body/paint work....240 questions

[bounce]

please note in this picture to the left of the gas jar....is an example of my paint issue....looks like a dry lake bed....cracked and shrunken...all the way to bare and rusting metal.....

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q224/Bounce19712/0719101251.jpg

I have used a little sander I have with 150 grit and gone through the two layers of primer and paint down to bare metal.....

there is still some pitting in the finish where the exposed metal was rusting...but it looks smooth enough to add sandable primer...

question 1: anyone everseen a baremetal finish Z? like polished aluminum p-51 mustang? ... If this is possible I'd like to try....

question 2: I really have to take all the paint off down to bare metal on this z right?

question 3: I have a 9207 makita 7 inch sander polisher...and a little 5 inch makita as well.... anyone know where to get 150 / 180 grit 7 inch sanding discs?

thanks....

[Shade133]

a previous owner tried that on my first z i had a couple years ago.. it looked decent but it had a bunch of scuff marks in it after the polish.. when i hear about cars like that i think of the delorean!

[bounce]

a previous owner tried that on my first z i had a couple years ago.. it looked decent but it had a bunch of scuff marks in it after the polish.. when i hear about cars like that i think of the delorean!

hmmm...what kind of protection over the bare metal I wonder.....

[Shade133]

I have no idea. whatever he put to protect it didnt work good in some areas probably because he didnt do it right or put enough coats, so it started to rust, so i then right away cleaned it up and primered over it.

[Shade133]

it did look pretty good before it started to rust in little areas after raining one time. but only the hood was bare metal. everything else was a crappy blue

ive never seen a bare metal Z so if you or someone else accomplished this, that would be an exceptional site to see.

EDIT: sorry meant to edit not write a whole new post.

Edited August 11, 2010 by Shade133

[bounce]

I'm going with the chemical method instead of sanding....

[Shade133]

sounds like a good plan to me

[cbudvet]

Bounce,

I had my car chemically dipped and it worked great. The body shop guy preferred it because there was no media from sandblasting hiding in every nook and cranny. I would consider using a paint instead of bare metal. Maybe something very chrome like??? There is now paint that is almost the same appearance of chrome. It would probably be hard to see because of all the reflections of the surroundings!

carl

[bounce]

Bounce,

I had my car chemically dipped and it worked great. The body shop guy preferred it because there was no media from sandblasting hiding in every nook and cranny. I would consider using a paint instead of bare metal. Maybe something very chrome like??? There is now paint that is almost the same appearance of chrome. It would probably be hard to see because of all the reflections of the surroundings!

carl

sounds cool.....a mirror like finish...blinding...

lot of ideas for color running around in my head...I like a fanta orange color...then the tag could be fantaZ .... is that cheezy?

or a dark maroon burgundy....

Edited August 11, 2010 by bounce

[Shade133]

FantaZ is a cool tag. not cheezy in my book.

[geezer]

question 1: anyone everseen a baremetal finish Z? like polished aluminum p-51 mustang? ... If this is possible I'd like to try....

I can't see the picture you linked to but can comment on question 1.

The biggest problem with attempting a bare metal finish on steel would be the inevitable corrosion that would occur. The rate and severity of corrosion would be dependant on ambient atmospheric conditions. If you clear coat the steel it really wouldn't be a "bare metal finish" any longer. Also, in order to promote adhesion for the clear coat, the metal would first need to be treated. This will etch the surface, altering the finished look you are after. Even then I'm not sure if just a clear coat would adhere permanently to the surface or not. Thats why "paint systems" are used, building from bare metal to the finished product.

There are some nice chrome look paints available today but would be very expensive to have applied properly. I had this pic of a "chrome like" paint finish saved, for no other reason other than I liked it.

The second pic of the perimeter patrol vehicle is an example of what a bare metal finish would eventually become, although that one was made to look like that. Myself, I kind of like it and have wondered what a Z would look like done up like that.

[bounce]

i was wondering if a wax coating or teflon, nu-finish...whatever...would work