Full body & Paint Restoration
Our latest commission will get stripped down to bare metal for complete body and paint work. This 1987 Buick Grand National is one of those cool muscle cars from the 80s. It was one of the original ‘murdered-out’ paint schemes. The engine and suspension have already been updated so we aim to make the exterior as nice!
When you strip a car down to bare metal, you get to see all it’s flaws. This car has seen a few previous repairs and paint jobs. The rear quarter panel was replaced at some point and will need a proper fix as the previous work was not quite to our standard.
The hood had many layers of paint and primer. Some of which was fairly low quality. Stripping it bare will allow us to start with a good foundation. Prepping the metal is key to a great paint job that lasts. The picture below shows a hole in the quarter panel/trunk area that we will also fix. The pop riveted trunk support will also get welded for safety.
After stripping the paint down to bare metal, we sealed the metal with primer. This epoxy primer bonds really well to the metal and provides a perfect surface for bodywork. Jesus will start the bodywork now that the metal is sealed. Once the bodywork is completed, paint can begin.
Bodywork has started. Filler is used to really help flatten the surface. The previous bodywork was fairly rough and needed some help. This car will be painted black so we have to place extra effort to ensure the final paintwork really looks great.
The quarter panel really needed a fair amount of work as the previous bodywork was poorly done. The panel was barely welded in place and backed with a plate on the inside that was rusting. We rewelded it correctly and secured the panel.
The door hinges were quite tired and allowed the doors to sag. We replaced them and refit the doors so that the gaps look good and fit properly.
We sprayed another layer of primer/sealer onto the car to get her ready for the final bit of bodywork. This final step is key to achieving a flat surface that will allow the black paint to truly shine.
We’ve begun painting the GN. The black paint is going to look fantastic when we are done. All the work to get the surface ready has been worth it.
We let the paint cure before starting the color sanding process.
We are reassembling the car and discovering some shoddy work from the past. We found plenty of screws being used inappropriately so have taken the time to source the correct hardware. The car has some aftermarket engine upgrades that were held in place with zip ties! We’ll fix that for sure.
We refit the t-tops in hopes that it would fix the leak that the client said existed. We’ll find out if our adjustments were enough or if new seals need to be sourced.
The door handles were also in need of some TLC. Ultimately we bought new hinges to get them working correctly.
Color sanding has begun. Taking sandpaper to a shiny painted surface is not for the faint of heart! This step really flattens the clear coat surface to deliver a perfect reflection. Luckily our guys are experts and really make the paintwork look superb.
The reflection with black paint is simply amazing!
Time to reinstall the trim pieces like door handles and badges.
The turbo needed attention so we had a look. It had too much play so we found a rebuilder. Unfortunately the parts needed to rebuild it were either not available or lost. We switched gears and decided to get a new turbo. Naturally it needed some tweaks to fit correctly. We are changing some of the plumbing as well to improve the durability and longevity.
We designed and fabricated a bracket to support the bypass valve. This turbo is a nice upgrade over the aftermarket kit we replaced. We added a new silicone coupler and tidied up the lines. She started up and ran nicely.
I took her out for a shake down cruise around town. Made a short list of items to address. The black paint is amazing out in the sun!
