[buckroseau]

Originally Posted by 74fj40

wow!! i am stunned, i just re-went through this whole thread. you are truly an artist!!! how soon untill paint?

Few more months

Matt

[Mikesta]

Matt, your LV will be the cleanest, rust free wagon in the world by the time its done. Tied to a sleeper engine under the hood.

Great progress. Still looking great!

Cheers

[buckroseau]

Another good day on the lv, about 10.5 hours. Doesn't look like much in the pics, but back to slow body work, takes time.

Started off the morning, welding un-wanted holes on the firewall shut. Some of the holes, because of there size I had to cut plates to weld in. After everything was welded I ground down both sides. Probably overkill on the inside grinding it down, but just want it to look like they were never there after primer. A few of the holes will have to be ground down and cleaned up when it's off the rottiserri and back on the hoist since they were behind the front roto mount. It will be on the hoist for a few days anyway since there will be some body work to do and the firewall will have to be base/cleared before it goes back on

I also had to weld the middle mounts solid on the bottom. They were tacked in when the body went back on a few months ago, had to weld them up when the body came back off again. Also cleaned up with the grinder around the tranny mount, since i had welded up that area a month ago and now I could get it at it well.

I had a couple touch up areas I had to weld up underneath the drip rail since a few didn't get fully welded shut when I put the roof back on. No big deal, only about a dozen. After that was done I smeared a skim coat of filler underneath the drip rail and started sanding. This might be bordering anal retentive now by doing this, since the factory spot welds underneath the drip rail were very apparent. But, I wanted it smooth, so I thought I would finish it off since it was easy to get at now.

Also skim coated the dash where I welded it up. I probably could have got that area cleaned up with a few coats of primer sanded out, but skim coat was quicker and I had it out.

Hopefully more sanding tomorrow and some seam sealing underneath this week, that should take a long time

Matt

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[zebrabeefj40]

Originally Posted by buckroseau

Also skim coated the dash where I welded it up. I probably could have got that area cleaned up with a few coats of primer sanded out, but skim coat was quicker and I had it out.
Matt

What is "skim coat"? Is it different from regular body filler? Is it the same as spot putty or something else entirely?

TIA,
Nick

[buckroseau]

Originally Posted by zebrabeefj40

What is "skim coat"? Is it different from regular body filler? Is it the same as spot putty or something else entirely?

TIA,
Nick

I guess that's the term I've heard it called. I'm just using regular body filler and applying a paper thin coat if it to the surface....skim coat. That's what the body guys around here call it when you do that?

Matt

[krzyabncanuck]

Hey Matt, coming along real nice. I feel your pain on your body work that you have been doing. Have been doing it on mine for about 2 weeks now on my 45 truck i got. All this sanding is worse than waxing a van.

[lowenbrau]

Originally Posted by buckroseau

I guess that's the term I've heard it called. I'm just using regular body filler and applying a paper thin coat if it to the surface....skim coat. That's what the body guys around here call it when you do that?

Matt

Have you used 'icing' for this? Its a polyester glazing that's basically a runny version of filler that really works nicely for these applications. Its about 4x the money of evercoat but its worth it for the tops coats.

[buckroseau]

Originally Posted by lowenbrau

Have you used 'icing' for this? Its a polyester glazing that's basically a runny version of filler that really works nicely for these applications. Its about 4x the money of evercoat but its worth it for the tops coats.

I've used that stuff before, we used it for a couple applications when I had the body up at my buddy's body shop. Your right, it does work well.....but I had this filler sitting here, so..............

Thanks, Matt

[74fj40]

ya, theres somethin else called a skim coat, its like a filler epoxy, its the very last coat, and its much stonger, and less likly to crack/warp. expensive tho...

[buckroseau]

Not a lot done tonight, had some significant snow fall last night and today so had some plow duty's to tend to tonight, took a couple hours.

I did manage to finish up the drip rails, at least so that there ready to start priming. They still will need a couple coats of primer sanded out, but pretty straight right now.

Also fixed the front of the passenger side cowl. I knew it was a little tweaked, but waited until it was back on the rottiserri, easy to get at. Actually wasn't to bad, but you can see my first pass with the 80 grit block how it hit all the high spots. Little banging with the hammer and I smeared a coat of that glazing compound I picked up today that Lowenbrau made me remember. That stuff worked good there, it was so thin and that glazing compound spreads like butter

Might start seam sealing tomorrow, or roll it into the booth and spray a coat of primer on the drip rail for sanding, not sure yet?

Matt

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Nothing that looks like anything, but a solid 3+ hours tonight.

First couple pics are the old pieces of metal underneath the wheel wells. I remember many months ago asking if they were stock when I took them off, had to dig them out of the corner to use at templates tonight. So, got those made.

Made lots of brackets and plates tonight that are all basiclly covers. I'm going to use SEM's panel adhesive and glue them in over the bottom prior to paint and undercoating. Trying to seal up any areas where dirt and debris might migrate to and rot things out in the long run. I guess I essentially want the bottom of this to float .

Had to weld a couple captive nuts in the rear where the gas tank cover bolts to. Also sand down the entire dash, but no pics of that.

Hopefully I will finally start seam sealing tomorrow.

Matt

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[cabron]

Sooo... when are you going to start holding welding class and supplementing the cruiser budget?

[Waggoner5]

Beatifull job Matt. I just got through welding all my firewall holes up also. I decided that the curved firewall was doing nothing except get in the way of the AC system and underdash clearance. I cut the whole thing out and made a sheetmetal panel to fill it in with. Now theres tons of room under the dash. Still have 1.5" valvecover/firewall also.
Gary

[buckroseau]

Doesn't look like much, but this slow stuff burned up another 3 hours tonight.

As soon as I got home I sprayed all my little cover plates that I am going to adhesive in with some DP50. I guess I just want them as rust proof as possible Took a little while to rough them up and spray them, but there ready now.

I pretty much spent the next couple hours seam sealing all those little groves in the x-members that go across the ribs in the rear bed, lots to do. Also seam sealed all kinds of little holes near the front brackets.

I had planned to adhesive on those covers tonight, but both tubes of adhesive I bought were junk. One of the chemicals in the tube was solid, they were solid in both So, un-usable, must have been some old stock or something? Back to the auto parts store tomorrow to get more.

Plan on gettting those covers on tomorrow and more seam sealing.

Edit: Also sprayed the firewall and dash since I had some primer in the gun. Both need a little sanding, but I stress little, both are pretty straight.


Matt

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[Poser]

Awsome work pal!

[treerootCO]

Originally Posted by buckroseau

...First couple pics are the old pieces of metal underneath the wheel wells. I remember many months ago asking if they were stock when I took them off...

Matt

Not sure if you received an answer on the plate but yes they are stock. Also take a look at the rear wheelwell on the driver's side. When I had mine on it's side the other day, I realized it was a straight shot for dirt, mud, water, etc. to get inside the rear panel under the filler neck. Mudflaps would fix it but you may want to add a shield there as well.

Keep up the great work, I enjoy reading your thread.

[fjwagon]

Super nice......looks like you have fresh here pretty soon.....I can'nt wait to see it painted.

[buckroseau]

Not lighting any fires.....another 3 hours tonight. Pretty much seam sealed all night.

This is one of those things that has to get worse before it gets better. I applied some more of the SEM stuff in a tube tonight, but also used another product I had ordered. I got this 3M brushable seam sealer. Type of stuff that duplicates the OEM sealer you see in a trunk or something on a new car on the inside. Of course the LV didn't have any seam sealer from the factory, so this is all new to it.

All this stuff is going to get covered up by that tintable bedliner/undercoat stuff I am going to spray on when I'm done seam sealing.

I've also made a decision. I was going to shoot a couple coats of singe stage ureathane on the bottom prior to the undercoating, but I think now I'm going to go from primer right to the undercoat stuff. After talking to a couple other body guys I've decided to do this. One guy thought it wouldn't hurt anything, but thought it was over kill and not required. Another body guy thought the same thing and also thought it might be one other substrate to have possible adhesion problems. So, it's going directly on the primer. I guess on my FJ40 I did a couple years ago, I went from epoxy to that stuff and it has held up amazingly well!!! So I know it works that way for sure also.

Probably another 3 hours seam sealing tomorrow night, maybe be shooting some undercoating Sat.??

Matt

[Radd Cruisers]

My take............

On past projects I have shot undercoating, not my favourite product.

Last couple projects I have shot tintable Rino Lining and then top coated for matching colour. When you tint its really off.

My gig is I like it to match the top side, seems more professional?

Edit, I also like the fact that the paint holds in the elastic properties of the seam sealer and paintable seam sealer for many decades to come verses the undercoating which dries out cracks and allows moisture to be introduced.

[Mikesta]

I'm still blown away by your rotissery.