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General Minitrail Talk
Projects/Builds
How do you prep your frames?
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<blockquote data-quote="69ST" data-source="post: 189616" data-attributes="member: 5"><p>Pinholes, or worse, left behind can be worriesome; it all depends upon their location(s) and size/total acreage. They're not all that common and of what's come across my bench, most were the inner heatshield and lower rear wheel arch...battery electrolyte (acid) damage. </p><p></p><p>Bodywork has indeed gotten expensive. A boatload of new regs went into effect in 2006. Corporate mergers eliminated competition, within the past 4-5 years. The cost of automotive paints, along with everything needed to actually use them, have at least quadrupled since 2001. Some materials have taken stratospheric increases. For example, mineral spirits went from $3.00/gallon to $14.00; a drum of glass bead blast media went from $16 to $75...and the drums are smaller. Start-to-finish, a typical K0-K3 frameset takes 25 man-hours to complete...minimum. If there's substantial damage repair involved, the 40-hour mark is easily reached. Just a little math will tell you why the costs are what they are...and how much a motivated DIYer can earn in "sweat equity".</p><p></p><p>The middle ground, at present, is a basecoat/clearcoat paint system, using a catalyzed clear top coat. That can give very good results and allow one to keep the project total under $300. Basic airdyr/rattlecan enamel can turn out very well, too. It's not as durable but still superior to what was used 40-50 years ago. Enamel can be colorsanded & polished to great effect, given some time (usually weeks) to fully harden. </p><p></p><p>Most important element of any refinishing job is the prep. Get that right and a great result is possible.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="69ST, post: 189616, member: 5"] Pinholes, or worse, left behind can be worriesome; it all depends upon their location(s) and size/total acreage. They're not all that common and of what's come across my bench, most were the inner heatshield and lower rear wheel arch...battery electrolyte (acid) damage. Bodywork has indeed gotten expensive. A boatload of new regs went into effect in 2006. Corporate mergers eliminated competition, within the past 4-5 years. The cost of automotive paints, along with everything needed to actually use them, have at least quadrupled since 2001. Some materials have taken stratospheric increases. For example, mineral spirits went from $3.00/gallon to $14.00; a drum of glass bead blast media went from $16 to $75...and the drums are smaller. Start-to-finish, a typical K0-K3 frameset takes 25 man-hours to complete...minimum. If there's substantial damage repair involved, the 40-hour mark is easily reached. Just a little math will tell you why the costs are what they are...and how much a motivated DIYer can earn in "sweat equity". The middle ground, at present, is a basecoat/clearcoat paint system, using a catalyzed clear top coat. That can give very good results and allow one to keep the project total under $300. Basic airdyr/rattlecan enamel can turn out very well, too. It's not as durable but still superior to what was used 40-50 years ago. Enamel can be colorsanded & polished to great effect, given some time (usually weeks) to fully harden. Most important element of any refinishing job is the prep. Get that right and a great result is possible. [/QUOTE]
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