Update: For the short read go to page nine for the in the booth paint photos.
A little over a year ago my son had posted a thread detailing information about the “patio” paint job on his Black 91 GT (see link below). This thread generated a handful of replies and a few faithful followers as the project moved along over the course of several months. This turned out to be a wonderful project that my son and I shared together and will treasure forever.
Black 1991 GT - complete refinishing thread - Corral Forums
Over the next few weeks (hopefully not months) I will be doing a similar project on my 2003 Dark Shadow Grey Cobra Coupe. Like the Black 91 GT, the 03 Cobra will be done in the back yard with the exception of the PPG Basecoat/Clearcoat finish. This time I will be applying the finish in a spray booth to avoid any possible issues with the neighbors (Not everybody enjoys the smell of flying PPG Products at home real early in the morning, LOL). Please feel free to join me as the 03 Coupe moves forward through a small amount of minor prep work, into the paint stage, along to color sanding and polishing, and then final assembly and detail.
All questions and comments are welcome. I expect to hear a few unusual questions and even a flame or two from the painters with opposing views. Not a problem, many people have different opinions on how something should be done and I respect all viewpoints. I don’t claim that my approach to prep and paint is “the best way”; I only claim that it has worked for me over the years and most of the time the final piece meets my expectations. With that being said lets take a look at the 03 Coupe as it sits now and a few areas that I will be focusing on.
The Hood:
As some of you are aware the hood was a problem area for paint adhesion and many 03’s were corrected by warranty claims. Large sheets of paint would tear lose and peel away from the hood. I didn’t have any issues until about five months ago when I reinstalled the hood vent on the passenger side. Because I had the vents out numerous times in the past I felt comfortable with snapping them back into place. In a rush and without caution I clicked the passenger vent into place and created a fracture in the original paint about 1/2 an inch wide and 1/4 inch long directly behind the vent. It didn’t take long for the fracture to travel backwards about 16 inches to its current position. The fracture lifted the original paint along with the Basecoat/Clearcoat I applied a few years ago. The paint never split and ended up holding together all this time (Gotta love that PPG Fast Panel Clear. It’s so strong three coats will stop a 357 round, LOL).
The Front Fascia:
Last year I accidentally hit a six foot piece of tire tread on I-75 between Tampa and Bradenton that was kicked up by the car ahead of me. I had the front bra cover on at the time and my heads lights taped to avoid any road rash. That wasn’t enough protection when that piece of tire hit me at 70 MPH across the front fascia and right front head light. No paint damage, no headlight damage, but it did split the front fascia (Even PPG Fast Panel Clear won’t stop big flying tire treads). This incident happened in January 2009, notice how after a year with washing the car weekly the paint has still not started flaking or peeling away at the break. I have learned to really appreciate this particular type of clear. I will be preparing a brand new fascia for installation. An e-bay special I picked up from US Auto Parts for the Buy it now price of $2.98 with $8.00 shipping. I lucked out and ran across a price error on the e-bay auction. Thanks US Auto Parts for honoring the listing error. Stand up company in my book. The Buy it now price is usually $186.00 with $56.00 shipping.
The Rear Fascia:
A few years ago I was rear ended at a stop light and acquired a small amount of damage to the rear fascia. The damage was in a location that was not able to be repaired and the other driver’s insurance paid to have the fascia replaced. Because the damage was minor in appearance I spent the money on my divorce attorney instead. (Money well spent, things turned out in my favor). I will be preparing a nice used rear fascia for installation. Another good e-bay find.
The Roof:
Just a few small stone chips that need to be removed. The forward facing areas always take the brunt of the highway debris and seem to end up with the most damage over time.
The Right Rear Quarter Panel:
Another victim of a flying stone off a gravel truck east bound on I-4 between Tampa and Lakeland. (Tie that sh*t down, grey paint is getting expensive!!)
The Goal:
I hope to achieve a complete re-spray of the 03 Cobra Coupe that will have a better than OE appearance. I plan to have a final product that will show no sign of being repainted. No overspray, no tape lines, no tell tale body work, and no “patchy areas” in the color. When the job is completed I will highlight the reflection from various areas of the car and let each of you be the judge of how it turns out. Like I said earlier, all comments are welcome.
Getting Started:
I removed the front & rear fascias and temporarily mounted the new ones. While they are on the car I am going to sand them with 180 grit to get them both ready for primer. I will lightly file board and block the flat areas and then buzz down the remaining areas with a DA sander. I try to go easy with the DA and spend most of my time hand sanding with a block or file board. This helps create a perfectly flat and true reflection once the job is done (Trust me, we will be seeing a lot of the file board and sanding block later on in this thread). Having the fascia on the car helps hold it in place and makes it easier to work with.
A little over a year ago my son had posted a thread detailing information about the “patio” paint job on his Black 91 GT (see link below). This thread generated a handful of replies and a few faithful followers as the project moved along over the course of several months. This turned out to be a wonderful project that my son and I shared together and will treasure forever.
Black 1991 GT - complete refinishing thread - Corral Forums
Over the next few weeks (hopefully not months) I will be doing a similar project on my 2003 Dark Shadow Grey Cobra Coupe. Like the Black 91 GT, the 03 Cobra will be done in the back yard with the exception of the PPG Basecoat/Clearcoat finish. This time I will be applying the finish in a spray booth to avoid any possible issues with the neighbors (Not everybody enjoys the smell of flying PPG Products at home real early in the morning, LOL). Please feel free to join me as the 03 Coupe moves forward through a small amount of minor prep work, into the paint stage, along to color sanding and polishing, and then final assembly and detail.
All questions and comments are welcome. I expect to hear a few unusual questions and even a flame or two from the painters with opposing views. Not a problem, many people have different opinions on how something should be done and I respect all viewpoints. I don’t claim that my approach to prep and paint is “the best way”; I only claim that it has worked for me over the years and most of the time the final piece meets my expectations. With that being said lets take a look at the 03 Coupe as it sits now and a few areas that I will be focusing on.
The Hood:
As some of you are aware the hood was a problem area for paint adhesion and many 03’s were corrected by warranty claims. Large sheets of paint would tear lose and peel away from the hood. I didn’t have any issues until about five months ago when I reinstalled the hood vent on the passenger side. Because I had the vents out numerous times in the past I felt comfortable with snapping them back into place. In a rush and without caution I clicked the passenger vent into place and created a fracture in the original paint about 1/2 an inch wide and 1/4 inch long directly behind the vent. It didn’t take long for the fracture to travel backwards about 16 inches to its current position. The fracture lifted the original paint along with the Basecoat/Clearcoat I applied a few years ago. The paint never split and ended up holding together all this time (Gotta love that PPG Fast Panel Clear. It’s so strong three coats will stop a 357 round, LOL).
The Front Fascia:
Last year I accidentally hit a six foot piece of tire tread on I-75 between Tampa and Bradenton that was kicked up by the car ahead of me. I had the front bra cover on at the time and my heads lights taped to avoid any road rash. That wasn’t enough protection when that piece of tire hit me at 70 MPH across the front fascia and right front head light. No paint damage, no headlight damage, but it did split the front fascia (Even PPG Fast Panel Clear won’t stop big flying tire treads). This incident happened in January 2009, notice how after a year with washing the car weekly the paint has still not started flaking or peeling away at the break. I have learned to really appreciate this particular type of clear. I will be preparing a brand new fascia for installation. An e-bay special I picked up from US Auto Parts for the Buy it now price of $2.98 with $8.00 shipping. I lucked out and ran across a price error on the e-bay auction. Thanks US Auto Parts for honoring the listing error. Stand up company in my book. The Buy it now price is usually $186.00 with $56.00 shipping.
The Rear Fascia:
A few years ago I was rear ended at a stop light and acquired a small amount of damage to the rear fascia. The damage was in a location that was not able to be repaired and the other driver’s insurance paid to have the fascia replaced. Because the damage was minor in appearance I spent the money on my divorce attorney instead. (Money well spent, things turned out in my favor). I will be preparing a nice used rear fascia for installation. Another good e-bay find.
The Roof:
Just a few small stone chips that need to be removed. The forward facing areas always take the brunt of the highway debris and seem to end up with the most damage over time.
The Right Rear Quarter Panel:
Another victim of a flying stone off a gravel truck east bound on I-4 between Tampa and Lakeland. (Tie that sh*t down, grey paint is getting expensive!!)
The Goal:
I hope to achieve a complete re-spray of the 03 Cobra Coupe that will have a better than OE appearance. I plan to have a final product that will show no sign of being repainted. No overspray, no tape lines, no tell tale body work, and no “patchy areas” in the color. When the job is completed I will highlight the reflection from various areas of the car and let each of you be the judge of how it turns out. Like I said earlier, all comments are welcome.
Getting Started:
I removed the front & rear fascias and temporarily mounted the new ones. While they are on the car I am going to sand them with 180 grit to get them both ready for primer. I will lightly file board and block the flat areas and then buzz down the remaining areas with a DA sander. I try to go easy with the DA and spend most of my time hand sanding with a block or file board. This helps create a perfectly flat and true reflection once the job is done (Trust me, we will be seeing a lot of the file board and sanding block later on in this thread). Having the fascia on the car helps hold it in place and makes it easier to work with.
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dsg ftw
