Off to paint!

Keeping it sharp - paint, wax, detailing, etc.
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architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Off to paint!

Post by architect »

Quick teaser pics... it was super nerve racking watching the car get towed the the car to the shop (1.5 miles lol) we couldn’t use a flat bed because my place has a low garage... and she’s not running because of the prep.

I’ll post some after pics soon... can’t wait! Keep it simple. Black with lots of clear ;)

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78 Fiat 124
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

And yes.. I was able to do all of this in a residential parking garage.

Ninja mechanic!
78 Fiat 124
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lglade
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Your car is a: 1984 Pininfarina
Location: Mukilteo, WA

Re: Off to paint!

Post by lglade »

Awesome! Can't wait to see it when it's finished.
Lloyd Glade- Mukilteo, WA
1984 Pininfarina Spider Azzurra
1962 Fiat 500D - wife's car
2015 Subaru Outback
2017 Ford Focus RS
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Zoofly
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Your car is a: 1978 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Off to paint!

Post by Zoofly »

How long did it take you to sand it?
2020 124 Spider Abarth
2019 Alpha Romeo Stelvio - sold
1977 Triumph Spitfire
2017 Fiat 124 Spider Classica - sold
1999 Jaguar XK8 - sold
1998 BMW Z3 - sold
1988 Pontiac Fiero - sold
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

Zoofly wrote:How long did it take you to sand it?
Not too long actually. Once I pulled all the trim off, I was able to sand the body in about 12 total hours. A combination of electric sander / blocking and filler. Amazingly the body only had one rust spot, at the drivers rear wheel arch... about the size one a penny.

Overall prep took about 40 hrs. I only brought the body to 80 grit. The painters will bring it up to 220.
78 Fiat 124
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royn
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Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: 2864 Fall, Norway

Re: Off to paint!

Post by royn »

Great work, looking forward to see it painted :D :D
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royn
1982 Fiat Spider 2000
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

Also picked up some classic style lights with indicators. I had a pair of Jeep lights (free) temporarily.

There actual glass by United Pacific. Pretty sweet LED lights too (with fans).

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78 Fiat 124
lanciahf
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:03 am
Your car is a: 1984 Pinninfarina

Re: Off to paint!

Post by lanciahf »

Very Nice. Where did you get the bumpers from? Custom mounts?

Thanks,
Ralph
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

Vick auto. I have an entire write up here:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic ... 15&t=37357
78 Fiat 124
leigh0680
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:03 pm
Your car is a: Spider 2000 1979

Re: Off to paint!

Post by leigh0680 »

Can't wait to see once it's finished. It's gonna be sharp. Two questions for you - what color? And, how much is the paint shop charging? I hope you got some good money off from prepping yourself.
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

leigh0680 wrote:Can't wait to see once it's finished. It's gonna be sharp. Two questions for you - what color? And, how much is the paint shop charging? I hope you got some good money off from prepping yourself.
Well my prep wasn't complete. I brought the body to 80 grit.. it really needs 125. 180, 220 to get a nice finish. Plus a full 2k prime job.. sand again.. 3 coats of base (BLACK!) and 3 coats of clear. There is a lot of body work to be done.. the doors are wavy (P.O. did some patchwork on the doors) and the front end has small cracks be the headlight / grill area. Not sure what's happening there. Estimated 80 more hours of work. Also getting all the jambs painted.

I dropped off the hood (new), trunk, rockers (new), wiper cowl (new) rear quarter panels last week. The shop is painting those parts painted inside and out. I'm actually really excited to see a gloss black hood / trunk interior, lol.

Out the door was 2700 cash. almost 3x what I paid for the car. That was a hard pill to swallow.... but I enjoy it. A buddy of mine that works on some of the fastest cars in Texas provide an estimate that was close to 4.5k and triple the time. Should have the car back in 2 weeks. Just want to get her back on the road!
78 Fiat 124
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

Picked up the first round of parts this afternoon! Soooooo shiney :)

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78 Fiat 124
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

A few teaser pics from the shop. I’m aiming to have the car put back together by Friday!

Fresh chrome just itching to be installed!

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78 Fiat 124
DRUMMOND
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Your car is a: Fiat Spyder 2000 1980 Pininfarina

Re: Off to paint!

Post by DRUMMOND »

Hi Architect

Looks Awesome!!! great work
architect
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1978 Fiat Spider
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Off to paint!

Post by architect »

Rear is near complete. Some more pics below.. with a dusty top, and a millon on handprints

Just need to install two more bolts for the rear bumper.. and level each out.

Rockers / grill / fog lights get installed Friday! Woo getting closer to wrapping the exterior up. Interiors been done for a while.


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78 Fiat 124
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