Got a new project, pictorial

[oscar]

$170 posted from Qld, won on ebay.  It's got a 1996 date on it and an MB part number that when searched comes up on autohausaz but doesn't say what model it's from.

[SELfor50]

Thanks mate.  Gonna have to get me a set..   

[Big_Richard]

yep, those fans definitely arent suitable for a 6.9 way too thick.

[oscar]

True.  Actually, the more I look at it I think it wouldn't be suitable for any V8's if used as a pull fan.  The motor is just too tall.  Holding it above the 350 it's as though the motor would contact with the alternator belt and you couldn't use it as a push fan at all on any without removal of the condensor because of the grill.

[oscar]

Today was spray day.  I ground the mounds of welds till I got bored then used filler.  It looks alright but I reckon I could've done a better job.  The filler I used had fibreglass strands in it and made air bubbles form fairly easily.  Not to worry, all's good.  I'm pretty happy how good the primer/sufacer looks.  Only a couple of runs but now I know how to control the gun, a bit of a sand tomorrow and I'll be able to move on. 

Something tells me I should've tried out the replacement bonnet to see if the latch is aligned   Nah, she'll be right I haven't even stripped it yet so that's the first job tomorrow.


Filler applied


Got bored sanding by hand so in came the grinder and sanding disc.  Can't beat power tools


Pre paint


Post paint.  Although I ended up covering the whole bumper beam








quarter panel primed.

[SELfor50]

I sound like a broken record.. but.  "That looks f*kn great Oscar!"   

Was it hard to get used to the spray gun??

What are you using for an 'oven'.. Eg.. are you waiting for warm days etc..  I know it's not gonna be a show car spray etc, so does it matter at all whether it's warm or not, or you can do it anytime?

...i'm contemplating doing a 'race spec' spray of ol' silver, so any advice is greatly appreciated! 

[oscar]

This is the first time I've used a spray gun.  It's a supercheap unit I bought two or more years ago and it's the first opportunity I've had to use it.  Hey I'm no pro, but I'm pretty pleased with the results so far.  I bought a Gregory's panel and spray manual. (2 books).  I read both ages ago and most has been forgotten but I suppose there's a number of rules some of which I broke or bent all the way along, but preparation is a big one.  Any lump of crud is going to show through.  Then there's the surface that has to be clean.  I did my best in that department mainly using a wire brush on a drill or grinder then I washed, brushed from top down with a cleaning thinner and used compressed air prior to washing down and also after to dry the thinners completely.  When spraying, I started doing underneath the inner guard to get a feel for the rate of spray and experiment.  Basically, eveness is the key and keep moving.  You stop in one spot and there starts the runs.

I'm going to do the bonnet tomorrow first then may do the top coat on the engine bay.  Baking - Not sure.  It's too cold to be painting in the garage doorway plus it's humid.  Look back through the photos and you'll see how surface rust has appeared whilst the car was indoors the whole time after being stripped.  I thought about buying a couple of radiant heaters but may just let it air dry.

[500eguy]

I am Jealous that you can do all this stuff yourself... you must teach me your skills sir... looks great!

[oscar]

Next time I'm up your way.....   I haven't even got a passport

Didn't get as much done today due to the bonnet taking forever to strip, mostly due to the amount of filler previously applied, and it's still not finished.  Tomorrow I'll get it done.

But I did get an underbody coat applied to the inner guard and inside the quarter panel.




Layers on the bonnet

[oscar]

Well the biggest problem today is that I found out I didn't put enough primer surfacer on the quarter panel.  Wasn't as obvious until I put the white enamel on but it's shocking.  I'm going to strip and start again.  I only put about 4 coats on of primer surfacer whereas after I learnt my lesson, the bonnet has had 7 coats and two sands so far and it still needs more to fill the previous sanding disc gouge marks.  But it's interesting to see the marks slowly disappear with each coat.

The chassis parts on the other hand are pretty good and not such a drama with imperfections anyway.  I'm not sure whether to leave it as is or sand and give it one more coat. 

Without baking facilities, it's amazing how long it's taking to dry. 3-5hrs it says on the can, but it's still tacky just about everywhere after 9 hrs.  The paint appeared stark white in comparison to the old paint but as it started to dry it did get that cream/off white look of 050G.  Not sure if that's what this car is but it looked exactly the same as my 350 which is 050G.

[MB_Mike]

Oscar everything looks great! It must be really satisfying to see things come together like this. How many hours do you have in it so far?

[oscar]

Thanks Mike.  I wish I kept all my dockets and kept a diary of some kind to document the whole thing but looking back I've spent at least 6 or 7 full days on it so far over the past 14.  Geez it feels longer.  The inlaws are visiting tomorrow and I go back to work on Sunday so that might be all for another 5 days or so.  Late at nights I might do the radiator install and fan.  Now that I've finished with the grinder and other power tools minus the air compressor, I can pretty much catch up with the rest of the rebuild during worknights, or any night I suppose.

[nathan]

great follow up pics oscar,
you know, the rest of thec ar doesnt match your quarter panel...just keep going i say, the whole damn thing!!

[kolin]

oscar
i have been looking around and reading seeing what people have done in the past and i am now going to do what you have done.you have given me inspiration, for my 350se
going to pull all the stuff out the car, weld up the holes and re weld the brackets and vaious parts that have rusted. will send pics.
and probably respray.i bought a compressor with spray attachments etc and its amazing, never done spray painting before and its great fun.
thanks again, once i have done all the security bars on the house, will start on the green machine,hate that "petrol" colour.

[oscar]

you know, the rest of thec ar doesnt match your quarter panel...

I thought you were colour blind     yes I noticed the stark contrast but I'll stick to my usual excuse, "it's ok, it's only a track car" but the urge to do the lot is very tempting.  Think of the whole lot as an undercoat for the eventual raceing livery



Let's hope my spraypainting improves on my photoshopping.

kolin, go for it.  I keep saying I'm no pro, never done this before etc etc.  But you try something and it either looks right or it doesn't and you learn from it.  One thing I learnt yesterday was to read labels.  I ran out of primer surfacer so bought some more, got back home, dropped some in the pot, added thinners and the spray gun wouldn't work.  Opened the pot up and the paint looked weird.  I accidentally bought water based acrylic primer, not enamel primer .  I took off to buy an enamel tin and rushed home to find the acrylic stuff was drying in the gun, the nozzle, the pick up, Arrgh.!!!!  Took ages to clean.  Another thing I learnt the other day when I got a few runs in the paint was that my spray pattern was horizontal and parrallel to the gun's travel.  If things aren't done right, it shows and although I've tried to highlight some faults, the photos make the car look better than it really is.  Creating a smooth surface is very challenging.   So it hasn't all been smooth sailing with some decent F up's on the way but  yeah, spray painting is fun.