Diary of a Bluesmobile

[TK826]

I finally worked up the courage to tear into the Monaco.

As I have mention in the past, once I brought this car home, it was a tough decision to convert it because of its excellent condition.

After focusing on the reason that I bought the car in the first place, the decision was finally made to go ahead with the project.

What follows is a photographic diary of the project as it has progressed.
I am only able to work on the car during weekends and the occasional week day, so these photos were taken over the last 2-3 months.

There are currently 4 pages of photos and all are shown in order of the work being done.
Each photo has a caption of what is shown in the photograph.

Any and all questions or comments are welcomed and appreciated...

Bluesmobile pictures by TK826 - Photobucket

[FL-BLUESMOBILE]

Nice work TK, I know that had to be a tough decision on that jewel. I have been through the same thing, but the older I get the less material things mean to me. So in that respect I don't have as big problem selling off my matchbox car collection, or taking a sweet car like you Monaco and doing with it what I want. With exception of destroying it in a derby that is.

My grandfather use to say son you can't take it with you so just enjoy the damn thing while your hear. It took me a few years to understand exactly what he meant, but I finally got it.

If you need anything let me know, and keep up the excellent work.


Take care,

Huey

[Steam McQueen]

Splendiferous!



Great progress, TK! When will she be painted?

[TI4438]

Did you sand the original paint so you can re-spray right over it?

[TK826]

I did.

Wet sanded the whole car with 400 grit wet sand paper.
Then just yesterday I did touch-ups with some 600.

Took all of the clearcoat off and dulled the original paint enough to spray right over it.

[TI4438]

Possibly stupid question,but what is wet sanding???

[Ghostbluesman]

It's sanding using a special wet-or-dry paper, and water (either applied by hose, or with a bucket)....the water acts as a cutting agent, and give a superior smooth finish....

And TK...the car is gonna be awesome! I'm glad you decided on this route...
Rob

[TK826]

The basics...

Materials:

- Bucket of water with a little bit of dish soap in it.



- 400-600 grit waterproof wetsanding paper.



- Sponge sanding blocks.


- Large soap sponge



Method:

* Before you start any sanding...

Wipe the entire car down with wax & Grease Remover:
(any brand name will do)


This will ensure that all traces of wax, dirt and grease are removed and will not clog up your paper, causing problems later on.

Then, grab a couple pieces of paper and drop them in the bucket.
You want them to soak long enough to cause the ends of the paper to start curling.

Next, wet the area of the car down that you are going to be working on with soapy water.

Now, wrap the paper around the small sanding block, give it one more dunk in the bucket ... and start rubbing.

* Wear old clothes, because as soon as you start to remove paint,
paint colored, soapy water will be everywhere.

- Keep dunking the paper wraped sponge into the water constantly.
You want the sponge, paper and the car body wet and soapy.... all the time.
Never dry.

- Switch the paper often.
You will feel and see when the paper is worn out and you need to switch to a new sheet.

- Do Not sand in circles.
Doing so will only result in swirl marks... not what you want.

- Do sand in the same direction as the body lines of the car.
(with the grain, so to speak)

- Do not put extra pressure on any one area of the sponge.

In other words, do not do this:


You want even pressure across the entire surface of the sponge, at all times.

- Be careful of the high spots.
* Even when being careful, as you rub across the high points of the car
(such as the line running down the center of the hood) you will take the paint off, all the way down to bare metal.
So... have some masking tape, newspaper and some spray primer ready, for later on.

I did one section of the car at a time... quarter panel, door, fender, hood (etc).

- When you first begin to sand, you will feel resisitance against the paper as the clearcoat (and thin coat of paint) comes off.
* This ,and the colored soap/water, will let you know that you are making progress.

- Eventually the (paper covered) sponge will glide along, smooth as silk.
This is when you know it is time to stop.

- Wash the area one more time with your large soap sponge and water from the hose.
Make sure the area is clean of all paint colored soap/water.

- Wipe it down and let it dry.

- Once dry, look at the sanded area from different angles.
If you see any glossy spots... Do the entire process over again, for those areas.

- If you see swirl marks, sanding marks or scratches... do the entire process over again,
only this time with the 600 grit paper.

- You want your final result to look like the area was painted with dull paint, not paint that has been sanded down. (In my case the car looks like it is covered in brown primer)
It should also be completly smooth to the touch.
(You don't want to rub your hand across the surface and feel any sanding marks)

- Once satisfied, tape up the spots that were taken down to the metal with your masking tape and news paper (to protect from overspray) and give it a quick hit witht the spray primer.
This will of course keep the bare metal from developing any tiny rust dots.

Move on to the next area of the car and repeat....

[TK826]

Thanks Ghost.

I still haven't decided if I am going to paint it myself or take it to a shop.

I'm 99% sure I can do this myself, but I am leaning toward having a paint shop do the work, just to save the time and aggravation of obtaining the equipment and finding (or building) a paint booth.

From everything I have seen, read, and been told, doing all the prep work yourself will significantly reduce the cost of the paint job.

I'm hoping that now the sanding is done, I can remove the bumpers, mask up the remaining sections, and all the paint shop needs to do is spray the color and send it out.
I am currently shopping around for a painter and will see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

I'm guessing I will do the underside of the hood, underside of the trunk and the door jambs, myself.. at a later date.


* Pushbar is almost done as well.
Should have some pics within a couple days.

[TI4438]

I haven't decided what to do with mine yet either.It's already a ****ty black color.Just about perfect actually.For now I'm probably gonna prep and paint the white parts of the body only.

[Steam McQueen]

Originally Posted by TI4438

I haven't decided what to do with mine yet either.It's already a ****ty black color.Just about perfect actually.For now I'm probably gonna prep and paint the white parts of the body only.

Sounds like the perfect way to go for that s***box Dodge look.

TK, are you going to patch the holes for the fender mount turn signals or put them back on?

[TK826]

Already black and already weathered.
Can't get a much better starting point than that.

Two words... black firewall (lucky sob)



The turn signals...

That's another tough question.

There are three ways to go on these:
1. Take them off and fill the hole.
2. Leave them on as they are.
3. Leave them on, but paint them black.

My question is... do I remove factory options for better accuracy ?
(I'm already missing a B-pillar, so it will never be truly accurate anyway)

I /we have seen all 3 versions and I believe (to a casual observer) neither version looks out of place.

Sooo... I'm not too sure.
As of right now I'm leaning toward #2 or 3.

[Bismo]

Great thread, I'll be following this with interest. We've been working to stabilize our "new" Monaco this summer, hoped to have a lot more done but that was before the Bluesmobile (Mark II) decided she needed a new exhaust system and a tranny rebuild. She's drivable as is but lots to do. As winter approaches hopefully I'll now be able to start putting more resources into the Dodge!

[TI4438]

Unfortunately this car wasn't originally black.That means 'green firewall' TK.

[country bunker]

this is an awesome thread lots of info thanks guys! Tk, i know you said you might send it to a paint shop. But what are you going to use to paint it? or what mix of paint? flat black? or a glossy black/with primer? How do you get that old glossy fadded shine on the car?

[Ghostbluesman]

TK,
If you have a Maaco in your area, that's an option (you've probably already thought of). They aren't high-dollar quality like a specialty paint shop, but if you do the sanding, bodywork and jambs yourself, they can spray it fast and cheap...
Auto Body Shop | Collision Center | Car Painting | Auto Body Repair | Maaco

Also, great tutorial on the sanding; for those who don't paint much, remember that the primer is porous and is not waterproof, and will hold moisture (rust will come through eventually)...best to get a topcoat on it asap, or keep it covered from the elements....
Rob

[TI4438]

That's a possibility.I'm in no great rush.I'm happy to have the car.I am itching to see TK's pushbars however.

[2FAB]

Originally Posted by TI4438

I'm in no great rush.I'm happy to have the car.

Amen, brother! Take your time and do it right!

[TI4438]

How are you going to mount the spotlight?Through the chrome on the pillar?

[TK826]

Through the chrome.
It's the only way.

It's not a Monaco, but here is a pretty good tutorial on mounting a spotlight to the A pillar:
SPOTLIGHT (Post-Mounted): Installation w/ lots of pics!! - IH8MUD.com


Personally, I'm making arrangements with a certain Joliet detective that we both know.
I'm told there are people at the garage that will be happy to do it.

[TI4438]

I was just curious if you were going to go with what you have or if you were gonna change the chrome.

I like the spotlights on the FJ.I was wondering if that were possible.

[TK826]

what mix of paint? flat black? or a glossy black/with primer? How do you get that old glossy fadded shine on the car?

I found out that it will cost no extra to have the car completely primed, so I've decided
to go that route, rather than painting over the existing finish.
After primer, it will be painted with a gloss black.
To avoid it being too shiny, I'm going with the suggestions that have been
posted in various threads here stating that there be no clear coat.

To fade it further, I'm planning to do a bit of scuffing w/ a Scotch-bright pad and then
let nature take its course.
Staying clear of the car wash is probably a must as well.


* Car went into the paint shop today.

Now comes a few days of nail biting, hoping that they absorbed the instructions I gave them.

One encouraging aspect is that I'm dealing directly with the owner of the shop and as soon as he stepped outside to look the car over (even in its current state w/ no grille, chrome or lettering) said
"Hey!.. That's the Bluesmobile!".

I was thinking.. "Cool.. someone who "gets it".

[TI4438]

I'm hoping you have it all together for the AP on Nov.7.

[TK826]

Me too.




Here's a question...

Does anyone know what this piece is?

There is one on each side and they are screwed into the pillar itself, under the rubber molding.



This is the drivers side and the one on the passenger side is a mirror image.

Here is a diagram showing the shape of the piece if you were to look at it from the bottom.
(The top two "steps" are hidden under the molding)



They seem to serve no purpose and I don't believe I ever seen these pieces on any other cars.

[Ghostbluesman]

Is it a molding clip of some type? I'll look on mine to see if I have those....
Rob