Technical Assessing rust - floor panels

[smahaley]

Now, to try to answer the above questions -

The trailing arms being a tiny bit bent? I wouldn't be too concerned providing they're not weakened and they're both the same length (measured between the centres of the bolt holes (not end to end). As these arms locate the rear axle, any significant discrepancy could cause misalignment of the rear axle leading to 'crabbing' as you go down the road. A little dent, I doubt is going to make any real difference. However, check they're not weakened by rust coming from the inside out (look for any perforations, shake them and see if any rusty dust falls out, tap them lightly with a hammer - the sound will change if you hit a weak spot) and that the rubber bushes are in reasonable condition (the older arms had changeable bushes, later ones iirc, not so).

Electricals - don't give as much trouble as many might suggest, most problems (remember your car is c. 46 years old) are down to poor grounds, poor connections, and being messed with by the 'ignoranti' over the years. Nothing that can't be fixed and usually quite cheaply, more time than money. I certainly wouldn't advise 'fitting a new wiring harness', as others often suggest (they're either part of the ignoranti or trying to sell you a harness or both!).

Possible cracked head? - Does the engine run? If so, what symptoms? Those twincam engines rarely crack a head, but can blow a head gasket as they get older and perhaps have been neglected as regards coolant changes or allowed to overheat (blocked rad, failed thermostat, low coolant level due to a leak, cooling fan not working, can also overheat if pressure cannot build up in the system e.g. due to a leak or failed rad cap etc.). Head gaskets can fail simply due to age - the heating/cooling cycles can cause the aluminum head to 'squirm' on the iron cyl. block, essentially wearing away the sealing (fire) rings around each cylinder _ I used to re-torque the heads at c. 30-40,000 miles, this also tended to avoid oil leaks developing at the front of the head.
The normal check for a failed head gasket or a cracked head would be to perform a cooling system pressure check and a 'sniff' test or use a special liquid that changes color in the presence of combustion gases in the expansion tank - both are best done hot. (difficult to do if the engine doesn't run...). Remove the spark plugs, if one is very clean and the piston top is also devoid of carbon, then this would indicate that coolant has been getting into that cylinder. any drops of water on any of the plugs - lots of things to look out for that might indicate a problem and the possible cause.

Pulling an engine - I try to avoid this if possible. Not a lot of difference between removing the engine only or engine and transmission as a unit - the top 2 bellhousing bolts are a bit difficult to remove in situ, you'll need lots of socket extensions ( the official Fiat factory supplied tool was approx. 3 feet long with a 19mm swivel (flex?) socket on the end) and a suitable engine hoist or similar, ditto removing the starter motor, there's 3 x 13mm headed bolts, iirc, one of which is recessed into the bellhousing but not that difficult. But it's probably easier to refit both as a unit if you can handle this on the hoist you're using (an adjustable 'load-leveller' is useful to have to get the correct angle of approach and then tilt the unit as it's lowered) (some people leave the cyl. head off until they've refitted the' long block' and trans., for this reason, then fit the head)- remember there's a crossmember, that carries the lower suspension arms under the engine, that is not so easy to remove (front suspension coil springs have to be compressed to remove them). With a suitable engine hoist, I'd remove both engine and trans. as a unit.
If you remove and strip the engine, you're inevitably going to find wear, which equals expense...

Re. bodyshop? going to be expensive. Your car doesn't look too bad in the pic you posted. A bit of rust on the passenger front fender. another bit on the rear wheel arch, or was this the best side of the car you showed? Have you tried cleaning and cutting back a section of paint to see if it might polish up?
Or maybe you could do some localised repairs and blow in these areas yourself at home? You might surprise yourself...

Seats? Yes, worth doing, given that you'll be sitting on them. Flattened foam can sometimes be plumped up using a steam generator or re-packed to make them more comfortable, covers are available but don't buy them now, wait until most everything else has been done.

Rag top rear window? Can be replaced on it's own by professionals if the rest of it is in decent condition, could save money by removing the rag top yourself and then bringing it to a prof. to do the window or why not have a go yourself.

Heating control levers? Can probably fix these yourself, new units are available (at a cost), maybe you can source a s/hand unit - any auto breakers/dismantlers near to you or other enthusiasts that may have a store of old parts?

Bumper pistons collapsed? I don't know much about these but I've heard that once collapsed they can't be un-collapsed, they're available but pricey. If I wanted to save money, I think I'd just fabricate a spacer (maybe from a hardwood) and insert this to even up the spacing of the bumper from the body. I believe some people have instead collapsed the other spacer to even up the bumper and move the entire bumper closer to the body which some feel looks better.

Final bit of advice, don't tear into everything all at once, try to fix one area at a time e.g. a section of floor so that you don't start feeling overwhelmed but instead experience a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment when you see your efforts paying off.

Someone recently asked me - what was for me the most important thing about a classic car?
I responded, what do I see and feel when I'm driving it?
So, the only paintwork I can see is maybe a bit of the hood, so the condition of the paintwork or how much it cost isn't important -
The dashboard and instruments - everything working, clean and reminding me of a past time.
The seat - has to be comfortable, most important.
The controls - should work smoothly and as well as they did 'back in the day' i.e. not necessarily perfectly.
And then of course, the sound and the sensations when driving a little piece of motoring history.
But, maybe it's just me that thinks like this?

Q. Why do Irish people talk so much?

A. Because it's the only thing that isn't taxed over here (yet )

@124BC1 - this is another pot o' gold (you started the Irish stuff). Thanks for all this great advice! I did get more done today (it's getting warmer) and got the dash off and (using your most excellent term) discovered some shenanigans that the 'ignoranti' pulled with splicing wires for who knows what. I believe that you and I are of the same mind about the goal: I'm not trying to make this into a show car but a driver. I love driving. Used to race wheel to wheel on road courses. (not interested in the cost / intensity of that any more!). I love small cars and great handling, and am not impressed by useless horsepower.

I'll post some photos here of what's up. And - I decided to push it out of the garage / shed at the end of the day so I can do some cleaning of the parts I have taken off while I give my (kinda old) body a break.

Front brakes - like the rears - will be taken these off and cleaning / assessing.

Considering covering the guts with plastic before I start sanding / cutting / repairing the floor.

Detail of the bushings on the suspension - I think these should all be replaced.

Wondering if rusty coil springs should be replaced?

Final question: If I'm going to try to fix the outer body (repair rusty bits, dents and repaint) should I probably go ahead and do any suspension work before that happens - just so I don't trash new body work unintentionally? (I'm good at buggering things unintentionally).

 

[124BC1]

The brakes should clean up well, looks like work was done on them shortly before the car was laid up. Over here, the weather is frequently wet so things rust quickly if parked outside, especially brake rotors - I leave them to soak in vinegar for a few days, does a good job of de-rusting them. I've heard many people on another (U.S.) car forum I frequent, highly praise 'Evaporust' for de-rusting parts, but it's not available here.

Excellent idea to cover everything up in the interior before sanding, grinding, welding or any paint spraying - the fallout from these activities gets everywhere. I've always wondered why, if you don't properly clean and prepare a surface, the paint may flake off, but if you accidentally get some paint spray overspray on something, it's a right pain to remove. I'd suggest you cover both the inside and outside of the front screen glass, sparks from grinding or welding can melt their way into the glass ruining it. I hope you took plenty of pics and notes where appropriate of how everything was before you started dismantling, especially electrical connections (lack of pics/notes can cause people much head-scratching).

Deterioration of rubber components unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with old cars and modern aftermarket replacements probably won't last as long.
I'd replace any steering track rod ends (there's 6 joints to check) that have perished rubber dust boots and certainly if worn.

I think I'd leave the wishbone (suspension arms) inner bushes as they are, ditto the suspension coil springs.
But if replacing the front coil springs, I'd replace the lower wishbone rubber bushes while I was in there.

I'd carefully check the front crossmember that carries the engine and to which the lower suspension wishbones are attached - these can crack around the side mountings and where the lower wishbone attaches (the front mounting can peel away, especially if much wider wheels or wheel spacers have been fitted. There are 3 mountings on each side of this crossmember, 2 nuts underneath next to the wishbone mounting, and a side bolt, part way up from the bottom wishbone, visible through the coil spring (can't see it at the moment with the suspension hanging)- these should be checked for tightness occasionally, to prevent cracks starting.

Check the top and bottom suspension ball-joints for wear (they do wear but are replaceable on their own, just drill out the rivets and refit the new joints with bolts and self-locking nuts). To check them, jack up the bottom wishbone under the spring until you just start to lift the car off the axle stand and lever the hub up to check the bottom joint, lever up the upper arm to check the top joint. These joints can't be checked for wear with the suspension hanging as the spring then takes up any free play.

But it's always a judgement call as to what to replace - replace everything and you'll have a big bill. Much can be replaced at a later stage, if needed. I'd concentrate on just what is needed to make the car safe and reliable - so brakes, steering, tires then suspension probably in this order and avoid the temptation when checking through a parts website to just keep adding parts to your shopping cart. Whatever you do, do not go to the checkout and confirm. This can deliver a fatal blow to your remaining available finances. What I do is save the list of parts I wish I could afford and later (when my head is back in control instead of my heart), I amend the list to just what I really need to get the job done. And then save this shorter list, don't order anything yet, the same parts will likely still be available next week, month or whenever I decide to pull the trigger and buy them. Sometimes, having waited, there might fortuitously be a sale on some of the parts I need and I save money by having waited (or other times the prices will have risen).

Re- tires, there should be a date code stamped into the tire sidewall ( 4 numbers, first 2 is week of production, second 2 is year of production). Old tires, even with plenty of tread and seemingly in good condition can be lethal in the wet (the rubber hardens with age) and they ruin ride comfort. Over here, tires must be replaced when 6 years old regardless, - but I do notice and appreciate the difference in noise and comfort, plus I know they're safe.

Re- doing suspension work before any body repairs/painting? You could probably start on some bodywork repairs, certainly away from the wheel arches/ suspension, but I wouldn't do any final painting (gloss coat) until all major mechanical work was completed. However, I think it would be best to get any work involving grinding/welding finished before starting on the bodywork. So, perhaps, do the floor repairs first? Then, any under-body repairs/ undercoating, heavy mechanical, outer bodywork, final painting, then electrical and lastly interior trim/upholstery (saves on masking/trying to protect the interior).

It's a good idea to intersperse the bodywork/mechanical work, or whenever you're held up or maybe getting fed up, with the cleaning of parts. Many leave cleaning until they're about to reassemble everything, so they then have to rush the cleaning only to find things damaged, cracked etc. that they would have spotted and had time to deal with, had they cleaned the parts earlier.

One mistake people (imho) make is to over concentrate on how things look e.g. removing the engine and stripping the engine compartment (engine bay) to repaint it - you can't see most of it when the car is back together, so my approach would be to just clean and repaint the bits you can see, same under the car where undercoating will hide a multitude or inside on the floor - it'll be covered by the carpets... concentrate your efforts and expenditure on getting the car back on the road, capable of being used and enjoyed. You can always revisit any areas or parts you're not satisfied with later on.

Your car being finished in white is to your advantage as regards doing bodywork repairs and painting. Whereas dark colors tend to highlight any surface imperfections, with white, the same flaws magically almost disappear, so it's hard to get it wrong. This is one of the few cases in bodywork/painting where near 'enough is good enough'. Just pay attention to the shade of white if doing spot/localised repainting, back in the '70's (on European Fiat's at least) it used to be said that Fiat 'white' was the whitest of whites. If doing a full repaint, then of course, this doesn't matter.

 

[124BC1]

While under the properly, safely supported car, check out :-
Transmission rear mounting.
Rubber coupling on d/shaft at rear of transmission.
D/shaft centre bearing and especially it's rubber support.
D/shaft 'U' joints.
Not a lot of people realise this, but the driveshaft, when in 4th gear (1:1 ratio), is turning at the same speed as the crankshaft, you don't want anything going wrong with a shaft spinning at up to 6000 rpm! I've seen the consequences of the centre bearing rubber support failing at speed....

Rear axle pinion seal at end of d/shaft.
Rubber bushes at both ends of axle trailing arms and both ends of upper axle arms.
Rubber bushes in Panhard rod, (runs from body on one side to rear axle on other side).
Exhaust system mountings.

 

[smahaley]

The brakes should clean up well, looks like work was done on them shortly before the car was laid up. Over here, the weather is frequently wet so things rust quickly if parked outside, especially brake rotors - I leave them to soak in vinegar for a few days, does a good job of de-rusting them. I've heard many people on another (U.S.) car forum I frequent, highly praise 'Evaporust' for de-rusting parts, but it's not available here.

Excellent idea to cover everything up in the interior before sanding, grinding, welding or any paint spraying - the fallout from these activities gets everywhere. I've always wondered why, if you don't properly clean and prepare a surface, the paint may flake off, but if you accidentally get some paint spray overspray on something, it's a right pain to remove. I'd suggest you cover both the inside and outside of the front screen glass, sparks from grinding or welding can melt their way into the glass ruining it. I hope you took plenty of pics and notes where appropriate of how everything was before you started dismantling, especially electrical connections (lack of pics/notes can cause people much head-scratching).

Deterioration of rubber components unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with old cars and modern aftermarket replacements probably won't last as long.
I'd replace any steering track rod ends (there's 6 joints to check) that have perished rubber dust boots and certainly if worn.

I think I'd leave the wishbone (suspension arms) inner bushes as they are, ditto the suspension coil springs.
But if replacing the front coil springs, I'd replace the lower wishbone rubber bushes while I was in there.

I'd carefully check the front crossmember that carries the engine and to which the lower suspension wishbones are attached - these can crack around the side mountings and where the lower wishbone attaches (the front mounting can peel away, especially if much wider wheels or wheel spacers have been fitted. There are 3 mountings on each side of this crossmember, 2 nuts underneath next to the wishbone mounting, and a side bolt, part way up from the bottom wishbone, visible through the coil spring (can't see it at the moment with the suspension hanging)- these should be checked for tightness occasionally, to prevent cracks starting.

Check the top and bottom suspension ball-joints for wear (they do wear but are replaceable on their own, just drill out the rivets and refit the new joints with bolts and self-locking nuts). To check them, jack up the bottom wishbone under the spring until you just start to lift the car off the axle stand and lever the hub up to check the bottom joint, lever up the upper arm to check the top joint. These joints can't be checked for wear with the suspension hanging as the spring then takes up any free play.

But it's always a judgement call as to what to replace - replace everything and you'll have a big bill. Much can be replaced at a later stage, if needed. I'd concentrate on just what is needed to make the car safe and reliable - so brakes, steering, tires then suspension probably in this order and avoid the temptation when checking through a parts website to just keep adding parts to your shopping cart. Whatever you do, do not go to the checkout and confirm. This can deliver a fatal blow to your remaining available finances. What I do is save the list of parts I wish I could afford and later (when my head is back in control instead of my heart), I amend the list to just what I really need to get the job done. And then save this shorter list, don't order anything yet, the same parts will likely still be available next week, month or whenever I decide to pull the trigger and buy them. Sometimes, having waited, there might fortuitously be a sale on some of the parts I need and I save money by having waited (or other times the prices will have risen).

Re- tires, there should be a date code stamped into the tire sidewall ( 4 numbers, first 2 is week of production, second 2 is year of production). Old tires, even with plenty of tread and seemingly in good condition can be lethal in the wet (the rubber hardens with age) and they ruin ride comfort. Over here, tires must be replaced when 6 years old regardless, - but I do notice and appreciate the difference in noise and comfort, plus I know they're safe.

Re- doing suspension work before any body repairs/painting? You could probably start on some bodywork repairs, certainly away from the wheel arches/ suspension, but I wouldn't do any final painting (gloss coat) until all major mechanical work was completed. However, I think it would be best to get any work involving grinding/welding finished before starting on the bodywork. So, perhaps, do the floor repairs first? Then, any under-body repairs/ undercoating, heavy mechanical, outer bodywork, final painting, then electrical and lastly interior trim/upholstery (saves on masking/trying to protect the interior).

It's a good idea to intersperse the bodywork/mechanical work, or whenever you're held up or maybe getting fed up, with the cleaning of parts. Many leave cleaning until they're about to reassemble everything, so they then have to rush the cleaning only to find things damaged, cracked etc. that they would have spotted and had time to deal with, had they cleaned the parts earlier.

One mistake people (imho) make is to over concentrate on how things look e.g. removing the engine and stripping the engine compartment (engine bay) to repaint it - you can't see most of it when the car is back together, so my approach would be to just clean and repaint the bits you can see, same under the car where undercoating will hide a multitude or inside on the floor - it'll be covered by the carpets... concentrate your efforts and expenditure on getting the car back on the road, capable of being used and enjoyed. You can always revisit any areas or parts you're not satisfied with later on.

Your car being finished in white is to your advantage as regards doing bodywork repairs and painting. Whereas dark colors tend to highlight any surface imperfections, with white, the same flaws magically almost disappear, so it's hard to get it wrong. This is one of the few cases in bodywork/painting where near 'enough is good enough'. Just pay attention to the shade of white if doing spot/localised repainting, back in the '70's (on European Fiat's at least) it used to be said that Fiat 'white' was the whitest of whites. If doing a full repaint, then of course, this doesn't matter.

Thanks, @124BC1 - I think I'm settling into a bit of a good routine: With other commitments, I can only spend an hour or two a day, and often can't do anything on certain days. So, I'm doing what I can, when I can, and as weather permits to some extent. The car is that cream / white color - so not bright white... I think I'm going to leave it that color, as per your suggestion. I had a black car once. Never again.

 

[smahaley]

While under the properly, safely supported car, check out :-
Transmission rear mounting.
Rubber coupling on d/shaft at rear of transmission.
D/shaft centre bearing and especially it's rubber support.
D/shaft 'U' joints.
Not a lot of people realise this, but the driveshaft, when in 4th gear (1:1 ratio), is turning at the same speed as the crankshaft, you don't want anything going wrong with a shaft spinning at up to 6000 rpm! I've seen the consequences of the centre bearing rubber support failing at speed....

Rear axle pinion seal at end of d/shaft.
Rubber bushes at both ends of axle trailing arms and both ends of upper axle arms.
Rubber bushes in Panhard rod, (runs from body on one side to rear axle on other side).
Exhaust system mountings.

THANKS - And putting this list into my notes....

 

[124BC1]

I found a few pics of work I did on a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe a long time ago. You can see what I mean by tackling one small repair at a time and completing it before moving on to the next area requiring work - this way you get little doses of a sense of achievement which helps with motivation and keeps the work progressing.

Front under-floor frame side-rails which include the inset jacking points - pic 1 shows rusted areas cut out, pic 2 shows the home fabricated repair panels having been welded in and primered.



Top pic = Rusted section of Trunk side storage area removed
Bottom pic = Fabricated repair section (copying shape of original panel) welded in and primered

 

[124BC1]

Firewall repair (note this car is RHD), panel had broken just below the clutch cable abutment due to excessive loading, a very long cable is used on RHD cars, if it becomes stiff in operation, it flexes the firewall eventually leading to failure.
Pic. 1 - damage to firewall.
Pic 2 - damage cut out, repair section welded in and primered.
Pic 3 - entire firewall and engine bay panels, prepped, primered and ready for final painting.

 

[124BC1]

Underbody -
Pic 1 - underbody with factory underseal removed and welding repairs completed.
Pic 2 - underbody cleaned, de-rusted, primered and finish color applied to the areas under floor that would have had factory applied gloss paint.
Pic 3 - underbody coated with a flexible rust preventative coating, I decided to also over-coat the gloss painted small areas to provide protection.

 

[124BC1]

Pic 1 - Rear of car having been stripped to bare metal now undergoing repair and de-rusting.
Pic 2 - Repairs completed and now in primer
Pic 3 - Guide coat applied over primer to assist in final flatting before application of gloss coat

 

[124BC1]

Pic 1 - Rear panel being repaired, rusted section cut out above bumper mounting, interior panel primered, repair section (below car) awaiting welding in.
Pic 2 - Rear panel repaired and primered, trunk lid undergoing repair.
Pic 3 - Rear panel and trunk interior painted in finish color.

 

[124BC1]

Finally, the enjoyable part...

Pic 1 - Left side of car after final painting but before polishing.
Pic 2 - Right side of car after polishing and refitting of trim strips etc.
Pic 3 - Rear of car after polishing and starting to refit the cleaned/polished original components.


Note - Pic 1 shows the paint finish 'straight from the gun'. This car was sprayed using an old Burgess Spray It sprayer, this is a very low pressure spray set-up, without an air storage tank and a little paint gun with only a volume adjusting screw, the cellulose lacquer paint had to be extremely thin in order to get it to work. Nevertheless, the finish looked fine after a little polishing with a mild cutting compound (pics 2 & 3)

 

[smahaley]

Wow - amazing work. I’m particularly impressed with your setup for repairs to the bottom - having the car completely stripped and on its side. I think I will only be able to work from underneath the car if I need to be there - which means a lot of crawling around (joy). However I am inspired to get the first stage (sand cut weld prime) of my project and then take it to someone with real bodywork / paint skills and gear. More from me soon - the weather has turned cold again here so it may just be some final dismantling of things…

 

[Slotman]

It turned cold where I'm at also, 16 degrees this am...perhaps you can do some internet parts shopping?

 

[124BC1]

Wow - amazing work. I’m particularly impressed with your setup for repairs to the bottom - having the car completely stripped and on its side. I think I will only be able to work from underneath the car if I need to be there - which means a lot of crawling around (joy). However I am inspired to get the first stage (sand cut weld prime) of my project and then take it to someone with real bodywork / paint skills and gear. More from me soon - the weather has turned cold again here so it may just be some final dismantling of things…

That car bodywork was done at a relative's house. I had no garage, no job and no income/savings at the time, so had to 'economise'...
I turned the bodyshell on it's side by myself using a floor jack and blocks of timber and then a rope and 'come-along'.
The garage was only 10 x 20 feet and minus the items stored therein, left me with a space of 8 x 16 ft.
The underneath welding repairs I could have done lying underneath but I decided to roll the shell so I could clean off all the factory undercoating and repair/repaint/apply protection more conveniently. When the underneath was finished, the shell was turned right way up and the bodywork was done inside the garage, including the painting.
Welding was carried out using a gas welding plant I was fortunately able to borrow for an occasional weekend.
Repair panel shaping was done using a couple of hammers and dolly blocks and flanges were bent using a couple of lengths of heavy angle iron held in a bench vice or over the edge of a short section of RSJ ( I beam).

I'm a little concerned by your thinking of taking the car to someone for the bodywork/painting - could be very costly. I wouldn't advise anyone to do what I did on this car unless they were trying to produce a 'show-car'. Many bodywork issues can be effectively rectified to a good standard by carrying out localised repairs. I used to do this on cars using 'rattle cans' of paint.

I'll try to find and post some pics and examples of just what can be achieved using simple techniques at home. My approach is 'if most of the bodywork is ok, then leave most of it alone', just attend to the 'bad' bits.

Ps, I never trained in bodywork/painting, just read a lot and had a go - you could do the same, you might even enjoy it.

 

[smahaley]

That car bodywork was done at a relative's house. I had no garage, no job and no income/savings at the time, so had to 'economise'...
I turned the bodyshell on it's side by myself using a floor jack and blocks of timber and then a rope and 'come-along'.
The garage was only 10 x 20 feet and minus the items stored therein, left me with a space of 8 x 16 ft.
The underneath welding repairs I could have done lying underneath but I decided to roll the shell so I could clean off all the factory undercoating and repair/repaint/apply protection more conveniently. When the underneath was finished, the shell was turned right way up and the bodywork was done inside the garage, including the painting.
Welding was carried out using a gas welding plant I was fortunately able to borrow for an occasional weekend.
Repair panel shaping was done using a couple of hammers and dolly blocks and flanges were bent using a couple of lengths of heavy angle iron held in a bench vice or over the edge of a short section of RSJ (steel beam).

I'm a little concerned by your thinking of taking the car to someone for the bodywork/painting - could be very costly. I wouldn't advise anyone to do what I did on this car unless they were trying to produce a 'show-car'. Many bodywork issues can be effectively rectified to a good standard by carrying out localised repairs. I used to do this on cars using 'rattle cans' of paint.

I'll try to find and post some pics and examples of just what can be achieved using simple techniques at home. My approach is 'if most of the bodywork is ok, then leave most of it alone', just attend to the 'bad' bits.

Ps, I never trained in bodywork/painting, just read a lot and had a go - you could do the same, you might even enjoy it.

Thanks for this, too. I actually did paint a car once with a gun and small (too small) compressor. It was difficult and the result was interesting. (lol) I have also painted a vehicle with paintbrushes and rollers out of convenience and a persistent lack of showroom standards. For this one - I'll see.. You may talk me out of taking it to the shop. I may still get the estimate just to see.

 

[smahaley]

It turned cold where I'm at also, 16 degrees this am...perhaps you can do some internet parts shopping?

Oh I'm making a list! 16! I'm down here in central NC so 32 is cold!

 

[124BC1]

--------------------------- I have also painted a vehicle with paintbrushes and rollers out of convenience and a persistent lack of showroom standards. For this one - I'll see.. You may talk me out of taking it to the shop. I may still get the estimate just to see.

I did paint a couple of trucks using paintbrushes, using a synthetic enamel that was designed to be either brushed or sprayed - only issue was the drying time and hoping that dust or insects didn't land on it while it was drying.

I did hear mention of using rollers to paint a car on another (American) forum where I'm a member, but feared you might just laugh at this method.
Maybe I'll try it sometime (but probably on someone else's car ).

There was also a mention of some sort of franchised? cheap car paint spray shops in parts of the U.S. that did minimal preparation, just masked up and sprayed the car at a low fixed cost but I can't recall their name or whether they're still in business.

Another option, some over here have used, to get a cheap but good paint job is to approach a vocational training school/college and see if they need a car to respray for training purposes/end of term assessment?
Or, maybe approach someone working at a bodyshop and see if they might be willing to spray a car at low cost if you were to do the prep/masking and transport the car to them?

 

[smahaley]

I did paint a couple of trucks using paintbrushes, using a synthetic enamel that was designed to be either brushed or sprayed - only issue was the drying time and hoping that dust or insects didn't land on it while it was drying.

I did hear mention of using rollers to paint a car on another (American) forum where I'm a member, but feared you might just laugh at this method.
Maybe I'll try it sometime (but probably on someone else's car ).

There was also a mention of some sort of franchised? cheap car paint spray shops in parts of the U.S. that did minimal preparation, just masked up and sprayed the car at a low fixed cost but I can't recall their name or whether they're still in business.

Another option, some over here have used, to get a cheap but good paint job is to approach a vocational training school/college and see if they need a car to respray for training purposes/end of term assessment?
Or, maybe approach someone working at a bodyshop and see if they might be willing to spray a car at low cost if you were to do the prep/masking and transport the car to them?

Exactly - I’m planning on appealing to a shop with effectively just the body / suspension prepped with no trim, lights, bumpers, interior or engine. I’ll see what they quote as estimate….

My roller paint project was a 1966 Ford F-100 step side, short bed (wooden!).

 

[Slotman]

Haha, when I was a teen there was a joke about the company that had the cheapest paint jobs around , that when they painted the car they would leave the windows rolled down and do the interior for free...

 

[Slotman]

As another option for ya you might consider one of these by tp tools...this model heats the air eliminating moisture and lays down a professional finish with out much overspray, I'm pretty happy with mine, if you blow up the pic the web adress is at the bottom of the label, also they advertise every month in hemming motor news..forget how much I paid for mine but I think about a grand...do the paint yourself and get the machine free...sort of, supposedly a car paintedwith one of these won the sema show one year about 20 years ago...