6: Body reconstruction

Its possible the body of the car might not be in the best of shape. The car frame, however, is the first thing people would notice. You ll want to ensure that the car is made as close to the original way it was, as much as possible. The framework of the car is mainly metallic. There night be need to take it apart, apiece at a time, and clean any rust. You might have to strip the paint and repaint the parts.

Do this one step at a time: remove the hood of the car, roof, trunk and the doors in that order, its easier that way. Cover the interior with plastic. Clean everything thoroughly and remove all the rust from the inside as well as the outside of the car.

A fact to note, at this step, is to take note of the frame of the car and make sure that it is not crooked. If the frame is mangled, it is cheaper to replace the damaged part than to attempt to straighten it, unless you possess a body shop. A number of what you decide to replace or repair will depend on the skills you have and equipment you own. If you are fixing the panels of the car, it will require welding it back onto the frame.

Sandblasting is one of  the easiest ways to remove exterior paint as well as rust. The equipment can be costly, but it can be rented at automobile shops. It will strip the paint off the car to the bare metal and then you can start from there.

Once you have sandblasted the classic car, it must be buffed and smoothed. Once again, you should take cognizance of dents because they will show when the car is repainted. The buffing and smoothing process of the car is time consuming and energy sapping, but they are things that must be done for the body of the car to look as if it just came put of the showroom. The process is not a one day affair , but can be done in a weekend.

When all the rust and paint has been removed off the metal parts, the dents fixed, and the surface has been buffed smooth, it is now time to spray the car with primer.

To paint a car, a power sprayer that is used for automobiles is needed most times, this is done in a special warehouse because of the toxic fumes that are emitted. If you intend  doing this in your garage, ensure that there is plenty of ventilation and put on a face mask to prevent inhaling  the toxic fumes from the paint or the primer.

Auto paint, called enamel is a highly concentrated oil based paint. This is what enables a car to shine. A primer should be used before the car is painted so that the paint will stick to the metal. You might need to spraying to give an even coat. A high pressure paint sprayer will do this easily so that it looks professional. You might have probably seen some cars on the street that appear as if they were painted in the garage. I guess you do not want this.

The paint to be used should have a close resemblance to the original color of the car. The colors of paint change every year and there is the probability that, the paint that was used before is no more in the market. This  can be easily found out by going online or referring to the manual. Once you have discovered this, call the manufacturer of the paint and ask if they still produce it. It must likely they will not, but they will be able to recommend something close. You can also check online, there are places that can help match the color of paint for your car and that of the original color.

You can as well save a paint chip and shop around. Only three primary colors and two other pigments exist in paint. The paint used on your car originally comprise these materials.

Hint:

Make  use of the same brand of  paint for instance ( DuPont or  PPG ) that was used on the car at first It is not all the paints that are equal and you might need to get either the correct thing or something close to it

Prior to painting your car parts, you will have to remove the tires, cover the interior, the trunk and under the hood. Also make sure that each part is in perfect condition. The doors should be working well and the other sides of the doors should be cleaned very well. The windows should roll up and down with ease. When you have to paint the panels, ensure that only the panels are painted and not other parts of the car.

 

 

Once  you are done with priming and painting, you will also have to make use of a sealer. The technique involved in  painting a car takes some time and might need several coats of paint. In between the coatings, the panels are buffed. The buff is what will give the car the ultimate shine.

Once the sealer has been applied on the car, the vehicle should be allowed to sit and dry for at least 72 hours.

The work on the exterior of a car is the most time consuming of the whole vintage car

renovation enterprise. At the same time, it is also the most rewarding. In order to make sure things are done in order, make use of the best equipment that you can find around. Do not try to “be wise” especially while working on the exterior good and painstaking work pays off.

Car restoration is a very galvanizing art, but it should be done correctly wit the right tools and knowledge or else all efforts will go down the drain.