Bare Metal Prep for Epoxy - GTO RestoMod (Ep 60)

[@Don6939]

I appreciate your honesty and candidness, its one of the reasons I watch your channel besides everything you teach your audience, please keep the videos coming.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@Don6939 Thanks Don, my dad whipped honesty into me as a young boy. It is all I know, besides we learn more from mistakes than easy successes right?

[@bigblocklawyer]

Been restoring GM cars and trucks since 1983. Using coarse scotcbrite on a hookit disk on a drill is a great idea. Learn something every day.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Hey when I was young and dumb I would just abuse my body doing this stuff but now I am not so young my mind is always looking to save these old bones 😁

[@bigblocklawyer]

@@FoothillPaintandFabrication Haha. Too late. I'm 55 and have the back and knees of 80.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@bigblocklawyer Good one!

[@deankay4434]

Just found your channel & subscribed. Listening to you, I hear myself being described as doing repair, not body & paint, yet a type of OCD or a drive for perfection. I am doing a 50+ year old C10 similar to what I had on the farm. But not only epoxy, extra spot welds, drainage holes in rockers, doors, air pockets. Then seam sealer where metal overlaps. Grinding welded patches to apply dura-glass & sand. I feel the frustration of wanting it near perfect, mainly I guess because it will outlast me. Thanks for the exercise in excellence video, or as close as a human can get.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@deankay4434 Thanks Dean and welcome to the channel. I did a whole series on a 1950 Chevy 3100 you might like. It was supposed to be a quickie but I went overboard like usual. Check it out if you get a chance. Send me some pics of your project and I will showcase them at the end of a video.

[@charlieseidelmann6702]

I know you feel that it is a milestone. Congrats! Anxious to see more progress.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks Charlie. I am anxious as well, seems like it has been crawling along so slow but I have done a ton of work it just doesn't show yet.

[@JohnnieBravo1]

Hey mark! I am loving this series. Just a thought..... go easy on yourself.... it's the UNDERSIDE of the car, so nobody but you will ever know there's a run or two. And, if you undercoat it over the epoxy, better yet. Fun fact .... we are getting an unusual break in weather this weekend, low temps plus lower humidity, so I'm prepping my garage now for painting my old Toronado this weekend, that has been prepped and under plastic for several weeks waiting on this opportunity. I also have a friend's 1969 Triumph 650 Bonneville partially disassembled in my garage, that I have to move back to my other garage to clear it all out so I can paint, but it's all just part of the process, isn't it. Looking forward to the next installment!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@JohnnieBravo1 Thanks Johnnie. I can be a bit of a perfectionist but it keeps me from cutting corners.... eventually. Great news on the weather, be sure to get some pics and send them to me so I can showcase them. Good luck this weekend and remember it is only paint.

[@teroncooley1305]

Looks great my friend it's going to look to good when it's done

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@teroncooley1305 Thanks. It should come out really nice and be a fun car to enjoy.

[@BusyAsABeaver72]

Very nice Mark thanks for taking the time to show how it's done.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks, how to get it done except hanging runs 😵‍💫

[@BusyAsABeaver72]

@@FoothillPaintandFabricationI've always figured if I make a run that means I am getting a good, proper coat of paint on. I'd rather see a run than dry spots. After all "it's not a show car" (or is it?) 😂

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@BusyAsABeaver72 My mind always thinks show car even when I was painting my lawnmower...

[@sandpaper-si2dx]

I myself was in the shop this morning at 4:30 to try to beat the heat, it's been so muggy here in Florida after the storm, (Debby) went through the first part of the week and that makes it especially hard for me to get motivated. Mark the GTO is looking great I enjoy your videos keep um coming.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

I saw some of the flooding and damage, I hope it wasn't to bad in your area. The heat here has been pretty crappy but luckily I don't have the humidity you do. I don't know how you guys keep going sometimes from the stories I hear. Staying motivated on these long projects is hard but once in the shop I get going really good. I am glad you are liking the content and thanks for the encouragement.

[@mikealdag7309]

Alot of work bud , great job

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks Mike. It should all pay off in the end....I hope.

[@lazyhoundracing9621]

Don't be so hard on yourself. That's a complex piece and a lot of real estate. It's nice to see some color on Ruby.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

It happens, especially when Mark tries to lay epoxy down like it is a clear coat 🤪 Next time will be better and I am starting to get a handle on this thick concoction. You are right, it is nice to see a color other than bare steel on Ruby. Thanks

[@robertmazzei2412]

Looks great Mark! I also tapped on stuff that was protruding and I welded a bunch of cracks that Bo’s process uncovered. Finally finished my epoxy last week. Most of Pop’s floor was plywood, so only the section under the front seats needed to be done off the creeper. I had the rotisserie for the frame but not the body. Oh well. I put two coats everywhere, but four coats in the wheel wells and inside the fenders. Went through Eugene today and dropped the front fenders and running boards. That’s the end of it!! Thanks for the great videos. I always learn a ton.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Wow you are making great progress Robert! Funny how you think you know every inch of the project until you get it dipped and all the surprises show up. Taking the time to get all those nasty spots taken care of speeds up prep and saves your fingers in the long run. How do you like the epoxy so far?

[@robertmazzei2412]

I’ve never done any painting like this before, so I don’t have anything with which to compare it. But I feel like it went on very well. I followed the manufacturer’s instructions precisely and used a 15 minute dwell time between coats to build things up. I did get one or two sags, but I knew I was doing at least two coats so I kept things moving along and each coat was thinner (I think) than what you did. I’ll pick up the last of the parts next Thursday and that’ll be it! BTW. The wheel well areas also fogged me and the gun quite a bit!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@robertmazzei2412 Sounds like you did a great job Robert. This is the most important coats you will apply, everything else can be redone but going all the way back down to fix something would be a massive job. Let the epoxy outgas really well and shrink before you get serious about sanding it. You are lucky you live so close to Bo's shop, that is awesome you have everything clean and ready for the next steps.

[@ralphanderson2006]

Hey Mark, great video. I just cleaned up some old wheels to be painted, started with wire brushes just like you were using there. They only lasted about 20 minutes before all the bristles were gone. I went to Amazon and ordered Dewalt knotted wire brush cups instead. They will probably last ten times as long. You might also try tapered cartridge rolls on a mandrel with a die grinder. They’re available in many different grits and will get into the nooks and crannies very well. Looks great, keep it up!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@ralphanderson2006 Thanks for the tips Ralph, I appreciate that. I am not looking forward to the interior but it has to be done. I will use whatever makes it easier and does a good job.

[@stevebeard3527]

Hi Mark, it is a milestone, hard to believe it’s been about a year already. About the runs, better a run than transparent, you can always sand them out.. Bottom line, great job.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@stevebeard3527 Thanks Steve, I appreciate the encouragement. By the time I get to the exterior panels I should have a handle on this stuff. Sanding out runs and sags is part of the deal but if I can avoid it my elbows are a lot happier.

[@roberthirshfield3571]

Looks great

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks Robert. Been to long to get here.

[@billshelley1448]

You are the master Mark! Making me wish I would have gone the extra mile with my 65 Malibu project. I would love to see “Ruby” in person sometime - do you take her to any car shows? I really admire your work and am learning to do what ever it takes to get it right.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

Thanks for the kind comment. Yes when done Ruby will be shown but I have no idea where just yet. Many are by invitation or you need to know someone so we shall see. There are all kinds of levels of "right" with these projects and as long as you are happy and enjoy the car it is right for you.

[@douglashart5059]

Boy Mark, you and I are programmed the same way. Everything has to be perfect. This is sometimes good and bad. I'm sure this will turn out stunning when it's all said and done! I was curious to know if it would have been better to spray 2 coats of epoxy? Or to change the size of the tip? It's looking great to see some color now!

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@douglashart5059 Thanks Doug, yes a blessing and a curse. For the underside I just wanted one good coat but the good side of Ruby will get two coats and No Runs! Hopefully. The tip size is what was recommended , it was just me.

[@ninjasfanfunnystuff9026]

HVLP is usually 29 psi in, equal to 10 psi at the air cap. Maybe that was part of the problem?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@ninjasfanfunnystuff9026 Could be but I set the psi determined by the fluid tip size and viscosity of the material. I set it for high transfer rate and zero over spray since I was looking for high build. I think I was just to heavy handed trying to get it to flow out nicely so sanding would be easier. Next time I spray the epoxy I will try upping the pressure and adding a bit more reducer. Thanks

[@midnighttutor]

Looks good! I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on a couple quick questions. 1. Looks like you generally have the bare metal at 220 grit. Do you get enough tooth in the primer? I scuff bare metal with 80 before primer -- is that unnecessary? 2. Have you found some kind of equivalence between how much reducer you add vs the specified temperature range of the reducer e.g. is DT870 in a larger mix ratio equal to DT885? Thank you.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

A lot of guys use 80 grit and on a machine (DA or palm sander) it actually reduces the grit opposed to hand sanding with the same grit. I spoke to the paint rep for the epoxy and he recommended 120 to 220 by machine. The thing about going too course is that the scratches can be pretty deep and getting a thick material like epoxy to wet all the way down to the bottom of those scratches may not happen. Remember factory sheet metal is not sanded nor is EDP coated panels, they apply it right over the smooth steel. I personally think the epoxy will stick better to a smoother properly conditioned surface than a overly rough one. I have also noticed the 80 grit tends to skip over spots so you are not really conditioning the panel back to white metal all over like you think you are. Many of the newer materials are a chemical bond rather than a mechanical bond. I finish sand with 800 grit before applying base coat for example. The reducer quantity is to control the viscosity of the sprayable material, the temperature range is solely to control how fast it evaporates once applied. Lets say you are spraying something thick like epoxy but only have a 1.3 mm tip in your gun. Adding a little more reducer will allow you to get the spray pattern you desire. If you add to much reducer though it can affect the cross linking in the resins as the reducer cannot get out of the way fast enough making a weak bond. Does that answer your question?

[@midnighttutor]

@@FoothillPaintandFabrication Yes thank you for your detailed explanation

[@Ayskiub]

how do you clean the gun after using it with epoxy or gel coat, just using water or any chemicals ? and how do you choose the psi coming from the compressor to adjust to the viscosity of the paint, epoxy ... ?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

I wipe as much epoxy out of the cup as I can with paper towels then pour a small amount of lacquer thinner in the cup and use a brush to clean as much residue as I can before taking the gun apart for final cleaning. Lacquer thinner will cut un cured body filler, epoxy and fiberglass resin. If it is stubborn acetone will do the rest. Here is a link to a gun cleaning video I did a while back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJu5dYqMgNWUqZYsi=VGdYQeCyp_gZIM6i

[@dostuffchannel]

Using the Astro europro evot? How do you like it?

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

@@dostuffchannel I have the 1.4 and 1.3mm guns and I am really liking them. They feel good in my hand, lightweight and the trigger is super smooth. For the price they are awesome guns.

[@Kenan-f6i]

A close friend had a convertible gto. What year is this project and what shade of red? His was a classic burnt color, not orange but not red.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

1967 GTO Sport Coupe. I haven't decided on the exact red I will be using yet. I thought I knew until I saw a few others I liked. I don't recall the color you mentioned on your buddies convertible. The science of paint and colors wasn't what we have now for sure so a lot of colors from back then are a little more on the muddy side.

[@fraserfab68]

That sounds like a surfacer primer which is not proper epoxy. Its 2k sandable primer which needs 1.8 tip. Proper epoxy sprays great out of a 1.4 tip.

[@FoothillPaintandFabrication]

It is a true epoxy, I did my research and spoke to the regional rep who even called his guy at headquarters since I had the car dipped and he wasn't sure about the phosphoric acid. It recommends a 1.4 but I was just trying to lay it down to a glass finish and got heavy handed. The flow out is so slow like the old single stage and I got inpatient. 1.8 is a monster tip, you could spray house paint out of something that big.