I'd still use enamel for the quick fix. Easier to shoot and no polishing needed for gloss.

 

Enamel / Lacquer is a "whatever floats your boat" kinda thing.

If I screw up (which never really happens ), I like to be able to sand and recoat quickly, and it doesn't bother me that I'll have to final sand and rub it out when I'm done.
I also like to keep the freedom to re-paint in either enamel or lacquer later on - you can't put lacquer over enamel.

If you're sure you're going to lay it on just right the first time, then enamel is certainly fine.

- Eric

 

I think he is a long way a way from spraying but I would tend to agree with Eric here have always sprayed lacquer , and it is by far much easier and healthier to spray in a garage type environ, I still think he could do the body work then have maaco do the paint, but to each his own. Also if you need to repair the cancer that WILL come back it is much easier to use lacquer. The OP also should be aware that most primers are not waterproof, if you do some body work then rattle can it , you will still need to seal it, bare bond absorbs moisture as well ( think wet sanding the rattle primer) so make sure to use a primer sealer.... just saying, more experienced folks will chime in I am sure

 

Thanks for the paint tips! Duly noted!

I am quite a way from spraying yet, but it is a huge step in my plans, so I continue to think about it. Here is a product I am anxious to try, a rattle-can high build primer. Where I work, they use high build, and it seems to make good work for sanding down. But this stuff at 17 a can!? Wowee. Any thoughts/ suggestions for a good workable primer? And, recommended to even use a primer over existing paint? I will sand it down, but hoping to not have to take it down to bare steel... I will if need be.

http://www.eastwood.com/sem-high-bui...FQY5nAodLD0AUQ

May gal wants to keep it the original "flame orange" color. There doesn't seem to be much special about it, just plain orange, no pearl or anything fancy. Hoping for a cheap match!

I just got my air tools/equipment today, so rather than working on the car, I was too busy setting up my new air system in my garage! Pretty pumped for this! Been wanting air for a long time. Figured for body work, best way to go, and it will be used for the painting. Busy weekend planned out of town, so hoping to get back at it Monday! Cheers!

 

Looked at the body mounts. All seem fine, except the driver side trunk, closest to the axle. There is definitely some clearance there. Should I get a thicker chunk of rubber to keep that connection tight? Obviously in that area, the frame is what really needs worked.

Well, started into the body today. Mostly stripping down. Pulled the vinyl top. Surprisingly, it does not look bad under there! Some pin-hole rust mostly, but cleaning the adhesive off is going to be the real pain. Tips?

Now my gal wants to re-vinyl it. We are thinking if we do that, it will have to be black to go with the black interior that will be going in. For what we are doing with this car (short term goals), is it worth the vinyl in price/effort? Our original intent was to do the body work, and paint it.

Here are today's pics:
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Once you pull the front and rear glass out, then you'll see rust and holes. Tell tale sign is if there is silicone caulk around the windshield. Fix the rot, strip the paint, paint it with a converter such as POR 15, and recover it.

 

4WD,
Just noticed your hood so I went back to the first pics you posted of the car and noticed that your dash shows no AC. (the pic of the coin above the gage insert you plan). Only cars with AC got the hood without rear vents. That suggests that the hood has been replaced in the past. For some bizarre reason, this feature is found only on 72 Cutlass lines. 1971 shares basically the same hood as 72, but ALL 71 hoods had the rear pierced rear venting. Just to clarify, I'm not talking about the faux louvers on the raised hood surfaces. Just info for you.

 

It has been a while since I last posted, I have been busy laying paint, and buying interior stuff... But here is a brief update. Got her painted, but had some dirt problems. We are polishing the car down, and it is turning out B-E-A-Utiful! Going to be a lot more work than I wanted..

Here are some pics through the process. Stripped down the body to as much bare "good" metal as I could find. Only had one spot that needed metal re-worked on passenger rear pillar up to the roof. Then used filler putty to re-shape the panels.
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Used a high-solids primer to cover up the mess, and sanded down. Did this twice.. once to areas shown below, then to whole car over the existing base coat (after sanding entire car with 180).
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Once I was happy with the primer, we hit it with a few coats of color. The color is the original Flame Orange from '72. I LOVE it! But, we had major dirt problems in the front. Since the clear had to go on right away, we cleared it with two thick coats. Sanded whole car down with 800, risking burn through. Luckily, only had one very small spot, that we were able to re-cover. Then did final clear (two more coats). Had a little more dirt, but not bad.
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Now sanding entire car with 1200, then 3000, then 5000. Then a high-cut polish compound, and machine-finish compound. WOW. We did a portion of the hood with all the mentioned, and it shines like a show car!

I am hoping to make some good progress later this week. I'll try to post up better images with a real camera..

 

Glad you did not quit on this, and having fun in the process. Sometimes the journey is just as fun as the destination.

 

Looking very nice. That color will pop in the sun. have fun.

 

Awesome work brother! Glad to see you kept at it! You should have a big S#$T eatin' grin when driving her! Great color...get better pics up when you get the chance!

 

Thanks for all the positive feedback! I am glad to hear it, and more excited as the light is starting to become visible!

Got my tires on the SSIIs today. Got excited, and threw a center cap on there and the the trim. But, it will be a while yet till they go under.. Need acorn lugs and would like to replace brakes while I am at this point... gahh!!
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I will be doing more polishing tomorrow, I will make note to get the SLR out to get some high quality shots.

 

SSII was argent color. Those wheels are SSIII (body color matched). Minor technicality that doesn't affect your build. What size tire? Looks like a 75 profile in the pic.

The car and wheels are looking really good. 7/16 acorn nuts are not too expensive but I like the solid ones, not the ones with caps (OEM style).

 

Is there another way to tell the diference between the ssii and ssiii other than color? not to jack my own thread but I painted them to match, as when I bought them they were a maroon color.. so maybe I do have ssiii! I will see what local hardware may have before going to auto store for the acorn nuts. Definately prefer solid as well!

 

Well at one time I would have said yes, but now I wouldn't. The 'argent' color on the wheel is pretty much what everyone classifies as SSII.

The same principle of color applies to the wheel regardless of whether it's a bolt on center cap or snap on.

 

Just a quick update. Making nice progress this week.

Got the brake pads changed. Had to replace a wheel cylinder. Sprayed in wheel wells and frame with rubberized undercoat. So, I threw the wheels on! Also, got doors and trunk with new weather stripping on.

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Still sanding and polishing body. Really which I can get that wrapped up.. We keep finding little imperfections shining through the clear.. :-/ oh well. You really have to look for it.. so I'm not too worried. Still better than I expected.

Worked on interior today. Started getting the dash in. Installed the RetroSound stereo which I am happy with. Still have to get front speakers installed.

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I dug out all the seat belts from storage. They were dirty, so I tried my best washing them. I did not get the latch part wet. Some of them are not in the greatest condition, and the belt is tough moving through for adjustment. Any tips/tricks to get them to slide a little better? I cant seem to get them apart (all pressed metal perhaps?)

 

They probably won't slide well because the inside of the latch may be rusty?? I know the latches come apart because I read a thread on the site recently about it. I'll try to find it again.

Clean the belts in a solution of Tide laundry detergent. It cleans the fabric really well.

 

I did wash the belt in laundry detergent. Turned out real nice! And I would agree the bar is rusty inside the latch. I would like to get them appart if that is possible.. ill search

 

I just went and looked at the one that slides (front seat). From what I can see the cover looks like it acts as its own spring lock. Mine works great so I'm not going to fiddle with it. But the cover looks like it's designed to pop out with a good flat blade. Trick will be getting it between the cover top and sides.

 

Made some great progress so far this week! Infact, looks like I should be able to finish the interior tomorrow! (with exception of a few minor things)...

Got my newly upholstered rear seats in. They look great!!

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I got the window glass in with the new weather seals, and I am not thrilled on the way the windows are closing. I am certain I got all my stops and glass installed properly, I am thinking the new foam is a bit too thick? Maybe it just needs worn in? Not too sure. Thoughts??

The two images below are showing the driver door glass and the rear glass. Along the top edges, it is making good contact, but the seal where the rear glass is to meet the door glass is hardly even coming in contact. Its like the rear glass needs to go a bit farther, but the metal portion is contacting the metal that houses the large foam seal.

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I have not tried taking the seat belt latches apart. When I put the rear ones in, just from sliding them through (and now with clean belts) they seem to work better. Maybe some day...

 

There is a whole chapter in the Fisher Body Manual about adjusting those windows - it's quite complicated.
They can be moved in all directions, and that one looks like it may need to be nudged backward (clockwise when looking at it from outside) just a bit.

- Eric

 

First, to comment on the window sealing issue. I rolled the windows up real tight last night, and let is sit. I tried to seal them up again, and it definitely got better. It looks that everything is closed, but still not quite there. I did the same thing tonight, and will just keep working it. I think the new foam is just too stiff yet.

Now on to the progress! Been working my tail off! Got the door panels installed with the speakers. The speakers were cheap-o walmart junk, but they were low watts so I thought it would make a good pair up with the in-deck amp. HOLY WOW does this system sound good!! I never expected to hear even half of what I did!! It was loud, full, and had plenty of low to satisfy! Its not blow your hair around, but the quality is far beyond what I could have imagined. VERY happy! Here's some images.

Some info on the sound setup. Head unit is a RetroSound. Fit up was nice, did not quite fit the remote dial inserts in the dash just right, but not bad. Unit works well. The front speakers are 4", and located on the existing hole in the door metal. This landed the speaker right on that metal strip on the panel. I had to notch out the speaker guard to clearance that. I used a jig-saw with thin-metal blade to cut the hole in the panel. It cut all the materials nicely (even the carpet, no frays or pulls). The image shows how close the window crank was to the speaker guard. Whew! Rear speakers are same brand, but 5x7. The 6x9 needed more watts that the head unit would put out. Also, the 5x7 fit with very little cutting to the rear sheet metal.

Tomorrow brings front grill and headlamp work. At this rate, should be crusin late next week! Cheers!

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Nice work.
I did the door speakers in my car a little different in the mounting (attaching a pic). That way I didn't have any issues cutting the trim piece or with the window winder at all. Looks like yours clears no problem either. What did you use to protect the speaker wires going between the A pillar and door?

 

Allan - Good thinking with the speaker! I didnt think of the window crank, honestly, I got lucky there! I figured on cutting the trim just because that was where the hole was in the door metal. For the wires I used some stick on wire ties, two on the inside of each door where I could reach. It was hard to clean the surface real good, so we will see how they last.

Didnt get much done today. Tested all my lights and signals in the front, getting ready to install the front clip and bumper. Wired in new horns (old ones blown) and found out all the headlights work nice (bulbs and circuit).

I worked on the grille pieces, and this is what I came up with:

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What do you all think? Not vintage, but I thought of giving it a little of my own touch!

 

That's an interesting (cool) way to do the grills. Just curious though - why are you putting Cutlass Supreme grills on your Cutlass S (Sports)? Are you going to go with the same orange outline on the headlight bezels? That would really complete the look.

 

I was wondering about the grilles myself! They were what was on the car when I got it. I repaired and painted them rather than buying different. Maybe down the road I can change it? The car was in a wreck (a few I think..) and maybe the owner at the time got those for cheap or it was what he got his hands on? I know the original owner, I was going to bug him for pictures. It would be cool to have anyway.

As for the headlight bezels, I am not sure yet. I masked off the chrome, and repainted the black. Ill pull the masking tomorrow, and see how I'm feeling!

 

The 'eggcrate' design of the Cutlass Supreme and the horizontal bars of the Cutlass S have exactly the same mounting tabs, so no problem with changing them out down the road. If it's what you've got right now - go for it. You've obviously put a lot of work into those dressing them up.

re: headlight bezels. If you masked off the aluminum reveal before paint you'll be really happy with the results when you pull off the tape. The black/silver will really help accent the rest of the car and the grills.

The 72 Cutlass S grills look like the following picture I took of my car. These are OEM grills bought new in 1985. They have all of 1200 miles on them.....and a few bugs for good measure

 

Well, shes really starting to come together. Uncovering some electrical issues now with the dome and floor lights. They wont shut off!! I am going to test the push switches at the doors, but what else would cause these lights to stay on?

Here are some pics of the latest progress. Having trouble getting the front grille lined up. It is sitting about 3/4" too low, and can not figure out why. The hood closes onto the bump-stops and latches, with lining up nicely to the fenders. The headlights also seem to be in good position, so I can't think that is is the front clip structure that is off?? Just the plastic for the grille is not right.

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You don't happen to have a pic of the "nose brace"? The structure that bolts to the front of the rad suppt and holds the pull for the hood latch and that the stone shield with the emblem bolt to. Almost always slightly bent, and if not straightened before install, would cause your issue with the front gaps....