Thread: Hey spraytech

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What did (or will) you do around the joints on your '37 where two body panels were mated together - for ex. where the top is welded to the rest of the body?

It seems like something has to be done to seal off that joint because if you don't, rust will inevitably seep out.

Also, did you keep the gutters on your car? If so, what is the best way to ensure that they are cleaned, prepped, and painted properly. It seems almost impossible to get good paint coverage in there.

I Tac welded the seam around the back with my wire feed , and am going to use Silicon Bronze Rod and my Tig, and fill the seam ( & grind smooth ), as The Silicon Bronze melts at a lower temp so It wont warp the panels. Silicon Bronze is what the factories use to seam the 1/4 panel to roof joints on new vehicles.
Body Filler , primer , stick real good to it , unlike brass .

The drip rails were in sad shape , bent, smashed,& rusted , so I used my air hack saw and cut them off, and got 1/4" steel rod and welded it in the same place as the old drip rails, and then ground the front & rear ends to a taper to flow into the rear roof line & cowl.

I would try and keep the drip rails on your rod if they are in good shape ! I would reccomend sand blasting down in the channel to get all the old seam sealer and crud out of there. Then seal the bare metal with something like PPG's DPLF 90 , let dry then get an automotive paintable seam sealer and run a bead of it inside the channel, then smooth out as best you can.( you can use PPG's DX 330 wax & grease remover to help smooth it out as it really works nice.)
Let it all set and dry for a few days then prime it and sand smooth.

Spray

I'm afraid the silicon bronze isn't an option for me. I will be spraying DPLF90 in the next day or so, but I just don't know if I should do something to the seam prior to spraying. Is that seam sealer flexible at all?

As for the driprails, are you saying I should use that seam sealer to fill in the rails completely or just try to fill in that body seam down in there? If you are saying that I should just try to seal the seam, it sounds like a difficult task. I have to fold sandpaper around a puddy knife just to get in there to sand.

They make a flexable , paintable automotive seam sealer you could try, or just mix some body filler and spread it in the seam fairly thin with your finger and sand smooth , and DP over that.

well I forgot how tight the rails were on the 37 , I would just make sure I got a few good heavy coats of DP down in the rail to help against rusting, beings you cant get anything down in the rail to smooth out the sealer.

I am almost glad now mine were smashed flat and had to cut them off and make my own, as I hate sanding those hard to reach areas ...LOL

Hell I havent even worked on mine for 5 months, got burnt out on it . I'm almost thinking of getting rid of it as I dont feel like messing with trying to get a title for it , because the guy i got it from is going to jail for imbesslement , and I have no clue where he got it from, he said it was a trade. all I have is a written bill of sale from him. So I dont know what to do really

Spray

Spray,

Is there a VIN or other ID on the car? If so, you may be able to license it although it's a bit of a hassle. I picked this up from the KS DMV site:

I just bought a vehicle and the seller did not give me the title and I can't find him, or the title that the seller gave me does not have a complete assignment (missing signatures, mileage, etc.) and I can't locate the seller to fix the problem. What do I do?
If the seller does not give the buyer a properly assigned title and cannot be located, the buyer must consult with an attorney and go to court to obtain a court order authorizing the Kansas Department of Revenue to title the vehicle in the name of the petitioner (quiet title action).

I kinda wish I had cut mine off too, but I'm not taking any steps backward now.

I was thinking about maybe putting some fiberglass filler in the crack(s). I would hate to put some flexible sealer in there knowing that I will be spraying non-flexible paint over it.

I also have some zero-rust, and I was thinking about getting a small paintbrush and painting all of those areas by hand before I prime. Then I could just smooth out any visible brush marks when it dries.

So many options, so much uncertainty.


I don't have a title, either. When I got my car from Wisconson, the serial# plate had been removed. It appears that the rules for obtaining a title here in MS are pretty lax. Apparantly, I COULD just say that the car had been sitting in my grandmother's pasture for years, and she gave it to me. That way, they could issue me a title.

...not that I would do anything like that.