The Quadraphonic Gremlin Progress report....

[boondocks]

What? Is it illegal to spray touchup paint on your car, in your driveway/yard?

Lotta difference between a spraycan and a full out paint job. But yeah, it's illegal in a lot of places, could be also an EPA thing, I dunno.

 

[Q-Eight]

What? Is it illegal to spray touchup paint on your car, in your driveway/yard?

Touchup is fine. But if you're spraying a whole car in your backyard and somebody reports you.... yeah, you'll be getting a visit from the Po-po, a fine and your painting stuff taken away. Jail time if you're a repeat offender.

If you have a business license, then you can spray the low VOC, waterborne stuff. If it's under a certain amount you can get a pass on single stage.... like my Gremlin. I don't like base/clear jobs and I especially don't like the waterborne stuff. I specifically requested single stage urethane because I knew we'd be under the limit.

But if you work on air craft, you can use all the single-stage you like. Ditto if you have your farming license.... all the single stage you can buy.

I'm sure I'm glossing over some details in an effort not to be political. Bottom line remains: Canada is a weird country and it's only getting weirder by the minute. It's certainly not the country I grew up in anymore and let's just leave it at that again, so this doesn't turn into anything political.

Meanwhile, the Gremlin is already epoxied and in it's first coat of high-build primer. It's blocking, blocking, blocking this week. Did get a warning email saying we've gone a little over budget too but... that almost comes as no surprise.

 

[MidiMagic]

Lotta difference between a spraycan and a full out paint job. But yeah, it's illegal in a lot of places, could be also an EPA thing, I dunno.

Stolen car thing.

Also, doing a business activity in a residential zone.

 

[Q-Eight]

Epoxy Sealant.

High Build Primer.

Had a little bit of a hiccup sourcing a recipe for the paint. WHAT?!?! They can't mix paint for my 52-year-old, obscure as f***, car??? Outrageous! But, one quick call to a friend of mine later and we had the modern recipe for Big Bad Green. It even came with the assurance from PPG that it is as correct as they can make it and have, thus far, had no complaints on the mix.

Might see color by the end of next week.

 

[ummagumma]

Awesome!!!

 

[Q-Eight]

The downside is we've exceeded my budget. (sort of) I was quoted between 12k and 15k. Well, some rust work and a LOT of dent removal burnt up 250 hours very quickly.
I mean, it's not a HUGE deal.... I had 20-large set aside for this it's just that the total is probably going to wind up being nearer 17k plus tax

Oh well.

On the plus side, I'll probably be able to ask 30k-35k US when I decide to sell. If not more! So, I'm not upside down on the car at all.

 

[Doug G.]

With some things, money is NOT what's important.

Doug

 

[ar surround]

The downside is we've exceeded my budget. (sort of) I was quoted between 12k and 15k. Well, some rust work and a LOT of dent removal burnt up 250 hours very quickly.
I mean, it's not a HUGE deal.... I had 20-large set aside for this it's just that the total is probably going to wind up being nearer 17k plus tax

Oh well.

On the plus side, I'll probably be able to ask 30k-35k US when I decide to sell. If not more! So, I'm not upside down on the car at all.

I have yet to hear a friend or colleague tell me about a car restoration they set out on that didn’t finish over budget.

 

[Q-Eight]

I have yet to hear a friend or colleague tell me about a car restoration they set out on that didn’t finish over budget.

Oh, for sure. Even Jay Leno says "If you're restoring cars and making profit, you're doing something wrong!"
I'm just worried about dipping into my retirement a little too much but.... chances are I'll never retire anyway. Like I said, very few males in my family make it past 65.

But, at least I'm not upside down on the car (meaning spent more than the car is worth). Excellent condition Gremlins are now trading around 30k US.

I've got at this point 15-18k in the body alone. About 3k in the interior. $500 wheels/tires. A little over $1000 when I rebuilt the front end. $1500 to rebuild the rear axle a few years ago. Couple hundred in door hinges. I might eventually get the bumpers rechromed but that'll be another year or two in the future. My current ones will buff up nicely.
So, I've barely got 20k Canadian in it.... a lot of the hard-to-find parts I've gotten over the last 20 years for next to nothing. There was a time when these cars weren't worth anything. I paid $750 US in 2001 for the car.... and it cost me $800 cdn to have a buddy ship it from Seattle to where I live.

We've had quite a journey this little car and me.

Got a few update emails today. Patrick is reasonably satisfied with the blocking and we should see paint by Tuesday! He said he did have a heck of a panic moment when he laid down the epoxy sealant and ALL the little door dings became easier to see. Lots of filler later and he's happy with the result.

 

[Owen Smith]

Going back to tyres (UK spelling), in the UK sports cars were running radials in the 1950s. Everyday drivers were choosing whether to run cross-ply or radials in the 1960s and by the 1970s radials were pretty standard for new cars. I remember public safety campaigns warning against mixing radials and cross-ply, it was OK to mix front to back but not side to side. As I understand it from my dad, the US was about 2 decades behind Europe in switching to radials, because cross-plys do more miles per tyre and you guys do a lot more miles than we do.

 

[Doug G.]

There was a Big Bad Green what looked like an El Camino in a commercial tonight. Obviously not original paint. I can't remember for what the commercial was.

Doug

 

[GOS]

I used to love El Caminos....so freaking cool. My best buddy had one......god the fun we had.

 

[MidiMagic]

I saw an El Camino yesterday in a McDonald's parking lot. Too much rust.

 

[Doug G.]

I saw an El Camino yesterday in a McDonald's parking lot. Too much rust.

Of course, the newest ones can't be any newer than 34 years old.

Doug

 

[Q-Eight]

I have nothing to say.

 

[Owen Smith]

That's total green overload! Excellent!

 

[Q-Eight]

That's total green overload! Excellent!

I can't wait to see it in the sunlight. I'll probably have to warn bystanders that serious retinal damage may occur if you stare directly at the Gremlin!

 

[boondocks]

I saw an El Camino yesterday in a McDonald's parking lot. Too much rust.

There's a local car club with a sharp El Camino. Last week I also saw an old Ranchero parked at a dealer's lot. Never liked the Ford's that much though.

 

[Doug G.]

It's already beautiful. Can hardly wait to see it done and outside, too.

I can't wait to see it in the sunlight. I'll probably have to warn bystanders that serious retinal damage may occur if you stare directly at the Gremlin!

WARNING: If you look at this car in sunlight and then look away, you will see a green spot, in the shape of a Gremlin, in your field of vision, for 10 minutes before it finally fades. This is normal.

Doug

 

[Q-Eight]

Unwrapped and out of the booth. They've got a little assembly to do (doors, windows, hood) and then I've got the rest of the assembly to do (grille, bumpers, interior, trinkets).
I am lucky in that there is ONE fellow who reproduces the Gremlin script emblems, so I bought three of those rather than putting the scabby ones back on. The little Gremlin men on the fenders I'd have to find NOS, so.... gotta re-use what I've got. Lucky mine are in OK shape, just one has a slightly bent foot.

Should be home in about 2 weeks.