H23a4thgenbb2

Great job on getting all that done yourself bro. I have a 1992 prelude si with a jdm h22a swap I have been building it myself for almost two years now. I saw in your thread that you had a carbon fiber sunroof delete plug. I would like two know where you purchased it? I have been looking for one for sometime now and haven't had much luck lol

tsfoodnliquor

WOW WOW WOW

Great job dude. You're an inspiration for those of us that are at least thinking about tackling a job like this at home. Awesome

Hawkze_2.3

Thanks, I got the CF plug from http://www.lighterfaster.com/13101/index.html

I helped him build the prototype years ago....dropped almost 45 lbs.

Hawkze_2.3

Thanks! Just takes a big air compressor and a lot of time

lightning83

Where u bought the bumpers cover from?

IDriveHonda

what size compressor is required to paint properly?

Hawkze_2.3

Front cover is a Certifit, rear cover is OEM from the junkyard.

Hawkze_2.3

As far as painting goes, the key factor in compressor sizing is the air volumetric flowrate, usually given in cubic feet per minute (CFM).

Most guns now are high-volume-low-pressure (HVLP), so they can require less CFM.

Generally you want to select a paint gun before a compressor, and then size the compressor to the gun's CFM rating (overkill is always good if you can afford it ).

My compressor is 18.1CFM and it will run 2 DA sanders at a time, and will allow use of a paint gun for however long you need it.

Usually any compressor that will properly paint a car is going to be a 220V unit.

HTH

IDriveHonda

Thanks, I have always wanted to paint a car myself, collecting all of the proper tools can cost you an arm and a leg though. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for good deals.

Seeing your progress is inspirational, your car turned out so good. Nice job!

Hawkze_2.3

Thanks!

I've been into painting as a hobby for a while now, so I've gathered good tools over the years. For someone wanting to just jump in from having nothing to painting a car, they might just be better off paying a shop to do it in some cases...

I got my compressor for about 1/2 retail because someone bought it, dropped it and broke the switch, and then returned it. I fixed the switch for free My guns are Devilbiss Finishline 3 which is around $100-150. Sandpaper, air filter setup, tape, etc, etc does add up also.

JustJay90

Great jobs looks really good! Can't wait to find something to be this thorough with!

Hawkze_2.3

Thanks, it was a lot of fun!

B and B

iTrader: (3)

Yeah thanks man, a lot of us think "I should write this up"... But taking all the pics and following up takes commitment.
(my sleeve thread )

U answered my question about guns.. But

You ran ducting down your garage wall from hvac and hooked up that blower?
That must double as a garage cooler in summer huh?

How much dirt did u end up with in clear? Able to just sand and buff?
Btw... It says 220 grit to scuff color, doesn't that need another digit?
2200?

You keep saying wire wheel and I see one of those rubber/abrasive sponge things.. Is that what u used on the sealer?

Panel bond isn't approved for some structural areas..welds are spec'd.. mainly skins, etc. from what I've read. But the rivets combined with bond are prolly plenty good up there.
End mill good idea, how did u keep it from walking?

You must have an excellent relationship with your neighbors
Mr. Buzzcut's out there in his flower bed when the blue haze starts drifting in

Good job man, show people this stuff's doable!

You must've spent a **** ton on supplies..how much POR did u go thru?
And was the gallon of surfacer enuf? And how much paint if you don't mind?
We have three cars we need to freshen up so really curious, great thread.

That IR compressor kicks ***

Hawkze_2.3

Thanks, I guess we'll go one question at a time

The blower just sends in air from a room adjacent to the garage with a hole cut in the wall. I took a picture, but I can't find it.....it's literally just sucking in air from the house and directly pumping it into the garage. Of course the hole is sealed and the gaps taped before actual painting.

The clear really doesn't have any dirt, just minor dust. A wet sand would take it right out, and I definitely laid on enough to get it smooth if I ever have a chance. In some of the pics you can see the dust....if you look close.

I did in fact use 220, but with very little pressure. It was aluminum-oxide stuff, so once you sand for a couple minutes it really starts to dull and become more like 500-700 grit. I used this rougher grit because I wanted to actually do some more shaping with the block and not just rough the paint for a topcoat.

That rubber abrasive thing in the picture sucked...just tried it because it was free. Wire wheel all the way!

Hawkze_2.3

I know some info says not to do the rad support with panel bond, but in this application it's not entirely structural. I have a massive traction bar (solid 2.25" stainless bar) between the frame rails that will take any load and not complain.

Keeping the end mill from walking was tough if it didn't catch, but I'd say 70% of the time it went pretty quick. If not...just hold the drill harder

My neighbors are pretty cool about it....though they probably have a microscopic paint dust all over their stuff, haha.

I only used a quart or less of POR. The trick is carefully brushing it to minimize any loss. I also just poke a tiny hole in the can and pour it onto the brush.

The gallon of surfacer was enough, and I have about a pint leftover still. You can turn down the air with surfacer because you don't really car how smooth it comes out, so that reduces overspray waste.

For the paint, I used up most of a gallon, and had to get one more pint. Mixed the rest of the gallon with the new pint so the color would match.

This kind of work is ALL about labor and supplies...you save big on doing the labor yourself, and using the best-but-still-cheapest supplies helps a little.

Thanks for the compliments, I see you're in TX too...DFW area?

B and B

iTrader: (3)

that was my experience with one also...
I tried one for finishing when polishing an Inline Pro mani and it was pretty innefffectual.
That wire wheel removed that sealer beautifully.

I spent hours drilling a mint core support of an EG in a junkyard last weekend.
I couldn't leave it out there.. the little nose where some people jack from literally has only like a little .25 in. wide area that was slightly scratched..most cars have been bottomed at least a little. The rest was perfect..(my CS is fubared)
But never again with a cordless drill.
Had to haul my tools back up to yard office probly 8 times to recharge battery! Next time I will drag a generator out there, damn.(Don't have a cordless Sawzall, it would probly run down anyway)
The HF spotweld cutter is basically a holesaw,but for $7 ...ok for the donor car at junkyard...but I'm gonna try your method when removing from my car, so's not to leave holes underneath.

I'm in Waco.

Thanks man, vauluable experience.

And yeah..everbody knows that's the best gen. of Prelude.

Hyperluminesent

WOW! And I thought I went to town doing my exterior 2 summers ago. Fortunately, I didn't have any body rust, and I never did the engine bay or interior. Clear was in horrid shape, front end was totally screwed. No money at the time to take it to a body shop, and I'm a house painting contractor, so I needed better "curb appeal" for when it was parked in front of someone's home while I asked them to pay me thousands of dollars to paint their house. I ended up using Rustoleum Ultimate satin black, and it's actually held up pretty well, so far. Currently in the middle of an engine swap, so I guess I'll just play the "sleeper" role for a while longer.Had a friend who just got his Accord wrapped in 3M "Brushed Steel" and it looks so good, I might actually go with that in the future.

jdmeg6118

iTrader: (1)

Looks great!

Ferarrikiller

So why not just replace the entire roof skin?

Hawkze_2.3

It's virtually impossible to even locate a 92-96 Prelude without a sunroof, and a skin is even harder. Believe me that was my first thought...

Ferarrikiller

Ya I suppose it's hard to find the roof. But if you find a car at the junk yard with a clean roof.
I just did it on my accord this summer. easier to find. they cut the roof off for me at the junk yard but I had to drill out all the spot welds and remove the skin. Either way. nice job.

Hawkze_2.3

Thanks

92-96 Preludes were never sold in the US without a sunroof, so junkyards are sadly out of the question.

Ferarrikiller

OH dang, So virtually impossible is more like actually impossible lol.

hondacurious

So unless I completely missed it. What were the steps you did to paint the interior after you reapplied the seam sealer. I like the high gloss look before you applied the bedding liner. Building an autocross but still like a clean paint job. Just trying not to add as much weight as possible. Im sure I will have several more questions in the near future

Hawkze_2.3

The high gloss look is Gloss Black POR15 on the prepped body, BUT unfortunately POR15 is not UV resistant, so I had to put something on top of it to keep it from degrading.

The steps were just scuffing and cleaning the body, then I used a foam brush to apply 1 coat of the POR15.