming more like a real car every day!

 

[Blake442]

Well, the white spots only appeared after wet sanding...

Sounds like solvent popping. Small bubbles trapped in the clear. Sanding slowly reveals them, and they fill with sanding dust and compound, giving them the white appearance, especially on a dark color like yours.

In the future, you can also try tinting your sealer with a little bit of your base color.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I had some nasty reactions between the base and sealer, so that might be what it was. I may also try a tinted glaze to see if it helps any. It happened only in areas of really rough orange peel. I want to try and sand through it, but figure I am best off letting it go for now. I plan on a second sanding and buffing session down the road and don't want to remove too much material before then. I even left some of the material for the runs it had so that I would not go through in the future. I am not going to worry too much about it right now. I have too many other things to worry about as there is a lot of assembly ahead. Anyhow, I put some of the lower body moldings back on today after I sanded them with 2,000 grit and polished them with some Mother's. Here's a pic of how it looks.

 

[pokertramp]

Man, after reading your story and the advice of another member on this forum, I am glad I didn't sell my car. Money is tight, I am disabled, I now have Peripheral Neuoropathy on top of the cancer being in remission. I just wanted to give up and sell it.

Seeing as how you had to go without things to put your car together made me feel better. I tend to want things done right away, you changed that theory.

Car looks great, keep it up man.

 

[86CutlassUCF]

nice work...i kinda like the look without the moldings

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Man, after reading your story and the advice of another member on this forum, I am glad I didn't sell my car. Money is tight, I am disabled, I now have Peripheral Neuoropathy on top of the cancer being in remission. I just wanted to give up and sell it.

Seeing as how you had to go without things to put your car together made me feel better. I tend to want things done right away, you changed that theory.

Car looks great, keep it up man.

In some ways I wish I had given up years ago. I dunno.... I have been analyzing my life and how it went so wrong over the last few months. I had way too many projects going on at once (4 cars in pieces!!!), a typical ADD trait, and it really screwed up my life. That and spotty income and toxic relationships with other people that I have since stopped talking to for my own sake. It's not the car's fault, but in some ways had I given it up I might have had a better life as I might have been able to live with less stress because it would not have been hanging over me. I am getting rid of my other project car in the next few months, after putting in the new engine I had built for my AMC Javelin AMX that I got rid of. Then again, now that it is painted, it gives me something to think about other than being alone and getting old.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Here's a quick how-to on installing the quarter windows.

First off, clean the area inside and outside the window really well.

Next, tape off the window opening from the outside

Now, paint the area around the opening with some flat black. This will visually blend in the window opening metal to the car where it is visible inside the interior trim. It's a minor detail, but it matters if you have changed your car's color like I did to mine (it was silver)

Now, take off the tape and apply the window sealer. I used windshield installation ribbon as that seems to be what GM used when the car was new.

You are now ready to put the ribbon on the metal. Start at the bottom of the opening at around the middle. This way, if there is a leak at the joint, water will not come in the car. Also, put the ribbon in the corner of the opening as far from the edge as possible. This will seal the bolt holes and keep the sealer from seeping back into the car by the window.

It's now time for the window! Line it up carefully, starting at the top and get the top stud in first, then work your way down. You will have to give firm, steady pressure to get the window to seat down flush, and even then there may be a bit of a gap. Don't concentrate on any one area with the pressure either, work your way around. It goes easier that way.

The last step is to install the thread cutting nuts on the back side. Don't tighten them fully the first go round. Do it progressively like torquing a cylinder head. This will keep them from stripping and will let you gradually draw the window down into it's final position. After it is pretty well seated, let it sit for a day. Come back the next day and tighten it again. This should let the sealant ooze out a bit and make it easier to seat the window flush.

I will add one final tip: To clean glass of minor imperfections and rust stains (mine had some from grinding dust), first lightly scrape off the surface, then clean it with some mild chrome polish. I used Turtle Wax chrome polish because I had it on the shelf, and it worked pretty good. The windows still have some minor pits and scratches, but it took off all the hard water stains and rust rainbows. They are not perfect, but I doubt anyone will ever notice. However, I do wish I could have had the trim rechromed.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, more bad stuff. My truck is acting up now and needs my time and money. The front suspension is having serious issues with one lower control arm assembly perilously bad, and the other questionable. Unfortunately, the only way to get a lower ball joint in this truck is to order a complete lower control arm assembly from Nissan. The cheapest I have found ends up being $196 per side with shipping (I have the really bad side's replacement already). It also managed to eat a tire. I was going to need new tires soon as it had been a year since I replaced them, but was hoping for another month or two. Oh, and it could use a steering box too as it leaks bad and that's what killed the lower ball joint (and the center link I replaced in January) as it washed out the grease. Then, to top it all off, the A/C quit tonight and it needs a TPS sensor. This is all on top of the other bills I have that are unpaid right now. Unfortunately, I MUST finish putting the windows and their trim back in the Cutlass right now as I can no longer put a tarp over the car with the new, freshly buffed out paint. I figure I will need to put $50 to $70 in the Cutlass to get the missing or broken trim pieces, and the various chemicals needed to clean the electrical contacts in the power windows and locks, as well as the strip caulk I will need to seal the corners and install the tail lights and corner lights. Fortunately, that should tide me over for a while as far as supplies go since those are the things I need to finish the other projects like the A/C and cruise control. None of these things by themselves are a big deal, it just is that this is a slow time in my business and I am not making the money right now. I am happy to have the car painted, but by the time I am done sealing it up from the elements, buffing it, buying the activator I ran out of, renting a paint booth, putting the trim back on, etc. this part of the painting project will have consumed the better part of $400 I didn't have, and it won't even be a usable car yet. It still needs brakes, tires, sound deadening, a headliner and window tint.

Sorry about the rant, but I had to put it down somewhere.

 

[my85gp]

hey man first off great build. i was just curious, on page 2 where youre cutting the outer wheel well, did you just leave it how it looks or did you weld in a piece. my 84 cutlass has rot on the drivers side front fender lip and rotted the wheel well along the top where it screws to the fender. i was thing of just cutting the section out and leaving it.

 

[jonnyslick]

Looking good man. Are you keeping the chrome trim? I thought you were planning on painting it all black?