(to soon?)
Alright- since the car is finally done here's my half-assed thread about it.
Back in December, this thread happened.
you-re-supposed-to-use-a-deloreon-t518279.html
After tons of insurance arguing (other dudes insurance tried their hardest to say I was at fault
) the dust settled and the car started receiving work. However, the body shop owner and I found that parts don't exactly exist for this car anymore. Locating usable body panels and portions of the car to replace the damaged ones that weren't already in poor shape themselves was a task! For an automobile that was immensely popular on the road for a solid decade, there were few left to choose from. It also didn't help that I sold the front bumper from the one I stripped down last year. But I digress, on with why you're here- the pictures and the story! I'm missing a lot of the beginning work steps, but started to remember to document after the prep work was beginning. The body shop owner, Mike of Ace Collision in Dartmouth, MA is simply amazing. He didn't just R&R what was wrong and needed to be fixed, he went down all of the panels and each time he found a nick, dent, scratch, low spot, or previous repair, he sanded them out, filled them, sanded them, glazed them, and sanded them again. There were a lot of imperfections. I told him that the car would still be a driver, but hes a perfectionist.
That front bumper was the hardest piece to find. Between him and me, we acquired 3 in so-so or s*** shape. The amount of time that he'd spend fixing it to look good on the car wasn't worth bothering with them. This one had two low spots on it and a craptastic paint job, but was in all around good condition.
I need to note here that he allowed me to spend a lot of my time with the car (hes a busy guy and I wanted it faster), working on it and basically doing prep work. I'd work my normal job, have dinner, then shoot over to the shop for another 4-6 hours. When I was finished, I'd put about 85 hours into the car.
After stripping and test fitting the bumper over and over, it finally started looking good. TONS more sanding followed after that.
For those who have seen the car in person, the spoiler left something to be desired. GM's innovation team decided to wrap heavy a** fiberglass around a metal frame which rusted from the inside out, created holes and tears, and had paint that adhered poorly to the material. As luck would have it, I scored a 1991-1992 Trans Am aero spoiler for $75. A helluva deal from a local third gen board member. It needed some work, but since I was prepping it anyway, it was no big deal. This part usually goes for $175-200.
Anyway, the back deck was sanded down, mounting holes filled, and prepped for paint.
There were all kinds of imperfections on the car and small bits of rust that needed attention.
Spoiler and pass. side ground effect.
After many hours of prep, filling, sanding, and priming (rinse, lather, and repeat) the car was finally on final coat primer.
SIDE BAR: Body work is insanely tedious! for each spot that needed attention, I sanded with 80 grit, then 120, then 160, then 180, and finally 220. I learned about the intricacies of blending in and creating a smooth transition between the repaired area and the rest of the panel. It takes A LOT of time. Especially when all of the work is preformed by hand. I messed up a few times (hey! I'm a novice) and had to redo them because they weren't good enough and would be visible in the final product.
Note that not all of the car needed to be taken down to metal and primed (nor should it have been). However, everything else was wet sanded with 180 then 220 grit. Anything more would have been unnecessary work and more time. Note that I was also on month 7 of not having this car.
The night after painting. Panels wet sanded and buffed to follow.
Despite what I read and researched, this spoiler was no where near an R&R from the old one. We marked holes, checked, rechecked, and checked again to be sure its where we wanted it. After deliberating and thinking of how to attach the wrap around "arms," Mike had a superb idea to the black windshield adhesive stuff on the mounting points from the previous spoiler. We only had one shot at lining it up and pulled it off amazingly well (always use an experienced body man!). Not only did it fit better and is more robust than stock, but it took A TON less time than trying to cut and patch the existing slider tab system that used to lock it in place.
Note the side marker, too. This is just an example of how much time you can invest into your body work. From teh factory, these markers never sat flush with the body. after grinding, sanding, filling, sanding, and test fitting over and over, Mike got this small detail to sit flush with the body. It looks amazing, but he probably put just about an hour into making the marker look as good as it does. Same thing with the lock and door handle.
I drove it home late Thursday. Sadly, I was in a major rush and couldn't appreciate anything yet. Plus, the engine ran like crap because of old gas. On Friday morning before work, the t tops came off and the gal got a full tank of premium and went back to running like her awesome self. While pumping the gas, I found myself admiring my almost lost love. Dragging my fingertips down the body panels while following the contours and lines, caressing the shifter and the dash, sliding my hands around the leather wrapped wheel and sweet talking and reminding her what we've been through and how I wouldn't let her go that easy. Probably got some weird looks while I was there, but I didn't care. She was mine again and looking beautiful. Not more than 6 seconds out of the gas station did a landscape truck with 3 dudes in it all yell at me and give me thumbs up for the "sweet ride man!" The compliments continued. Like dating the hard to get girl in school (which I never did, BTW) the attention was welcomed. After working on Friday, I drove around aimlessly until the tank was empty. I spent that time watching the tach wind up and down, carving the turns on the country back roads in the middle of the night, and listening to the unrestricted exhaust gargle loudly as I floored it past other folks sleeping soundly in their homes. All while wearing the biggest s***-eating grin ever knowing that there are many more miles just like this in store.
As she sits in the sun today
