WRITE-UP..Shaved center tail light panel (no more key hole)

[crimson_bird]

okay so heres the deal, after having washed my car twice since gettinn it in august i realized that some of the swirl marks in the center panel were not going to go away no matter what i did. plus i didnt like the keyhole in the back. so i decided to have some fun and clean it up a bit... so i decided to shave it and repaint it.

Materials Needed:
-100 grit sand paper
-250 grit sand paper
-600 grit sand paper
-bondo body filler
-masking tape
-sanding block
-dupli-color auto primer
-dupli-color black auto paint
-dupli-color clear coat
-decal of your choice- or no decal for a bloack out look
-polishing compound
-wax

STEPS and PICTURES

Before:

STEP 1) take the 600 grit sand paper and wet sand the panel to scuff up the surface and remove the bird and trans am decals.



STEP 2) take a couple pieces of masking tape and cover the back of the key hole.




STEP 3) get your body filler- follow its directions- and fill in the hole real good with the filler. put more than enough to just fill the hole, you'll sand it all down after it dries. -there are other easier options for the body filler, i just used this because i had it at the house.




STEP 4) after the filler has dried 30-40 minutes, take your 100 grit s.p. sand down the bulk of the filler. i then switched to the 250 and got it down almost even, and then switch again to the 600 grit to finish it up and get out the scratches left from the lower grit papers. once you're done wash it down and remove the tape from the back (i did nothing special with the back). ----If you do like me and sand it down too much where the hole is a little sunk in, add some more filler and follow the directions from steps 3 and 4 again.





STEP 5) once you are all done sanding and have given the panel a good wash, you are now ready to primer it. i did 2 or 3 coats, i forgot.



STEP 6) now its time for paint. i chose to keep it black, but you can do any color you want. i did 3 or 4 coats of paint.

after having filled the hole a second time and priming it, i thought i filled the hole perfectly, couldn't see it at all. sadly, afer doing the first coat of paint that hole pulled a houdini and reappeared. but at this point i wasn't turning back.



STEP 7) decal time. i bought a set of replica decals that look the same as the stock decals that i found on ebay. but i did switch the bird and the writing around to put the bird on top. you can do whatever you chose to though. make sure you put them on even. or you can do nothing at all, and leave it blank.



STEP 8) clear coat. i applied 3 good coats. at this point you will be filling all good inside with the work of art you have just accomplished



Based on what i had always heard about painting, after you paint, everyone says to wet sand it with 1500-2000 grit sand paper, than use a polishing compound, then finish with a wax.--- i had a BAD experience with this. after wet sanding with 2000 grit sand paper, i dried it and took it outside to take a look at it- it looked TERRIBLE. i thought i had completely ruined it, but i had sanded it normal, and not too hard or anything like that. so i figured this was normal so i continued with the rest of the steps. the rubbing compound and wax made it better but did not fully correct it, and it defienitely wasn't as goos as it was. so i was a little pissed. i decided to re-wet sand it with the 2000 grit to reomve the wax and everything and recoated with a couple more coats of clear coat....back to beautiful. i let it dry for a few hours and decided it looked perfect as is. but after a couple days i do plan on going over it with the polishing compound and wax. no more wet sanding though.

AND THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!!!
-i did did the ceta mod at the same time, and painted it exactly the same way, came out GREAT!

[PERFECT Z28]

Not bad, but some plastic repair would have been a better choice...or even kitty hair...

[KriegerEhre]

good writeup but i still think the rough painted look would not match the tail lights since the before product was a smooth clean plastic.

[crimson_bird]

Originally Posted by PERFECT Z28

Not bad, but some plastic repair would have been a better choice...or even kitty hair...

im a bit lost.. better choice for what? and what is kitty hair?

Originally Posted by KriegerEhre

good writeup but i still think the rough painted look would not match the tail lights since the before product was a smooth clean plastic.

trust me, it doesn't look rough AT ALL. if you look at the last pic, you can see it blends perfectly with the lights. i've showed it and the ceta mod to several friends and they though i paid to get it done. once i do the polish compound and wax it should get even glossier though. thanks though

[MjMaro]

Originally Posted by crimson_bird

im a bit lost.. better choice for what? and what is kitty hair?

He's talking about for filling the hole. Kitty hair is mat used with fiberglass resin which can be used as a filler for body panels.

[crimson_bird]

^ oh okay. thakns for the info. i knew there were easier things to use, i just had this in the garage already so i went with it.

[DaRReLL]

Very nice write up.
Looks Bad Ass.....

[evilZO6]

Looks great! I don't know what happened with your wet sanding experience, but it doesn't sound right at all. 2000 grit is SO FINE, you cant even tell you're sanding anything. Thats the whole point. It sounds like you had a coarser grit and didn't realize it, but i doubt that. Anyway, looks good! Did you also clear your tails while you were at it?

[fccs]

Your suppose to wetsand when your all done and when the clear is on, then buff. That way it smooths everything out and the buffing removes the 2000grit scratches you just gave the clear coat. lol If you do it by hand then yea.. its going to look like shit and it's not going to turn out that great.

[x2jesse1x]

Good attempt and im not knocking u. But the bondo will more then likly crack and fall out over time.

[Marc3.4V6]

you needed at the very least a metal or mesh backing rather than tape, but even then I wouldn't have used regular body filler for that. Looks good, but expect to re-do it the right way eventually, I guarantee it will fall off over time and after closing the trunk several times.

[crimson_bird]

Originally Posted by evilZO6

Looks great! I don't know what happened with your wet sanding experience, but it doesn't sound right at all. 2000 grit is SO FINE, you cant even tell you're sanding anything. Thats the whole point. It sounds like you had a coarser grit and didn't realize it, but i doubt that. Anyway, looks good! Did you also clear your tails while you were at it?

trust me, i was just as confused with the result at first. i didnt clear the tail lights., but while they were off i used some Meguire's swirl X, and then some Turtle spray on wax.

Originally Posted by fccs

Your suppose to wetsand when your all done and when the clear is on, then buff. That way it smooths everything out and the buffing removes the 2000grit scratches you just gave the clear coat. lol If you do it by hand then yea.. its going to look like shit and it's not going to turn out that great.

i did wetsand after clear was on, but i did do everything by hand, which is why i probably got it almost all the way cleared up but not completely.

Originally Posted by x2jesse1x

Good attempt and im not knocking u. But the bondo will more then likly crack and fall out over time.

thanks. if it does start to crack i can do it agian, it wasn't a hard job at all, and not expensive. it's turned out to be more of a learning experience than anything, which is always good.

Originally Posted by Marc3.4V6

you needed at the very least a metal or mesh backing rather than tape, but even then I wouldn't have used regular body filler for that. Looks good, but expect to re-do it the right way eventually, I guarantee it will fall off over time and after closing the trunk several times.

good gracious, you guys are killing me. hopefully it lasts for awhile, if not i can redo it. plus, this car isnt my daily driver so i wont be using the trunk at all for the most part.

[DriftR]

Originally Posted by evilZO6

Looks great! I don't know what happened with your wet sanding experience, but it doesn't sound right at all. 2000 grit is SO FINE, you cant even tell you're sanding anything. Thats the whole point. It sounds like you had a coarser grit and didn't realize it, but i doubt that. Anyway, looks good! Did you also clear your tails while you were at it?

Originally Posted by fccs

Your suppose to wetsand when your all done and when the clear is on, then buff. That way it smooths everything out and the buffing removes the 2000grit scratches you just gave the clear coat. lol If you do it by hand then yea.. its going to look like shit and it's not going to turn out that great.

Looks good, hopefully the bondo holds up for you. Next time the "kitty hair" would be a better choice and as far as wetsanding, ratlle can paint would benifit to cure for about a week before sanding and compounding by hand is pretty difficult. A machine would yield better results, that's not to say you didn't do a good job though!

[02TransAm/Batmobile]

Oh, man. Thanks a lot,. . now I have another project to tackle.

[evilZO6]

Originally Posted by crimson_bird

trust me, i was just as confused with the result at first. i didnt clear the tail lights., but while they were off i used some Meguire's swirl X, and then some Turtle spray on wax.

Even better, it would be a good idea to clear them NOW so that you never have to do that stuff again! Im guessing you have enough left over since one rattle can of clear can goa long ways.


I would do this mod as well, except i plan on putting my reverse camera in my key hole for my navigation.

[camarox302]

Looks good! I smoothed out my camaro tail panel using bondo and I know at some point it probably will crack as well. Plastic filler probably would be a good idea but we shall see how long it holds up. Mine has lasted about a year now. The wet sanding I usually start with a 1500 grit if it is as rough as yours looked then 2000 then 2500. I have learned with the spray can paint to fight my urge to sand it for at least a week. Good to see yours came out good though!

[Blacked_Out_SS]

i think it looks good..... decent write up and the CETA mod looks really good on red T/A's..... good work man....... now post a further away rear shot so we can see the whole back end of the car

[crimson_bird]

Originally Posted by Blacked_Out_SS

i think it looks good..... decent write up and the CETA mod looks really good on red T/A's..... good work man....... now post a further away rear shot so we can see the whole back end of the car

trust me, i've got a lot to show everyone. consider that a sneak peak as to what i've done with this car since i got it on aug 26. once the car is done (by the end of this week) i'll do a post showing the transformation. its a whole new beast

[crimson_bird]

Originally Posted by 02TransAm/Batmobile

Oh, man. Thanks a lot,. . now I have another project to tackle.

i'd definitely recommend doing this project, i guarantee you'll love the end result. i know i do.

Originally Posted by camarox302

Looks good! I smoothed out my camaro tail panel using bondo and I know at some point it probably will crack as well. Plastic filler probably would be a good idea but we shall see how long it holds up. Mine has lasted about a year now. The wet sanding I usually start with a 1500 grit if it is as rough as yours looked then 2000 then 2500. I have learned with the spray can paint to fight my urge to sand it for at least a week. Good to see yours came out good though!

thanks for the info. im glad to hear that yours has held for a year, that gives me a good ideal of what i can atleast expect to get. once i recleared it i didn't wetsand or do anything else after, so i'll take your advice and do it after a week or so. though it looks perfect to me right now.

[NightHawk]

Looks good man. I'm thinkin about doing mine but just leaving it black for a sleek look.