Starting body restoration

[Chihua33]

So this is the year I'm going to start the restoration on my car.

This is my first car I've ever worked on to this extent, so please forgive me for some stupid quesitons.

I'd like to start sanding down the car, my question to all of you is.

1-what should I have handy?
2-sand by hand? or drill attachment?
3-what grit?
4-if there are parts that don't have dents/rust should I leave them be? or still sand down to metal?

I will take some pictures tonight to show what I'm working at.

Thanks for any help!

[SoFlaFiat]

You will find different arguments for stripping to bare metal or not.
Here is my opinion:
If the car is in original paint, not color but paint, it may not be necessary to strip it. You will usually be able to detect any rust issues that you have. Tapping lightly on the car will tell a lot about what is under the paint. I use an aluminum stick as it is light and you don't want to add dents. Tap lightly and listen to the sound. It will change in areas where the metal is deteriorated behind the paint and also where someone has added filler.
If you are not sure about repaint or damage I think it is best to strip the car. A lot of issues can be hiding...
That said, I did not strip my 77 when I repainted it 21 years ago and it looked great for 12-14 years, good for another few and only recently has started showing its age again.

If you do decide to strip any or all paint, I use one of these in an angle grinder and it is a dream for shortening the nasty job that stripping paint is.



I don't particularly like liquid paint stripper but that is an option too.

[Chihua33]

I don't know too much of the history behind my car, but I know it was repainted at some point in time.
It also seems that the PO rear ended someone and tried to repair the hood...This section kind of scares me to do.

If I remember correctly the drivers side rear wheel arch will need to be replaced, and passenger side possibly replaced also.

If I go down to bare metal, how long before I will need to get paint back on it? or will it be fine if it's kept in a cool/dry area?

[SoFlaFiat]

Humidity will be your enemy. Bare metal needs etching primer first and then 2K primer over it. I stripped relatively small areas at a time and used rattle can Eastwood etching primer to keep the surface rust at bay. Keep it mind that I live in Florida and bare metal starts rusting about .3 seconds after you walk away...

[Chihua33]

Thanks!

So if I have to do any body filler or anything, I should make sure I have time to do it right when I strip the paint?
So that way I won't have to strip the primer off again?

Sorry for all the questions! This is all new to me, but hoping I can catch on to it all!

[MrJD]

Humidity will be your enemy. Bare metal needs etching primer first and then 2K primer over it. I stripped relatively small areas at a time and used rattle can Eastwood etching primer to keep the surface rust at bay. Keep it mind that I live in Florida and bare metal starts rusting about .3 seconds after you walk away...

if that is a urethane primer... and you paint the car with epoxy paint...


are you worried about issues?

Also, for stripping paint I use a brass wire brush on my grinder. Less chance of biting into the metal, all it does it take off the paint and filler.

http://www.amazon.com/Ryobi-AG452K-Grin ... B00J5S8A78

[SoFlaFiat]

You can put good quality body filler over the primer. Plan on spending closer to $50 a gal on filler rather than $20 and you will know you've got some good stuff.
A brass wire wheel works fine too.

[SoFlaFiat]

If your top coat is epoxy base then you will want to use epoxy primer. I think urethane is the way to go and therefore use urethane primer. Either way, you need etching primer on the bare metal.

[Chihua33]

Just some of my problem spots.

[SoFlaFiat]

Pictures are great...
Your car has seen some front end damage and the repair was not done so well... Lots of filler on that hood and fender. If it was mine, I would strip all that away and see what the metal looks like under there. I think you are on the right track replacing the rear arches and it is necessary, with that much exposed rust to get inside to the next two layers.
Once again, the age old argument about whether it is worth fixing. You may be better off looking for something in better shape. How do the floors look? What about the shock towers? Now is the time to evaluate everything and make a decision before you get too into this one.

[Chihua33]

Shock towers are good, and the floors have already been patched up by me.
There were only a few bad spots in the floors, consistent with what I see of most cars on here.

This will be the one I'm working on, I purchased it for $400 not running. Towed it home and after some help from this forum I had it running in a month or so.

The hood area is what has me the most worried. It's not very pretty what the PO did to try and repair that area lol

[azruss]

man, you have bit off a huge chunk to chew with that body. If you've got more time than money then dig in. Otherwise, I'd be shopping for a new body.

[Chihua33]

This car is in NO way intended to be a show car when I'm done with it.
Basically I fell in love with the looks of it when I first saw it, and got it for cheap.

Overall my goal is just to get it looking nicer. The cranberry marsh where I used to work has a few guys knowledgeable in body work, and they are more than willing to help me. And as far as paint goes once (if) it ever gets to that point, my ex father in law is a painter for Harley and is willing to paint it for me.

The hood is by far the worst part on this car, wheel arches a close second.

If it becomes to $$$ I'll just keep driving it like I have been, I'm not ashamed to be seen in it! lol still better looking than the majority of other cars around my town.

[SoFlaFiat]

Sounds like you have some good friends! It will work out!

[Chihua33]

I sure hope so!
There aren't any other Fiat people near me that I know of...a few in western Wisconsin and down south, but I'm smack dab in the middle of the state.

I hope I don't get in over my head once I start messing with stripping it down. But, only one way to learn right?