More progress

[azygoustoyou]

Thanks guys. I just purchased the remote door and trunk actuators. I'll soon shave the door handles. As you can see the trunk has already been cleaned up. I'm going to see if the actuator will work on the hood too. Some of the toys I have for the car include: Marks header, GT 250 fiberglass dash, 15" Rotas, magnaflow exhaust, custom fiberglass bumperettes, roll bar with wind screen, custom rad overflow bottle, Griots super loud Italian air horn, Vitaloni mirrors, custom skid plate,and custom washer bottle.

[azygoustoyou]

Getting the doors back on the car isn't easy. What do you guys do to make it easier? I had it adjusted wrong and the door squeezed past the front fender taking the paint off. It didn't bend the fender thank god. Still It took a while to get it back open without messing anything up. I didn't think I was going to get it. Now I have to figure whats best. Paint the doors on the car or take a chance on screwing up the paint job putting them on. Any advice is helpful.
Here's a couple pic's. The door still isn't exactly correct yet. I wanted to straighten all the edges to make the seams uniformed and crisp. The car isn't going to have emblems, handles, side lights, or big bumpers.

[ITA124]

I had it adjusted wrong and the door squeezed past the front fender taking the paint off

Brady,
I've had the exact same thing. The car was completely resprayed and I was adjusting the doors and nicked the front guard (fender) taking off a big flake of paint and some hi-Fill . All good now.

My paint shop painted the doors, car and hinges separately and mounted the doors (it was may fault to play with the door once the car came home)

An option would be to paint the door cut-out, hinges and around the door. Mount the doors to the car, mask-off the gaps and paint the whole car.

Good luck. You car is coming up trumps (however you translate that in US English)

[htchevyii]

Aligning those doors can be a bitch. I've had the best luck stripping the doors down and leaving them on the car. I usually remove the strikers so the doors won't latch and mask off the inside of the car with plastic. It's just too hard to hang the painted doors without damaging anything.

[mcane227]

Brady,

Spent the last 90 minutes going through this thread from the beginning. If I didn't see your garage and the car, I probably wouldn't believe it by this thread alone. I am as amazed as I was when I saw everything up close. Your work has been an inspiration to get my spider in shape, as well as the help and tips I get from the other Jersey Guys (even though I'm from Pennsy). Can't wait to see the progress to the finish.

See you soon.

Mart

[azygoustoyou]

Thanks guys,
I figured after talking to others that would be the best way to paint the car. I'm going to paint the inside of the eng. bay, trunk, and interior with the final coat. Paint the inside and around the doors off the car. Then put them on to do the bodywork and alignment of the exterior. I was told it would be best to paint the car with the doors on since it could give a different shade painting them off because of how paint lays or falls differently in different positions. Just adjusting this doors are really difficult. I have to get the door to come outward on the bottom and stay close to the same position on the top. Just loosening one mount at a time isn't letting it move. Loosening both and you pretty much are starting over. It's like hitting the lottery if you get it right.

Thanks Martin,
It was great having you all over. I can't wait till my car sits along side the rest of yours.

[azygoustoyou]

I got the area around the front fog light done. It look so cool. I just had to share. Finally two weeks after building the wooden platform to get the car out of the garage. I got a nice day.

[SLOSpider]

Not sure if it matters but I always seen supports welded across door openings on converts when on rotisseries with the doors off so the body does not want to taco on itself.

[bwilson27]

I'm going to paint the inside of the eng. bay, trunk, and interior with the final coat. Paint the inside and around the doors off the car. Then put them on to do the bodywork and alignment of the exterior. I was told it would be best to paint the car with the doors on

That's what I plan on doing. I want to get the engine bay and trunk finished first, then the interior and all the door jams.
I'll paint and finish the all of the inaccessible areas (mating surfaces and such) on the hood, trunk & doors, leaving the majority of these pieces unfinished. Then I'll attach the hood, trunk & doors and paint the car as a whole.

I can't imagine being able to produce a decent paint job without removing the doors. Those recesses where the hinges go are about impossible to clean up and get to with the doors on.

[Curly]

Not sure if it matters but I always seen supports welded across door openings on converts when on rotisseries with the doors off so the body does not want to taco on itself.

If you were replacing floor, tunnel or sill sections of the body, door bracing would be a requirement to keep the door gaps correct. However, if no major structural work is being done, door bracing on the Spider isn't necessary.

As for painting -

I'm going to paint the inside of the eng. bay, trunk, and interior with the final coat. Paint the inside and around the doors off the car. Then put them on to do the bodywork and alignment of the exterior.

This is also how SPYDUH was done.

[azygoustoyou]

Hi Guys,
Slospider- I did have braces in the doors and after I did all the welding and undercarriage. I just took them off.

Bwilson- I know what your talking about. It's also hard to paint in those areas. Here's a trick I learned. Tape around the square holes in the door jams, then paint them. This will help from getting runs on the outside. Then take the tape off and paint the rest. How's your project progressing. You should start a post so we can keep up with your work.

Curly- Thanks for showing pic's. I love looking at others work of arts. Do you have your own paint booth I'm going to have to take the car off the rotisserie soon. I can't do the mod's in the back around the bumper holes with it on. I have so many things to do and can't do them unless done in order. At least the bottom is done.

I'm hoping to be painting polyester primer on in about a week and half. It builds nicely. Then block it. Then prime with epoxy primer and paint. I have to say. It seemed like forever to get to this point. But as I'm sanding. It really doesn't matter how long it takes. I can see the progress and it feels great knowing I'm getting there.

[Curly]

Curly- Thanks for showing pic's. I love looking at others work of arts. Do you have your own paint booth

Unfortunately not
BUT... I have some mates who run a panel shop and after having done all the prep and priming at home, SPYDUH was taken down to their shop and set up again on the rotisserie for them to spray the top coats in 2-pak. It's also too dangerous to use that stuff at home without all the proper gear.

[maytag]

Not sure if it matters but I always seen supports welded across door openings on converts when on rotisseries with the doors off so the body does not want to taco on itself.

This is usually only neccesary with cars removed from the frame, or in the case of unibody-cars (like our Spiders) in the case of replacing major structural panels like the rocker-sills or center-tunnel. Otherwise the body should be plenty strong to support itself on the rotisserie, same as it does on the wheels....

[SLOSpider]

Not sure if it matters but I always seen supports welded across door openings on converts when on rotisseries with the doors off so the body does not want to taco on itself.

This is usually only neccesary with cars removed from the frame, or in the case of unibody-cars (like our Spiders) in the case of replacing major structural panels like the rocker-sills or center-tunnel. Otherwise the body should be plenty strong to support itself on the rotisserie, same as it does on the wheels....

Thanks for the info guys...makes sense as the ones I am probably thinking about were cars with separate frames involved. Progress is looking great!

[bwilson27]

Bwilson- You should start a post so we can keep up with your work.

It's about 200 degrees F in my garage right now, but I manage to do bits at a time.
Here's my engine tonight: