Working on the wagon..

[Longroof79]

That is nice work and I'm jealous your able to be doing at outside, it was a reasonably nice day here too, I only had to wear my leather coat to stay warm... 🙁

are you painting your car a solid color, a solid color or a real light metallic is nice so each part can be painted individually and then reassembled.

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Thanks Steve,
I've been trying to take advantage of the nice weather. It was in the upper 70's today, good painting weather. Doing it outside is alittle risky, however.
I did get a little bug in the paint here and there.. nothing major that couldn't be wiped away after the paint dried.
As for the top coat, I will make some form of spraybooth either in my garage, or a free standing enclosure using PVC pipe or 2 x 2's and plastic sheeting. Or...possibly look into renting a spraybooth for the weekend somewhere.
The color will be a solid ivory white, no two-tone...single stage urethane enamel. I may opt for a 2-stage base coat/ clearcoat.
If I was to go metallic, I think I'd go with a champagne gold..but I think the creamy white color will be it.
Decisions can change at any time... :wink:

 

[Ribbedroof]

Jack, spend the money for bc/cc. Single stage is great for cars that aren't keepers, but there's too much work that goes into a keeper to shortcut it at the end.

 

[sleepycutlasscruzer]

looks good man. did you ever consider the roll pan for the wagons? thats what im thinkn bout doing along with shaving the licence plate hole.

 

[pontiacgp]

looks good man. did you ever consider the roll pan for the wagons? thats what im thinkn bout doing along with shaving the licence plate hole.

I like the way he tucked in the stock bumper plus he is able to use the bumper reinforcement, it ties in the two rails and it offers some protection in case someone taps him in the back.

 

[Bonnewagon]

You do nice work Jack. Painting is my worst skill. Plus any "pretty" car I've ever had ended tragically, but the ugly beaters last forever.

 

[Longroof79]

looks good man. did you ever consider the roll pan for the wagons? thats what im thinkn bout doing along with shaving the licence plate hole.

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To tell you the truth, I don't like the fiberglass rollpan for the wagon. Besides, as PontiacGP said, they offer no support or protection in the rear. I think you have to add your own support bar using a rollpan.

 

[Longroof79]

looks good man. did you ever consider the roll pan for the wagons? thats what im thinkn bout doing along with shaving the licence plate hole.

I like the way he tucked in the stock bumper plus he is able to use the bumper reinforcement, it ties in the two rails and it offers some protection in case someone taps him in the back.

Thanks Steve,
You pretty much nailed it as far as reinforcement goes, plus the fact that the support bar ties the rear frame rails together.
Granted, with the bumper tucked in, it certainly won't add as much support back there, especially with the energy absorbers collapsed.

 

[Longroof79]

You do nice work Jack. Painting is my worst skill. Plus any "pretty" car I've ever had ended tragically, but the ugly beaters last forever.

Thanks Mark,
I'm certainly no pro , but I'm gradually getting better at it. The finish coat will be the final test. :lol:
Yeah, I know what you mean about ugly beaters prevailing over time. Sometimes the nicer a car is, the more it becomes an idiot magnet..or just prone for disaster. I know that's a grim way to look at it. :|
Ugly cars are left alone for some strange reason. Perhaps they're more menacing looking out on the road. Like when I see a car all banged up, I tend to want to stay far away from it.

 

[sleepycutlasscruzer]

looks good man. did you ever consider the roll pan for the wagons? thats what im thinkn bout doing along with shaving the licence plate hole.

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To tell you the truth, I don't like the fiberglass rollpan for the wagon. Besides, as PontiacGP said, they offer no support or protection in the rear. I think you have to add your own support bar using a rollpan.

what did you do to bring in the back bumper? my buddie said that he like a tucked bumper over the roll pan so im still tossing around the idea on my wagon.

 

[Longroof79]

what did you do to bring in the back bumper? my buddie said that he like a tucked bumper over the roll pan so im still tossing around the idea on my wagon.

If you look at the Cutlass Cruiser compared to the Malibu wagon, the body lines are different. They do use the same bumper though.
In my case, I cut 3 1/2" out of the center of the bumper. I also had to trim off the ends of the support bar in order to fit the narrowed design. I also shaved the bumper bolts and welded them flush to give it a smooth appearance.
Furthermore, to be able to move the bumper assembly closer to the body, the energy absorbers have to be drilled to expel the gas and oil in them which gives the assembly free movement to adjust in or out...once the position you want is achieved, the absorbers are then tack welded to eliminate movement.

If you check out Ben's (SRD Art) '79 Cutlass Cruiser, he cut 3" out of the center of his, but left the bumper in it's stock position and fillers in place. viewtopic.php?t=29235