Macgyver
Member
That's what was happening to this car. The plastic pieces especially. All of the horizontal metal surfaces went purple/magenta. It was odd looking.
Restoring a 1993 MTX
- Thread starter Macgyver
- Start date
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That's what was happening to this car. The plastic pieces especially. All of the horizontal metal surfaces went purple/magenta. It was odd looking.
Macgyver
Member
Update!
Cold weather, work and life in general got in the way. I've decided to have the shop I work at do more of the work in order to get the car finished.
I decided to have them refinish the wheels I already refinished with the dupli-color system. They looked OK before, but they look fantastic now. When the Cadillac got hit, the owner agreed to fix a bunch of little things on it that were bothering me, so along with a ding on the passenger rear door, they repainted my peeling wheels. I had the SHO wheels redone at the same time. We are usually an extremely busy shop, but we had a lull for a couple of days in February so all 8 wheels were completed. I think they look great.
It's interesting to note that I had the wheels completely knocked down when the painter asked me to re-install the tires. He told me that I'd probably damage the fresh paint if I tried to mount the tires too soon. He said it would take weeks for it to get hard enough so I re mounted the tires but didn't seat the beads. He then masked the tires and painted the wheels. It was a pain to put the TPM sensors back in the Cadillac wheels with tires on the rims, but I got it done.
Cold weather, work and life in general got in the way. I've decided to have the shop I work at do more of the work in order to get the car finished.
I decided to have them refinish the wheels I already refinished with the dupli-color system. They looked OK before, but they look fantastic now. When the Cadillac got hit, the owner agreed to fix a bunch of little things on it that were bothering me, so along with a ding on the passenger rear door, they repainted my peeling wheels. I had the SHO wheels redone at the same time. We are usually an extremely busy shop, but we had a lull for a couple of days in February so all 8 wheels were completed. I think they look great.
It's interesting to note that I had the wheels completely knocked down when the painter asked me to re-install the tires. He told me that I'd probably damage the fresh paint if I tried to mount the tires too soon. He said it would take weeks for it to get hard enough so I re mounted the tires but didn't seat the beads. He then masked the tires and painted the wheels. It was a pain to put the TPM sensors back in the Cadillac wheels with tires on the rims, but I got it done.
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Macgyver
Member
Preparing for Paint
I redid all of the cracked seam sealer on the car. I used a wire wheel to grind the old stuff off and reapplied new sealer with a caulk gun and a brush. I did the hood, trunk and rear body panel. The doors looked good, so I didn't mess with them. I'm painting the car the same color, so I don't want to redo the jams if I don't need to.
I redid all of the cracked seam sealer on the car. I used a wire wheel to grind the old stuff off and reapplied new sealer with a caulk gun and a brush. I did the hood, trunk and rear body panel. The doors looked good, so I didn't mess with them. I'm painting the car the same color, so I don't want to redo the jams if I don't need to.
Macgyver
Member
The Fix for a Leaky Cowl
In order to help prevent water from leaking out of the HVAC, I sealed the cowl vent area with rubberized undercoating after cleaning and sanding it thoroughly. I used seam sealer to seal the inlet stack to the body. Hopefully there won't be any water issues. I didn't take any shots after I cleaned and sanded, but it was very clean before it got sprayed.
In order to help prevent water from leaking out of the HVAC, I sealed the cowl vent area with rubberized undercoating after cleaning and sanding it thoroughly. I used seam sealer to seal the inlet stack to the body. Hopefully there won't be any water issues. I didn't take any shots after I cleaned and sanded, but it was very clean before it got sprayed.
Macgyver
Member
Arrival at the Shop
I finally got the car to the shop on March 24th. I used the flatbed to get it there because it is too torn down to be driven any distance. Here is how it looked upon arrival:
By Wednesday, we were able to get a couple of our newer Techs to start DA sanding the car:
By Friday it was in the booth getting primered. The painter laid on 8 coats of primer to allow the car to be block sanded. The photo is cloudy because I took the shot through the paint booth door. I wasn't going in there while he was spraying. I was happy to let some of the younger techs gain some experience on this car. I have the luxury of time if something needs to be redone due to a mistake, but so far none have been made except for me getting involved with an SHO... again!
Here's a shot after the air cleared and I could get in there:
We pulled the car out after priming it and set out giving it a quick DA and thorough blocking. The car is so straight that it shouldn't be a long process.
I stopped the process after the car was sanded because I don't like the body line above the passenger door handle. This door was the only area of damage on the car. It wasn't too bad, as I was able to fix it, but once in primer and blocked the line wasn't spot on. Now's the time to fix it or I'll have to live with it.
The body and bumpers will be in paint this week so I should be able to get it home by next weekend and begin assembly. The cladding, rocker mouldings and tail panels will hopefully be shot shortly.
I finally got the car to the shop on March 24th. I used the flatbed to get it there because it is too torn down to be driven any distance. Here is how it looked upon arrival:
By Wednesday, we were able to get a couple of our newer Techs to start DA sanding the car:
By Friday it was in the booth getting primered. The painter laid on 8 coats of primer to allow the car to be block sanded. The photo is cloudy because I took the shot through the paint booth door. I wasn't going in there while he was spraying. I was happy to let some of the younger techs gain some experience on this car. I have the luxury of time if something needs to be redone due to a mistake, but so far none have been made except for me getting involved with an SHO... again!
Here's a shot after the air cleared and I could get in there:
We pulled the car out after priming it and set out giving it a quick DA and thorough blocking. The car is so straight that it shouldn't be a long process.
I stopped the process after the car was sanded because I don't like the body line above the passenger door handle. This door was the only area of damage on the car. It wasn't too bad, as I was able to fix it, but once in primer and blocked the line wasn't spot on. Now's the time to fix it or I'll have to live with it.
The body and bumpers will be in paint this week so I should be able to get it home by next weekend and begin assembly. The cladding, rocker mouldings and tail panels will hopefully be shot shortly.
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Macgyver
Member
Fender Prep Detail
I sprayed a light coat of undercoating on the bottom of the fenders where junk tends to collect in order to stave off rust in the future. An earlier post shows all of the flotsam I got out of here.
I will also be spraying a waxy rust preventative inside the doglegs and inside the door bottoms to preserve them. We have a wand that will fit through the cladding holes and get in there thoroughly.
I sprayed a light coat of undercoating on the bottom of the fenders where junk tends to collect in order to stave off rust in the future. An earlier post shows all of the flotsam I got out of here.
I will also be spraying a waxy rust preventative inside the doglegs and inside the door bottoms to preserve them. We have a wand that will fit through the cladding holes and get in there thoroughly.
Macgyver
Member
Found an Old Photo
Here's a shot of a 1992 I owned about 8 years ago:
This car was given to me by a family friend. It didn't run, so I went to pick it up with my truck and a rented tow dolly. I got stuck in mud that day and wound up having to unhook the truck from the dolly and drag the car/dolly combo out backwards. It was a crappy day.
The car hadn't ran for a year, so I did some troubleshooting and replaced the DIS module. Problem solved. It ran well, but the clutch was suspect. I ended up trading the car to a friend for an 88 turbo coupe and an 86 ranger. I sold both of them and he eventually junked the SHO after the clutch went. I was bummed, but it had over 200k on it and it was tired and the interior was thrashed. It was nothing like my current car.
Here's a shot of a 1992 I owned about 8 years ago:
This car was given to me by a family friend. It didn't run, so I went to pick it up with my truck and a rented tow dolly. I got stuck in mud that day and wound up having to unhook the truck from the dolly and drag the car/dolly combo out backwards. It was a crappy day.
The car hadn't ran for a year, so I did some troubleshooting and replaced the DIS module. Problem solved. It ran well, but the clutch was suspect. I ended up trading the car to a friend for an 88 turbo coupe and an 86 ranger. I sold both of them and he eventually junked the SHO after the clutch went. I was bummed, but it had over 200k on it and it was tired and the interior was thrashed. It was nothing like my current car.
Macgyver
Member
Cladding Question
I plan to use .125" 2 faced tape along the tops of the side cladding to keep it tight against the body to prevent dirt and moisture from getting behind them and into the door. Rustproofing is a major goal of this resto as I plan to drive this car. I also think it will help the car maintain a crisp straight appearance by making the gap invisible.
Has anybody else tried this?
I plan to use .125" 2 faced tape along the tops of the side cladding to keep it tight against the body to prevent dirt and moisture from getting behind them and into the door. Rustproofing is a major goal of this resto as I plan to drive this car. I also think it will help the car maintain a crisp straight appearance by making the gap invisible.
Has anybody else tried this?
Meticulous work, making good progress on this Labor of Love. I have seen posts recently from people using the doublesided tape on the emblems, but not on cladding. I guess the main question would be: are the claddings rigid enough or do they have flex? That would impact the longevity & effectiveness of the tape.
93rev2sev
SHO Member
So, since the base coat is a solid color, you're able to block sand it...between coats (removing nibs, if any and providing a little straighter surface), and then you'll clear it and wetsand that, correct?
Macgyver
Member
Because I'm not using waterborne paint I'll de nib if necessary and scuff between coats but I probably wont block the full car. I will wet sand and buff at the end. There is no color on the car yet. What you see in the pix is tinted primer. The painter prefers to tint the primer. He says it helps with coverage since reds can be difficult.
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Macgyver
Member
The cladding is a bit flexible, but there are some pretty mean 2 face tapes out there. 3M and Tesa make some that are very thin and super strong. If I can install it the way I picture in my head, it will be invisible. It won't be holding the cladding on, all of my brackets and bolts are in perfect condition. I just want it to hold the cladding flat against the body to eliminate the gap. I'll keep you posted.
Macgyver
Member
Lamp Restoration
We've all seen headlamp restoration techniques, so I won't go over what I did. It was the usual sand an polish routine. They look good.
What I DID do that I'm very happy with is restore the factory fog lamps. They were nasty and neglected so I took them off the impact bar and carefully removed the lens from the body. I read on this forum where someone disassembled the lamps and found exactly what I did, that the reflective coating was gone. That individual painted the inside of his lamps before reassembling them. I almost did the same thing until I was rooting around in a cabinet and stumbled across some foil duct tape I used on a household insulation project. I cleaned the inside thoroughly and carefully cut the tape to fit the housing.
It went in well. I used polishing compound to remove the text on the tape and it shined up nicely. It is a touch wrinkled, but I'm pretty sure it'll work well and hold up. I have some concerns that the adhesive will give up, but this tape should be able to handle the heat inside the lamp. We'll see. For zero dollars and less than an hour I'll give it a shot.
The top lamp is the refinished one. I still need to do the other one. I'm just using a camera phone, so the images aren't great. The lamp looks great, and the lens is crystal clear.
We've all seen headlamp restoration techniques, so I won't go over what I did. It was the usual sand an polish routine. They look good.
What I DID do that I'm very happy with is restore the factory fog lamps. They were nasty and neglected so I took them off the impact bar and carefully removed the lens from the body. I read on this forum where someone disassembled the lamps and found exactly what I did, that the reflective coating was gone. That individual painted the inside of his lamps before reassembling them. I almost did the same thing until I was rooting around in a cabinet and stumbled across some foil duct tape I used on a household insulation project. I cleaned the inside thoroughly and carefully cut the tape to fit the housing.
It went in well. I used polishing compound to remove the text on the tape and it shined up nicely. It is a touch wrinkled, but I'm pretty sure it'll work well and hold up. I have some concerns that the adhesive will give up, but this tape should be able to handle the heat inside the lamp. We'll see. For zero dollars and less than an hour I'll give it a shot.
The top lamp is the refinished one. I still need to do the other one. I'm just using a camera phone, so the images aren't great. The lamp looks great, and the lens is crystal clear.
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Macgyver
Member
I just went back and looked at the lamp refinishing post. His lamps really turned out great. My tape doesn't look as pretty as the paint, but it is more reflective. My lenses turned out every bit as good, but I used seam sealer to hold the lens in.
The problem with refinishing is that you take away the UV protective layer on the polycarbonate lens. This means they start to yellow - just polishing is good for maybe 6 months.
See if you can find one of the brush on or paintable coatings starting to be sold for headlight restoration. Best to do this while the surface is still fresh. There are now a couple on the market, while not as good as what the automative OEMs diffuse into the surface of the polycarbonate lens, I have heard that it can last 2 years.
See if you can find one of the brush on or paintable coatings starting to be sold for headlight restoration. Best to do this while the surface is still fresh. There are now a couple on the market, while not as good as what the automative OEMs diffuse into the surface of the polycarbonate lens, I have heard that it can last 2 years.
Macgyver
Member
Thanks for the tip! I've experienced this problem after polishing. I've blown my budget so badly with paint, body and interior that I'm pinching pennies where I can. I'll look into the coatings. My other car could use it too. Headlamp housings on it cost over $500 each.
Macgyver
Member
Out of the Booth
I'll post a more detailed follow up over the weekend, but it is finally painted. I went back to the shop this eveving with my sons and we hung the fenders, bumpers and headlamp mount panel. It will be flatbedded to my home on Friday. I'll take better pictures then.
I'll post a more detailed follow up over the weekend, but it is finally painted. I went back to the shop this eveving with my sons and we hung the fenders, bumpers and headlamp mount panel. It will be flatbedded to my home on Friday. I'll take better pictures then.
intimdatr
Got Cams?
Thats a freaking shinny SHO! Looks Awesome!!!
SHOBlu
Habitual Offndr
That looks awsome. Can't wait to see it completed!
Macgyver
Member
In the paint Booth
The car was in both paint booths at the shop. The bumpers, fenders and rockers were in one booth, and the car was in the other. The painter primed the car, then DA'd and blocked it, then he pulled it back in, re-masked it and sprayed the car with sealer.
These parts are primed and sealed
Once the sealer dried, it was on to the color coats everything got 2 light but thorough coats. Our shop normally uses waterborne base coats. I bought a solvent based paint to save money. I used Wanda. It's interesting how much the solvent based paint made the shop smell. Spraying waterborne paint has no smell at all. We have come a long way environmentally.
Basecoated parts
After 3 coats of clear
Fresh out da boof!
What do you think about the debadged decklid?
I had my sons help install the bumpers and fenders last night at the shop. My 15 year old is so stoked about it that he posted pix of himself in it on FB.
Before we put the rear bumper on, I used panel bond to reattach a poorly repaired side bracket. This should help to avoid a droopy bumper.
I asked the painter why he didn't shoot the rear body panel and the lower doors/rocker and he simply stated because of dirt. I didn't remove the rocker brackets, and he was concerned about blowing dirt from behind them onto the paint. Since the lower doors are rust free and covered by the cladding, he saved paint and masked them off too. I'll have enough paint should I ever have to repair anything. When I get the car home tomorrow night, I plan to remove the rear bumper and paint the rear body panel. I also plan to paint the rocker brackets to prevent rust there too. I'll probably just brush rustoleum on them.
I plan to cut and buff on Saturday afternoon. It's supposed to be beautiful in South Jersey this weekend! More pix out in the sun coming!
The car was in both paint booths at the shop. The bumpers, fenders and rockers were in one booth, and the car was in the other. The painter primed the car, then DA'd and blocked it, then he pulled it back in, re-masked it and sprayed the car with sealer.
These parts are primed and sealed
Once the sealer dried, it was on to the color coats everything got 2 light but thorough coats. Our shop normally uses waterborne base coats. I bought a solvent based paint to save money. I used Wanda. It's interesting how much the solvent based paint made the shop smell. Spraying waterborne paint has no smell at all. We have come a long way environmentally.
Basecoated parts
After 3 coats of clear
Fresh out da boof!
What do you think about the debadged decklid?
I had my sons help install the bumpers and fenders last night at the shop. My 15 year old is so stoked about it that he posted pix of himself in it on FB.
Before we put the rear bumper on, I used panel bond to reattach a poorly repaired side bracket. This should help to avoid a droopy bumper.
I asked the painter why he didn't shoot the rear body panel and the lower doors/rocker and he simply stated because of dirt. I didn't remove the rocker brackets, and he was concerned about blowing dirt from behind them onto the paint. Since the lower doors are rust free and covered by the cladding, he saved paint and masked them off too. I'll have enough paint should I ever have to repair anything. When I get the car home tomorrow night, I plan to remove the rear bumper and paint the rear body panel. I also plan to paint the rocker brackets to prevent rust there too. I'll probably just brush rustoleum on them.
I plan to cut and buff on Saturday afternoon. It's supposed to be beautiful in South Jersey this weekend! More pix out in the sun coming!
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