Be careful what you wish for....

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
My very favorite automotive paint store (actually, the only one left) has changed owners. The previous owner was a grumpy foul mouthed old man whom I never saw leave his perch in the rt. frt. corner of the showroom. He would bark orders at his minions & they jumped. I thought if he ever sold this business, it could be a gold mine in the right hands. Well, he did. To an even bigger a-hole. There's nothing on the shelves, of which he took 3/4th of them out. I tried to get paint for the Imp. The new counter man couldn't find the color (with the factory & Ditzler numbers), said it didn't come in BC/CC, only acrylic enamel, & that Chrysler didn't paint ANYTHING in BC/CC in '81! Couldn't find the interior color either! That was the last mom & pop type joint left near me. All I have left is corporate a-holes left. I try to keep my money in the community as much as possible. That dingus finally called BASF & found it. $116 a qt! I can get a gallon of Sherwin/Williams for $164! Be careful what you wish for...
 

slant6billy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
2,974
Reaction score
697
Sad, but we have one like that too. Called Till's Paints. Grumpy old Bastard. Insults you if you don't know all the lingo. Similar, no shops can paint like they once could. Actually, the MAACO near me is the best for the buck. All legal like to with emissions.
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
I know the paint shops here in midland can mix up any color you desire, they'll even let you take the chip cart out to your car to match up the paint, or if you're lucky enough they'll let you take it home for a couple days.
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
Rub it in, why don't you? This was the last m & p outfit as I said. I have a foul mouth, but not in a professional setting. I swear here because most others do. Not that it justifies it, but it is accepted. There is no reason to use an F bomb in a business environment. This guy couldn't complete a sentence w/o one. His guys were really good at color match, he always stocked name brand, economy brands, anything you wanted, he had, or would get it for you. The new owners don't have much for inventory. What they're supposed to have, is out of stock. The new employees are what "Curly" Howard used to refer to as "educated imbeciles!". I'm just going to use Summit's paint tinted to get me in the ballpark for winter. I plan on a color change in spring, but the PO tried buffing the Imp to the point of burning right through he paint, buffed the clear off & down through the flake that rises to the top of the respray. It'll be close enough for government work. As crappy as the thing looks now, anything will be an improvement.
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
why not just wait till the color change?
That way you save lots of time and money. I know that materials just to tape of the car add up, plus add up sand paper, tack cloths, and mineral spirits (or your choice of wax and grease remover), shop towels and the paint. then you can do it once and do it right
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
I'm breaking my own credo (do it once, do it right, & weld the hood closed) by doing it this way, however, I haven't done anything near this ambitious since I went out on disability 10 yrs ago. I don't know if I have it in me to do what it takes to lay down another show quality finish. The car is going to need to have the top surfaces (roof, hood, deck lid) painted & this will cure the problem, & answer the question whether I want to take on this (or other) paint projects. It's not like I'm putting green on a brown car. The color may or may not be dead nuts on, however, an average man on horseback won't be able to spot it. I feel I can tint it close enough for what's needed here. Plus, I dig painting!
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
is it the original paint on the car?
If so you know its gonna be hard to get a good match to 25+ year old paint
 

alfatar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
89
Reaction score
4
How about 2 tone? No worry about color matching.ps you can get any color on paint scratch .com. I also think eastwood has some kind of paint set up also. Remember to be safe when painting. Some of that stuff is nasty and can make you real sick
mike
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
It is going to be a two tone. But I'm not going to put the work into stripping everything this year. I'm only putting a band aid on a gunshot wound. I'm doing this now to save myself work & money later. This cars' body is an example of just about every "what not to do" in paint & body. Incompatible paint systems (acrylic enamel over BC/CC), didn't use wax & silicone remover, paint is checking where the 1/4 panel was poorly repaired, buffing right through the paint, crappy bodywork (the rt 1/4panel was hit, rather than remove rear bumper & pull out the damage, they smashed the chrome strip & bent the deck lid to match the 1/4 panel), masking to the pinstripe & doing a "hard" mask leaving a ridge in the paint, & I don't know if the runs & sags in the jambs are factory, or aftermarket. I will address these issues when I graft the Mirada fender louvers in the front fenders. All work will be corrected at that time. I plan on using parts from the car I bought from another member. I was looking for the thread that someone had said they knew it was a parts car when I said I wanted to bring the necessary parts & drive it home. Is there something I don't know about this car? PM me with details, please. Thank you, Larry
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
Well its good to know that it sounds like you know what your doing, and sounds like lots of horseshit work, which I know sucks trying to repair something someone fucked up even more then it was before they tried fixing it.

I can't wait to start the body work on my dart, but it has been repainted before so I'm scared at what I'm gonna find under it. Not like it really matters I'm gonna be replacing both 1/4s and doing a roof swap
 
Last edited:

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
Have plasma cutter & MIg; will travel! lol Good luck, there's nothing worse than having to undo someone else's bad work to get to the original problem in the first place. Hopefully they left you enough "good" to repair. That's what I like about mine. The work that was done is so poor that I know they weren't trying to hide something. My wife hates me till this day because most people can say or think what a nice car, but she now looks at one and says "look at those waves, bad paint, bad body work, etc..." She used to enjoy looking at cars. I know of the problems with Mopar sheet metal, that's why I like the Imp's. They really don't rust as badly as the others. The A, B, C, D, E, & F rusted with wreckless abandon, but the Y body doesn't seem nearly as bad. Maybe because they never stayed running long enough to rust! lol every car no matter what manufacturer, or model has its own inherent problems. They're in need of our TLC to really make them into something. But our time is drawing closer to the end.. Big brother is trying to kill the hobby. Many states now have inspections to check for illegal mod.'s. do what you can, while you can. We aren't saddled with many of the same restrictions car companies are. A car is designed. Then the bean counters butcher it by making it cheaper. Then the gov. wants it lighter, safer, more fuel efficient, etc.. Then back for a redesign. Then test. Then modify. Then make it cheaper. This goes on for about 5 yrs. Then we get our grubby little hands on them. I'm never satisfied with the way a car comes from the factory. The Imperial, while a great car, leaves much to be desired. Chrysler went to GM school, "We'll build what we want to build, sell what we want to sell, & they'll like it!". A REAL luxury car has REAL wood veneer, not vinyl genuine-imitation wood. The electrical system, especially the EFI is a nightmare. Time & circumstance always seems to hit Chrysler at the wrong time. They always seem to put out the right car at the wrong time. In '81, the last thing anyone wanted was a 4250 lb personal luxury car. The Arabs saw to that debacle. In '73, the '81 would've been a responsible, downsized Imperial. If the EFI & other quality control issues had been taken care of, the car would probably been a runaway hit. But hindsight is 20/20.
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
That's why I gotta replace 1/4s on the dart is cause of rust
but the roof swap is gonna be a one of none t-top swap
im one that hates anything original, that's why ill mod any car it is, be it be a brand spankin new car, or a super rare one of one, ill mod it to my liking
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
Me too. That's what I'm doing with the Imp. Build it the way they should've, could've, would've if they were allowed to. I have a t top for the Imp. Someone in Canada has a bunch of Mirada's for sale. He has a t top separately. I've PM'd him, but no answer. The seals on the one I got are shot. There's also minor rust repair from where water settled under the seals (imagine that !). Have you ever taken a t top car apart to see what holds that thing in there? Huck (steel pop rivets) rivets. THAT'S it! Your shoulder harness hold the rear in, the huck rivets hold the front! YIKES!
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
Me too. That's what I'm doing with the Imp. Build it the way they should've, could've, would've if they were allowed to. I have a t top for the Imp. Someone in Canada has a bunch of Mirada's for sale. He has a t top separately. I've PM'd him, but no answer. The seals on the one I got are shot. There's also minor rust repair from where water settled under the seals (imagine that !). Have you ever taken a t top car apart to see what holds that thing in there? Huck (steel pop rivets) rivets. THAT'S it! Your shoulder harness hold the rear in, the huck rivets hold the front! YIKES!

the car I chopped the t-top roof off of was a 85 Nissan 300zx and there are no rivets anywhere on that roof, and there wont be any on the dart. of course im gonna be adding frame connectors and torque boxes before I do any chopping
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
I think you should paint it mary kay pink!
One of my very favorite things is pink!!!! The more I look at the ASC hack job of installing the t top kit in the Cordoba my 85 yr. old Dad & I got out of the junk er a automotive recycling center,the more I wonder how in the hell they ever got that system certified! I can see why they all leak! What an F'n joke. I really wish that Mirada guy would give me a call or PM so I could get that roof. The 'Doba & Imp Don't use the same trim & gaskets. The A pillar trim is the same. Then the 'Doba uses a long piece to the rear of the roof. The Imp uses a short one that ends at the beginning of the rear window. It's the same width as the t top. The 'Doba has the fixed 1/4 window w/gasket, the Imp has the cast rear window assy. I'll have to modify a set of seals to fit. A GN or Monte looks similar in size, I wonder if I could (gasp) use their setup instead? As for color JJ, I'm two toning it '04 GM (Caddy, Buick, Pontiac, Olds) white with a heavy gold pearl on the bottom. I've only seen two cars this color, but it REALLY pops, & the top will be a dark root beer pearl or black cherry pearl w/modified formula. In the beginning of this thread I said be careful... Well, the guy that used to mix my paint would spend whatever time it took going through chip books, car photos, whatever & then formulate a new color (which was entered into the computer under my name) for me to spray. Being a small account, I'll bet all that was deleted. You know, the reason we get no respect in general is we don't have a cool title, like house wives (domestic engineer), junk yard (automotive recycling facility), garbage man (sanitary engineer). Maybe painter should be (purveyor of color & shine engineer)? Automotive technician sounds so menial, no class, but it beats, "hey Booger, Gomer, Skeeter, Cooter" etc... But that's what people still perceive us as. Let's come up with one better. Guardians of all that is good in F, M, & J Mopars?
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
You would have to find someone with a t-top g-body and take lots of measurements.
Lucky for me someone on FABO was nice enough to get me the measurements from his duster roof for me as my dart is still in WI, I took lots of measurements of the 300zx and I should be able to make it work. here's pics of the 300zx glass mocked up on the dart when I went to visit my parents

2013-07-01172812_zps9437b9f3.jpg

2013-07-01172801_zpsde83b2e3.jpg
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
Looks like it might work. You already took lots of measurements, but if you haven't thought of it, make cardboard & welding rod templates before you break out the "beer & saws all". A scrap Dart/Duster roof wouldn't hurt either. Pick apart sells complete roofs for $60 ! T top included! Easier to F that up than your cars roof! Good luck! My Granddaughter's only 2 so I have a couple of yrs. before I get my next gen helper. Son went metro sexual on me & doesn't work on cars anymore, daughter got married & husband is stationed out of state, thee olde Hide's well, thee olde hide, post menopausal says it all, Dad's 85 & slowing down a bit, Mom's 84, will help hang a gutter, install sliding glass doors, but get greasy? Yuck!
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
57
Location
sticks of WI
I do have an extra roof, figured I'll save that incase something doesn't workout
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
Ah, wiseman, smart move grasshopper! But wouldn't it be easier to flip that roof every which way, mocking up, & if, God forbid you should make a mistake, or if it won't work, you save the time, effort, not to mention upsetting the rigidity of the uni-body by having to cut off the (I assume?) good roof on your car?
 
Back
Top