The 1989 Corvette convertible restoration thread

oxrageous

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I did it.

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oxrageous

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An unbelievable 7 coats of base (I just couldn't get happy with the coverage) and 2 heavy coats of clear. I got better as I went on.

Had two drips of sweat on the base coat, so I sanded those out and kept going. The clear went on great, but I got one damn run in the last 2 minutes of the last coat. I got cocky.
 

URGatorBait

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An unbelievable 7 coats of base (I just couldn't get happy with the coverage) and 2 heavy coats of clear. I got better as I went on.

Had two drips of sweat on the base coat, so I sanded those out and kept going. The clear went on great, but I got one damn run in the last 2 minutes of the last coat. I got cocky.
the clear coats is where you want the extra layers, will make for a more glossy, even mirror like finish, and will make the whole job last longer...though, if you are selling it...fck it, I wouldn't worry about it either.
 

oxrageous

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It will have a smooth mirror finish even more so after I wet sand it and buff it.
 

LagoonGator68

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An unbelievable 7 coats of base (I just couldn't get happy with the coverage) and 2 heavy coats of clear. I got better as I went on.

Had two drips of sweat on the base coat, so I sanded those out and kept going. The clear went on great, but I got one damn run in the last 2 minutes of the last coat. I got cocky.


De-waxing, feather priming and block sanding repeatedly is tedious but necessary with fiberglass bodies. Did you ever get happy with the base?
 

oxrageous

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De-waxing, feather priming and block sanding repeatedly is tedious but necessary with fiberglass bodies. Did you ever get happy with the base?
Yes for my first effort I'm pretty happy. However, there's plenty of orange peel and I'm going to be wet sanding and buffing the entire car....it will take forever. Then it will take another forever to reassemble everything.
 

LagoonGator68

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Yes for my first effort I'm pretty happy. However, there's plenty of orange peel and I'm going to be wet sanding and buffing the entire car....it will take forever. Then it will take another forever to reassemble everything.


Hopefully you have pics of how everything goes back together. Not kidding.
 

78

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Holy crap, you painted your own car. Nobody tries that. Well, none whom I know.

Tremendous job.
 

Concrete Helmet

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Yes for my first effort I'm pretty happy. However, there's plenty of orange peel and I'm going to be wet sanding and buffing the entire car....it will take forever. Then it will take another forever to reassemble everything.
Maybe taking a long time is better. The road is not such a safe place for a fine car as I found out Saturday morning.....My Ruby Red Vert was totaled by another driver in a head on collision....The long front end and huge V8 block are the only reasons I'm here and typing this.:cry:. Literally burst into tears when arriving home from the hospital yesterday and looked at the empty spot where it is usually parked.....Take your time and enjoy the process my friend.
 
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oxrageous

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Maybe taking a long time is better. The road is not such a safe place for a fine car as I found out Saturday morning.....My Ruby Red Vert was totaled by another driver in a head on collision....The long front end and huge V8 block are the only reasons I'm here and typing this.:cry:. Literally burst into tears when arriving home from the hospital yesterday and looked at the empty spot where it is usually parked.....Take your time and enjoy the process my friend.
What Ruby Red Vert? All I knew you had was that Shelby.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Yes for my first effort I'm pretty happy. However, there's plenty of orange peel and I'm going to be wet sanding and buffing the entire car....it will take forever. Then it will take another forever to reassemble everything.
i don't think you can buff out the orange peel after clear.
 

LagoonGator68

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Yes for my first effort I'm pretty happy. However, there's plenty of orange peel and I'm going to be wet sanding and buffing the entire car....it will take forever. Then it will take another forever to reassemble everything.

Recap
"So now is when I rant about how correcting orange peel is essentially useless for the everyday car owner. Sure, if you’re a professional or are showing off your Duesenberg at Pebble Beach, orange peel might become annoying. But for most people, you either won’t notice it or won’t mind that it’s there. I ask if it’s really worth correcting, and again, many people will answer yes.

But think about this: your brand new Benz has orange peel on the lower left quarter panel. It irks you that it’s there in the first place, but do you really want to remove the factory finish and pay a body shop $800+ to “do it’s ‘best'” to match and blend the panel? Or pay a shop to dig into your clear coat with sandpaper of all things and further diminish its thickness with a polishing procedure? Even without mentioning the money, I still don’t think correcting orange peel is worth it. It’s almost like getting a birthmark removed and expecting no scar. When it comes to paint, one way or another there always is.

Yes, orange peel is fixable. My challenge to you is to question at what cost. In my opinion it’s much easier and more effective to polish the area and smooth out as much as you can without being too abrasive, then follow with a nano coating. This will essentially camouflage the blemishes, making them harder to notice. Try it out and let me know if it works for you… if not and you dive right in, I hope you post some before & after photos and tag us on Instagram!"

https://www.drbeasleys.com/blog/2012/09/06/whats-the-deal-with-orange-peel/
 
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LagoonGator68

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Meguiar's Swirl remover polish will make most imperfections invisible to the naked eye for 4-6 weeks while you sell that puppy.
 

Swamp Donkey

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You actually can. It requires fine, fine wet-sanding.
I mean if the problem is in the base.

My (very limited- I took a little 10 week course once bc I was bored) experience is that the base doesmt look that good anyway until you put clear over it. Of course you can wetsand one shot paint, but if the orange peel is in the base, youd habe tomcut the clear completely tonget to it, and you cant just spray more clear later either, it wont adhere and will peel.

As for more clear, if I recall, most clears will start sagging after three coats... though I have seen showcars owmers bragging about a dozen coats of clear. II don know how you do that with proper adhesion and flash times. Maybe it is special clear.

Btw Ox, I think it looks pretty good for a hobbyist job. Most people would even notice.
 

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