DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
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DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Long story short, I've had my Prelude since about 1999 and it's put up with a lot through the years. All my high school ricer abuse, all my drunken shenanigans, and all my beginner body work practice and experiments.
So over the past 2-3 years I've been sourcing parts, and last year I was finally able to really buckle down and fix the bodywork properly. I'm in school still, so of course there's not a big budget (doesn't mean I'm doing cheap work though ).
I guess this thread is like a How-To for DIY bodywork as well as a timeline/build of the car.
I also need to thank Koji (HT user 'saikou') for all his help!
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When I first bought the car it had been previously repaired and repainted. Back in 1999...you can see the replaced radiator support already rusting, but I didn't even notice back then.
So over the past 2-3 years I've been sourcing parts, and last year I was finally able to really buckle down and fix the bodywork properly. I'm in school still, so of course there's not a big budget (doesn't mean I'm doing cheap work though ).
I guess this thread is like a How-To for DIY bodywork as well as a timeline/build of the car.
I also need to thank Koji (HT user 'saikou') for all his help!
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When I first bought the car it had been previously repaired and repainted. Back in 1999...you can see the replaced radiator support already rusting, but I didn't even notice back then.
Last edited by Hawkze_2.3; 04-17-2014 at 10:22 AM.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Eventually things just got bad enough that it to time for a big resto job...the car was leaking rusty water from the back window, body panels wouldn't line up, there were rattles coming from everywhere, couldn't wash the crap rattle-can paint, etc....
All-in-all, the car needed:
-front bumper cover
-front bumper support + foam
-both fenders
-hood (couldn't paint the wavy cracked misaligned VIS CF hood and be happy)
-radiator support
-front windshield
-something to take the place of the CF sunroof panel that also couldn't be painted properly
-rear bumper cover
-rear bumper support + foam
-trunk (again, wavy misaligned VIS CF stuff)
-driver side door
-millions of little clips and brackets....
The first thing was finding a new Certifit bumper cover for $35 from a friend with a hookup
All-in-all, the car needed:
-front bumper cover
-front bumper support + foam
-both fenders
-hood (couldn't paint the wavy cracked misaligned VIS CF hood and be happy)
-radiator support
-front windshield
-something to take the place of the CF sunroof panel that also couldn't be painted properly
-rear bumper cover
-rear bumper support + foam
-trunk (again, wavy misaligned VIS CF stuff)
-driver side door
-millions of little clips and brackets....
The first thing was finding a new Certifit bumper cover for $35 from a friend with a hookup
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Next I did some junkyard diving and found a decent OEM rear bumper support and cover.
Then the next trip to the junkyard I found a better OEm rear bumper cover plus some trim items.
Then the next trip to the junkyard I found a better OEm rear bumper cover plus some trim items.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Then I found out the rear passenger side quarter had been replaced and had numerous leak and rust issues from that. This meant I was going to have to get at the quarter from the inside and outside and treat the rust and seal everything again. While I was at it, the whole interior got pulled and the panels cleaned and bed-lined.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Then resealed with with Lord Fusor sealer and another coat of POR on top of that covering the entire interior:
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
So now the interior was good, and I could focus on the exterior again.
Pulled the CF sunroof panel I had in there with plans to fill the gap with an OEM metal panel to follow the contour of the roof. The flat CF panel would have been terrible looking if it got painted...
I was able to make some brackets to mount the panel in place, and I used a Kevlar filler to fill the gap. Has not cracked or shown any signs of misbehavior in 2 years .
Pulled the CF sunroof panel I had in there with plans to fill the gap with an OEM metal panel to follow the contour of the roof. The flat CF panel would have been terrible looking if it got painted...
I was able to make some brackets to mount the panel in place, and I used a Kevlar filler to fill the gap. Has not cracked or shown any signs of misbehavior in 2 years .
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
I rolled on some catalyzed automotive paint once the filler was done. I know it looks like crap, but it will be fixed later.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Then a friend traded my his OEM trunk and hood for my VIS stuff and I was able to grab a new door from the junkyard (mine had holes general crappiness).
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Finally! All the major parts were sourced and we could start doing some work!
This was the first day of tear down and prep work...all you are seeing here is just lots of DA sanding with 80 grit to remove the layers of paint and expose all the areas that contain filler....and of course the green stuff is fresh filler.
We used Evercoat Rage Gold for filler.
This was the first day of tear down and prep work...all you are seeing here is just lots of DA sanding with 80 grit to remove the layers of paint and expose all the areas that contain filler....and of course the green stuff is fresh filler.
We used Evercoat Rage Gold for filler.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Day 2 of sanding and filling. More trim and such removed also...
The passenger side rear quarter had a nasty dent right at the wheel arch which was pretty tough to get right.
The passenger side rear quarter had a nasty dent right at the wheel arch which was pretty tough to get right.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Next day we pulled the back window and found a nasty rust hole that must have been where the rusty water was leaking in. This was due to poor sealing when the rear quarter was replaced back in 97-98.
You can also see lots more sanding and filling, as well as the exposed weld seam at about mid c-pillar on the passenger side.
In these pics the car is almost completely down to the OEM black paint and clear.
You can also see lots more sanding and filling, as well as the exposed weld seam at about mid c-pillar on the passenger side.
In these pics the car is almost completely down to the OEM black paint and clear.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Next we pulled the quarter windows and wire-wheeled all the window adhesive out of there. Also cleaned out the rust hole.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Now some progress!! Masked the car and used Duplicolor Etch Primer (possibly the only good product they make, haha) on all the bare metal and filler in preparation for surfacer.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
Used PPG OMNI MP182 catalyzed surfacer and did about 3 good coats.
http://us.ppgrefinish.com/PPG-Refini...-Refinish/Omni
The light brown is a guide coat we sprayed on while the masking was still there. The whole car is going to be block sanded.
http://us.ppgrefinish.com/PPG-Refini...-Refinish/Omni
The light brown is a guide coat we sprayed on while the masking was still there. The whole car is going to be block sanded.
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Re: DIY complete body resto-mod of my 95 Prelude
So the color I finally chose is Cavalry Blue from the Toyota FJ Cruiser.
The paint is just PPG OMNI single stage, but I am going to sand and apply a good quality clear over it.
The paint is just PPG OMNI single stage, but I am going to sand and apply a good quality clear over it.