I too had been researching Speeduino for possible future use.
I run Megajolt 3(built myself) with a Ford coil pack/EDIS unit. I ended up purchasing the dubworks trigger wheel for a Bernie Bergmann 911 fan(from Mario Velotta). I machined the back side of a Jack Sachette(jaycee) pulley to fit it. Pickup mounts to a case nose bolt(for Ed) and is hidden. Works perfectly.
Very cool work, Mike. Keep it coming!
DannyP posted:I too had been researching Speeduino for possible future use.
I run Megajolt 3(built myself) with a Ford coil pack/EDIS unit. I ended up purchasing the dubworks trigger wheel for a Bernie Bergmann 911 fan(from Mario Velotta). I machined the back side of a Jack Sachette(jaycee) pulley to fit it. Pickup mounts to a case nose bolt(for Ed) and is hidden. Works perfectly.
Very cool work, Mike. Keep it coming!
Nice gear. I was considering building a Megajolt, too. Sounds like you're set up for any upgrades you choose. I'm still waiting for the slow boat from California to get my coil pack and pickup (all international boat shipments to Hawaii have to go to California first and THEN get shipped 3000 miles back out here - Jones Act of 1920). Getting things here can be a challenge. USPS flat rate is my friend.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Hi all,
I need some help on a few questions that have come up:
- Has anyone successfully mounted shoulder harnesses on their car with an IM/CMC pan? I've got the belts, but thought someone may have struggled through this before me.
- Do your seats touch the door side of the car when slid fully back? I'm test fitting things and while the seats fit, they rub behind the doors when slid back.
- What fasteners need to be stainless and which ones should never be stainless? I've been replacing some 40 year old screws and found that it isn't too hard to snap the stainless replacements. Thoughts overall about where stainless is needed?
- I ordered side mirrors and they came with a little bit of white plastic surrounding the mirror to hold it in? Is this common? It was the first time I've seen something like it and it felt a little bit off. Anyone else seen this and is it ok?
Many thanks in advance,
Mike
Regarding the mirrors, the white piece is common for the Aero mirrors.
My car is all covered up and sleeping out in the garage, but IIRC when I slide the seats all the way back, the outside edge of the seatback has a lot of side room to the body. There is maybe 1/2" between seat backs as they hang over the tunnel. I had lots more trouble getting the seat bottoms to fit between the central tunnel and sills. Took quite a bit of seat bottom frame mods to get everything in there. I'll post my seat photos below - they came from a '92 Chrysler LeBaron GTS Turbo.
On the seat belts, I have lap/shoulder belts from a Chrysler. I kept the inertial winders and mounted them behind the seats. The loop for the shoulder belt is bolted to the roll bar. The other two anchors are about where they would be on a modern car.
Yes, stainless doesn't have a lot of shear strength so they tend to snap when torque is applied (but you know that, now.) I can't help with where to use it, other than where-ever you don't want the fastener to rust and look, well, rusty. I also use stainless in places where I might want to remove the fastener some time in the future without messing with rust. But it seems that might not be the best choice, given your update.
Gordon Nichols posted:My car is all covered up and sleeping out in the garage, but IIRC when I slide the seats all the way back, the outside edge of the seatback has a lot of side room to the body. There is maybe 1/2" between seat backs as they hang over the tunnel. I had lots more trouble getting the seat bottoms to fit between the central tunnel and sills. Took quite a bit of seat bottom frame mods to get everything in there. I'll post my seat photos below - they came from a '92 Chrysler LeBaron GTS Turbo.
On the seat belts, I have lap/shoulder belts from a Chrysler. I kept the inertial winders and mounted them behind the seats. The loop for the shoulder belt is bolted to the roll bar. The other two anchors are about where they would be on a modern car.
Yes, stainless doesn't have a lot of shear strength so they tend to snap when torque is applied (but you know that, now.) I can't help with where to use it, other than where-ever you don't want the fastener to rust and look, well, rusty. I also use stainless in places where I might want to remove the fastener some time in the future without messing with rust. But it seems that might not be the best choice, given your update.
Thanks, Gordon. Love those seats!
Robert M posted:Regarding the mirrors, the white piece is common for the Aero mirrors.
Thanks, Robert. I wasn't sure. I was thinking "Am I supposed to paint this?" :-)
Those mirrors do not look right. If it’s in your budget, spring for the real German ones from Stoddard. The chrome is 100 times better and you won’t have to replace them in a couple years. The white trim is only seen from the mirror side and is much thinner. You can also get convex glass for the right side.
https://www.stoddard.com/64473100200-nla.html.html
mppickett posted:Robert M posted:Regarding the mirrors, the white piece is common for the Aero mirrors.
Thanks, Robert. I wasn't sure. I was thinking "Am I supposed to paint this?" :-)
Marty Grzynkowicz posted:Those mirrors do not look right. If it’s in your budget, spring for the real German ones from Stoddard. The chrome is 100 times better and you won’t have to replace them in a couple years. The white trim is only seen from the mirror side and is much thinner. You can also get convex glass for the right side.
https://www.stoddard.com/64473100200-nla.html.html
Now that I’ve seen it on my Mac I agree with Marty. I have the white piece on the front inside edge of my mirror but not on the outside edge.
If you want the best quality spend the extra money. I don’t think we should settle for cheap repop quality parts for our cars. Buy the stuff they use when restoring original cars
Those are the Aero style mirror that Vintage Speedster Parts (not Vintage Speedsters) is currently selling. They are far less expensive than Stoddard mirrors, probably half the price. They work fine, just look a bit different. If you don't like the look, talk to Greg Leach or Sierra Madre.
Troy Sloan posted:Those are the Aero style mirror that Vintage Speedster Parts (not Vintage Speedsters) is currently selling. They are far less expensive than Stoddard mirrors, probably half the price. They work fine, just look a bit different. If you don't like the look, talk to Greg Leach or Sierra Madre.
Thanks, Troy. You are absolutely right. After a recommendation from Alan Merklin I've been using Greg Leach for a lot of parts. He and Anna have never disappointed me.
mppickett posted:Troy Sloan posted:Those are the Aero style mirror that Vintage Speedster Parts (not Vintage Speedsters) is currently selling. They are far less expensive than Stoddard mirrors, probably half the price. They work fine, just look a bit different. If you don't like the look, talk to Greg Leach or Sierra Madre.
Thanks, Troy. You are absolutely right. After a recommendation from Alan Merklin I've been using Greg Leach for a lot of parts. He and Anna have never disappointed me.
She runs a great shop 
(Greg does a good job too 
)
Hi Mike,
Magnificent job you're doing. If you are thinking about shoulder harnesses, you must be contemplating a roll bar. Without that, not sure how you could do a safe install.
You definitely want the shoulder belt to come from above your shoulder, not below. The latter becomes uncomfortable on a long drive and can injure you in an accident.
Troy Sloan posted:Those are the Aero style mirror that Vintage Speedster Parts (not Vintage Speedsters) is currently selling. They are far less expensive than Stoddard mirrors, probably half the price. They work fine, just look a bit different. If you don't like the look, talk to Greg Leach or Sierra Madre.
The ones pictured on the Vintage Speedster Parts website doesn't look like that. The one they picture only has the plastic between the glass and the frame of the mirror.
http://vintagespeedsterparts.c...dsteraeromirror.aspx
Could just be a stock photo. Definitely not the same quality as Sierra Madre or Stoddards.
Correct, they haven't changed their website picture. Not, the same quality as the Stoddard mirrors, but half the price.
@Michael Pickett Please be aware that stainless steel nuts and bolts can gall and stick together. Use anti-seize with them. I disregarded the warning in the hardware store and had to cut some off.
Michael McKelvey posted:@Michael Pickett Please be aware that stainless steel nuts and bolts can gall and stick together. Use anti-seize with them. I disregarded the warning in the hardware store and had to cut some off.
Yipes. I did not know that. Thanks for the tip!
Mike!
More than you wanted to now about stainless steel, below - Yes, there are a BUNCH of different "grades" of SS. Some of them rust, some of them don't, depending on how much chromium in in the alloy mix. Some can "corrode" to whatever is mated to them, as Mike inferred, but sometimes that corrosion can be dendritic growth (crystalline structure that forms a chemical bond between two surfaces). In your rainforest climate, the anti-seize makes a lot of of sense, if at the very least as an insulator between the two parts.
https://www.metalsupermarkets....ainless-steel-grade/
You getting hit by the storms we're hearing about, headed your way?
gn
Gordon Nichols posted:Mike!
More than you wanted to now about stainless steel, below - Yes, there are a BUNCH of different "grades" of SS. Some of them rust, some of them don't, depending on how much chromium in in the alloy mix. Some can "corrode" to whatever is mated to them, as Mike inferred, but sometimes that corrosion can be dendritic growth (crystalline structure that forms a chemical bond between two surfaces). In your rainforest climate, the anti-seize makes a lot of of sense, if at the very least as an insulator between the two parts.
https://www.metalsupermarkets....ainless-steel-grade/
You getting hit by the storms we're hearing about, headed your way?
gn
Hi Gordon,
Very helpful. As much as I hate opening my anti-seize (I always get it all over myself), I guess I'll dive in. Thanks to you and Mike for the tip. No storms today, sunny and 75* F. We had rain and wind over the last couple of days and I heard that someone measured a gust of 60 mph here in Kihei. We're on the dry side of a 10,000 ft volcano, so we don't usually get much rain. It's kind of a novelty. We do have several inches of snow upcountry on the volcano. It is nice to be able to find cold weather and then drive back home to the warm. You guys be careful over on the mainland.
My latest update. I've converted over to totally electronic ignition powered by Speeduino ECU and a VW Golf/Passat high energy electronic ignition coil pack. It works just fine. Additionally, the carb linkage was lowered to make room for the AC compressor and I've begun to install the shoulder harness seat belts. To begin, I built a mount for the Saab 900 crankshaft position sensor (CPS). I mounted it on a case bolt on the lower passenger side of the engine. It is a VR (variable reluctance) sensor so I'm using twisted pair to the Speeduino during the test phase and will wire it with shielded two or four pair in production. The Speeduino detects TDC from the CPS when the missing tooth wheel behind the crankshaft pulley skips a beat. For those who are trying this, in my case, I configured the Speeduino to identify TDC as 92 degrees before the missing tooth. This will vary depending on how you attach your missing tooth part to the pulley and the location of the sensor.
The brains. Configured using Tunerstudio via a bluetooth connection. I use Shadow Dash via bluetooth on my phone to monitor it while it's running.
Here's a pic of the crankshaft position sensor bracket that I fabbed up. The sensor is at the top and leans in at an angle to pick up the rotation of the teeth on the missing tooth wheel I mounted behind the crank pulley.
Here's a closer shot of the sensor itself. It's the black cylinder behind the shiny bolts at the top of the slightly rusty, bespoke bracket. Like I noted earlier, it leans in at an angle, but picks up the signal loud and clear.
I'm using MSD 8.5mm ignition wires with GM LS2 coil pack terminators on the coil side. They have great noise suppression as well has the ability to handle the high voltage produced by electronic ignitions. These are roughly 2 feet in length, each.
The very inexpensive Golf/Passat coil pack (part # 032905106B) is mounted on the firewall. It has 2 ignition inputs from the Speeduino and 4 spark outputs to the plugs. It is configured in Tunerstudio (software that drives the Speeduino) for wasted spark. This means that when the Speeduino senses that a spark is needed for input 1, the coil fires plugs 1 & 3. When input 2 is sensed, the coil pack fires plugs 2 and 4. For the cylinders that are not filled with compressed fuel/air, the spark is wasted, however, Jim Cortina with the Megasquirt project has bench tested this coil pack to over 13,000 rpm. I suspect it will work just fine for me. When I built my 425 hp Porsche turbo motor, I used a similar EDIS 6 wasted spark system with great results.
Wow, look at all of that empty space. Note the VW coil pack on the firewall above the shroud and the MSD wires routed out of the way of stray compressor bits. For those with discerning eyes, you may spot the lower third of a Bosch 009 that has been gutted and filled with J-B Weld.
The upshot is I was able to remove the distributor and free up a lot of space for the AC compressor while improving the accuracy and strength of the ignition system. Total system cost was under $300. I did a lot of fabrication for this and would highly recommend the Dub Shop kits for folks who are less inclined or less patient. I thought about this fact several times during the process.
I'm using the Vintage Speed Taiwan's dual carb linkage and I decided I could get another inch or two clearance for the compressor by converting the left side linkage to a pull instead of the normal push. To do this, I make a small steel oval that attaches both the right and left sides to the attachment where the right side normally attaches (nearest the shroud). This means when accelerating, the linkage pushes the right side open (just like normal) and pulls the left side open. To make this work, I drilled and pinned the larger adjustment threaded part nearest the left carb. This allows it to be pulled. I then moved the carb linkage lever from the top side of the left carb to the bottom so the push will open the carb. Works great and is just as adjustable as the original. Now I've got plenty of space for AC. Yes, I love my wife. That's why AC is required.
The little oval at the back allows both linkage arms to be driven from the rear cam.
I'm installing retractable shoulder harness seat belts that I sourced from Greg and Anna at Vintage Motorcars. I've just started the installation, but have pretty much gotten my plan together. The real trick is that the shoulder belt support needs to be located higher than your shoulder to reduce the chance of injury. It's nice not to meet the steering wheel with your face, but you don't want a spine injury in exchange. I measured my shoulder height in the seat and then used a level to locate the spot on the back seat wall nearest the door that would allow an attachment with a steel backing plate. This was roughly 17.5" back from the top edge of the frame at the door. I drilled a bolt hole about 1.5" down from the top of the rear seat and then went underneath the body with various cutting tools to make room for curved plates that followed the shape of the back seat. These plates will be welded to the body frame with steel braces to reduce then chance that they'll pop through the fiberglass in an accident. The reels are attached right below the back seat lip and secured through the inverted "V" shaped steel beam that crosses the tunnel. I found that I needed to mount the reels as close to the doors as possible (and still feed cleanly). Otherwise, the mounting bolt comes out into the space where the body support heads back towards the engine. More pics on this will come later.
Seat belt should harness attachment above shoulder level. Reel is secured at front edge of rear seat, behind the driver's seat.
View of curved steel support behind rear seat. This pic was shot from inside the passenger side wheel well. The side fiberglass on either side of the engine had to be cut to extend the curved piece behind the rear seat. Additional bracing will be welded to the curved piece.
I know I've said it before, but thanks to everyone who has gone before and those who continue to advise and encourage. You've made it possible for seriously inadvisable projects to succeed.
Mike
Here's help for those poor fools who have shaved all or part of the windshield wiper eyebrows off while repainting. For whatever reason, my disk sander has a magnetic attraction to the eyebrows and my reaction time is exactly in the "Oh sh*t" range. In the unlikely event that anyone else experiences this event, here's what I did to extract the bullet from my foot. 
Only evidence of an eyebrow is the blonde crescent behind the hole where the wipers are attached. Note that is on the passenger side. I scrubbed off the driver side eyebrow first, said a few choice words and then went over the passenger side and did it again. This should be a caution to those who are lulled into having a good opinion of my skills and judgement.
Since the little eyebrows are just a hair taller than the round washers that are used to attach the wiper system, I placed the washers in the sad gully that was left in the body and got an idea about how tall the eyebrow needed to be. I then mixed up some bondo and filled up the bottom half of an eggshell that had been sprayed with cooking spray. When the bondo egg was pretty hardboiled, I broke the eggshell off and decided it was a good starting point. I used a dremel tool to cut the half-egg into two cowl shaped parts and then trimmed off the very ends at a length that matched the shadows of the trimmed off parts. I drilled several small holes in the eyebrow piece and in the fiberglass that it would sit on. I smeared fresh bondo into the holes I drilled, applied a thin layer on top of the hood area and pressed the new piece on top. I then used acetone to wipe the piece down to help it blend in well.
Part of the bondo egg left after I trimmed off the replacement eyebrow piece.
When it was dry, I use the washer to help match the angle needed on the new piece (using a dremel disk to do the cutting). I then just whittled the eyebrows down until they looked right using a piece of 120 grit sandpaper.
Replacement eyebrow before painting with fiberglass resin
When it looked right, I painted a thin coat of fiberglass resin on top of the eyebrows and blended them into the surrounding fiberglass. When dry, I smoothed them out using 100 grit paper in preparation for the epoxy primer painting step for the rest of the car. What a pain. Let this be a warning to those with short attention spans like me...
Good save, Mike.
And thanks for solving a mystery. I always wondered why the builder of this outlaw coupe put the wiper where he did.
@Michael Pickett wrote- "Here's help for those poor fools who have..."
I'm only laughing, Mike, because I've been there so many times! Very innovative fix, and it's coming coming along nicely. Al
Lifting the body onto and off of the chassis. I needed to do some test fitting before painting the body so reassembling the two parts was necessary. I saw a few pics of how others had done this before and figured out how to do it "safely." The first step was to reinforce the roof above the body with 4x4s and an additional 2x6 across the top. Lateral stability was provided by additional 2x4s between the rafters essentially making a box. Swinging my prodigious weight from the rafter and making monkey noises convinced me that it was safe.
I then disassembled the top half of a come-along and fashioned a through bolt for the reinforced rafter. The come-along was attached to the rafter and four ratchet tie down straps (ratchets removed) were secured to the come-along hook. A good pulley system with tie-offs would work as well.
Two holes were drilled into the rear cross bar from the face of the lower package area. They need to be big enough for the hooks on the straps to rotate freely. The holes were roughly 6 inches from the outside edge of the package area. Look behind the cross member to make sure you aren't drilling into the bracket that goes to the engine compartment. Wider is better in terms of the stability of the body when lifted. These new holes will be covered with carpet so don't sweat it.
The front two strap hooks will attach to the holes in the frame where the heater vents attach. Keep the front strap lengths short enough that they DON'T TOUCH THE DASHBOARD!
There are two tricks to getting a level lift. The first is to shorten or lengthen the front and back pairs until they reach an equal tension level when you start the lift. Adjust the straps in pairs (front pair and back pair). I just strummed each one and listened to the frequency of the tone (higher is tighter, lower tone is looser). Roughly equalizing the tones give you what you want. The second trick is that as you adjust the strap lengths, you should try to keep the hook on the come-along vertical (not being pulled towards the front of the car or the rear). Otherwise, the body will swing forward or backwards when it is lifted clear.
Double or triple check everything and do a short lift. Swing the body just a little to make sure everything is secure. If you don't like it, lower it back down and adjust the straps or supports until you are comfortable with the safety of the setup. When testing, don't put yourself under anything, in case it lets go unexpectedly. I attached an extension to the come-along arm so I could stand clear when testing and it turned out to be useful leverage when lifting.
My come-along has a tab on top that needs to be flicked when you want to lower the hook. I tied some nylon survey string to the tab and ran it back outside the car so I could be clear of the body when testing the lifts and lowering. I added another string for pulling the lift ratchet back, too. This gave me more latitude when lowering (ask me if you get to this point and are confused about how that might work). The rough idea is to pull the string to disengage the handle and to raise it up near the top of its range, release the string and lift the handle slightly while pulling on the lowering tab string until it clicks back allowing the handle to get a full swing of lowering. I know, it is hard to explain...
When you are set up for a safe and level lift, have someone else keep a hand on the body so it doesn't rotate. We were having 40 mph gusts when I was lifting last time and the body got excited about being airborne. Surprise, you can't lower it since it has rotated out of the support range so you need to just keep it lifted and block it somehow until you can get help. Or, you could avoid my mistake and just have someone helping. They don't need to be strong, just steady.
Alignment with the chassis attach points is important when lowering the body. Just go slow and move things a wee bit at the time. Inevitably, one corner will touch slightly before the others. Start that corner bolt loosely, it just becomes a locator peg. Swing the body until you get alignment on another corner and peg that one. It will probably help to have someone else either pegging corners or doing the slight lifting and lowering. Once you have the body square on the chassis, apply the nuts and lock it down. If it is the final lock-down, don't forget the sealing needed between the body and the chassis. Cheers,
Mike
This is exactly the way I have done many speedster bodies to chassis. My tip is to use 6" x 5/16" long temp bolts on all four corners as the locator pins.
Bracing for shoulder harness seat belts. I started an update on this a while back and noted that once I had located the correct attachment point for the shoulder harness (above your shoulder), I would be adding bracing since you can't expect the fiberglass to hold up in the event of an accident.
The basic idea is to make a steel plate that matches the curve of the fiberglass at the top of the package area behind the seats. The shoulder harness support will bolt though the fiberglass and then through the steel plate. Some conjecture that that would be sufficient in case of an accident. I had my doubts so I fabricated some supports out of angle iron and T iron.
Location of shoulder harness support
Unsupported curved steel plate test located in area behind the passenger side package area. It is bolted through the fiberglass to the shoulder harness support. Note that some of the side fiberglass had to be opened up to allow the plate to wrap around.
Finished supports: angle iron and T iron was cut, twisted and welded to provide front to back support for the curved plate. The T iron provides strong resistance to lateral movement. These are bolted to the chassis in the areas near the rear shock absorbers. They fit under or over the supports for the rear body. You may need to trim any spacers if your car has them so the supports can fit underneath. If you don't have spacers, the supports can be sized to sit directly on top of the rear body supports.
Brace mounted on rear body attachment points. The brace will actually be mounted after the body and chassis are secured together since you have to do a little bit of alignment when inserting the curved plate behind the package area.
If you choose to emulate my foolishness, I highly recommend having someone who can weld do your bracket work. I know of no one who has actually crash tested a design like this and I hope I never do so. So, no promises that this is the best way to approach the problem (actually, mounting on a roll bar is the best way if you want to go that route).
Cheers,
Mike
Sacto Mitch posted:
Good save, Mike.
And thanks for solving a mystery. I always wondered why the builder of this outlaw coupe put the wiper where he did.
Hilarious! :-)
I like reading your escapades if for no other reason than the pure humor of it all. I'm impressed by your creativity both when writing and coming up with ways to do things. Who'd have thought to go crack a few eggs to use as molds for the small eyebrow for the windshield wipers? Not me. Great job.
Robert M posted:I like reading your escapades if for no other reason than the pure humor of it all. I'm impressed by your creativity both when writing and coming up with ways to do things. Who'd have thought to go crack a few eggs to use as molds for the small eyebrow for the windshield wipers? Not me. Great job.
Aw shucks. Both my father and great grandfather were real inventors. I inherited the lack of fear to mess around with things if not the ability to convert innovation into something that puts food on the table. Second child status means I had to be the class clown to get any attention, so there you go. Now if I could just quit joking around and get this beast on the road! Seriously, thanks!
A short addendum to the wiper eyebrow saga, Ed (edsnova) cautioned me about the vulnerability of using Bondo where it isn't laying flat on the car. He also noted the possibility of the paint issues later. He suggested that I make reverse molds of the Bondo eyebrows and then fill the molds with finely chopped fiberglass (kitty fur) and resin. It felt like good counsel, so that is what I did and I'm happy with the way it turned out. Thanks, Ed!
Bondo eyebrow w/resin shell
Facehugger attacks. I covered the eyebrow w/car was, stuck a tube in the wiper attachment hole and poured Bondo on top. 10 minutes later I had my mold (loosened it with a very thin paint scraper).
Mold after it popped loose. I then sanded off the eyebrows (again) with a longboard. Ed was right, they melted like butter.
Sunny side up eyebrows waiting for the kitty fur to cure. Got to keep them level :-)
Fiberglass eyebrow installed. It took a good bit of shaping to reduce the fiberglass piece back to the height of the original. I used a longboard with 80 grit and just kept at until it matched the empty spot on the hood.
Looks even better with a few coats of epoxy primer. More on that later.
Mike
Nice fabrication ! Probably a good idea to back up the repair on the underside with a thin gauge steel so that when you tighten the wiper nuts you're not applying all the torque at the repair. Using a thin plate etc you'll be changing the depth of the pivot out the body so be careful to check the wiper arm fit on the stud to make sure the wiper arm base doesn't make contact with the fiberglass.
Alright, the fiberglass grinding, repair and smoothing is complete and the painting process has begun. Here's a short update. I look forward to your observations and suggestions. Thanks again to everyone for your guidance!
PAINTING GOAL
Goal is daily driver good. Skill level just ok, shot an old Porsche turbo at home 10 years ago in RI with compressor and Devilbis Finishline. I got a lot of experience with sanding out drips.
EQUIPMENT & ENVIRONMENT
Fuji mini-mite 4 platinum turbine, T75G HVLP gun with 1.3mm, 1.5mm and 2.0mm tips in temp tarp paint shed in back yard. On dry side of island with infrequent rain, temps mid-70s - 90. Humidity between mid-50s-70.
PRODUCTS
Using mostly Southern Polyurethanes (SPI) products: Wax & Grease Remover, Epoxy Primer, 2k Regular Build Primer, and Universal Clearcoat with slow activators.
Filler on top of the epoxy is Evercoat Rage Ultra.
Base coat is PPG Deltron Porsche Arctic Silver 92U with DT885 (70*-85* F) reducer
PROGRESS SO FAR
Shot 3 coats of epoxy w/1.5mm tip and the Fuji worked just fine. I used almost exactly 2100cc mixed per coat. I'm buying another qt of epoxy and activator so I'll have enough for a 10% reduced (PPG DT885) sealing coat before the base coat. I like the convenience, size and noise level of the Fuji. Turbines have a reputation for putting out a very dry, oil-free but warmer flow of air. The Fuji Platinum series has a "heat dissipation chamber (TM)" to address the issue of the warmer air. In my experience so far, it hasn't been a problem. The epoxy coat is amazingly tough - reminds me of very smooth, warm concrete. I'm thinking about painting the tarps on my paint shed with it and renting the new cottage out to island visitors :-)
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
I can't say enough good things about the SPI folks. They provide super high end products that are showcased at concours events, but answer the phone on the first ring and are willing to talk you through the pros and cons of every step. I grew up in NC and these guys are based in Georgia. They remind me of what southern hospitality still means in some places. They provide tons of documentation and recommendations including some that are extremely specific (like ONLY use the 1.4mm tip with Universal Clearcoat). Since Fuji doesn't make a 1.4mm tip for the T75G gun, I called and they talked me through the choices and we ended up with the 1.5mm tip and slightly reduced fluid flow (and maybe slightly higher painting speed). They said to do some test panels with the goal of wet coats with no drips - easy peasy... I felt much better and was glad that I hadn't just gone ahead without chatting with the experts.
NEXT STEPS
I've got some obligations that will put the painting on hold for a few weeks. When I get back to it, the SPI folks said to just scruff up the epoxy with red scotch-brite pads before starting the filling and sanding work. I really glad that the fiberglass repairs are complete and the car is all sealed up.
Mike
One of my buddies saw this picture and commented on my choice of using white for the epoxy coat: "These are not the droids you are looking for. Move along."
Hey....White is GREAT!
Back on January 5'th, 1974, I had just graduated college and was getting married.
BUT! I was working on a 1946 Ford mild Hot Rod which I had gotten into Primer and sanded out during the fall semester. I was afraid that if I left it for the winter it would rust through the semi-porous primer I had used. I decided that, since we were moving 1-1/2 hours from my folks (and the car) the best thing was to paint it pronto and the only day I had was my wedding day. It's a long story, but it got done by getting up at 4am and getting three coats in before 2pm with an ancient DeVilbiss pressure-gun. Just around 2pm, my future/still wife arrived to tell me "You better get this damn thing finished or your ass is grass!" Don't know why she was so excited - The wedding was at 5pm. I made it, even though we got 15" of snow between 3pm and 10pm.
It was supposed to be the color of a regular coffee but turned out a little more pink than that (1973 Lincoln Continental "Buff"). Good thing it had a bored .300 over 59A/B stroked flathead, Edelbrock dual-carb intake, Offenhouser heads, full-race cam and a LaSalle transmission - it scooted. Still, I managed to paint it with only three runs, all of which got sanded out and looked great. I never painted another whole car.
This was taken the following Autumn after I moved it to our apartment in Springfield, MA. to finish it. Did the front seat upholstery on my wife's sewing machine while she was off on a business trip. 
You can't really see it, but the entire seat was diamond-button-tufted. The darker seat was the rear seat of a BMW 2002 which fit perfectly and I just covered it with the same stuff.
The things you do for love.............
Gordon Nichols posted:Hey....White is GREAT!
Back on January 5'th, 1974, I had just graduated college and was getting married.
BUT! I was working on a 1946 Ford mild Hot Rod which I had gotten into Primer and sanded out during the fall semester. I was afraid that if I left it for the winter it would rust through the semi-porous primer I had used. I decided that, since we were moving 1-1/2 hours from my folks (and the car) the best thing was to paint it pronto and the only day I had was my wedding day. It's a long story, but it got done by getting up at 4am and getting three coats in before 2pm with an ancient DeVilbiss pressure-gun. Just around 2pm, my future/still wife arrived to tell me "You better get this damn thing finished or your ass is grass!" Don't know why she was so excited - The wedding was at 5pm. I made it, even though we got 15" of snow between 3pm and 10pm.
It was supposed to be the color of a regular coffee but turned out a little more pink than that (1973 Lincoln Continental "Buff"). Good thing it had a bored .300 over 59A/B stroked flathead, Edelbrock dual-carb intake, Offenhouser heads, full-race cam and a LaSalle transmission - it scooted. Still, I managed to paint it with only three runs, all of which got sanded out and looked great. I never painted another whole car.
This was taken the following Autumn after I moved it to our apartment in Springfield, MA. to finish it. Did the front seat upholstery on my wife's sewing machine while she was off on a business trip.
The things you do for love.............
Brilliant. You were obviously chosen by your perfect mate, otherwise... The car turned out great, too. Looks like cafe au lait. I may need to get you out here for some interior work at some point since you know your way around a sewing machine. I'm also impressed that you manage to find obscure seats that perfectly match your rides!
It's the Pickett-Nichols Rod & Git-er-Done Club.
edsnova posted:It's the Pickett-Nichols Rod & Git-er-Done Club.
Ha, I noticed you didn't say Git-er-Done-Right :-) There's a lot of activity out here for sure, but I'm pretty sure it isn't Nichols-level quality!
mppickett posted:edsnova posted:It's the Pickett-Nichols Rod & Git-er-Done Club.
Ha, I noticed you didn't say Git-er-Done-Right :-) There's a lot of activity out here for sure, but I'm pretty sure it isn't Nichols-level quality!
Malarkey- you sir, are the man.
Yeah, not everything I do is all that great - Just the stuff I show on here!
And besides.... I keep telling everyone how bad a MIG welder I am. I'm saved by my angle grinder and thank Thomas Joseph (he invented it) every time I have to use it. I suspect, since TIG is more like torch welding (which I'm really good at) I could TIG well, but never tried it.
I used to be able to paint well (not great) but I no longer have the patience to learn all about the modern water-based paints and how to properly apply them. I'm much better at fabrication in just about any material, so I leave it at that and rattle-can the finished product. Anything that's big (like Pearl) I have professionally done.
There are a bunch of people on here who do as good, and often much better, work than I do - look at Mango Smoothie's or Ollie's work - and we all get inspiration from each other. That's what this is all about. People (like you, Bill) keep upping the bar.
I'm proud to say that a lot of that OCDed-ness has rubbed off on my kids who seem to be tackling interesting projects of their own. It just boils down to seeing a need for something and deciding "I'm gonna try to make or do that". The first few tries might be less than optimal, but you get better and more confident with each one. After a while, you'll just tackle anything........
We've seen quite a few people develop their skills on here, and that's one of the best parts of this site!
