My '55 Belair 2 Door Hardtop Build (sort of

[Troy]

Thanks Guy's, I got a lot of the other half of the firewall sanded today!!! I'm worried about using paint remover so I don't mess up the new powder coating on the frame. I tried Brian's process it was working on the 1982 Lacquer paint but was very hard to get the factory paint off so I used my angle grinder with flapper discs and it worked!! I'm going to use Brian's process to remove the undercoating on the lower section of the firewall. Anyway here's a picture of the other half progressing on. I still have work but I'm getting there!!!!

Firewall.jpg

[Troy]

Hey ya'll, I've pretty much got the fire wall ready for epoxy primer!!! I'm thinking about removing the frame from underneath the body so I don't get any paint on the powder coating! I don't want to remove the rear end so I'm looking at supporting the body on some 4x4's under the rockers crosswise of the body. Has anyone ever supported your body on two 4x4's on jack stands? I'm just wondering if the 4x4's would support the weight! Thanks, and have a good one!!!

[BamaNomad]

Without the front clip, it shouldn't be a problem, but I recommend putting 2x4 s under each rocker to spread out the load then use your 4x4s across them at the front and rear of the rocker. It would be an even better idea to put a couple of 2x4's across at those points and screw them to the 2x4's under the rockers to ensure they don't slip out of place...

[Troy]

Thanks Bama, I appreciate your idea!!!

[Troy]

Hello All,

I've finally got my firewall stripped down, but the weather is too cold and wet to start the painting and priming!!! Anyway I have a question for down the line, my engine is a '75 350 Chevy and I think the cam is possibly going bad so I'm thinking about replacing it. The reason I think the cams going bad is when I rebuilt it I didn't know about the break in procedure and then later I used a synthetic oil on a flat tappet cam. The engine is stock and I've rebuilt it so it's pretty fresh, can anyone tell me what a good cam is that would make it lumpy just a little bit but not like a top fuel cam!!

[Troy]

Well it's about to happen!!! I've finally got good weather so I can start painting my fire wall!! Yipee!!! 1st Epoxy primer, 2nd some body working, 3rd primer, 4th Grabber Blue, 5th Clear coat!!! Hope it's done soon!!!

[schovil69]

Well it's about to happen!!! I've finally got good weather so I can start painting my fire wall!! Yipee!!! 1st Epoxy primer, 2nd some body working, 3rd primer, 4th Grabber Blue, 5th Clear coat!!! Hope it's done soon!!!

Remember the sealer after the primer and prior to paint.

[chevynut]

Remember the sealer after the primer and prior to paint.

Sealer is not really needed depending on the type of primer and the condition of the primer prior to paint. The main purpose of sealer is to provide a uniform color surface for the paint. Most primers can be coated with paint directly. We didn't use a sealer under my Nomad's topcoat. We sprayed white basecoat over the final urethane primer, then sprayed the orange base and clear.

[Troy]

Well I finally got my 55's firewall Epoxy Primer'd, now I've got a bunch of body workin' to do!!! It's not very smooth. Somehow I'm unable to load a picture!!

[Rick_L]

Sealer is not really needed depending on the type of primer and the condition of the primer prior to paint.

Not only that, but primer is often used as a sealer, usually with a bit of reducer so that it sprays smooth.