Some people just can't paint - So I moved on...

I am one of those people.

After repeated attempts to spray a decent clear coat, I have come to the realization that I need to skip it and move on.

I have the entire car sanded and ready for a final clear by a professional.
This paint job has seriously taken a bite out of my summer and I had to take a break from the car because of it.

But moving forward........

I picked up a set of 50mmx13mm extended studs from Touge Factory.

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I like their style. They make a lot of their own parts and they are from Chicago.

Also, I have started refurbishing my wheel hardware.

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As Cassio pointed out via comment on my last post, the wheels are three piece, but were welded together by the factory.

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This means I can take all of the hardware out with little worry.

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This will also allow me to polish up the wheel.

Following Brad's advice, I picked up a 5lb tumbler from Harbor freight. If you toss your rusty nuts in here with the proper abrasive, technically you should be able to remove the rust and get them looking good again.

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Time will tell on that one.

I also was able to mount my fuel lines this past weekend.

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With the help of my lovely girlfriend, I was able to get the feed and return lines mounted up along either side of the transmission tunnel.

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Nice.

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As you can see I also found a couple of spots that need a little wire wheel action and some Zero Rust. :)



Thanks to Brad and Cassio for the help!
I am back in go mode on this build, so thanks to everyone for the motivating comments on facebook and the blog.

Means a lot.

Big weekend planned

Hey guys.

I have a big weekend planned for the Z.

I'm not ready to write down all of the things that I plan to do, but I have a lot of ground to make up and not much time to do it in.

As you can see I have a little over 3 days until my deadline and I haven't even finished rebuilding the motor.

Needless to say I won't be making it :( but I am definitely going to do as much as I can in the little time I have left.

Look for a big update on Monday.

Lobsters, Tires, and Wheel hardware

Just got back from a long birthday weekend on the Maine Seacoast.
Such an awesome place. Full of Lobsters and other Lobster related things.

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Finally got my tires in but I had to settle for a size lower than I wanted.
BF Goodrich G-Force Sport 215/50/15.

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They look fine.
There was no getting the 225s even direct from the MFR.

Also looking to replace or refurbish my SSR wheel hardware.

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I have a local SSR dealer, Pro-Spec Autosport (www.prospecautosport.com) trying to locate a set for me. In case they are unable to locate them I will be trying to clean these up just as a backup plan.

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It would be cool to be able to use the original stuff.

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Anyone know of a good place to find 40 SSR nuts and bolts?
And whether or not I can replace these nuts and bolts with a mounted and balanced tire?

How to fix a shitty clear coat - pt. 1

So with incorrect HVLP gun settings I sprayed down a clear coat that typical wet sanding and buffing couldn't fix.

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No matter how much you sand, you can't fix a thin spot without adding more clear.
So naturally, with my tail between my legs I start wet sanding the whole car.

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Using 800 grit wet sand paper, getting it as close as possible without burning through to the clear and ruining the metallic base coat.

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My local paint pro says that I should just leave the little dips because the clear will fill it in if i apply it correctly with enough light coats (3 or 4), then I will have enough to sand down and buff to a shine.

This part looks ripply but is smooth to the touch.

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Pretty much every single part needed sanding.

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I will run through the whole car using 1000 grit tonight and wash it thoroughly.

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Then I will be ready for a trip to gloss town.

Hard time

I've been a bit lazy working on the car lately since I've been having such a hard time finding the tires I want.



The BF Goodrich G Force Sport in 225/50-15 was supposed to be the perfect tire for my build.

But BF Goodrich has stopped manufacturing them with no specified date of starting back up. There is a huge backlog of orders for them so I doubt I'm going to be getting them any time soon.

If it comes down to it, I might just end up running some 215s or something which would suck.


Aside from that I have been piecing together my fuel system collecting parts from Summit racing, and doing a lot of research on fuel delivery configurations and fuel pumps and regulators.

Also, as many of you know, my clear coat went down super sloppy.

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Yuck.
So I am fixing it.

Wet sanding the whole car using 800 and 1000 grit and then respraying with the correct gun settings. My pressure was way off. But I will have a post regarding the clear coat respray later.

Till then I am going to be installing brake lines, fuel lines, and then refinishing my crossmembers and moving toward painting and installing the suspension system.

Just gotta get some of that motivation sauce.