58367 The $75 Junkyard Carrera coupe restoration

[JTR70]

3/29/15
Bumpers in final paint.

Got the bumpers reshot yesterday evening and pulled them out into the sunlight this morning. Rick was able to repeat the silver effect beautifully!





The clear settled out with almost no orange peel. If not for the specs of lint and a bug that decided to land on one of the bumpers just after the final coat I'd have almost no reason to cut and buff these.

The photos don't quite capture the glow these give off in the direct sun; I could not be happier with the color and the tone of this particular silver. I'm really getting excited about getting the rest of the car finished out. Will get the dash face painted next so we can seal the interior off in prep for the rest of the body. Working on that now. Thanks for looking! Justin

[gkw]

Very nice, they look flawless.
Gordon

[JTR70]

Thanks Gordon! I shot my photos at just the right angles then because they are far from flawless but they are at a level that I can live with.


I spent some time yesterday giving them their initial cut with 1500 to open them up for a thorough curing.

I'll leave them as is for the next several weeks to harden up for the final blocking and polish.

Begin block sanding the dash for final paint.

Almost blocked and after that a careful masking to seal off the underside of the dash. Thanks for looking! Justin

[John Pierce]

You're not going to paint the car, put everything back on then go driving......all in 1 day just like those TV shows?

Looks great. Thanks for showing how it's done correctly.


JP

[bbspdstr]

Justin, I think I see what was wrong with "take one" of the bumper paint.
They were in the handicapped space.....

I really like that silver! My first two Speedsters were original silver, but "dull aluminum" after only 6 or 7 years...dead, no shine. Paint chemistry has come a long way!

-Bruce

[JTR70]

Thanks John! Yes I am in the exact situation as those TV shows: We're up against a 24 hour deadline here before we give it back to the owner. Motors not built, trans is not built, no interior, I think we're going to be cutting it close on this one.

That's what happened Bruce we rushed it and missed a spot because we where in a handicapped.

Thanks! I am really happy with the color and everyone else who has seen them so far likes the color as well. All that aside it really has come down to the way Rick laid down the metal flake. As you well know without that the hue would be a little different. He claims he's not a serious painter but he's just being modest. I know enough to be dangerous but he completely puts me to shame. He's got an expensive Awata gun specifically for metallic that he used and several others, like another designed strictly for clear-coat etc. He's got all the high end toys but most importantly he seems to know how to use them. I feel extremely fortunate to have found him right in my back yard!
Back to prepping the dash tomorrow. Thanks again you guys!

[roy mawbey]

Those bumpers look really nice Justin. and the colour looks perfect to me. Will the interior be red? Your thread is so long I didn't go back to have a look what was inthe car when you dad bought it. Exciting times for you!

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Roy! Yes, it is getting pretty exciting around here especially safe in the knowledge that the paint and bodywork phase are finally nearing an end. For the longest time I was under the impression that the interior was originally red because the front seats which I thought were original to this car were not (pre-A seats)and they still had their original red leather under a very old black vinyl recovery job. So I had planned on a really rich looking burgundy. However, a few years back it was confirmed that the interior was black from the factory; I want to stay Kardex correct with this car so black it will be; which I am just fine with.

This is pretty close to what my interior will look like though there will be matching GT seats instead. Black, Corduroy inserts with original tan carpet.

[S.J.Szabo]

Mr.Rio:

I'm curious about a good source for the corduroy insert material.

While I have not looked lately, I was under the impression that a correct wale was had to find. The fact that I was looking for a proper grey wasn't helping things, either.

[John Pierce]

Justin: that's a fabulous color combo!

The car is going to look spectacular.

JP

[James Davies]

Your car is looking amazing Justin. Great to see the progress you're making. Very motivating to those of us with similar DIY projects in the shop.

S.J., a very good source of correct wale corduroy is Hefra in the Netherlands.

http://www.heframeubelstoffeerderij.nl/webshop/meubelstoffen/Rib_Stoffen/manchester.html

They don't seem to have a grey that matches mid-50s Porsche colors, but it is a proper upholstery corduroy with the correct wale and pile. The backing on it is a bit thicker than the original cord used by Reutter, but that's good as it should be a bit more durable.

I too need a grey for my '53 coupe interior, and I will likely end up getting the cream/white color from Hefra and color-matching it to some original scraps from my car. I'm planning on redying much of the original cord on my car anyway, so I may as well dye the replacement cord while I'm at it.

Justin, the black and tan interior in the photo above is badass. Love it.

[JTR70]

Fantastic James, thank you for sharing that link! I was just getting ready to tell SJ that I hadn't crossed that bridge yet but would let him know what I eventually found if anything. Their stuff looks nice, have you asked them about sending out some samples? If not I'll definitely have to ask. Thank you very much for nice words about this project! I am always happy to know that these posts might help someone else along with their restoration journey. Thanks again and glad you like the color combo it's going to be.

Thanks again John, I very much appreciate you saying so!!
What color combo is your car going?

Thank you again guys!!
Justin

[S.J.Szabo]

Mr.Davies:

Thanks for the tip. I would ask tho, if you have seen actual samples; it is so hard to judge size/wale gauge from a foto without a scale.

While we're on this subject, I wonder if anyone has found cloth batting that fills/underpins the corduroy. I am not fond of the foam that has become the common solution for padding these days; I find its durability/aging characteristics something less than satisfactory. While not an issue for garage queens, it doesn't seem to fare well in drivers.

[James Davies]

[JTR70]

Very cool back story with all this James, I love the hunt for the detail stuff! While I'm most partial to a Hotrod 356 I do get caught up in what was originally there and getting the most accurate replacement as possible. I want what's modified to be over the top but then what is left as original to the car to be "as original" as possible if that makes any sense. Hefra sounds like the way to go so I'll just need to decide on the shade of tan that looks the best as they seem to offer several versions. Thanks again for sharing this resource!
BTW: loading photos is very straight forward provided you are not using Firefox as your browser. The software does not mesh with this browser for file loading. Try Safari, IE8, or google chrome. Don't forget to hit the "insert: button on each attachment so it will display large.

4/6/15
Dash prepped for sealer then final color.

Took several sessions to carefully sand and prep all those nooks and crannies. Then a solid session more to carefully tape it off.

Glad to be almost done with this area. That floor and tunnel are not the most comfortable place to sit and lay on while you're sanding or taping.
Thanks for looking!
Justin