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| Current best dyno power figure: |
| 218.7 kw @ rear wheels |
| Current best quarter mile: |
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15.0 seconds @ 98mph |
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| Current best dyno power figure: |
| 218.7 kw @ rear wheels |
| Current best quarter mile: |
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15.0 seconds @ 98mph |
| Advertisement: |
Second Attempt at Painting the Car
Finally it's time to get this damn car looking half decent, because at the moment, the go is much greater than the show. Second and more realistic attempt though, this time with a new and improved spraygun, more black paint, the entire week free from work and a friend staying to help.
Day 1 - The Start of the Paintjob
Same as it was before, not looking very nice...
Problem Areas
The bonnet was the biggy from last time, with a varying thickness splash of primer creating a serious issue for sanding. The bootlid was the other main concern, as because no undercoat was used previously, the bog used to fill the holes had sunk and created uneven height areas.
Sanding and Filling of the Bootlid
I decided to start the bootlid first to get it out of the way and applied nice and thick layers of primer over the sanded back old green paint. They seemed to go on quite well, slowly leveling the bumps as each coat was applied.
First Coat of Black
The new black paint is premixed and seems much glossier than the old. Shown below still wet it has the unfortunate property of showing up every little bump and scrath like any other dark colour.
Bootlid Finished
A few coats of black later and the boot lid was finished. The surface is suberb and even, I am very happy with the result.
Day 2 - Front Panels Being Primered
The next day with Driftdave on hand we decided to remove all of the front panels of the car to work on them. With rain threatening we Started on the bonnet and other items, all hung along the fence. At one stage rain started and we had to run for cover, including driving the car less front panels to a house around the corner for shelter.
Front Left Guard Being a Pain
In some areas of the car the paint did not want to stick properly to old surface, creating cracks and running. The panel shown below has had thinners and a rag applied to it to remove the offending bad paint, and then some serious sanding undertaken to smoothen the intersection. I can only assume the reason for this problem is poor surface preparation on our part, with some sort of chemical or water being present on the bad areas. After sanding back some paint it is even more apparent how battered this car has been. There are small sections of bog everywhere, the amount of accidents this car has had is astounding.
Day 3 - Test Panel
After running out of yellow filler/primer, we acquired some new grey primer/puttty. Apparently pre-mixed with thinners, this new paint was still very thick. We used the spare green panel to test the viscosity of both the grey and black paint. The grey primer required a small portion of thinners to spray nicely.
Further Front Panel Undercoat
It did indeed spray nicely in the hands of our new champion spray artist, Driftdave. The new primer was just as nice to sand and work with as the old, which was a pleasant surprise.
Front Bumper Repair
A large section of the bumper had troubles with paint not taking, so much vigorous sanding was undertaken in preperation for the new and improved primer.
Black Paint Application
The grey primer was able to be applied very thickly, so not many coats were needed before Dave proceded to apply the black paint. As can be seen with a coat or two on the black paint is starting to look tops.
Further Work on the Remaining Front Panels
With the guards and the bonnet almost done attention was turned to the remaining front panels, including the small trim pieces, the headlights and the front bumper bar. Here Driftdave demonstrates his excellent skill in applying the paint with perfect consistency and coverage. Everything was going fantastic at this stage, with the front panels finished as well as a fresh coat of paint over the side skirts to match the new slightly glossier paint.
Dummy Fitting of Front Panels
With the entire front finished it was time to check the progress, and I must say I am extremely pleased with the results. The car looks unique and glossier than I had planned, but still staying true to the drift heritage.
Day 4 - Main Body Masking
The task for today was to finish as much as possible of the body, including the roof, A-pillar, doors, rear guards and rear bumper. We began by masking all of the windows and part of the engine bay.
Primer Application on the Body
Once everything was covered and some basic sanding was underrtaken, Dave began to apply the primer, despite occaisional sleet halting our progress. We worked on adding two thick layers with sanding in between, giving the progress shown. Note on the third photo below the tag of 'DM' on the chassis. David has certainly left his mark.
Application of Final Coats of Black
Everything was now ready to spray black, so we did. These pictures show the car after a single coat of black.
All Done!
Finished just before it got dark, with just enough time to dummy fit the rear panels.
Day 5 - Reconstruction
A whole day now to put the car back together properly. The only item still needing paint was the fuel filler cap, which was left inside the boot by accident.
The image below was a Photoshop enhanced picture I did after first getting the car, to see how the bodykit and black paintjob would look before actually doing it.
Side Skirts Reattachment
The side skirts were put on again after a long time, with help from super driller Jesse. He redrilled a hole in the front right guard to allow it to sit flush with the body work again (where previously mangled as seen on the Exterior Evolution page).
Fuel Cap Painted and Wheels Cleaned and Polished - Completely Done!
This is the finished result which I am very very pleased with. Some of the body is still not great but the new paint is excellent for a backyard job. A massive thanks to Driftdave, a great mate who can be credited immensely for the quality of the finished product. Thanks also to Jesse for his assistance in putting the panels back together better than they have ever been.
