Preparing For Dallara Body Kit

[lookforjoe]

Since my Dallara will be a warm red, I'm leaning towards a warm yellow like this for the Dallara stripe (I think they would consider the stripe 'gold' here) :

I was thinking of buying 3M vinyl wrap decal & cutting the wide band that goes around. I'm now thinking it would be much easier to paint it...

This is the Volvo color I'm using:

And this is the Ford color I'm thinking for the Dallara stripes:

Screaming Yellow D6 M7109a

The vinyl film is 3M 1080 yellow M15 matte or G15 gloss

 

[kmead]

Since my Dallara will be a warm red, I'm leaning towards a warm yellow like this for the Dallara stripe (I think they would consider the stripe 'gold' here) :

I was thinking of buying 3M vinyl wrap decal & cutting the wide band that goes around. I'm now thinking it would be much easier to paint it...

This is the Volvo color I'm using:

And this is the Ford color I'm thinking for the Dallara stripes:

Screaming Yellow D6 M7109a

The vinyl film is 3M 1080 yellow M15 matte or G15 gloss

Looks like a photoshop opportunity to do some verification to me

 

[JimD]

Maybe a variation of a gold tone? The DiFulvio guys make it look nice in this combo.

 

[Janis]

I like that red color.
Would paint Yellow instead of vinil fir strypes/decals. Cheaper, easier, more reliable, and look is more serious

 

[lookforjoe]

Looks like a photoshop opportunity to do some verification to me

Hard to photoshop the without the car painted, IMO. If I'm going to paint the stripe, I want to paint it so it's level with the red, not an overlay.

Maybe a variation of a gold tone? The DiFulvio guys make it look nice in this combo.
View attachment 13213

I think the gold is too 'reserved', like the red/silver combo.

I like that red color.
Would paint Yellow instead of vinil fir strypes/decals. Cheaper, easier, more reliable, and look is more serious

The tricky part will be painting the thin stripes, I think. Not sure how much paint to order to cover them. It's about a $100 a quart, which is supposed to enough for 2 full panels. Not sure that is enough for all the stripe work. A gallon is over $300. The vinyl film is about $100 for 5x10 feet, more than enough to do it all, so cheaper than paint.

Can't decide.

 

[lookforjoe]

Was sick all day yesterday, so behind on the car. Got the sill piece (TIG) welded today after work. only welded spots back & worth, and it still distorted a fair amount. Wire brushed the weld primer after this - it was a bitch to weld with

epoxy on back section where it was surface corroded

Cleaned up the filler on the right lower skirt. Apart from minor putty work I think I'm gonna call it done.

 

[lookforjoe]

The wife wouldn't let me stay working out in the thunderstorm - so I only got a little sanding & putty work done before the scolding was too much for me

Once these are done, I just have to give the front spoiler/nose seams a little attention, a quick overall sand, and then I think I ready to get some real primer on there. Unless something else comes up that takes me away from this, I might actually get it painted this coming week. The doors, rocker covers, trunk & hood all need some attention, but nothing serious at this point.

Looks flat (surface level rather, the sill actually has a angled drop approx 15mm from the inner lip to the outer edge that tapers off at the forward end) - can't really tell until I get some gloss on it though...

 

[lookforjoe]

L & R sills 90% done. Stripped the original seam sealer from the vertical rocker / fender seams (not shown), so I have to clean those up, paint & seal them, then finish up a few odds & ends

Had to cut the outer step back to bare metal on both sides to get rid of an annoying array of small rust spots long that ridge and outer edge.

PS

rearward tip of right fender, and fender/cowl contour not right, so I cut those back & added some Fusor epoxy to detail. It'll be set by tomorrow afternoon for trimming.

DS fender / cowl junction also needed adjustment

 

[lookforjoe]

Spent yesterday in the ER with the Mrs - her appendix went, finally went in for surgery around 9pm. Got a little done on the car today after spending the morning at the hospital, getting her released.

Stripped out the headlamps & markers, etc. Worked on the headlamp surround areas. I forgot to body caulk the forward seams, so I need to address that.

Worked on the fender/cowl junction contour were the seam used to be, cutting back the filler epoxy I had added to correct

EDIT - this one is a little too rounded where the cowl comes out to meet the fender. Fixed later.

Still need to deal with this mess on both sides. The paint I had used to black out the rockers doesn't want to come off cleanly when sanded, but will peel in some areas. A royal PITA.

 

[kmead]

I hope her recovery is swift. Sorry for her, and therefore your, troubles.

Bit by bit.

 

[motoTrooper]

Best thoughts on her recovery for you both.

 

[lookforjoe]

Thanks guys. She's doing well. Naps out on the deck, so I can keep an eye on her & bring her stuff.

Worked on the rockers, so those are mostly ready. cleaned up the outer windshield frame, and fixed the 4 dents I had put in the targa panel when I kneeled on it to photo the Miata seats some years back.

I heated the metal, and used one of those glass-carrier suction tools to pop them out (mostly). Just need a little putty to finish them.

Got the front pretty much wrapped up. I had cut grooves where the spoiler bonds to the fender base & re-epoxied them. Today, I cut back the epoxy & puttied them (several times). While that set, I made my way around the car, sanding & puttying the various spots that needed it on each panel. The headlamp inset panels took quite a few passes to get them levelled out.

Long horizontal crack in the spoiler lip back from when I was towed. Had to cut a groove & epoxy that as well.

ready for some test primer

Had to revisit the right fender top junction with the cowl - looking at the last pic I took of it, the diagonal line from cowl to fender was a little too rounded, so I made a template off the left side, & used that as a guide to refine the PS. Tucked the fender rear tip where it mets the A post a touch.

 

[lookforjoe]

Don't see how I'm going to get this car done

 

[lookforjoe]

Finished up the dent repairs on the targa panel, minor putty work on the rear, and took care of the antenna hole, which was buckled, and had surface rust. Got the rocker extensions ready for primer, and worked on the trunk lid. Rained on & off all day, so not very efficient.

 

[lookforjoe]

Looking again at pics of a real (I assume) Dallara. The kit (I have) line off the rear quarter into the fender top has bothered me from the get-go. It just looks flat to me - it joins the quarter too low down off the top compared to the Dallara.

Look at how much higher by comparison the Dallara flare runs as it tapers to the top edge. I know these also run right into the rearmost edge as well, but I'm less irked by the absence of that aspect..

I'm not sure if I have the impetus to alter that at this stage of the game. It would definitely mean that I don't get the car painted this year. I think I have to let it go.

 

[Janis]

I won’t do that in this situation. At least definitely not with a putty, too much weight could be grown up.

 

[kmead]

It would be a lot of work to make that change. Building it up to match on both sides.

It could be done with urethane foam and fiberglass without adding much weight. Getting it right would be a lot of work which you would likely want a garage with a reference plane to work in. The reference plane would allow you to transfer lines from one side of the car to the other accurately.

If you are not satisfied with the way that it is, you should fix it to be what you want. Just know that it will be more work than you expect to get what you want.

Sorry, not helping.

 

[lookforjoe]

Yeah, I wouldn’t build it with filler

Have to think about it awhile. Edit: looked at JJ’s pics again - I think I can live with it

In the meantime, I was stripping the doors, and found the DS hinges on the replacement door are pretty worn out. Took the hinges and pins off my old door. Not sure I can relay on these, unless I can safely drop them in from the top, in which case the lack of the lower mushroom shouldn’t matter, IMO

 

[lookforjoe]

With the weather here, getting all the removable parts ready for paint has been a pain. Besides the door hinges, a minor sheet metal crack where the window regulator bolts up, and a variety of spot putty moments, pretty much ready to go at this point. Have to hang plastic sheet to protect all my stuff if I do paint these inside. Not sure about that yet. The upside of all the thundershowers & rain is that it is pretty much dust free outside.

hood, sanded inside & out, primer edged where the metal was bared

door(s)

Trunk lid, rear panel & rocker trim

 

[Clark]

Looking good Hussein. Can't wait to see it painted.....