1966 Ford Fairlane

[BadHenry]

I have read the forum for about 6 years. I have never posted but have tried to pick up as much information as I could by reading all the posts and sucking up information like a sponge. My car is a 1966 Ford Fairlane. I took a body and paint lab at my local community college and had a great teacher who helped me learn how to do body work. I knew how to weld so that was a plus. This car is my first attempt at body work and painting. The mechanical part of my car was very easy for me that I know how to do and did that first. Then did the floor pans and engine compartment and the interior of the car. My wife said to at least paint it one color so it has been red oxide primer since 2005. The body work and painting was all new to me. My first term in 2003 I did one front fender. The next term was in 2005 and I did one quarter panel. The next quarter I did at home and worked on the area at the back of the car behind the bumper. September 2009 I took the body and paint lab and again in January to finally finish the body and get it painted. When I replaced the first quarter panel my teacher Paul Beck had me overlap the new quarter panel over the edge I had left from cutting off the old quarter panel and used a cutoff wheel and cut through both panels to match edges. I butt welded the top edge to the original quarter panel and edge welded the panel to the door opening and tail light opening, that way it leaves the factory spot welded flange in place. I had a lot of other sheet metal areas I had to fix, doors, fenders, c pillar, trunk and there is a link at the end to pictures of some of my work. I spent hours and hours about 6 weeks of block sanding the body after I finished the body work. I had planned on painting my car at my community college paint booth but not enough students signed up so the summer class was canceled. So had to go with plan B and turned my garage into a paint booth. I purchased most of my equipment from Autobodystore.com. I picked my spray gun from reading over the posts and decided on a DeVilbiss 670G Plus, it worked great. The paint I used the base was PPG Deltron 2000 (DBC) the clear was PPG DCU 2042. I started wet sanding by hand then switched to the Airvantage Sander 3/32 throw and the Trizact, amazing is all I can say about the Trizact system. I would probably still be wet sanding if I was doing it by hand. I buffed with a Makita variable speed buffer and the orange and black sponge pads and used Sure Finish. I just wanted to thank everyone for supplying me with information especially Len. Here is a link to some more pictures some of my body work and my paint. Link to more pictures: http://ImageEvent.com/badhenry/fairlane

(http://ImageEvent.com/badhenry/fairlane)http://photos.imageevent.com/badhenry/fairlane/websize/DSC_6576.JPG
http://photos.imageevent.com/badhenry/fairlane/websize/DSC_6974.JPG

[Len]

Nice work and the link showing your progress pictures is great.

Thanks for supporting the site and I'm glad we could help with your project.

[SamG]

Looks good...other than the Mustang, probably my favorite mid sixties bodystyle.

I'll have to say a first though...seeing someone buffing 'sans shirt'...that's one way to keep from getting compound stains on your shirt I guess. Lol

Nice work...especially on your handmade patches. Did you have a shrinker/stretcher available to you? I assume the door bottom and back glass patches were handmade.

SamG

[MARTINSR]

Looks GREAT, I love those cars.

Brian

[BadHenry]

I had use of a shrinker and stretcher at the school. Only patches that were not hand made were the quarter panels and the floor pans. It was about 90 degrees in our garage when I was buffing the car out so that was why no shirt. Plus I was concentrating so hard at not messing up I had sweat running every where. It took me a while to feel comfortable with the buffing also the same way with the DA and the Trizact. At first I was so worried about buffing or sanding through the clear. Reading the forum was so good to learn from other peoples who knew what they were doing. Kind of like have some knowledgeable people right there with me while I was doing it. I just have to say again how much of a help the DA and Trizact were for the wet sanding process. I can't imagine wet sanding the whole car by hand.

[JT1]

Nice work!

The car I'm working on has a rusted window flange, in the "corners" like yours was. Based on the comments, the patch you made was done on a "shrinker Strecher"?

[Len]

Nice work!

The car I'm working on has a rusted window flange, in the "corners" like yours was. Based on the comments, the patch you made was done on a "shrinker Strecher"?

When you don't have access to a shrinker-stretcher you can usually use the small (C) EZ Edge in areas like window corners, fender edges, around wheel houses etc.


http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/vary%20edge2.jpg
Link (http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=EZF&Category_Code=MWH)

[Mooch]

That is one sweet ride . One of my favorite Fords also .

Mooch :)

[aussiemart]

Great build, its helped me with my project 66 gta,
Cheers Marty

[Henry]

I had use of a shrinker and stretcher at the school. Only patches that were not hand made were the quarter panels and the floor pans. It was about 90 degrees in our garage when I was buffing the car out so that was why no shirt. Plus I was concentrating so hard at not messing up I had sweat running every where. It took me a while to feel comfortable with the buffing also the same way with the DA and the Trizact. At first I was so worried about buffing or sanding through the clear. Reading the forum was so good to learn from other peoples who knew what they were doing. Kind of like have some knowledgeable people right there with me while I was doing it. I just have to say again how much of a help the DA and Trizact were for the wet sanding process. I can't imagine wet sanding the whole car by hand.

Obviously the judges must not have seen all the quality work you did.

You did a fantastic job on that car AND you've got the documentation to prove it. Outstanding job and the metal pcs you made and the detail in them. Glad you tuned into the ABS because I find the information here can get someone like you (with the urge) to turn out a project as you did.

You've got specialty insurance on it?
What does it turn in the quarter?
Guess on money is?

You've got the knowledge, you've got the tools so what's your next project?

Very well done. Henry

[techdog1]

you lucky man great car