Secret experimental 1964 GX 455

[TrunkMonkey]

When you blow yer nose, does it look like a mini Buick burnout on the hanky?   

[yachtsmanbill]

More like chunks of rubber on the fender from a smokey burnout in the water box LOL...

I used to work with an old Polish guy when we'd do coal plant work. Always "fugitive" dust in the air. We'd get out of the area and blow our noses and this guy would say with his heavy accent, much like a toast of nostrovia, BUGARZUPONYA! Yeah, not to sound weird, but I always snort a little water in the shower, and when I get out have a paper towel at the ready; Bugarzuponya !! LOL. Key, its the love of the sport aint it?

I got my new paint kit with all the stuff and it included a 99 cent paper mask. WOW. I pulled out all the old 3M NIOSH rated PPGs from work (personal protective gear) so I dont hafta eat that paint for lunch. Spray bombs and sanding are one thing, but an atmosphere full?? No way!

So got that whole bastard done with two lousy used DA discs (220) and it is Sah-Moothe. 2 heavy coats of the dark gray 2X primer and another wet sand with 400 or 600 and its gonna be a work of art... I hope!   PM sent back to ya.   Bill

[TrunkMonkey]

I love good lace work. Can't wait to see it when it's done!

[yachtsmanbill]

Aw... youre just showing your feminine side. Well pal, me too. It reminds me of when women dressed like women; today its all grunge with muffin tops!   Bill

[TrunkMonkey]

Yeah, girls what look like a can of "whump biskits" that seen the edge of a kitchen counter...

[yachtsmanbill]

Yeah, I gotta admit, most of the girls up here (farm girls) look like theyre corn fed or rooters ( for the un-informed, PIGS root for truffles LOL!). The shallow gene pool doesnt help either.

I cant believe I'm still fine tuning the body work. Today I got the hood sanded, and everything wiped down, and now, even with a non color (black primer) I'm seeing several miniscule stone chips and the like, so those got tended to with a Q tip sized touch of spot glaze. Am I getting carried away, or am I being anal? I sure hope the paint job looks as good as the bodywork.

Gotta change snow blower belts tomorrow, so it may be Sunday for the initial real primer job. Hardened gray primer, 2 coats, and then a wet sand with 400 or 600. I'm trying to get an idea of the lace layout, and had a brain fart. I have a bunch of aluminum diagonal louvered vents from an old boat demolition job. They are about 10 X 18 inches and "may" get incorporated on the hood.  Blue, Black, or White (to match the lace?) with polished stainless #8 oval head phillips head screws. Gotta toy with that idea--- non functional ram air LOL.

Played with the new 15.00 HVLP primer gun from harbor fright today. Upon assembly, all the internals were oiled with something like 3 in 1 oil. A major part of the instruction dictate DISASSEMBLE and thoroughly clean before use. OK. Need a really thin (.135") wrench for the tip. I had to grind a grinder wrench down and it fits like a dream. I go to unscrew the tip and the bastard is way tite. Hmmm.  Get it broken free and come to find its got locktite on it. I think it was made to toss in the shitcan when done instead of cleaning it. Chinapsychology. Got the regulator hooked up and with just air, seems to function pretty well. Now I can wash the heck outa that before a trial Sunday. Getting excited/nervous haha...

Also played restorator with the mats that Electra Bob was good enough to supply.A quick wipe down with PB blaster, and a patch from a heel hole, and a minor trim in a bad area, and they are good for another 50 years. Thanks Bob!!  Bill

[35chevcoupe]

Bill , I'm amazed at how fast your getting your car done . Its looking good .
Kinda wish you could slow it down a bit though , Ive had mine 5 years now and aint nearly as far as you are . 
Keep up the good work !  your restoration thread is good for me , its like reading the morning paper .

[TrunkMonkey]

Pat's really doing all the work, while Bill sits on his butt posting with one hand, and a whip in the other...

[yachtsmanbill]

Now c'mon Mike, ya know thats not true; I hafta use two index fingers to type with! But I can supervise with a cup of coffee on my bench LOL... That CAPS key is what gets me everytime tho...

This morning my pal Jeff came over. I call him the "Lawnmower Man". He likes flipping mowers haha, but he's good with that stuff, and today he showed me how to split my snowblower in half to change the belts. I hate small engine stuff! He's a whiz with it. We were done in a half an hour. Even took it for a spin. WHEW!  We are supposed to get some snow here in the next few days, and Monday Im having a Lumbar Branch RFA done. Thats a Radio Frequency Ablation. A nerve burn. Sounds like a good time for me. Ill get knocked out and probably implanted with ANOTHER GPS tracking chip. Those doctors deny that stuff but they are all in cahoots with medicare. Get arrested now for something stupid and they get your fingerprints AND a DNA sample. OK, Rant Over!

Got out to the shop and did some clean up work and brain storming.  Up until a month or so ago, I thought I was going to hafta cut a hole in the hood for carb clearance and make up a cowl induction hood. A trial fit up proved that unnecessary, but that flat hood is a bit un-imposing and I think I'd still like to go with some contemporary 60's vintage deal on top.

About 15 years ago, I was out boat junking. Just like going to the junk yard, but hit all the boats on death row. Always looking for spare hardware for my Roamer etc. and came across a big boat with a ton of these vents. Whats even better is they came off a 1964  46 foot Pacemaker yacht. Give me a ladder and a screw driver in a boat yard and Ill have a field day!!

Ive got about 10 of these vents. So I just tossed a few on the hood for looks, and I kind of like the idea. Of course the would be fastened with stainless oval head phillips screws, and incorporated into the paint job. They may be blue or white. Thats TBD. You sure wont see many of these floating (!) around car shows. Hmmm. Tomorrow Ill see if I can get them fitted, wash the car down and tack it with some solvent and get some primer on it. That would be swell, then recoop after the back job for a few days before sanding the 100% cured primer.

Im glad you guys like reading this stuff. Are you sure its like the morning paper or the Sunday funnies?? You see, thats why I dont mind working alone. I get stuff done. I'm long winded and could just as easily sit around and shoot the shit all day. I used to work weekends all winter on my boat like that, but this is in the back yard and not a 40 mile drive each way. Enjoy some pics...I know the last one is TOO MANY!  Bill

[yachtsmanbill]

Its 0745 and Im going in....  Bill

[elagache]

Dear Bill and mid-60s Buick caregivers you need some TLC from time to time,

. . . . .
Monday Im having a Lumbar Branch RFA done. Thats a Radio Frequency Ablation. A nerve burn.

Best of luck with these procedure.  One member of our family is also going through this sort of thing with mixed results.

. . . .
I came across a big boat with a ton of these vents. Whats even better is they came off a 1964  46 foot Pacemaker yacht.
. . . .

So I just tossed a few on the hood for looks, and I kind of like the idea.
. . . .

Okay, I like the look as well, but are you bold enough to make the functional?  I'm not entirely sure, but I strongly suspect that Biquette's engine bay is too hot and she really needs a cold air intake.  These engine bays were really designed for a 300 cid V-8 max.  Even the Nailhead wasn't part of the original design.  Most of us are putting a much larger "heater" than Buick engineers were expecting.

So what does your scheme mind think about that? 

Cheers, Edouard 

[yachtsmanbill]

Strange you should mention that Ed. Thats venturing into the unknown. This next year will be the first with a hood ON. Hmmm... The louvers will be a breeze to lift off and make some hole saw cuts under each one. That gets into the insulation and weather "could" become a factor. Gonna wing that one.

Tomorrow theyre doing that nerve burn. If that doesnt work out, the next step is to install a turnbuckle and jack the L5/S1 joints apart. Gonna get some butt cheek cortisone shots too in the Piriformis muscle. My ass is killing me. Especially after today!

Started early to get something done today. Had to don the Mystic secret order of moronic painters lodge garb (the apron!) to prevent belt buckle-itis.That garage gets smaller every time I turn around LOL...
Drilled the holes for the hood vents, cleaned the furnace filter outside did some more masking and then wiped the ENTIRE car down with a hot damp towel. After that was dry, I hit it with a solvent tack; that was bad. Went to mineral spirits and the same deal. My paint test last week didnt even hint of an issue but today made a minor mess. Had to lightly sand a few test spots, and then continued with the warm water. It was super clean. No black stuff on the rag whatsoever. The primer said it will cover anything (enamel, lacquer etc...) so I started to lay it on.

Got a batch of paint mixed up and started on the hood. The GD air compressor in the other shop had ice in the hose to shop "B". I ended up using an antique compressor for the rest of the job. It only shuts off by the switch. When not using air the safety blows and thats my clue. So I painted for about 3 hours. The hardener ratio was off (as per the instructions), several times I had to stop and clean the gun strainer. The paint was jelling after an hour. Continued on and got almost 3 FULL wet juicy coats of primer on the whole schlemiel.

First time with an HVLP gun. I could barely see the paint coming out. The old suction cup guns had a steady cloud inside all day. This was still bad enough, but manageable. Sure does take some getting used to tho. Now I understand the technique for the color with the expensive gun. This was the 9.00 harbor fright unit and still performed well, except for the paint jelling. That caught me off guard.

By the time the gun was completely cleaned, the car was bone dry. Heat was holding around 75F with out the furnace running for the last few hours. I think the compressor helped keep the temp up. Wrapped up and turned out the lights at about 1530 hrs. Dang full day. Next step is wet sanding, then some color. Cant wait!   Bill

[yachtsmanbill]

Still amazed at the tin knocking I did. Im gonna give it a 97; good rhythm and easy to dance to (American Bandstand!). These are just for comparison...   Bill

[schlepcar]

That looks like a car Bill,
I like the two part primer,but do yourself a favor before wet sanding. Take a block or paint stick and knock the initial surface off with 180 or 150 just to cut through the outer skin. Let it dry overnight before doing your final sand(I would use 320 if wet sanding). That stuff is tough and sands hard so it is not easy to sand through. You really are not cutting it at all with the 400 paper,just smoothing the scratches. The 150 grit actually trues the surface as you are blocking,whereas the 400 or 320 just removes the coarser scratches. We used to have to get it down to 600 grit to do enamel,but the 320 works great on urethane materials and allows them to grab the scratches for better adhesion. You?ll have plenty of time to wet sand after the clear dries,you do not need to waste a whole day trying to smooth up that tough primer with fine paper. That stuff is so hard that I sometimes start with 80 grit and work my way down to 320 on a repair area,but your past all that so I would go with 150/180. Dan


PS...use a REAL paint mask when using any catalyzed materials,especially that urethane clear. You don?t want to learn that lesson the hard way

[yachtsmanbill]

I like that idea! Right now with overspray etc. its not nearly as smooth as Id like to see. I did double up on the corners and edges to prevent sand-through. If I see Im getting close I stop. My next concern is the 50% overlap to prevent tiger stripes. This primer took about 1-1/2 quarts. I hope the BC takes the same. Hate to run out half way through... Bill