[djhankb]

Ok guys,
I took some time off work, and I'm about to spend 4th of july week doing some well needed bodywork. I plan on grinding out my rust, forming replacement panels for the holes, and welding and coating in POR-15.
I got a sheet metal nibbler, some 22gauge metal, 1/2 gallon of POR-15, some hammers and dollys, a shot bag, and an angle grinder.

What is the best way to apply the POR-15? I assume a brush, whats the best type? Foam? Hair? How long does it take to cure?

I'll probably end up using some body filler, as my sheet metal skills are going to be tested during this project, and I'm looking for the best final finish. I'm prepared to take the time to do it right the 1st time, so what else do I need. Sandpaper, tack cloth.. What is the best kind of Rattle-Can primer I can use to coat this temporarily so when I get it painted will be compatible with auto paint.

What else am i missing, what kinds of other tools might I need to get this done. I've got my MIG, lots of regular shop tools, drills, etc.

Any help will be appreciated. Paul, John, I know you guys are pretty experienced in this kind of stuff.

-Henry

 

[stick]

What is the best way to apply the POR-15? I assume a brush, whats the best type? Foam? Hair? How long does it take to cure?

I got this tip from a hot-rod guy on how to get the POR finish super smooth. On smooth parts (no jagged bits or metal burrs), using a foam brush works very well. If there are jagged bits, little pieces of the foam brush will tear off..so use a fine bristle brush on rougher parts. If you can, choose foam brushes that are a little firmer, as opposed to the cheap ones. I got a bag of cheap ones, and they fall apart quickly. I was painting the Brake Booster cover, and i went through two cheap foam brushes on the first coat!

Top coating: If you don't want to sand between coats, or the part you are coating has a lot of irregular surfaces and is difficult to sand. I suggest priming/top coating your POR finish 3 - 5 hours after it is applied. The paint will be dry, but with a slight tackiness to it. Your finger will drag slightly when you run it across the surface of the POR.

 

[rex2nr]

Good luck with it. Just remember the stock metal is thin, and to turn down the voltage on the MIG. I wish I could have my car done in a week, but there's tons to do... especially after I got into stripping the panels.

Block sanding is going to take tons of time if you want to get it perfect.

For filler, I'm happy with the Bondo Ultimate. It sands much better than the reguler Bondo, its almost comparable to products like Rage. You also will want to pick up some Icing for a final skim.

For primer, I'm just using whatever brand is cheap, like Duplicolor. I plan just to seal the car off while I'm working. Then I will wet sand it down and use an epoxy primer.

One tool I would really recommend is a DA sander, though you will need a compressor.

 

[djhankb]

Well, I'm started, 1st thing is to get my FG WW kit to fit, which is a pain by itself, and as i'm tearing down i'm fixing the rust...

I got the front bumper mostly installed, except the fitment is really awful, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get it perfect.

I test fitted the rear, and it looks like it's going to fit nicely.
My rear bumper support is pretty rotten, I am going to have to cut and rebuild some of it to be able to reuse it again with this new kit.

-Henry

 

[rex2nr]

looking patriotic there

at least the kit is 'glass so you can build it up to fill in the hole under the corner light.

 

[djhankb]

Ok, so today wasn't as productive, I went out with some friends last night and drank so much that I was still drunk when I woke up this morning!! lol
I had a 4-alarm hangover, and I got a late start.

However, I got my drivers side 1/4 shaped and cut, and I started cutting out the nasty rust in the 1/4 now.

-Henry

 

[djhankb]

Ok, so i got my 1/4's welded in, filled primed, and topcoated... they're not 100% perfect, but i'm not very good with the bondo... When i have my car painted completely, I'll have the bodyshop go over it again and smooth it out. All in all, i'm really suprised on what a good job you can do if you spend the time, and give your best effort.

here's a few pics:

 

[jfrolang]

dude none of your pics ever work for me. :|

 

[djhankb]

There.
i redid my firewall last weekend and forgot to open up port 80

 

[stick]

You're a brave man. Good work! Did you cut the donor metal off a dead crx at the junk yard?

 

[rex2nr]

Looks like a job well done. From the pics I can't really tell you did the work.

 

[djhankb]

well, one of them was cut from Trey's (Omning) car when it got rear-ended and cut up. the other panel i made by hand!!

you can't see it in the pics, but it's a little rough still, i think a professional could easily make it perfect, but i just don't have the eyes for that stuff! lol

-H

 

[rex2nr]

It not eyes, its finger tips. You'll be able to see whats going on better by carressing her.

 

[daveb91]

When you used the por15 did you coat both sides of the sheet metal? it will not work very good if you didnt. Also putting it over existing paint doesnt do much either. When I used por15 on my car i just used a cheap $.99 paint brush layed on a couple layers and it kind of self leveled itself and didnt leave any brush marks the scuffed it up primed and painted. All repair areas were brought down to bare metal.

 

[djhankb]

yeah, i brought it all down to bare metal, and i coated both sides. after i wad done welding i pulled my rear interior and coated the inside of the welds and stuff too.

-H