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Kenny_Z
01-31-2013, 10:31 PM
Not the car, the paint. I decided it's about time to get serious about removing the red paint.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint02.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint03.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint04.jpg

I only had time to do a little strip tonight. I mostly wanted to figure out a technique and test my 'hold the door out a little while tied to a brick' theory. I've found that old gift cards make great scrapers. They're tough but won't scratch the stainless.

jawn101
01-31-2013, 10:39 PM
Awesome, Kenny. Good luck!

Will you still call her Red when you're done? :)

Mike F
01-31-2013, 11:14 PM
Keep us posted as you go! I'm very anxious to see how it progresses!

Michael
01-31-2013, 11:44 PM
Take plenty of pics, I love seeing painted DeLoreans reborn. Here is a very helpful video on removing red paint and regraining stainless. These guys are goooooooooood. It gets very informative around 2:20. You do have a belt sander right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fDAv4J_rrg#t=02m20s

Ryan King
02-01-2013, 12:33 AM
Exciting!!!!!!
Post lots of pictures!
*Praying for no bondo under there*

Nicholas R
02-01-2013, 02:57 AM
Take plenty of pics, I love seeing painted DeLoreans reborn. Here is a very helpful video on removing red paint and regraining stainless. These guys are goooooooooood. It gets very informative around 2:20. You do have a belt sander right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fDAv4J_rrg#t=02m20s

Not to get too far off topic but arent these the guys that ended up having the car re-possessed mid road trip or something?

Best of luck with the stripping! Definitely post pics!

john 05141
02-01-2013, 02:59 AM
I think you're putting a lot of stress on the roofcage and the tortion bar working on the doors like that.

Jan

Silverbullet
02-01-2013, 03:34 AM
Home Depot has Plastic Putty Knifes, they are cheap, come in sizes, and are easier on your hand...

Craig

WelmoedJ
02-01-2013, 04:24 AM
There are very good chemical alternatives to mechanical paint stripping.

I used those chemicals on 6513 for removing paint on the T-panel, Windscreen header and trunk panel.
Once applied generously, the paint was easily removed by merely washing it off.
A firm washing after the remoival is necessary to remove all traces of the chemical stripper.

The stuff is not expensive, but neither cheap.
It saves a lot of time and sweat though.

As the D's panels are all removable, one can avoid the chemical removing protective paint of the body.
That's the way I did it.
If you go this track, make sure the door opening is fully protected to avoid the chemical damaging interior parts.
One person (daring or bold?) even used it to strip the front and rear facias with good result.
However the latter is at your own risk as it mainly depends on the brand used for chemical stripping.

DeLorean03
02-01-2013, 07:00 AM
Hey Kenny, Ken Koncelik up here fully removed the paint from a stainless panel up here in November. If you'd like, I could ask him what the process was to help you out.

Glad to see you're bringing the bare stainless back!!! That is awesome!!!!

thirdmanj
02-01-2013, 07:39 AM
Oh this should be exciting!! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Kenny_Z
02-01-2013, 08:11 AM
I don't think there's any more tension on the door with the brick than there is if the door is closed. The brick is sitting on the ground, not swinging from the door. It shouldn't be for too much longer. I'm only using it to do the bottom of the door. Once I get passed the rubber strip the door will be closed.

I purchased some plastic safe stripper for the front and rear fascias. I'll be testing it on a small area behind the grill just to make sure it doesn't screw up the fascia.

Yes, she'll always be Red to me. I'm thinking of including some red accents somewhere on/in the car like I did the brake calipers. Nothing gaudy, just a touch of red.

I found those plastic scrappers started to melt pretty quickly. Once they lose their edge they're useless. The cards are rougher on the hands but don't melt. I'm using a TSP solution to neutralize the acid in the chemical stripper once it's completed its work. I don't want to use too much water because I'm afraid it might splash the stripper onto other parts that it might damage.

I'll definitely take a lot of pictures. I'd like to put together a process book for car shows.

Patrick C
02-01-2013, 11:00 AM
Once I get passed the rubber strip the door will be closed.


Make sure to take off the rub strips down the side of the car. They are only held on by adhesive tape, and your car will be much easier to strip bare without them. You can always re-attach them with 3M VHB Emblem tape once the project is completed.

TripleZeroFilms
02-01-2013, 11:02 AM
I'm looking at doing a very similar job to my red D a little later this year. (VIN 781) We're still trying to decide on a method. It's either going to be this type of stripping process or Soda Blasting. Both seem to have their pros and cons so I'll be excited to see how this goes.

Any helpful hints/tips/information you find along the way will be invaluable to me! (Even things as small as what brands of stripper you're using)

pezzonovante88
02-01-2013, 11:13 AM
Nice to hear you're stripping the paint off! Good luck!

Nicholas R
02-01-2013, 12:34 PM
Make sure to take off the rub strips down the side of the car. They are only held on by adhesive tape, and your car will be much easier to strip bare without them. You can always re-attach them with 3M VHB Emblem tape once the project is completed.

Agreed, you should be able to carefully remove them all with the plastic putty knives.

Also do you have to strip the fascias? Why not just sand them down and reprint them. Just curious. No special grain on the fascias! :D

Kenny_Z
02-01-2013, 03:24 PM
I'm looking at doing a very similar job to my red D a little later this year. (VIN 781) We're still trying to decide on a method. It's either going to be this type of stripping process or Soda Blasting. Both seem to have their pros and cons so I'll be excited to see how this goes.

Any helpful hints/tips/information you find along the way will be invaluable to me! (Even things as small as what brands of stripper you're using)

I wanted to go with the chemical stripper because the grain is intact under my paint. As delicate as soda blasting can be I think it will still mess up the grain causing the entire car to need regraining. Red's grain has been protected by that paint since before she left the car lot so as long as I don't find any more of this I'll be one happy geek.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/tpan16.jpg

I'm using a product called Superstrip by Savogran. It's not doing a bad job so far but that primer is tough to get through. I wish I knew what primer they used on this car because I'd use it on every car. Even with multiple layers of this acid it's barely hurting the primer. The red paint comes off on the very first brush. In fact it starts to come off on the brush as I'm applying the chemical.

I've found that if I cut a small inch wide brush down to short bristles I can work the chemical into the grain a little easier and it pulls a lot of the stubborn primer out. I was going to try a toothbrush but this method seems to work just as well.

I'm going to pull the rubber strips off when I start to work above them. For now I'm going to go from panel to panel all along the bottom. I want to see a two tone DeLorean ;)

Kenny_Z
02-01-2013, 03:26 PM
Also do you have to strip the fascias? Why not just sand them down and reprint them. Just curious. No special grain on the fascias! :D

You know, that never actually dawned on me. I might do that. Thanks Nicholas.

Kenny_Z
02-01-2013, 09:45 PM
I only did another small section. During the day I put on the stripper and then made lunch. When I put it on it was overcast but when I went back out the sun was out and dried the chemical. It made shell of hardened material that was difficult to melt off. So, note for future reference, do not let this stuff dry out.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint07.jpg

I wish I could find some original forumla Aircraft stripper. The stuff they sell now is just weak. When I stripped my Nova's fenders the old formula cut through the two basecoats, primer, and ate the bondo in no time flat. This stuff has a very hard time getting through the primer/sealer that is on Red.

Nicholas R
02-02-2013, 01:55 AM
I am by NO means an expert on automotive paint, but doesn't heat usually help loosen paint/primer? Maybe you could let the stripper set on the paint/primer then use a heat gun in conjunction with your scraper when actually removing it. Just a thought. Keep up the good work! :D

Michael
02-02-2013, 08:01 AM
Heat will probably re-harden the paint. It's best to use the stripper in a cool(50-70) degree environment. This way the stripper doesn't evaporate as quickly. The longer it stays wet, the better it works. Aircraft remover is really great, but for a whole car I would use the large can and brush it on, those spray cans get expensive.

If you have a pressure washer...or even better yet, access to a hot water pressure washer, you might want to try that route just to see if it would save you any time. If the paint is really bonded to the metal it may not work, but its worth a try.

Also as Nick mentioned, I would sand the fascias. Even though the stripper is advertised not to harm plastic, it will soften it. When you go to scrape it off you will damage the surface enough to where you will have to glaze the entire piece before any work starts. It best to just knock it down with 220 wet, then as you start hitting primer or original paint switch to 400.

Depending on how well or poorly the paint was applied, you will have to remove the fascias, side strips, marker lights and weather seals, and possibly a few panels to do get all traces of paint off. It's a good time to replace those things if they are in need. If they are original seals I would replace them anyway....except the trunk seal. Go to the second post in this thread for info on that: http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1678-Need-advice-on-installing-hood-seal&highlight=bonnet+seal

Kenny_Z
02-02-2013, 10:57 AM
I'm planning on removing the fascias anyway. I think it'd be safer than just trying to mask them with some tape. I'd much rather go through the trouble of removing them than to accidentally melt them with stripper. The red paint is bad and flakey so it's got to go. The primer under it is releasing from the original paint. The original paint is adhering pretty well which is another reason I may want to go with sanding. With the pressure washer at the local car wash I can get the red paint to flake all over the car but that primer is really good. It's got a good bite into the metal and won't release.

I've read about using cling wrap to hold in the vapors. I'm trying that now. When I did the Tpanel I used old grocery bags and it did a decent job but they didn't cling very well.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint08.jpg

Michael is right, the heat gun might dry out the chemical too fast. I can see using to heat the metal up a little before applying the material if it's too cold. We're in the mid-50s at the moment so I think it's ok.

uhhair
02-02-2013, 08:53 PM
Just thought I'd jump in and lend you my 2 cents to this, as my brother and I stripped the red paint off our DeLorean last winter, and the job turned out better than I could have even imagined.

PM me if you'd like to discuss different strippers, techniques, etc. Seriously our stainless looks 100%, you'd never know it had ever been painted.

What we found worked best was to buy a product called "Peel-Away." It's the consistency of clay, you smash it on, wait a day or two, and then scrap it off, and the paint will come right with it. We used some other spray strippers to get the residue after that, etc.

Your best bet is to take the panels off (except the doors). The stuff works best when it's warm. We used my laundry room, shoved all the panels in there with a heater, got it up to about 80-90 degrees for a whole weekend, and when we scraped if off, the paint melted off.

The doors you should definitely leave on the car though, not worth the hassle to take them off.

Again, PM me if you want to discuss details, etc about the process. It's definitely worth it though, and if you do it right, your car is going to look like it was never painted.

deloumis
02-03-2013, 01:15 AM
Just thought I'd jump in and lend you my 2 cents to this, as my brother and I stripped the red paint off our DeLorean last winter, and the job turned out better than I could have even imagined.

PM me if you'd like to discuss different strippers, techniques, etc. Seriously our stainless looks 100%, you'd never know it had ever been painted.

What we found worked best was to buy a product called "Peel-Away." It's the consistency of clay, you smash it on, wait a day or two, and then scrap it off, and the paint will come right with it. We used some other spray strippers to get the residue after that, etc.

Your best bet is to take the panels off (except the doors). The stuff works best when it's warm. We used my laundry room, shoved all the panels in there with a heater, got it up to about 80-90 degrees for a whole weekend, and when we scraped if off, the paint melted off.

The doors you should definitely leave on the car though, not worth the hassle to take them off.

Again, PM me if you want to discuss details, etc about the process. It's definitely worth it though, and if you do it right, your car is going to look like it was never painted.

I believe that is what I used on my car. I first tested on the hood. I brushed on the entire hood then covered it. I waited 24 hours and when I went to remove the cover sheet, the entire paint came off with it. Seriously easier than I would have imagined. Good luck removing paint, I didn't spend much time removing paint on my car until it came to doing inside the doors. That's a whole different ball game, at least in my experience.

Kenny_Z
02-03-2013, 11:49 PM
The jams and inside of my doors are not painted so thank God for small favors. I think I've found a good process. Whatever is in that red paint is causing a lot of my problems. It's drying out the stripper very quickly and then creating a shell. I've found if a take a very small brush with brass bristles I can do a quick coat of the chemical and break through to the second layer quickly. I give that about 2 minutes to work and then scrape it off. I get all of the red and most of the second layer of primer in that step. Then I can let the stripper soak on the sealer without it drying out. I just have to be very careful with that brush and only move it with the grain just in case it gets through all three layers.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint09.jpg

I would have had this door clean tonight but I had to go to the parents for their anniversary party.

Nicholas R
02-04-2013, 01:34 AM
The jams and inside of my doors are not painted so thank God for small favors.

That is super lucky. I can only imagine how much of a pain that would be. Keep up the good work!!!

deloumis
02-04-2013, 03:26 AM
That is super lucky. I can only imagine how much of a pain that would be. Keep up the good work!!!

A lot of pain, I wasn't so lucky

thirdmanj
02-04-2013, 07:44 AM
Looking good man!

Dangermouse
02-04-2013, 08:23 AM
You should do a time-lapse of that side of the car as you strip it.

Or amateur time lapse, by taking a photo from the same spot every day and stringing them together on the computer.

Would be cool too see it come off

OverlandMan
02-04-2013, 09:39 AM
You should do a time-lapse of that side of the car as you strip it.

Or amateur time lapse, by taking a photo from the same spot every day and stringing them together on the computer.

Would be cool too see it come off

+1

DMC5180
02-04-2013, 10:28 AM
This the stuff I use on occasion at work. It's really good stuff. I've used it for removing Powder Coating too. It's available at Lowes, Homedepot. etc. It is kinda pricey at about 40 bucks a gallon. NOT FOR USE on PLASTICS OR FIBERGLASS. You should avoid contact with plastics and rubber it can attack it. Things like Rub strips, mirrors, louvre vents, Door lock sets, Door handles, Outer door seals, Window wedge trim etc: should be removed. If something can't be removed, mask it off. (Dropped glass frame etc)

David T
02-04-2013, 12:48 PM
If you decide to leave the original paint on the facias you must use the proper sealer/primer for the paint system you intend to use to repaint it. Expect to have to do at least minor repairs (pinholes, divots, scratches, etc). You can do a better job painting them if you remove them but you have the risk of damaging them when reinstalling and it is difficult to get them to fit well when you put them back on. It does give you a good chance to fix the eyebrows on the front one though. Stay away for any rubber, glass, or painted moldings with whatever you use to strip paint. Best to use in a well ventilated area. Keep a pail of water and a bunch of rags handy in case you get any on you or a spot you do not want the stripper to be. A bottle full of water with a sprayer is also handy. I don't care how good the grain is, you will eventually want to regrain the car. You can do it yourself by hand with sandpaper and a blending pad. There is a very good chance you will find at least one panel that will need repair. Consider red piping for the seats. Easy to do with leather dye. Might be easier to remove the paint and stripper if you can get some pieces of Nylon and make scrapers out of that. Be careful how you dispose of the materiel. In some areas that is considered hazardous waste.
David Teitelbaum

deloreanz
02-04-2013, 01:59 PM
Though the world would be a little boring without painted D's, I'm glad to see another return to stainless. Keep posting pic updates!

David T
02-04-2013, 02:42 PM
In too many cases the painted cars were not done properly and the paint doesn't last. Too bad, it gives some of the cars a little novelty. A local owner had a very nice black car with gold pin-stripping. I thought it looked nice but the owner wasn't happy with the paint job (the quality not the colors). He stripped it back to the S/S and had to regrain it. As time goes on and people remove the paint from the painted cars they will get rarer and rarer. I don't know of anyone painting their cars, only removing paint.
David Teitelbaum

Kenny_Z
02-04-2013, 07:19 PM
This paint wasn't bad for 30 years old. It still had some gloss but I had to work at it constantly to keep it that way and it would burn through in the thinner areas. In my case I have always loved the look of stainless. My stove, dishwasher, sink, trashcan, and microwave are stainless. When my fridge dies I'll replace it with a stainless unit too. It was only natural for my stainless car to go back to being stainless ;)

I will look into the frame capture software. I have a laptop and old webcam. I just need to get a tripod. But you guys want lots of pics, here are lots of pics. I had a lot of time today to work at it.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint10.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint11.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint12.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint13.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint14.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint15.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint16.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint17.jpg

I purchased some Aircraft stripper. Either the last batch I bought was old or they're back to the old formula. This is the stuff I remember. It cut through all the layers much better than that Lowes Superstrip stuff. I'm using it to remove the red since there's no need to waste the good (ie expensive) stuff on such soft paint. I also hit up Harbor Freight to get some cheap brushes, plastic scrappers, and plastic putty knives. It was well worth the trip.

My favorite part about today's work, NO ANTENNA HOLE! I was worried that it was patched or bondo but there's no hole at all.

pezzonovante88
02-04-2013, 07:29 PM
COOOOL! This is really nice to see. Keep the pics coming! Nice work!

Michael
02-04-2013, 07:34 PM
Keeping my fingers crossed the left fender follows suit.

thirdmanj
02-04-2013, 08:24 PM
Jeeze! That's looking GREAT!

jawn101
02-04-2013, 08:33 PM
Awesome work Kenny. This is gonna be great when you're done. Are you going to remove the rub strips and stuff like the side mirrors etc to get under them?

Really looking great :)

Delorean02378
02-04-2013, 08:36 PM
In too many cases the painted cars were not done properly and the paint doesn't last. Too bad, it gives some of the cars a little novelty. A local owner had a very nice black car with gold pin-stripping. I thought it looked nice but the owner wasn't happy with the paint job (the quality not the colors). He stripped it back to the S/S and had to regrain it. As time goes on and people remove the paint from the painted cars they will get rarer and rarer. I don't know of anyone painting their cars, only removing paint.
David Teitelbaum

I'm torn, 11408 needs to be repainted but it would probably be cheaper to remove the paint and go back to stainless. Not to mention, if I removed the paint, the car's value increases. However, I've got a stainless Delorean and I loved the red one at DCS last year. Wolfgang Hank (Deloman) in Germany has painted a couple recently and they look fantastic, even the Mustard yellow looks great. For a good quality paint job, all the panels would have to be removed. A lot of work and big expense but it would definitely be a rare sight, even at DCS 2014. The first plan is to get it road worthy, then I'll deal with the paint.

Here's 11408 (currently the red headed step child) stored for the winter in West TN.

Kirk

Delorean02378
02-04-2013, 08:45 PM
Here's a picture of Wolfgang Hank's Mustard Yellow Car. Great paint job and he's aligned the front bumper perfectly. This is his picture from his Facebook page so I hope he doesn't mind me using it.

Kirk

Kenny_Z
02-04-2013, 10:39 PM
I'm torn, 11408 needs to be repainted but it would probably be cheaper to remove the paint and go back to stainless.

Yeah, it's definitely cheaper unless there's something lurking under that paint. I'm betting a strip and full regrain would probably run around the same as a decent paint job.

I'll be removing the rub strips and the mirrors. (Is there a online how-to on the mirrors or should I check the book?) The original painter didn't bother removing them to paint the car. I'm surprised they aren't covered in overspray like a lot of the other pieces are. It'll give me a chance to paint the trim a lot easier. I'm waiting for my order of SEM trim black to get here. Then I'll be scrubbing and cleaning and degreasing them like crazy. Has anyone sprayed their trim and if so, did you need a plastic adhesion promoter?

I think the left fender is good...I think. I've run my hand around the backside as far as I can reach and there's nothing that feels odd. I'll know tomorrow...I think I'm going to do it next. Wish me luck.

tgraham
02-04-2013, 10:58 PM
Is there a online how-to on the mirrors or should I check the book?

Pop the door card off, disconnect the electric plug, and remove those three bolts... This will be one of the easier tasks you'll face on this project, for sure.

Travis

WelmoedJ
02-05-2013, 04:18 AM
Pop the door card off, disconnect the electric plug, and remove those three bolts... This will be one of the easier tasks you'll face on this project, for sure.

Travis

When I removed the mirrors, I used a piece of string attached to the wires.
This way it was easier to get the wire in place in while replacing the mirrors.

Kenny_Z
02-05-2013, 05:46 PM
Thanks for the mirror information. I'll put it to use.

No updates tonight. Now that the rain has stopped I'm suffering with a migraine. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be clearer.

Shep
02-05-2013, 11:24 PM
When I removed the mirrors, I used a piece of string attached to the wires.
This way it was easier to get the wire in place in while replacing the mirrors.Additional note: when doing this, it would be wise to attach the string to something so it doesn't fall out and make you have to go fishing to get the wires through the door again. For the mirrors, tying it around the grab handles wouldn't be a bad idea. Then the other side gets taped to some part of the window until you're done using it, at which point you remove the tape, attach it to the mirror wires, and pull the wire back through the door. Two strings wouldn't be a bad idea either if you have enough spare, purely as a backup in case the one slips off while pulling the wires back into place.

Kenny_Z
02-06-2013, 02:49 PM
Here's a better shot of the right hand fender.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint18.jpg

If you scroll really fast it looks like a video.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint19.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint20.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint22.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint29.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint30.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint31.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint32.jpg

I'd like to say zero damage but there are two spots. Not bad spots but spots. One is a little vertical scratch on the upper side behind the wheel well which is too deep to just blend out. Coming off the top of the bumper there's a small dent. The dent really isn't visible unless you're inspecting the fender as close as I was. I knew that was possibly there because the paint was retouched in that area. It is so shallow I wasn't actually sure it wasn't just where the paint flaked.

Here's what the stripper looks like in action.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint24.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint26.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint27.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint28.jpg

After lunch I'm probably going to start on one of the doors.

ccurzio
02-06-2013, 03:19 PM
This thread is making me very happy. :)

Nice work so far, Kenny.

andyd
02-06-2013, 03:26 PM
Big sigh of relief after the LFF, no?!!

Well done, looking great,

andy

jawn101
02-06-2013, 06:58 PM
It's going to be amazing when you get all the red off and there's no real damage on the panels. I've got my fingers crossed for that! Keep up the photos, this is a great thread. :)

Kenny_Z
02-06-2013, 07:47 PM
Instead of the door I moved on to the hood. I knew it was going to be hard since it takes the brunt of the sun and I want to be careful not to press an X on it. But wow...I had no idea it was going to be this bad.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint37.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint38.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint39.jpg

The last picture was when the sun and my back both gave out for the day. That paint is cooked on the hood. I'd like to soak the hood overnight but the weather says possible rain and I don't want this running onto the fiberglass. Updates over the next four days are going to be slow. My weekend is over, time to go back to 10 hour days.

uhhair
02-06-2013, 10:10 PM
Looking great man, and you're making quick progress. How does the grain under the paint look? Did they scuff it up at all or is it pretty much straight? After we stripped ours, we blended the panels, but the grain was in good shape.

Tillsy
02-06-2013, 10:12 PM
Updates over the next four days are going to be slow.

Bummer, I am so enjoying watching and reading your progress - waiting a few days for the next instalment will be like not getting a new episode of your favourite show for a while!

Fantastic work by the way - very stoked it is turning out so well for you so far!

Mark D
02-06-2013, 10:14 PM
Awesome job, I'm surprised at how much progress you've made in a relatively short period of time. Looks like there is quite a bit of scraping work involved even though the stripper does a good job of eating through the paint. I'm really glad that the stainless is in such great condition underneath!! Hopefully the rest of the car looks just as nice and you don't find any hidden damage. Fingers crossed for you.

Jimmyvonviggle
02-07-2013, 12:15 AM
Wow I don't envy you, that is tiring work. It must be one of those jobs that you can't stop doing because the reward of seeing progress is so great. After you get off the paint do you wipe the ss down with anything such as mineral sprits?

Ryan King
02-07-2013, 01:38 AM
I am loving your progress. I am so amazed at how much you've gotten accomplished! Keep it up!

Kenny_Z
02-07-2013, 09:36 AM
I'm glad I didn't decide to let the chemicals sit on the car all night, it is pouring outside. I doubt I'll get to work on it after work tonight. It is supposed to rain all day.

After I scrape all the paint I can get off I use a solution of TSP to neutralize the chemical. If I don't have another panel in progress I'll use my car wash sprayer on the garden hose. If another panel is in progress I'll wait because I don't want to dilute or cause anything to run. After I get all the little bits of paint off and I'm done with an entire panel I'll go over it with Barkeeper's friend.

I'll admit, I'm really bad at keeping track of time when I start working a project. I'll forget to eat and just keep working for hours. Back when I was rebuilding my Nova's front clip and suspension I went into the garage at 8am and didn't come out until about 10pm wondering why it was so dark and why I was so hungry.

So far the grain has been in good shape. I have found a few spots that could use a blending pad but all in all I'm happy. I haven't found anything as bad as what I ran across on the t panel.

Mike C.
02-07-2013, 10:09 AM
This thread has officially earned a Kick Ass rating! Good job so far!!!

DeLorean03
02-07-2013, 11:35 AM
Man, I am glad I have pictures of your car with Casey's and mine now. Those are going to become "vintage" soon!

Look at you go - man - am I glad you're getting rid of that red paint. This is fricking awesome :D!

Kenny_Z
02-07-2013, 09:46 PM
I spent about 2 hours just gently going over that tough paint with a blue scotchbrite. I hope to get a couple more hours with it tomorrow and get at least the toughest paint off. At least this hood happened at the end of my weekend. If this had been during the week it really would have killed my momentum and mood. I've put more stripper on the hood that I did on the rest of the car. I'm definitely going to need to buy more. I'm just hoping I'm not grinding an X onto the hood. I've got to put pressure on this to get it to come up, there's no other way.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint40.jpg

I've found some scratches on the hood and something that's bothering me. I can't tell if the passenger side of the hood has a butt sized dent or if it's just a trick of the light. I know it wasn't there with the red and I haven't found any bondo. I know the paint was not that thick either. Maybe it's just the chemicals eating into my hands. I've gone through two sets of "chemical resistant" gloves already. This stuff burns. I think my fingerprints are gone.

Mark D
02-07-2013, 10:04 PM
I feel your pain with the burning finger tips. This summer I stripped down all of my stock suspension components using aircraft stripper so I could send them out for powder coat. It is some pretty nasty stuff for sure. The worst part is you don't realize it's on your skin until it's too late and it starts to tingle and burn, and by the time you can wash it off it's already starting to get painful. I went through half a box of those cheap harbor freight gloves.

Ryan King
02-08-2013, 12:27 AM
X on the hood /Stainless > Faded Red Paint

David T
02-08-2013, 11:17 AM
Get Nitrile gloves (the blue ones). The latex gloves are no good for this work. You really should use rubber gloves but it tires your hands out quickly and there is no sense of feel through them. Use enough ventilation and dispose of the debris quickly in metal cans.
David Teitelbaum

Kenny_Z
02-08-2013, 12:05 PM
The nitrile gloves are the ones it eventually ate through. This is the aircraft stripper, not the cheap stuff from Lowes. Then again I got the gloves at Lowes so I bet they're just as cheap. I'm doing this in my front yard so thankfully I have enough ventilation. I tried using a mask as well but it's just too hot for my paint mask. I've got one of those flimsy masks on, I guess it's better than nothing. I've got a touch of asthma so I try to play it safe with my lungs.

I tried using rubber palmed gloves that had a mesh on the back. I learned very quickly that those were a mistake and got the nitriles.

David T
02-08-2013, 12:21 PM
The ones at Lowes are not thick enough and I am not sure if they are really Nitril. Try double-gloving. If you have a "touch" of Asthma you need to take extra precautions. Use a fan to blow the fumes away from you. A paper mask is worthless, you should be using a well fitting respirator withe the proper cartridges. You are working with some very potent chemicals. Not only is it burning your skin you are also absorbing it into your body through your skin and in your lungs. That is not good.
David Teitelbaum

TripleZeroFilms
02-08-2013, 12:23 PM
Just out of curiosity, how much stripper have you gone through so far? I'm trying to get an idea of the amount/expense if I choose to go that route when I remove my red.

Morpheus
02-08-2013, 03:34 PM
Wow, great job so far. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Kenny_Z
02-08-2013, 05:21 PM
I agree with you David, those gloves turned to goo in the bucket in just a few hours. I would have assumed that Lowes sold something decent, especially with how expensive they were. They're not the multipack box kind. They were single packaged. I tried the cheaper ones since I have a lot I use for painting and sanding but they didn't cover enough of my arms and I kept getting splash burns. I'll try my respirator again, I just wish it fit better with my wrap around safety glasses.

That's something you guys that want to do this NEED more than anything else. Wrap arounds that seal against your eyes. They are a pain in the ass when they fog up but years ago when I did my Nova I shook some of this off my arm and I wasn't wearing wrap around glasses. It got into the corner of my eye and I honestly thought I was going to go blind. I've had a piece of metal plucked from my eye and the rust ground off the surface that hurt less. (The metal in my eye was because I used a face shield instead of wrap around glasses while grinding.) You guys may also want to invest in a set of safety glasses that are tinted. When you strip this paint in the sun that stainless is extremely bright. You'll be tempted to use normal sunglasses, DON'T.

I think the car is going to use at least two gallons if not three of the Aircraft Stripper. It's actually one of the cheapest projects I've done on Red so far. Aircraft stripper is the more labor intensive way of doing this. Like Uhhair told me, using Peel Away pretty much takes all the paint off after a day or two soaking. If you don't want to go through all the scraping and scrubbing then definitely try that product.

Here's a list of materials:

3x gallons (possibly more) of Aircraft Stripper
10 pack of Bondo spreaders (Harbor Freight. Old gift cards make great cheap spreader cleaners.)
Paint brushes, varying width (I'm using 3 inch for general purpose and 1 inch for detailing)
Safety Glasses (1 tinted, 1 not)
Respirator or mask
Nitrile Gloves (don't even try latex gloves. They will melt instantly. Try to find some long enough to cover your arms. Wearing long sleeves could cause you more harm than good. This will soak into cotton quickly and burn you. Denim may work, it doesn't get through my old jeans.)
Plastic bristle brushes (I got a 5 pack at Harbor Frieght for 2 bucks. great for those little bits that are left behind.)
Blue Scotchbrite (I'm using these on the hood. I hope you don't need them.)
TSP (neutralizes the acid in the stripper. Keep a bucket on hand with some papertowels.)
Painter's paper (newspaper will soak this stuff up and just deposit it on what you're trying to protect.)
Autopainter's tape or GOOD duct tape (Once again, cheaper tape will soak up the stripper and cheap duct tape will leave gunk all over your panels. I found even the good painter's tape tends to let go faster than the duct tape.)
Newspaper or plastic sheeting (For the ground/floor under the car.)
Old buckets or some place to get rid of the old paint. I let it fall on the newspaper and then roll it up to throw away at the end or if it gets too saturated. Keep in mind that this stuff eats rubber and plastic.
Some type of bucket or container to spread the stripper from. I cut down gallon milk cartons and surprisingly they work very well.

Another note, do this OUTSIDE and not on anything you don't mind destroying. This will stain concrete and kill grass. It's also not good to get into the water supply so don't do this close to a well. I don't know if the fumes are flammable but like any chemical assume they are and don't smoke.

Bitsyncmaster
02-08-2013, 05:53 PM
Get some ski goggles and you will never buy another pair of safety goggles. Sure they cost more but the comfort, perfect seal and almost no fogging is worth the money. I had a pair I cracked the lens on with a sking fall so those are the ones I use now.

DMC5180
02-09-2013, 01:32 AM
This I like watching the rebirth of a Delorean. FWIW you should be using the correct chemical resistant gloves. I'd check with your local automotive paint supply for recommendations. You also need to get some 3M general adhesive remover for removing the remnants of the leftover rub strip adhesive. Are you washing the panels off with water once all evidence of paint is removed? This also neutralizes the chemical stripper in event you get it on areas that it shouldn't have been on.

Kenny_Z
02-10-2013, 05:28 PM
I found some decent gloves. In all places they were in the household cleaning supply section of Walmart and are made by Playtex. I noticed they had nitrile mixed with latex and pure nitrile. I've never noticed the mixed type before so I'm betting that's what I bought from Lowes thinking they were pure nitrile. Since I really can't work on the car I tested the gloves by dripping some of the Aircraft stripper on the back and let it sit overnight. It didn't melt them or turn them to goo.

I decided to test my plastic Aircraft stripper on a little spot.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint41.jpg

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint42.jpg

It worked very well but I think it's because the paint on the fascia seems to be held on with a happy thought. When I was spraying off the stripper I noticed I was peeling the paint so I just started to pull. It came off in sheets. I don't think I'm lucky enough for the entire fascia to strip that easily. I am going to pull it off the car, this was just a test.

It looks like Red was originally a darker grey with a hint of metallic. I've saved a sample so I can see about getting a color match.

Spittybug
02-10-2013, 05:55 PM
I thought I had bought my gloves at HF, but I don't see them online... I have blue, rubber dipped gloves (so not very tactile, but they are non-slip) that have arm cuffs attached that go all the way to protect you damn near to your armpits. Hot to wear, but I've yet to find a solvent that touches them. They are my ultimate line of defense if the leather, latex or nitrile gloves won't cut it.

I stripped/repainted 2 cars in my life; a '77 Triumph Spitfire and a '79 Superbeetle convertible, both before I owned the Delorean (hence the name Spittybug). In both cases I stripped the paint of mechanically not chemically. I bought a cheap HF sidearm grinder and a bunch of wire wheels. I spent several evenings with the bodies up on saw horses in the side yard just grinding away. Slow to be sure, but other than getting covered in dust and debris, not too bad. No chemicals to buy or get rid of. I don't fully remember, but I'm sure I used some chemical stripper to get in the places where the grinder couldn't go. In both cases the cars were repainted and of course I wasn't worried about preserving any graining of the panels.

DMC5180
02-10-2013, 06:00 PM
"I decided to test my plastic Aircraft stripper on a little spot."

You found Aircraft Stripper for use on plastic?

Kenny_Z
02-10-2013, 06:05 PM
"I decided to test my plastic Aircraft stripper on a little spot."

You found Aircraft Stripper for use on plastic?

Yep, at Pep Boys. It's for use on flexible plastic and urethanes. Even though I did mask the bumper I did get some overspray on it but it didn't harm it or discolor the surface. I did wipe it off pretty quickly though.

I have a set of heavy rubber gloves I use for sand blasting but they're insanely thick and just not going to work if I'm trying not to damage the stainless with too much pressure.

Kenny_Z
02-10-2013, 06:45 PM
I think I need to go buy a lottery ticket. My work day ended at 5 so I grabbed something to eat and picked up some stuff I wanted to tinker with in my garage. On the way there I decided to pick at the paint just to see what would happen.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint43.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint44.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint45.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint46.jpg

I stripped this inside of 10 minutes with nothing but my fingernails and some pulling. Something's wrong, I am never this lucky.

Silverbullet
02-10-2013, 07:00 PM
Time to get the Lotto ticket.. Woo Hoo!... that is great!

Craig

DMC5180
02-10-2013, 07:09 PM
WOW! That was way to easy. But then I have a few small spots on my front facia that are starting to peel (from high pressure water spray) at the tape line. The exposed primer has the same look. Almost like there was no adhesion of the Color coat to the primer.

Is the primer on the Hood being a pain to get off or have you just not gotten back to it?

Jack
02-10-2013, 07:45 PM
I just stripped my back fascia, same story gray paint never bond to primer and pulled right off. The gray premiere on the other hand does stick. I used sem bumper stripper. It turns the primer to liquid but if you don't wipe it of or spray it off it drys right back like you didn't do anything.

Delorean02378
02-10-2013, 07:53 PM
This may the quickest paint to stainless ever! Great job, glad you finally had an easy day.

Kirk

jawn101
02-10-2013, 07:54 PM
Amazing, Kenny. Starting to look really great!

SIMid
02-10-2013, 09:05 PM
Can't wait to see this finished!! :)

jawn101
02-10-2013, 09:08 PM
Edit: Moved my question to PM. People are going to enjoy this thread for years and my BS doesn't need to be in the middle of it :)

Again, great work man.

uhhair
02-10-2013, 09:28 PM
Looks great dude. And I wouldn't go so far as to say that there is NO labor using the peel-away, there definitely is the same amount of scrapping and etc to get the residue off of the panels. Considering the progress you made though, it definitely worked for you to use what you bought as well though. Can't argue with the results!

As for the person who asked about the cost, it actually is extremely cheap to do this project. I'd say it probably cost me between $200-$300 to strip mine, and I assume this will turn out in the same price range. Mostly you just need stripper and random paint cleaning/scrapping supplies, etc. Other than the paint stripper, a lot of the stuff you can re-use around the house as well, so it's not so bad.

Kenny_Z
02-10-2013, 11:31 PM
Yeah, I shouldn't have phrased it that way. Uhhair's Peel Away just involves more patience than the Aircraft stripper. I can't do the apply and wait thing ;)

Here's another late night crappy photo. The rear fascia's paint was a lot harder to remove. It's much more brittle so it didn't pull off in sheets. I'm guessing the engine heat has something to do with this. I was just picking at it to pull little chips off and I had to carefully use a razor blade to pull up the edges instead of my fingernails. I should be able to get the rest of tomorrow though.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint47.jpg

I think I'm going to leave that original primer. It's definitely holding on well. I'll go over it with 320 grit, put another layer of primer, block it, and then paint it. The 320 should give it enough tooth for both primers to hold together well and then I can put a base over that second primer.

I haven't gotten back to the hood. I hope to finish it up tomorrow. If all goes well I expect to have the entire car stripped by Thursday.

I've got a couple of questions for anyone that's refinished a bumper. I have some holes from the front license plate and two on the back bumper from where the geniuses at the car lot drilled on a name plate. I've also got a gash on the rear bumper where she was hit in a parking lot.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/bumperdamage.jpg

Any suggestions on how to repair these areas?

DMC5180
02-11-2013, 08:54 AM
A good share of the time, The Black oxidized unpainted urethane will get painted when doing facia repainting or refurbishment. SEM Trim black or equivalent is typically used. I'm sure you can ask a Body shop what they would recommend for urethane hole repair. As for the scuffs and scratches most likely they would just use thin skim coat of body filler with coarse sanding prior to filler application.

Did you even apply stripper on the facias after your test spot? It looks like the rear facia was dry peeled with no chemical application.

David T
02-11-2013, 10:12 AM
There are special fillers to use on the facias, ordinary body filler is not the best materiel to use for repairs on the facias. It does not expand and contract at the same rate, is not flexible, and will eventually crack. Go to any large auto body paint supply and they will help you out. The good stuff is not cheap. As for leaving the primer, any good paint shop will not trust the primer. If it is strongly adhered they will not remove it but they will use another primer-sealer over it before they use their paint system. Paints have become "systems" and you CANNOT mix them, they are incompatible with each other. The solvents from one will attack the other and cause all sorts of problems.
David Teitelbaum

Kenny_Z
02-11-2013, 04:47 PM
I didn't apply any more of the stripper beyond that test spot. I originally bought it to strip some plastic dash parts on my Monte Carlo so it's not a waste of money.

It's raining off and on today so I can't do anything on the car. I chipped a little more at the rear fascia paint but that's as far as I could go. Really annoying...
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint48.jpg

I did find some 3M flexible bumper filler. I'll be testing it out soon if the weather will cooperate.

Kenny_Z
02-12-2013, 01:00 PM
The weather cooperated a little this morning. I was able to finish the main part of the hood. I'm going to get the edges on a better day.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint50.jpg

While I was waiting on the stripper to bite into the leftover paint on the hood I started the passenger quarter. First I masked it off and then I applied the stripper.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint49.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint51.jpg

I didn't expect to go near the rear vent (ran out of tape) but while I was cleaning off the stripper when the rain started I wiped it the wrong direction. Thankfully it only caught the edge and I was able to clean it off before it did any damage.

Dangermouse
02-12-2013, 01:14 PM
Fantastic work Kenny. Your neighbors must be wondering whats going on.

Just a thought for all these de-painters - are you supposed to report to the DMV that your car has changed from red to silver?

Ryan King
02-12-2013, 02:16 PM
Kenny, I am seriously so stoked to see your progress day by day. You are kicking some major ass on this car. I almost envy not getting to be there with you lending a hand. Keep up all the good work.

Kenny_Z
02-12-2013, 06:46 PM
You bring up a very good point...I'll have to look up the DMV process. My neighbors have all stopped by to see what I'm doing. Even the old guy that has no idea what a DeLorean is. When I first brought her home he asked if it was some sort of race car.

Thanks Ryan. It is a rewarding job. It's probably the single most rewarding thing I've done with any of my project cars so far.

Here's the final progress for the day. I'm unusually worn out. I think the rain and weather is taking its toll on me.

This spot worried me. I wasn't planning to strip this area today since I'm out of tape but every other section of trim hadn't been removed for paint and then there's this odd wiring job. I'll have to fix that before it goes back together. It doesn't appear that there's any bondo underneath so I'm stopping here and getting some tape tomorrow to do a proper job.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint52.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint53.jpg

I think this quarter is my favorite part so far. It's so perfect. The grain is flawless. Ignore the odd lighting effects on the rim, I did not get any stripper on it.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint54.jpg

DavidProehl
02-12-2013, 07:03 PM
Very impressive! With the other horror stories I've heard about the difficulty of removing paint, I can't believe how quickly you've been doing this. You make it look easy.

pezzonovante88
02-12-2013, 07:39 PM
You're going to love this car so much more after all the work you've put into it. Plus, it's going to look so much better! I'm honestly enjoying this thread so much!

jawn101
02-12-2013, 08:18 PM
You're going to love this car so much more after all the work you've put into it. Plus, it's going to look so much better! I'm honestly enjoying this thread so much!

I just finished reading the updates to this thread and got motivated to go wash my car. I don't envy the amount of work you're doing but I *will* be jealous of how much pride you'll be able to take in having done it!

Kenny_Z
02-13-2013, 01:31 PM
I'm glad everyone is enjoying this as much as I am.

I found some metal tape I was using for a dynamat install in my Mustang. I thought I'd give it a shot as a mask for this work since it's metal faced and forms around the edges easier. It seems to work well. It shrugs off the chemicals and doesn't let them soak in. The true test will be how cleanly I can remove it from the masked areas.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint55.jpg

Well...I found a spot. Looks like they started to sand the stainless here and someone decided to say screw it and paint over the grain. I think I can fix this by hand, it's not too bad. At some angles it is barely visible.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint56.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint57.jpg

I have a Rolling Stones song playing over and over in my head. Can anyone guess what it is?

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint58.jpg

David T
02-13-2013, 02:08 PM
Paint it BLACK?
David Teitelbaum

jawn101
02-13-2013, 02:28 PM
Paint it BLACK?
David Teitelbaum

Well, he does have a red door... :)

dmc4087
02-13-2013, 03:04 PM
Great work there, I would hate to do that job.

TTait
02-13-2013, 05:28 PM
This is going so well for you, maybe you want to quit your day job and do this for other owners afraid to tackle the job.

So, have you ever considered working professionally as a stripper?

Ron
02-13-2013, 05:33 PM
:hysterical:

Rich06
02-13-2013, 05:37 PM
I agree this is a very enjoyable thread, Kenny. I'm amazed how quickly you are moving along and it is really looking great! You are going to have one beautiful car when you're done.
-Rich

Ron
02-13-2013, 05:57 PM
I have a Rolling Stones song playing over and over in my head. Can anyone guess what it is?

I was going to reply earlier but couldn't choose between (goodbye) Ruby Tuesday and Beast of Burden.

SS Spoiler
02-13-2013, 06:15 PM
" Can't git no satisfaction " ??????

Kenny_Z
02-13-2013, 07:38 PM
So, have you ever considered working professionally as a stripper?

:hysterical: :rofl:

Unfortunately I don't have the body for it, unlike Red.

Yeah, Paint it Black but mostly the parts about the red door and wanting no color anymore. Unfortunately I got the door masked and applied some stripper right when it started to rain. I thought about getting my canopy but between the wind, rain, and temperature I just admitted defeat.

Tomorrow through sunday are supposed to be sunny and the rain will return again on Monday. Which sucks royally because tomorrow through sunday are my work week. If the weather behaves I'll be setting up some lights to try to get through a little bit each night. I'm too close to just stop :\

DMCMW Dave
02-13-2013, 08:43 PM
:hysterical: :rofl:



Tomorrow through sunday are supposed to be sunny and the rain will return again on Monday. Which sucks royally because tomorrow through sunday are my work week. If the weather behaves I'll be setting up some lights to try to get through a little bit each night. I'm too close to just stop :\

Is anyone else totally impressed that he's doing this work out of doors, on the front lawn, in the rain? Most owners don't even want to park the car in the rain much less work on it!

Farrar
02-13-2013, 08:44 PM
Is anyone else totally impressed that he's doing this work out of doors, on the front lawn, in the rain? Most owners don't even want to park the car in the rain much less work on it!

</lurk>

I'm impressed, and I sympathize. It wasn't until my fourth year of ownership that I managed to get my D in a garage.

Great job, Kenny. I'm watching from the sidelines. :)

<lurk>

Dangermouse
02-13-2013, 09:34 PM
Door to Cheers bar opens......

"Farrar!!!!!"

john 05141
02-14-2013, 03:14 AM
Is anyone else totally impressed that he's doing this work out of doors, on the front lawn, in the rain? Most owners don't even want to park the car in the rain much less work on it!

I think it is healthier do do this outside rather than breathing those fumes indoors. Honestly I was convinced at some point you would find some body damage, but you're not only lucky, you did a great job. If I had a colored Delorean, you most certainly would have "infected me"
btw; the "professional stripper" is the gag of the month!!:tantrum:

Jan

D Knight
02-14-2013, 06:59 AM
I stripped mine outside too. The hardest part is the door jambs. I still have a little in my drivers door. But so far, good job, keep making headway!

Kenny_Z
02-14-2013, 08:50 AM
Is anyone else totally impressed that he's doing this work out of doors, on the front lawn, in the rain? Most owners don't even want to park the car in the rain much less work on it!

I was in the process of getting a loan to get a garage built but my plans fell through. I just couldn't swing the monthly payments for the garage I wanted. I was bummed about it but then I met Red. She popped up on my radar a couple of days later.

Like John said, this stuff is safest used out in the open. The wind is great for keeping the fumes away from me but does interfere with the chemicals working properly. And the sun tends to dry this stuff out quickly. I suggest a nice canopy in an open space to anyone doing this work.

Hey Farrar! :wave2: Glad you're still around.

I'm not totally out of the woods yet but I'm far enough along to not have the threat of hidden body damage lurking in the back of my mind all the time. That's why I did the outside panels first after starting on the passenger door. I figured they'd be where the majority of issues would be found if the car had been hit. I did that little area on the passenger door to start so I could learn technique and see how the stripper acted. If it ran onto the rocker panel it wouldn't be a huge loss since it has a huge hole melted through it anyway.

Hopefully more progress photos later tonight.

Spittybug
02-14-2013, 12:24 PM
EPA superfund cleanup site when you are done?

David T
02-14-2013, 03:27 PM
Reseeding the lawn isn't going to do it, you will have to dig up the dead spots and put some clean soil there if you want grass back. Chemical strippers are not very environmentally friendly.
David Teitelbaum

Jonathan
02-14-2013, 07:29 PM
Door to Cheers bar opens......

"Farrar!!!!!"

+1 Welcome back Farrar. Nice to see your name here again. Hope all has been going well for you. :)


Reseeding the lawn isn't going to do it, you will have to dig up the dead spots and put some clean soil there if you want grass back. Chemical strippers are not very environmentally friendly.
David Teitelbaum

16540

It's a, uh, little known fact that, ah, bug spray has been known to kill grass as well.

Hehe, seriously though, I didn't know this until a ranger on a golf course told our group to spray your bug repellent (if you choose to use some) while you are standing on the cart path and not out on the grass. Apparently the overspray kills the grass. Okie-dokie :)

Kenny_Z
02-14-2013, 07:42 PM
I park the car there anyway so the grass has been dead for awhile. I try to keep all the debris on the paper and cardboard but sometimes I miss. Sometimes I step in it and track it into the house :umm: Good thing I'm single...and have porcelain tile. I don't think it'll be a disaster area but I did make sure that none of my close neighbors have well water before I started.

The door is almost finished. I have some cleanup to do. I can't feel my hands, not because of the chemicals, because it's cold out there and I was washing the left over stripper off.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint59.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint60.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint61.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint62.jpg

I'm not sure if you guys can see it clearly in the photo but there's a reason I'm not worried about messing up the door handle. It's a piece of angle iron. I guess one of the previous owners built their own door handle. I have a set inbound from DMCH. The passenger door is a plastic handle so I'm swapping it out when I'm finished. And yes, I will post pictures of the homemade handle when I take it out.

TripleZeroFilms
02-15-2013, 10:34 AM
If it's possible, this thread has made me even more excited about taking my own car back to stainless. Hopefully before the summer is out I'll have my own "red-to-stainless" thread. Like a sequel...but a good one. Like Empire.

A+ Job BTW! Can't wait to see what a homemade door handle will look like.

Dangermouse
02-15-2013, 11:30 AM
This is what you'll need

http://www.grassbgreen.com/Before_After_s/22.htm

before:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/4594485044_613a49c96e.jpg

after:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3343/4593869841_79a4291fe6.jpg

(only in America :8ball:, painting your frickin grass.)


There must be more house in the day down in L.A., Kenny, that's all I have to say. Still awesome work.

Kenny_Z
02-15-2013, 02:49 PM
If it's possible, this thread has made me even more excited about taking my own car back to stainless. Hopefully before the summer is out I'll have my own "red-to-stainless" thread. Like a sequel...but a good one. Like Empire.

I can't wait to see it, it'll be awesome. It's definitely possible. Do you have any idea of why yours was painted?

I know most of you guys see this on a daily basis but I took a break from work to walk outside. This made me smile.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint64.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint65.jpg

Just half a door left and some final cleanup of the jams and bits of leftover red. Then I can focus on getting the black parts painted. I got my new door handles from DMCH last night and Uhhair is sending me the new panel and some interior pieces. My to-do list for Red is getting really short.

Dangermouse
02-15-2013, 03:09 PM
There must be more hours in the day down in L.A., Kenny, that's all I have to say. Still awesome work.

:8ball:

thirdmanj
02-15-2013, 03:10 PM
I can't wait to see it, it'll be awesome. It's definitely possible. Do you have any idea of why yours was painted?

I know most of you guys see this on a daily basis but I took a break from work to walk outside. This made me smile.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint64.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint65.jpg

Just half a door left and some final cleanup of the jams and bits of leftover red. Then I can focus on getting the black parts painted. I got my new door handles from DMCH last night and Uhhair is sending me the new panel and some interior pieces. My to-do list for Red is getting really short.


This is SO AWESOME Kenny!! :frantic: I'm pissing myself from excitement!!!! ..

Kenny_Z
02-15-2013, 03:46 PM
There must be more hours in the day down in L.A., Kenny, that's all I have to say. Still awesome work.

I knew what you meant but I forgot to make a joke about House MD reruns on all the time. ;)

uhhair
02-15-2013, 05:09 PM
I think they should make a special category at the next DCS for "Best Previously Red But Now Stainless DeLorean" category. Sounds like we'll have a few entries!

Citizen
02-15-2013, 07:52 PM
For the registry, I'll have to remove your car from the painted category (when you are finished, that is), then make a note on your entry that it was once painted red. I don't think we have any of those yet.

Great job, btw. Someone else said if first, that you sure do make it look easy (but I know it's not).

Thomas

...

hillbillydmc
02-15-2013, 08:26 PM
I park the car there anyway so the grass has been dead for awhile. I try to keep all the debris on the paper and cardboard but sometimes I miss. Sometimes I step in it and track it into the house :umm: Good thing I'm single...and have porcelain tile. I don't think it'll be a disaster area but I did make sure that none of my close neighbors have well water before I started.

The door is almost finished. I have some cleanup to do. I can't feel my hands, not because of the chemicals, because it's cold out there and I was washing the left over stripper off.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint59.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint60.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint61.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint62.jpg

I'm not sure if you guys can see it clearly in the photo but there's a reason I'm not worried about messing up the door handle. It's a piece of angle iron. I guess one of the previous owners built their own door handle. I have a set inbound from DMCH. The passenger door is a plastic handle so I'm swapping it out when I'm finished. And yes, I will post pictures of the homemade handle when I take it out.

Good job! Looks Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Delorean02378
02-16-2013, 07:35 PM
This thread makes makes it tough to decide to go stainless or repaint. Here's a picture from Wolfgang Hank where he removed the panels and repainted.

Silverbullet
02-16-2013, 08:55 PM
In the future.... there will be a time... when it will be hard for you to remember the RED.... I swear...REALLY.... lol... ok....it may be awhile...hands heal, chicks dig scars... ok.. enough of a pep talk... AND... it IS looking GREAT.

Craig

TripleZeroFilms
02-16-2013, 09:50 PM
I can't wait to see it, it'll be awesome. It's definitely possible. Do you have any idea of why yours was painted?.

As far as I can tell it was a dealer paint. The previous owner won it in a radio contest in Texas from a local dealership. He claims it was red when he got it (its an 81 but he won it in 83). Those 2 years of the car's life are blank for me, but there has never been any indication of damage on the vehicle. The paint looks well aged and its obvious that its never been touched up or re-painted. There are a couple of chips where I can see the stainless below and in those (admittedly small) openings the stainless looks really good. I'm cautiously optimistic about the stainless underneath, but you never know until its stripped.

My current dilemma remains choosing the process by I do it. I'm just gathering data about how others (and now you!) have done it and have been speaking with professional soda blasters and getting their opinion. That process seems like it would be very effective, if not a bit costly. No decisions have been made yet though.

Dangermouse
02-16-2013, 10:24 PM
000

I wonder if yours is one of the cars the dealers painted to shift it off the lot. Car sits for a year in stainless and doesn't sell, so the dealer paints it. Still doesn't sell, so he gets rid of it via a radio contest. ???

Kenny_Z
02-16-2013, 11:20 PM
That's the same thing I'm thinking. I thought Red was one of those dealer cars (an 81 that sold in 83) but with the damage I found under the paint I think it was a "crap we broke it, stick it on the back lot until we fix/paint it" thing.

Thanks for the pep talk. That last half door of red is mocking me. Last night I could only spend a couple of hours masking and removing the mirror to get ready to strip it. After work today I was just not feeling so hot and totally worn out. I hope tomorrow night will be the end of the major paint removal.

Michael
02-16-2013, 11:30 PM
That is looking so good!!!

Nicholas R
02-17-2013, 01:38 AM
My current dilemma remains choosing the process by I do it. I'm just gathering data about how others (and now you!) have done it and have been speaking with professional soda blasters and getting their opinion. That process seems like it would be very effective, if not a bit costly. No decisions have been made yet though.

If I might make a suggestion, the method Kenny is using seems to be pretty effective! :biggrin:

Personally I would not blast it. I think it would be really difficult to find the middle ground between "completely cuts through paint and primer" and "doesn't ding, knick, or affect the SS and grain in any way".

The driver door of Pilot 21 is a dummy door (no mechanism or door handle, just a latch; plastic window, etc), and the inside of the door is carbon steel instead of SS like production doors. When Ken K sent a bunch of stuff to the sand blaster, that door was included because there was surface rust all over that inner steel. Despite his explicit instructions to ONLY blast the inside of the door, they blasted all of it; inside, outside, carbon steel, and stainless steel. Completely removed the grain of the door. We've tried to put the grain back in but it is not easy and we haven't gotten very far. Even Chris Nicholson said it was going to be a pretty tough task to do.

Bottom line is just be careful. Obviously you would never blast with something that abrasive but still, from the looks of it, Kenny's car needs a small bit of blending pad rubbing and thats about it (if even that). I know if I had a painted car I'd shamelessly rip off this method exactly, haha!

bennyd
02-17-2013, 07:13 AM
Absolutely brilliant job.
Have to say this makes me less afraid of including a painted D in my search for one.
Thanks

DMC5180
02-17-2013, 12:12 PM
I'd say Kenny's car needs more than just a blending pad. A full re-grain will have this car looking stellar once again. Look at the color difference between the covered Rub-strips, mirror mounts and Painted area. A full re-grain will bring that brightness back to the Stainless to match those covered areas. FWIW: The time to do that is before you reinstall that stuff. To really do it right the QP vents, Door lock cylinders and both facias should be removed.

PeterBiggerstaff
02-17-2013, 02:21 PM
I sat down and read this entire thread last night, I have to say well done!

I've seen DeLorean paint removals where the stainless has actually been tainted and gone slightly green!

Kenny_Z
02-17-2013, 11:37 PM
I'm thankful Red didn't get any odd tint in the stainless. I have noticed the difference between the area under the rub strips and the rest of the car. I expect one day I'll regrain her but for now I'm looking to complete this project along with the painting and just drive.

I didn't get completely through the door today but I did get a great deal of the red off. The paint reacted really weird. I've never seen it bubble like this. It usually just crinkles up. It was cool so I took a photo.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint66.jpg

Here's how she sits tonight. It's 37 outside and my stupid self is out there in a tshirt working on this car. I didn't want to get any of these chemicals on my good jacket and my "garage jacket" was in the wash.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint67.jpg

Now that I've cut through 99.99% of the paint I can safely say that there's no major body damage. I'm relieved. I'll spend tomorrow finishing the door and then I can work on all the little bits and edges that need to be cleaned. Then we're going for a drive before the next phase begins. Fascia/trim painting and a new exhaust system.

dmcpom
02-18-2013, 07:16 AM
Looks great awesome work :-)

Silverbullet
02-18-2013, 02:34 PM
You made a really tuff job look easy.... And the value of you car just went up!

Craig

Morpheus
02-18-2013, 05:09 PM
Excellent work, sir!

Kenny_Z
02-18-2013, 07:55 PM
And here we are. It's not the end of the journey but it's definitely more than halfway over. Any red left on the car is going to have to be sanded off or is waiting for me to remove the fascias for better access.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint69.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint70.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint71.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint72.jpg

After a quick rinse we went for a drive. I'm not sure I can explain the feeling of going from a red car to a stainless car. Even though I did the work it's taking me awhile to accept that my Delorean is now stainless. I went inside to wash up before the drive and came outside expecting to see that familiar red paint that always greeted me before we took a Sunday drive. I think a little part of me is always going to miss the red. But I have no regrets. The stainless is my favorite.

jawn101
02-18-2013, 08:13 PM
Beautiful! Congrats :)

SIMid
02-18-2013, 08:16 PM
16690

Awesome job!! looks fantastic!!

I'm sorry to say, but the red paint looked faded and a little worse for wear. I know others have said she will need a full regrain, but boy, what a massive, positive difference!!

DMC5180
02-18-2013, 08:34 PM
It blows me away at how the paint peeled off the facias so easily.

Kenny_Z
02-18-2013, 11:06 PM
Speaking of that, I finally got around to uploading this video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9-K72AH-oc&feature=youtu.be

Michael
02-18-2013, 11:10 PM
Odd that the paint adheres better to the stainless than to the primed fascias.

Nicholas R
02-18-2013, 11:39 PM
I'm kind of curious how much you increased the monetary value of your car over the last few weeks. Not that you're interested in selling or anything, but seriously, I'll bet it's a pretty substantial increase. Fantastic job man!

Dangermouse
02-18-2013, 11:51 PM
I'm kind of curious how much you increased the monetary value of your car over the last few weeks. Not that you're interested in selling or anything, but seriously, I'll bet it's a pretty substantial increase. Fantastic job man!

Sounds like one of those home-improvement shows on HGTV.

jawn101
02-18-2013, 11:55 PM
That video was crazy. Amazing the paint even held on this long, I guess!

john 05141
02-19-2013, 03:51 AM
That is just great. And it amazes me how quickly you did this.
You'll have a lot of fine finishing to do.

The bubbles on the doors reminded me at "gremlins" Pooring water over it may get you some "little" extra Deloreans:hihi2:
I guess you have to be at least over 30 or so to get this one.

Jan

TripleZeroFilms
02-19-2013, 10:51 AM
The bubbles on the doors reminded me at "gremlins" Pooring water over it may get you some "little" extra Deloreans:hihi2:
I guess you have to be at least over 30 or so to get this one.

Jan

I resent that - I'm 23 and I love Gremlins. It's fun for all ages....except for that chimney story. Just make sure none of the little Deloreans has a Mohawk and you'll be fine.

Also, the car looks AMAZING! I hope I'm so lucky.

krustydmc
02-24-2013, 01:49 PM
wow , good job, I watch your progress every days as a tv show

,.....but no update for 6 day ?

i want to see more pictures and updates

Farrar
02-24-2013, 02:04 PM
wow , good job, I watch your progress every days as a tv show

,.....but no update for 6 day ?

i want to see more pictures and updates

He works outside. Have you seen the weather in his area in the last week?

Shep
02-24-2013, 02:22 PM
He works outside. Have you seen the weather in his area in the last week?Of course not. Krusty's in Canada, not Alabama :)

Kenny_Z
02-24-2013, 02:50 PM
I only got a few hours during my last days off to work on it. I spent the majority of the time under my parent's house repairing a water leak. I really hate going under houses. I can take the parts into my garage to paint but there's no climate control in there so if it's raining outside it's too humid to paint inside.

This is really all I accomplished.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint73.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/exhaust01.jpg

I did get some "new" parts in from Uhhair. The binnacle is in the same shape as the dash.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/int08.jpg

I do have a couple of questions now that I have everyone's attention. Most of the heat shield studs on the rear fascia snapped off. Is there a commonly accepted fix for when this happens? I imagine it happens nearly 100% of the time.

DMC5180
02-24-2013, 03:34 PM
The DMC vendors have SS T-studs that get bonded into the locations of the old ones. You have to dig the old remnants out using a Dremel tool to open up the area the that the the old stud is molded into. I was told it's a bit of a PITA to do though.

The alternate method I've seen done is to drill through the facia and use carriage style bolts. The down side is used see the domed heads prominently. I suppose you could paint the heads SEM trim black to mute the look.

I was lucky enough years ago that all of mine came loose using extreme caution and soaking with penetrant. Once I had all the old nuts off a chased the threads with a Die then replaced the nuts with SS ones along with wiping grease on the threads too for future corrosion protection.


Looks like it's time for a New DMCH dash. Wow thats nasty looking.

vwdmc16
02-24-2013, 03:34 PM
check out how I replaced a few broken studs on my fascia on my thread, page 11

cut out the studs

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0016.jpg


insert new one"

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/SSPX0019.jpg

using this glue I got from DPI

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0228.jpg

DMC5180
02-24-2013, 04:05 PM
You seem to be missing one more photo. The final result.

Kenny_Z
02-24-2013, 04:16 PM
I bought the dash like that on purpose. It was cheap I want to do some tinkering.

I wasn't so lucky. Some of my bolts were so badly rusted the threads were missing chunks. Thanks for the how-to and recommendations. I'm going to be going with the vendor supplied pieces. I think I'm going to pull the front fascia tomorrow (weather permitting) so I can order anything I break there at the same time.

vwdmc16
02-24-2013, 05:58 PM
you are right, it seems I never took the final pictures, I actually remounted the fascia on the car and slipped the new studs in place with the heat shield mounted and fascia aligned, put a small spot of glue on the fascia and clamped it to the the bracket with the stud in place already, I let that dry over night and it was solid, I really wanted to be sure the stud was aligned to the bracket on the car.

DMC5180
02-24-2013, 06:19 PM
you are right, it seems I never took the final pictures, I actually remounted the fascia on the car and slipped the new studs in place with the heat shield mounted and fascia aligned, put a small spot of glue on the fascia and clamped it to the the bracket with the stud in place already, I let that dry over night and it was solid, I really wanted to be sure the stud was aligned to the bracket on the car.

Did you have the bracket isolated during the bonding process, from excess glue squeeze out which could accidentally bond to it?

Nicholas R
02-24-2013, 11:15 PM
When I replaced my exhaust with the UK exhaust several years back, I installed a new stainless heat shield at the same time. Pretty much every one of my studs was bad. I wasn't interested in rebonding them all and put in bolts for all of them. I know not everyone is interested in drilling holes in their fascias but I've always liked the way it looks. I used SS M6 cap screws. I also have SS cap screws in the tail lights and license plate so the continuity is good. Might not be for everyone though.
16803

Kenny_Z
02-24-2013, 11:38 PM
That doesn't look bad but I think I prefer the smoothed surface.

I spent a little time tonight working on the rear fascia. Sorry about the pictures, I didn't realize my camera had taken such lousy shots until I uploaded them.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia01.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia04.jpg

Apparently Red came from Koester in Decatur, Il. That took awhile to sand down. I have no idea how it managed to warp the letters into the fascia. Maybe the logo was metal.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia06.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia08.jpg

At least I was able to get the leftover red off. I am so glad I didn't have to sand the paint off that entire fascia.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia10.jpg

I'm using the 3M bumper filler. It seems to be working pretty well but it took me awhile to figure out how to sand. I mistakenly started with 320 thinking it wouldn't need much grit but the paper clogged too easily and then just pulled on the filler. When I started with 120 and went down from there it worked much better.

Kenny_Z
02-26-2013, 07:12 PM
I've almost finished sanding the fascia's repair areas. I should be ready to paint it next week if the weather cooperates.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia11.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia12.jpg

The 3M bumper filler seems like it is going to do a good job. It's just as flexible as the bumper and levels out nicely. I put a little more filler on that second patch to fill the pinholes. I'll sand it tomorrow.

After that I spent the rest of the day on the exhaust. I relearned a valuable lesson. Harbor Freight hardware sucks.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/exhaust03.jpg

That used to be a pivot connection. I thought I grabbed my craftsman one out of my bag but it was my cheap Harbor Freight one. Divine intervention was the only way that piece came out.

jawn101
02-26-2013, 07:15 PM
...I relearned a valuable lesson. Harbor Freight hardware sucks.

Yeah... sorry to see your great progress marred by crap from that crapatorium. I was so excited when they opened one near me but it only took one or two trips to learn why things are so cheap there.

john 05141
02-27-2013, 04:13 AM
Are you going to paint that yourself outside?

jan

ccurzio
02-27-2013, 08:57 AM
Harbor Freight hardware sucks.

In a lot of cases this is true, but they do have a few unexpected gems. For example I bought this thing (http://www.harborfreight.com/oxygen-and-acetylene-welding-kit-98958.html) and it's fantastic.

Kenny_Z
02-27-2013, 12:50 PM
Are you going to paint that yourself outside?

jan

No, I have enough room in my garage to paint the pieces next to the Nova. I've got some plastic sheeting and pvc pipe to build a little spraybooth.

That looks like a nice piece of equipment but I was specifically referring to anything I'd put torque on. I love my AC tools I purchased there but the sockets and wrenches seem a little iffy to me.

Silverbullet
03-01-2013, 01:06 PM
Kenny,

I found you a new project: Looks like the rear bumper is already stasting to peel...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290871617683&ssPageName=ADME:B:ONA:US:3160

thirdmanj
03-01-2013, 01:09 PM
Kenny,

I found you a new project: Looks like the rear bumper is already stasting to peel...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290871617683&ssPageName=ADME:B:ONA:US:3160

Oh, that's just MEAN!

jawn101
03-01-2013, 01:10 PM
Kenny,

I found you a new project: Looks like the rear bumper is already stasting to peel...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290871617683&ssPageName=ADME:B:ONA:US:3160

I dunno, that looks like one of the 'good' ones. Nice paint mostly :)

Kenny_Z
03-01-2013, 06:19 PM
That red is too nice. At least it is in the pictures. Other than the spot that peeled off. I miss the paint peeling project. The remove the heads so I can get the studs drilled out project is sucky.

Silverbullet
03-01-2013, 09:08 PM
Ah.... you could buy the car... STRIP it..... SELL it and use the money to pay someone to fix the heads... Ok.. easy for me... I make money this way.... pay people to do jobs I don't want, and DO the jobs I like... Jus' sayin....

Kenny_Z
03-01-2013, 09:26 PM
Aah, I see. The initial investment would be what would stop me from being able to do something like that. I've still got some payments left on my current Delorean. With Red I kinda had an idea of what I might find under the paint. This one would be a complete unknown without an inspection. However, say it's in good condition under the paint, the car is as functional as the ad says, and the seat covers get replaced I bet it'd fetch somewhere around 17+ when stripped. That's not really a bad turn around if you can get the car to your door for around 14k. Anything over that and you'd barely break even.

I think I'd rather just strip the paint on other owner's cars ;)

jawn101
03-01-2013, 09:28 PM
Aah, I see. The initial investment would be what would stop me from being able to do something like that. I've still got some payments left on my current Delorean. With Red I kinda had an idea of what I might find under the paint. This one would be a complete unknown without an inspection. However, say it's in good condition under the paint, the car is as functional as the ad says, and the seat covers get replaced I bet it'd fetch somewhere around 17+ when stripped. That's not really a bad turn around if you can get the car to your door for around 14k. Anything over that and you'd barely break even.

I think I'd rather just strip the paint on other owner's cars ;)

Well, let us know when you become as good as regraining as you are at stripping - and when you start offering door-to-door services ;-)

Edit: also, insert obligatory stripper joke here. Hi-yo!

Silverbullet
03-01-2013, 10:46 PM
Well... I think you COULD get like $25,000..... if NOT red... jus' sayin...

Kenny_Z
03-10-2013, 05:33 PM
I've had this idea for awhile but I didn't want to do it while the car was still red. Now that she's stainless again I decided to try it out and I think I like the look.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine17.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine18.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine20.jpg

I decided to keep the casting imperfections with my original idea of not altering the car in any permanent way. Now to finish cleaning and degreasing the other side.

Domi
03-10-2013, 05:51 PM
Nice job!

Morpheus
03-11-2013, 05:56 PM
Nice homage to the former color of your car!

Kenny_Z
03-11-2013, 11:51 PM
Thanks guys. The other valve cover did not turn out this nice. The clear coat fogged up horribly. I didn't factor in the temperature drop in my recoat windows. I have to strip it and start over.

Since it was raining all day I figured it'd be a good time to try to fix the bad areas on the stainless. You can see them in this old image on the door and back rear quarter.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint65.jpg

I started with 120, then 80, then a blending pad on the rear quarter and it disappeared. I only used the blending pad on the door as a test. It'll need the full treatment to fade completely. I called it a day when the thunder and lightning started.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint74.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint75.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint76.jpg

I also painted all the rub strips with SEM trim black last night. I wanted to see how well my detail gun would spray it and it seemed to work well. I'll probably try to do my mirrors and rocker panels later this week when the humidity drops.

Shep
03-11-2013, 11:59 PM
Awesome work! It's always great to see another DeLorean panel saved rather than replaced and scrapped. :thumbup:

thirdmanj
03-12-2013, 06:27 PM
If I may ask, how much have you spent on expendables thus far concerning paint removal. Just curious as to the ballpark figure for a job like this. I'm sure it wasn't, but you've made this very daunting task look EASY!

Kenny_Z
03-12-2013, 10:14 PM
I didn't keep a running total but I can get a ballpark.

3 gallon cans of AirCraft Stripper. 40 per can. 120 dollars (I barely used the third can so I have some left for other projects)
25 bondo scrapers, I used 4 of them. 8 dollars from Harbor Freight
2 different sized rolls of masking tape. I think 5 bucks total from Walmart.
Metal Duct tape. I think it was 11 bucks at Lowes. It was leftover from a house project. (put the masking tape down first and then over the top to keep the stripper from eating through to the masking tape)
Lots of cheap paper towels. I went through 5 rolls I think, 5 dollars I guess.
TSP. Neutralizes the acid in the stripper, I think it was 6 bucks for a pound. I used maybe half of it.
Various sized brushes for scrubbing from an old toothbrush to a 4 inch brass, Harbor Freight 2 bucks.
Paint brushes, 1 inch and 4 inch, lots of them. I'm going to say about 20 to be on the safe side. I purchased boxes of 12 at Harbor Freight.
Painter's paper, 3 dollars for a 50 yard roll from Lowes. Newspaper is fine to help clean up but it is not ok to protect parts.

Stuff I bought that I did not use:
Plastic safe Aircraft stripper. I didn't need it since the fascia paint just peeled off. It was 20 a can and I think I would have used more than 1.
Plastic paint scrappers, 5 bucks from Harbor Freight. I used the bondo scrappers and these I only used to remove the trim.

Safety stuff:
Nitrile gloves, buy the best you can find. I ended up paying 8 bucks for a set that didn't get eaten through. You will spend more by replacing the cheaper gloves more often.
Safety glasses, complete wrap arounds. I had both a tinted and untinted version. I think they cost 20 total. Here's a tip, I spent 150 after copay getting a shard of metal removed from my eye several years ago. The glasses are cheaper and less painful.
Mask, whatever you feel comfortable with. This thread has several recommendations. I used a few depending on the day and where I was working. A stronger mask is nice for when your'e leaning over the hood. That's the time when you really get into the fumes. My most expensive mask is my 50 dollar painting mask.

I had all the safety stuff except the gloves so I think I got out of this paint strip adventure for less than 200 dollars. I'm pretty sure I'll have the exterior completely restored for around 500. It's the engine work that is absolutely killing my wallet.

Kenny_Z
03-12-2013, 10:32 PM
Awesome work! It's always great to see another DeLorean panel saved rather than replaced and scrapped. :thumbup:

With as little damage as they had I was sure I could save them. I have to admit it was a little nerve racking taking 80 grit to it.

I've got a ton of bolts from the engine work and I knew I wanted to clean them up before I used them. I did not want to take each of them to the bench grinder's wire wheel. I bought a vibratory tumbler today from Harbor Freight. I was there getting some cheap odds and ends anyway. This was only after 2 hours in the tumbler.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine21.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine22.jpg

I think after a few more hours it'll clean up better than I could have done it by hand. I'll be putting all the little pieces I have through this thing over the next few days.

The picture is lousy but the rear fascia is patched, cleaned, and sitting in my "booth" to be painted. I'm going to be painting the black portion tomorrow and then probably giving it a few days dry time before I reverse the mask to spray the silver. Normally I'd do the silver first but I do not have it yet.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia13.jpg

Kenny_Z
03-13-2013, 05:17 PM
Time to start putting some color back on the car.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint81.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint82.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint83.jpg

I was having a hell of a time getting my base coat gun to dial in so I have some orange peel to fix but overall it doesn't look too bad. Before I try to spray the grey I have got to figure out what is up with that gun. It may just need a new needle.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint79.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint84.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint85.jpg

DMCflux
03-13-2013, 06:17 PM
That looks really good! What was the color (black) you used?

MML
03-13-2013, 07:32 PM
How do you stick the rub strips back on? Just curious.

Kenny_Z
03-13-2013, 09:58 PM
I haven't put them back on yet but I'm going to try 3M's emblem adhesive in the liquid form. I would have done it today but I can't remember where I put the adhesive...

It's SEM trim black but in a quart instead of the spray can. I need to buy another one. I used more than I expected on just these few parts and trying to dial in that blasted gun.

DMCMW Dave
03-14-2013, 12:36 AM
Use 3M trim tape. It will work better and less messy. More work to clean up the old stripping .

Ryan King
03-14-2013, 01:42 AM
Use 3M trim tape. It will work better and less messy. More work to clean up the old stripping .

I remounted a piece of my rub strip with 3m trim tape, its been that way for a number of years and has seen the elements. Thats the way to go.

Oddfire
03-14-2013, 03:21 PM
With as little damage as they had I was sure I could save them. I have to admit it was a little nerve racking taking 80 grit to it.

I've got a ton of bolts from the engine work and I knew I wanted to clean them up before I used them. I did not want to take each of them to the bench grinder's wire wheel. I bought a vibratory tumbler today from Harbor Freight. I was there getting some cheap odds and ends anyway. This was only after 2 hours in the tumbler.


http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine22.jpg

I think after a few more hours it'll clean up better than I could have done it by hand. I'll be putting all the little pieces I have through this thing over the next few days.

I was considering buying the harbor freight tumbler too. If it's not too much trouble, could you please post some more "after" pictures of the parts you put through the tumbler? Thanks!

Domi
03-14-2013, 04:45 PM
Amazing paint job, that's beautiful :thumbup2:

Kenny_Z
03-14-2013, 05:11 PM
Thank you, I hope it continues to improve. I think I figured out the gun issue and I'll test it after work tonight. And thanks for the 3M tape recommendation. I do know where that is and I'm currently prepping the side moldings to go back on the car.

Here's an after shot:
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine23.jpg

They're not perfect. I may toss them back in for a few more hours later just to see how it works out. For now I tossed in the next batch.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine24.jpg

Kenny_Z
03-16-2013, 05:02 PM
I figured out the gun issue. It was the needle, I didn't clean it as well as I thought I did so it didn't seat right. I'll be attempting the grey next week. I'm currently trying to fix the orange peel. I'm going to have to sand it out with 800 and then go 1500, 2000, and polish on the complete bumper just to get a uniform look.

I painted the timing cover. I was starting to regret my red line decision as I was masking this off. Glad I only have the one valve cover left to redo.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine25.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine26.jpg

Citizen
03-16-2013, 05:11 PM
It's SEM trim black but in a quart instead of the spray can.

Hey Kenny, where did you buy the SEM trim black paint? Is there a brand, paint code nbr, etc? How much did it cost approximately?

I'm asking for obvious reasons.

Thanks in advance.

...

DMC5180
03-16-2013, 05:32 PM
Brand (SEM) P/N: 39143 TRIM BLACK About $10-12 for 15oz Aerosol can. Available at Most Auto paint supply stores. Or go to http://www.semproducts.com/ and use the dealer/distributor look up for your area.

Kenny_Z
03-16-2013, 05:34 PM
It was about 35 dollars per quart. I bought mine from Amazon but I've since found it at a local auto paint supply for about the same price. I'm going to need a second quart to do as much of the car as I have planned.

http://www.amazon.com/Sem-Products-39144-Trim-Blk/dp/B000PL25AC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363468914&sr=8-1&keywords=sem+39144
http://www.semproducts.com/contact/where-to-buy/

I purchased this as well: http://www.eastwood.com/sem-flexible-primer-sealer-32-oz-qt.html

I was impressed with the primer. It builds well and sands out perfectly while remaining flexible. Plus with it being made by SEM for the trim black I know it's compatible. I'd highly recommend using it on the fascias at least.

DMC5180
03-16-2013, 05:49 PM
Kenny,

It's very important you reinstall the Timing Indicator plate back to the original location. The factory used a Jig to locate it. You may need a degree wheel equivalent to reinstall it accurately.

Kenny_Z
03-16-2013, 06:03 PM
I scribed around the edges before I removed it so I can put it back exactly.

Kenny_Z
03-26-2013, 10:31 PM
I finally defaced Red. I've been soaking bolts for about a week because I didn't want to break anything. Still did, broke 3 bolts taking the front spoiler off. They're all internal so I'm just going to drill through and install some stainless hardware.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint86.jpg

I've been debating on removing the front fascia since it is possible to paint it in place and I didn't want to break anything. Eventually I decided I just couldn't remove all the red paint on the edges with it place. Plus there's no way I'd be able to get a good paint match on the fascias by painting them on two different days. Yeah, they're 20 feet apart but I'd compare them side by side and then it would haunt me.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint87.jpg

And yes, it is possible to remove the front fascia with the hood still in place if the screws are not rusty. Take a 1/4 wrench and a #2 phillips bit. Use one finger to hold the bit in the screw and turn it with the wrench. That was by far the easiest part of removing the front fascia. Hopefully by the time I get the engine back together the weather will warm up enough for me to be able to paint again.

Kenny_Z
04-01-2013, 09:21 PM
When I was removing the fascia I realized how bad the primer was. I knew I'd have to strip this piece. The rear fascia's primer wasn't cracked and was holding well so it didn't make sense to remove it since it will help the new primer bite. The front's is cracking, chipping, and was basically garbage.

I used Aircraft's safe for plastic stripper. This took about 5 minutes to complete.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint88.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint89.jpg

The top was baked on like the hood paint I had so much trouble with. Had I realized it I wouldn't have hit it with the chemical stripper. Unfortunately I did so every bit has to be removed to make sure that none of the stripper remains.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint90.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint92.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint94.jpg

What's interesting is I found a light silver underneath the primer. And I mean a highly reflective light silver. It looked like a paint you'd use to try to match the stainless with. It was the first coat on the car. It made me wonder if Red's front fascia is original to the car or was repainted at the factory. The rear did not have this layer.

Today wasn't all about removing paint. I managed to get some paint put on a couple of pieces.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint91.jpg

Got a question for you guys. I need to remove both lower rocker panels. The passenger side has to be replaced and the driver's side needs to be painted. The bolts are rusted and I've been hitting them with spray for the passed two weeks. I'm still stripping the heads when I try to remove them. Has anyone run into this and if so, what was the solution?

Morpheus
04-02-2013, 02:23 PM
I have run into this, and my solution was to Dremel off the heads of the screws and remove them with pliers once the rocker panel is free.

Kenny_Z
04-02-2013, 06:29 PM
Thanks, that worked. I cut off the heads and was able to remove the rockers. The rivnuts seem to be spinning with the remaining bits of the bolt. I'm thinking about grinding them flush and either pulling them out or pushing them in and replacing the rivnuts. I have a gun but all the rivnuts I have are a different size. It would be nice to get a more common bolt in there.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia14.jpg

I have no idea what happened to this rocker but the fiberglass underneath is damage free. It looks and feels brittle as if this one was on fire or near a high heat.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia15.jpg

I removed the old plates I used to fix the eyebrows. I'm going to make a couple that are a bit longer since the eyebrows still showed up on the very edges.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia16.jpg

I think I've finally got every spec of red off the stainless. I cleaned the hood edges and removed the tpanel to get in the quarter panel gaps.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/progress01.jpg

john 05141
04-03-2013, 04:06 AM
Wow, great work.
fantastic that you did this all in one take. Looks like you can enjoy a SS Delorean this summer.
Another Delorean is back ladies and gentlemen!!

Jan

Kenny_Z
06-13-2013, 11:19 PM
It's been two months since I updated this thread. Red is still apart. The engine work absolutely killed my progress. I didn't get the fascias painted before the rainy season started so I'm hoping for a good week or two of low humidity.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext12.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext11.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext17.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/int16.jpg

Ignore that dirty ac pulley. It is clean now.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/engine45.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia29.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia27.jpg

Here's an interesting tool I picked up. It can get to all but the very center phillips screws under the hood.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc015.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc016.jpg

This tab was broken. I didn't know that before I bought a new cover. I had to build and rivet on a replacement.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc005.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc006.jpg

There have been injuries.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ouch01.jpg

And finally, why all this hard work was worth it. Here's a 3 and a half minute video of the before and after engine work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8chEqAGDXo


I've got a new water pump on the way from DMCW and I need to either paint or have the fascias painted. I want to do it myself but the weather may not permit it. I also need to put on my new door handles. I really want to finish before June 22nd but I don't think it'll happen. I brought Red home on June 22, 2011. It'd be awesome to be able to say in exaclty two years she went from red and noisy to stainless and roaring.

jawn101
06-13-2013, 11:25 PM
Looks really amazing. Can't wait to see it all finished! Congrats :)

DeLorean03
06-14-2013, 01:11 AM
Kenny, do you need/want Casey's contact info for painting of the fascias?

DMC5180
06-14-2013, 02:45 AM
Kenny, as long as your painting black pieces. Pull the Engine Cross brace (bead/sand blast and repaint black)

Stainless
06-14-2013, 10:38 AM
What did you do to your plastic air filter assembly to make it look new again? I'm looking for tips on improving the look of mine. Thanks.

Kenny_Z
06-14-2013, 10:51 AM
Kenny, do you need/want Casey's contact info for painting of the fascias?

I didn't even think about that. Yeah, his number or email would be great. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have paint the fascias. Hopefully he won't mind using the PPG supplies I already purchased. It's primer, reducer, base coat, and clear.

I actually roughed up and sprayed the air box with high gloss Rustoleum. My airbox had a lot of scratches and damage that I couldn't easily sand out. I sanded it with 320 until I was happy with the finish. Then I used Bullydog plastic adhesion promoter, Rustoleum white (had a spare can) primer, and then the high gloss black. I thought about using SEM but I prefer the look of the high gloss on the airbox. It sets it apart from the rest of the semi-gloss black parts. Time will tell if it stands up to the heat and abuse but I have used that same can of Rustoleum on the Mustang's firewall and engine bay metal. No discoloration or flaking.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc013.jpg

Can I remove that support bar for painting? I thought it was connected with some uncaptured nuts and they'll fall into the frame if I remove the bolts? I was planning on hitting it with some POR15 I have laying around while it is still in the car. That is if I ever remember to do it.

Farrar
06-14-2013, 11:10 AM
Rustoleum white primer,

That's great stuff -- it really helps the paint stick to any plastic. I did my headlight gap finishers with that primer and gloss black and they came out really well, and that was before I knew much about painting. Great work, Kenny!

DMC5180
06-14-2013, 12:32 PM
Can I remove that support bar for painting? I thought it was connected with some uncaptured nuts and they'll fall into the frame if I remove the bolts? I was planning on hitting it with some POR15 I have laying around while it is still in the car. That is if I ever remember to do it.


Yes, as long as the they aren't rust frozen. Nuts are captured like all the other frame to underbody bolts. I think you can spray penetrant on the back side from underneath using a nozzle straw.


How did you get the compressor pulley so clean? (paint or cleaner)

Josh
06-14-2013, 12:38 PM
I can't beleive I havent commented on this thread yet. But I have read it from start to finish. Always excited to see the progress. Hopefully one day I will get my car looking like yours! One question though, what did you use to paint the engine (process, paints)

Kenny_Z
06-14-2013, 01:25 PM
I used F-1 Aluminum wheel cleaner on a washcloth to shine the pulley. I didn't spray it directly on because I didn't want it getting into places that it might damage. Then I used a very small amount of Bar Keeper's friend to get the tough grit off. A wet rag got all that residue off.

I used VHT's line of products to paint the engine except for the red stripes. I had some Duplicolor caliper paint leftover from my Nova's brake project. It was compatible with VHT's paints. First I washed the engine parts with hot water and Dawn. Then I used acetone and brass brushes to get into the crevices and stuck on grime. Then I washed them again in hot water and Dawn. I let them dry in the sun for a couple of hours. I followed the can instructions on the primer, base, and recoat windows. I put down two coats of primer and three or four base coats followed by two coats of clear.

Thanks for the notes about the support bar. I'll take a look at it after work today.

Michael
06-14-2013, 01:42 PM
This has become one of my favorite threads! I love seeing the transformation of your car back to stainless and that engine looks amazing...Scratch, the whole car is looking amazing!

If the engine is still out, then it makes for a great chance to paint the engine bay.

NightFlyer
06-14-2013, 06:05 PM
Kenny -

Everything looks and sounds AMAZING!!!

Nicely done :rock_on:

Kenny_Z
06-14-2013, 10:26 PM
Thanks to DMC5180's advice I removed the support bar and gave it a coat of Rustoleum gloss black. I thought about going with a semigloss but I only had the high gloss. If it looks bad in the car I'll just strip it and paint it again.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc017.jpg

About half an hour with an angle grinder and coarse wire wheel. I tried my bench grinder but the only wire wheel I had was a fine and barely knicked that old paint. Wiped down with acetone to get the oils from my hands off the metal. Unfortunately I used the last of my primer in one coat. Hopefully it and two coats of base will be enough to protect it. I don't have the heat of the exhaust directly under it anymore so it should be fine.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc018.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc019.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc020.jpg

The engine was never out of the car. If it had been I probably would have painted the bay. I couldn't get my detail gun (cheap Harbor Freight gun) to spray the quart of SEM trim black correctly and my Binks is too big to get in the bay around the engine even when the heads were off. Either the rattle can of trim black I have is bad or I just don't like the look of it.

Thanks for the compliments guys.

DL4567
06-15-2013, 01:43 PM
Nice commercial clothes display stands. What's the story on those?

Kenny_Z
06-15-2013, 04:42 PM
Nice commercial clothes display stands. What's the story on those?

I'd been looking into expensive stands to use for painting parts. When I ran across these in a thrift store for 10 bucks each I bought them on the spot. They do what I need and are heavy enough to not topple over when I put things on them. Plus they roll around...when not in the grass.

DL4567
06-15-2013, 05:10 PM
I'd been looking into expensive stands to use for painting parts. When I ran across these in a thrift store for 10 bucks each I bought them on the spot. They do what I need and are heavy enough to not topple over when I put things on them. Plus they roll around...when not in the grass.

Oh ok, yeah I was curious because my family's store fixture business made those all the time so I was really used to seeing them at work and we have a few at home. It's pretty random to see someone else with them though. I can imagine why you like them, they usually are nice and heavy. :)

Kenny_Z
06-25-2013, 01:40 AM
After playing with the engine and throttle for a little while I tackled the rivnut installation for the rocker panels. The old bolts were so rusted I had to cut the heads off most of them and then grind off the top of the rivnuts. If I couldn't get the leftover portion out I pushed it up into the rocker where it will remain. Forever.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext19.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext20.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext22.jpg


These are the tools I used. Excuse the grass, I had just mowed the yard.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext21.jpg

I went with stainless bolts with washers. I can always paint them black if they bother me and a little anti-seize should keep them from galling up on the aluminum rivnuts. The Rivnut tool is from Harbor Freight and works very well. I bought the rivnuts from McMaster-Carr. I didn't get a shot of the rocker in place since it got too dark. Here's some ear-candy to make up for it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDUzspekc-o

vwdmc16
06-25-2013, 02:15 AM
Looking clean and sounding great!

dvonk
06-25-2013, 02:42 AM
...Here's some ear-candy to make up for it.

youve probably mentioned it before, but what kind of exhaust setup do you have?

Josh
06-25-2013, 02:46 AM
Right on, I will be doing this as soon as I get my body panels together. All my rivnuts are terrible. I was concerned about pushing them up into the rocker but what can you do I guess!

Roman Legion
06-25-2013, 02:56 AM
I just started following this post, looks much better. I subscibed to the thread, so I'll be updated when you give us more pictures to look at..lol Great work!

Farrar
06-25-2013, 08:35 AM
The Rivnut tool is from Harbor Freight and works very well. I bought the rivnuts from McMaster-Carr.

I'm glad this worked for you, because it's exactly what I plan on using.

Since you're using stainless screws, did you consider using stainless rivnuts? If so, why did you decide on aluminum? I'm about to make the same decision; I'm thinking maybe stainless may be too hard a material to install in GRP.

Great work as always, sir!

Kenny_Z
06-25-2013, 11:21 AM
I think it is an early exhaust system from DMCH. I bought it second hand from DPI.

I was concerned about pushing the rivnuts up too but there's dense foam in there that'll keep them from rattling.

I didn't see any stainless on the MCCarr site and they only had the 10-24 in aluminum. I figure it isn't a structural piece and I just want to prevent rust in case I need to take them off down the road. You might be right about the stainless being too hard. The aluminum was very easy to compress with the tool so I didn't have to put any unnecessary pressure on the fiberglass.

Josh
06-25-2013, 02:52 PM
I think it is an early exhaust system from DMCH. I bought it second hand from DPI.

I was concerned about pushing the rivnuts up too but there's dense foam in there that'll keep them from rattling.

I didn't see any stainless on the MCCarr site and they only had the 10-24 in aluminum. I figure it isn't a structural piece and I just want to prevent rust in case I need to take them off down the road. You might be right about the stainless being too hard. The aluminum was very easy to compress with the tool so I didn't have to put any unnecessary pressure on the fiberglass.

Another thing to consider is galvanic corrosion. Dissimilar metals fuse together over time. That is why you had to drill out the steel bolts from the aluminum rivnuts. Not sure if stainless will have the same effect, I will be researching this as I plan to use stainless hardware as well (metric rivnuts though, it was a pain to find the gun!)

Mark D
06-25-2013, 03:02 PM
To prevent galvanic corrosion I use a product called Tefgel. It's designed for harsh marine applications and it's worked great for me so far on stainless bolts in aluminum rivnuts. It's expensive but a tiny big goes a long way.

http://www.tefgel.com/contain.php?param=tefgel_infor

We use the same product at my work on joints involving splined shafts.

Josh
06-25-2013, 04:04 PM
To prevent galvanic corrosion I use a product called Tefgel. It's designed for harsh marine applications and it's worked great for me so far on stainless bolts in aluminum rivnuts. It's expensive but a tiny big goes a long way.

http://www.tefgel.com/contain.php?param=tefgel_infor

We use the same product at my work on joints involving splined shafts.

Thanks for the info. I assume it is applied similar to Lock Tite?

Farrar
06-25-2013, 04:43 PM
I noticed you used 10-24 screws in M5 rivnuts. Good call! The last time I was at the hardware store trying to find stainless metric screws, the guy helping me found the thread pitch was close enough between them and I ended up using 10-24 screws. I wish I had known that in advance like you did. -- would've saved me a lot of head-scratching. :lol:

Mark D
06-25-2013, 04:44 PM
Thanks for the info. I assume it is applied similar to Lock Tite?


Yeah it's quite a bit thicker than locktite but the application onto parts is similar. I have a small tub of it and I use a mini brush to wipe it on the bolt threads. Otherwise they offer it packaged in a syringe so you could just apply a drop.

If I were to compare it to anything it's similar to pipe dope you'd use to seal pipe threads, but tefgel doesn't harden. As the name implies, it's teflon based.

Mark D
06-25-2013, 04:53 PM
I noticed you used 10-24 screws in M5 rivnuts. Good call! The last time I was at the hardware store trying to find stainless metric screws, the guy helping me found the thread pitch was close enough between them and I ended up using 10-24 screws. I wish I had known that in advance like you did. -- would've saved me a lot of head-scratching. :lol:

Interesting you mention this, I just replaced all access panel screws in the trunk compt with stainless and ended up going with these:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#cadinlnord/95836a455/=ncmmuk

They were pretty expensive, had I known 10-24 was pretty close to M5 I might have been able to save a few bucks. Did the 10-24 screws cross thread and chew up the threads in the rivnuts much? I might have to test one out later and see how it works.

Josh
06-25-2013, 04:54 PM
Yeah it's quite a bit thicker than locktite but the application onto parts is similar. I have a small tub of it and I use a mini brush to wipe it on the bolt threads. Otherwise they offer it packaged in a syringe so you could just apply a drop.

If I were to compare it to anything it's similar to pipe dope you'd use to seal pipe threads, but tefgel doesn't harden. As the name implies, it's teflon based.

Makes perfect sense. I will try and source this when I get around to reinstalling the rockers & trunk panels

Kenny_Z
06-25-2013, 08:59 PM
Actually I bought 10-24 rivnuts. Red's not concurs and I'm not selling her any time soon. In about 60 years the next owner can call me all sorts of names ;) That does explain why the 10-24 bolts threaded right into the three rivnuts I didn't have to grind out.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext24.jpg

Kenny_Z
07-02-2013, 07:37 PM
The weather finally cooperated and I got a couple of days of dry weather. The front fascia is in primer and sanded.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia32.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia33.jpg

My gun hated spraying the SEM primer. I think the fluid tip is too small for it. Unfortunately it's right there on the can in all caps "DO NOT THIN" so I didn't. It took a lot of sanding to get texture out. I was playing with my gun's settings on the Trim Black and I think I found the sweet spot once it's thinned 1 to 1 with lacquer thinner. I used an old computer monitor I hadn't thrown out yet to test on.

If the weather keeps cooperating I hope to at least get the Trim Black on the fascia, engine cover, and louvers tomorrow. Then I can focus on the PPG gray. After that it's just reassembly.

Kenny_Z
07-03-2013, 02:02 PM
The weather only held out long enough to get the front fascia masked and painted in Trim Black.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia34.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia35.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia36.jpg

I managed to get three coats finished and the fascia unmasked before the weather turned. The fascia is in my bathroom to keep it out of the weather while the paint fully cures. The rain finally started when I was in the middle of cleaning my spray gun.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc024.jpg

I know I wanted to do the black at least. I'm not sure if I'll outsource the grey yet.

Domi
07-03-2013, 03:55 PM
That's awesome!
Keep up the good job ;)

Kenny_Z
07-03-2013, 08:39 PM
I took a chance and painted the louvers. It worked out in my favor since the rain didn't come back.

For some reason my phone ate the before shots. Here's an old one that shows how faded they were.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/paint65.jpg

I also had this to repair.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/cover31.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/cover33.jpg

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext27.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext29.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext30.jpg

I do have to touch up a little on the passenger side. A wasp attempted to attack my face as I put this on so I scratched it. I've still got to put the tpanel back on before I can finalize it but it's nice to have another big part back on the car.

LordFly
07-04-2013, 12:13 AM
Very nice. It's really coming along. It's very cool seeing the progressing. I've never been a fan of the painted cars, so it's nice to see it getting put back to the way it was intended to be.

john 05141
07-04-2013, 02:56 AM
I enjoy following such restoration projects. It is nice that this one keeps up the speed.
The value of this car will be seriously up when you're done.
About the facia's, I hope that if you will spray the gray on yourself you will not damage the black when you remove the tape.
You did a good job on the black part and you have a spray paint gun, I'd go for it.

Jan

PlutonimicX
07-04-2013, 08:55 AM
How did you go about repairing those cracks? I have the same problem.

Kenny_Z
07-04-2013, 10:44 AM
If I let it fully cure I think the black will hold up to the painter's tape. That's why I did the black first. It's a lot cheaper paint. The trick is to not get right on the edge of the black but letting the other paint cover it slightly. This way you're not pulling on the edges of unsecure paint and the other color is helping to hold it down.

To repair the break, I first took a small file to remove all the gunk the PO tried to use and to remove the dirt. I used a piece of stranded fiberglass and pressed it in between the repair. I put a heavy block on the upper louver to press the two pieces together. I used an old air filter to keep from scratching anything. That cured overnight and I cut away the excess with a dremel. It didn't feel like it was going to hold permanently so I mixed some more and layered fiberglass over that crack in the support on the back. I built it up pretty high but I figure no one sees that area very much and I'd rather have a weird bump than my repair fail. After that fiber glass cured I took bondo to smooth out the repair on the outward facing tab. It's very hard to sand in that area and be careful not to scratch the louver. Unfortunately the way I built up the repair on the rear support I won't be able to use any of those metal louver supports unless I grind on the fiberglass. I thought I had photos of the progress but they might be on my work PC.

sdg3205
07-04-2013, 10:59 AM
Kenny - great work the car is looking fantastic!

Michael
07-04-2013, 11:24 AM
Your car is REALLY taking shape!!!

Kenny_Z
07-04-2013, 09:48 PM
Thanks guys.

I finally took care of the door handles. I've waited for a long time to do this. Here's the piece of iron the PO installed as a driver's handle. It worked for me for two years.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/d04.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/d05.jpg

I cleaned out that bit of red paint and installed the new handle. I have to redo the trailing rub strip. I used the old handle to line it up and it apparently was crooked.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/d06.jpg

I still need to fiddle with the cables in the passenger door so I don't need to use the key to open it every time. I thought maybe the new handle would fix it but the handle wasn't in bad shape even though it was plastic. Is there a market for the original plastic handles?
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/d08.jpg

I put the filler panel and test fit the rear fascia. It was a shame to cover up that pretty engine. I need to move the fascia to the passenger side slightly. It's drooping at the bottom because I haven't installed the heat-shield yet.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia37.jpg

vwdmc16
07-05-2013, 02:52 AM
Kenny, Looks fantastic. What did you use to reattach the little vents to the louvers? Ive not found foam/tape that I like to reattach mine.






http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext27.jpg

Tillsy
07-05-2013, 04:20 AM
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/d06.jpg

Hey how did you get the new handle to line up so great?

I fitted the new metal ones last year and they are at a slight angle :(

Kenny_Z
07-05-2013, 08:14 AM
I used 3M's emblem tape. The same stuff I used on the rub strips. I need to go buy another roll to get the front strips attached. I'll get a picture of the package when I do.

I think I just got lucky with them, I was worried about that. The holes through the body aren't oval for adjusting but I still made sure to fully seat them before bolting them down. You might try taking one out and comparing it to the old ones to see if something is bent. They appear to be a mild steel so you might be able to bend it back into shape.

Kenny_Z
07-09-2013, 10:16 PM
I haven't picked up that 3M adhesive yet. I keep forgetting it when I'm out. I painted some parts today.

These are the metal strips around the windshield. I thought about going with SEM but I think the higher gloss around the window might look good.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc028.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc029.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc030.jpg

I went high gloss on this as well.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc032.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc033.jpg

I had previously painted the engine cover with Rustoleum semi-gloss after the first repair. I decided to use the same product this time to ensure a match.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/cover35.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/cover36.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/cover37.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/cover38.jpg

Tomorrow I reinstall all of this.

Kenny_Z
07-10-2013, 08:35 PM
I'm not sure if the weather or incompatible paint ruined the high gloss finish. Thankfully it did though. When I put it on the car I didn't like it. I stripped it and put on the semi-gloss Rustoleum. I'm out of SEM Trim black.

I put my stripping skills to use again.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext31.jpg

I managed to get it painted before the weather went south. It dried in the house.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext32.jpg

Here's that 3M tape. I was going to put the rest of the rub strips on but the weather stopped me.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc035.jpg

Last but not least, I installed the repaired finisher panel above the rear window. The louvers are done with SEM and the finisher was a heavy coat of Rustoleum Semi-Gloss. In the picture below you can see what they look like on separate parts of the car. The mirrors, louvers, quarter vents, and rub strips are SEM. The trim around the window is Rustoleum.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/misc036.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext33.jpg

Farrar
07-10-2013, 09:11 PM
FWIW, I used Rustoleum semi-flat black on my louvres and before long it was just flat black. I'll be interested to see what yours looks like in a few months. How many coats are you doing?

john 05141
07-11-2013, 03:00 AM
The finisher panel above the rear window is the SS one?
I have that also, way better than the original plastic version.
Mine is also painted black, I did not like the SS looks thru the louvre.

Jan