Finally...

[zarbat007]

Originally Posted by carjoe

I disagree on that part, after you wash it, start it. a couple of reasons:
1-make sure it starts
2-The heat of the motor will dry off the excess moisture and keep the water from seeping in to places it shouldn't but really, short of submerging the engine bay, this is a silly discussion. And if the discussion were about submerging the motor, this would be a very, very different forum.

I didn't mean drying over night. Just the excess water over/around the engine. I started mine about 5 mins after washing.

PS: when are ya gonna do the bodywork? Decide on a shop yet?

[carjoe]

Maybe in the fall. I'm putting all my efforts into fixing/finishing existing house stuff. Anyone have a shortcut to cutting recessed ceiling tiles?

[zarbat007]

Painted the front bumper. Finally. *rolleyes*
That was a pain in the ass.

Before:

Rock chips. Lots of it. To me, it was an eyesore. Looked like as if it was sandblasted.




Rock chips/paint cracks sanded and feather-edged.




R-M adhesion promoter for plastic, sprayed with Devilbiss SRI mini.




Nason 421-19 2K primer:




All sanded with P800 and 3M gray scuff pad on vents.

Waiting for base coat to flash. Don't mind the ghetto masking.




Finaly. clearcoat.







Paint guns of choice:


Sata HVLP 3000 digital with 1.3 tip for basecoat (R-M Diamont).




Sata RP 3000 with 1.3 tip for Lesonal ProAir clearcloat.




Result was pretty good. I'll take more pictures later when I install the bumper.

Thanks for looking!

Next: Clearcoating headlights.

[bmwconnect]

WOW very nice!!

[carjoe]

Good work!

[Philboski]

You did this work yourself? Do you do rust work by any chance

[everlast]

Holy shit. Body man in the house?

[HavocSteve]

Looks like I'll be seeing you for my BMW painting

[zarbat007]

Thanks guys. I'm not a body man or a painter, nor I do this for a living.
I'm just a hobbyist. I've been reading various autobody sites for a few years now and I know a thing or two about products and steps.

I do this usually after work and on weekends. And yes, I did it all by myself.


Installed the bumper today. It still needs to be adjusted a bit.
It was about to rain again but I took pics anyway. I'll probably take more pics later when the car is washed and its nice and sunny.
























Thanks for looking.

[bmwconnect]

very nice

[everlast]

Damn, looks like it has water drops all over it. Ruined.



Seriously though, you have fancy names for things like primer and a spray gun with the word "digital" in it. I suppose all finger operated guns are digital (HA!) but really, you sound like you know what you're talking about.

You should start a Q&A body work thread. Every other one of us has questions.

[gervs]

Did you paint the moldings too?

[zarbat007]

Originally Posted by everlast

Damn, looks like it has water drops all over it. Ruined.



Seriously though, you have fancy names for things like primer and a spray gun with the word "digital" in it. I suppose all finger operated guns are digital (HA!) but really, you sound like you know what you're talking about.

You should start a Q&A body work thread. Every other one of us has questions.

lol nothing fancy, just the product numbers/names and the "digital" refers to the air pressure gauge that is built into the gun, VS buying a separate regulator and attaching it to the gun. Kinda overkill but it was a good deal and I couldn't pass on it.

This job is not "perfect" by my standard, I had to finish it ASAP, I could use a few glazing here and there, but its better than looking at bumper chipped to hell.

[zarbat007]

Originally Posted by gervs

Did you paint the moldings too?

Yes I did, however the license plate plate bracket has a crack and right molding has a broken clip, but I painted them anyway. A decent adhesive is at least $40 so I'm better off finding them used in good shape.

[carjoe]

Nice colour match too!