Entourage

[akaFrankCastle]

Had you not "gone black" with your latest car, it would match the fleet.

[Entourage]

Yeah - my current 'Went Black' will be my last black car. Black looks amazing when they are clean but they are definitely more work to keep clean.

[akaFrankCastle]

You saying the Taco looks bad with dirt on it?

[Entourage]

Dan - I am happy you brought this up. This is open to all the guys . . .

I am going to be in my garage ALL weekend doing body work. I am having so much fun with filler, sanding, etc. I am not sure if I am having so much fun because I dreaded this part - but I am really having fun. I do not need help in any way but if anyone wanted to stop by, see how to mix up some filler, apply, sand, repeat, they definitely can stop by. I am hoping to move from filler to finish glaze as the weekend progresses. I have a ton of supplies, heater, etc.

If ya missed the auto body tech class this may be a great time to see it up close and practice on my Bronco instead of your own lol. I am hoping to final sand all next week then apply Epoxy Primer and Filler Primer the following weekend (11th-12th), then block sand the following week.

I do live in BFE (104th and Tower) but if anyone is in the area, feel free to stop by anytime. I always have 10+ different s and anyone is welcome to stop about anytime after about 10 AM - we sleep in at my house on weekends.

BTW - the Dynacorn rear quarter panels from Bronco Hut fit freakin' perfect! The Dynacorn front Fenders appear to be a perfect fit as well. I could not be happier!

[Entourage]

This is kinda the look I am going for - except with doors . . .

[hockeydad4-22]

Dan - I am happy you brought this up. This is open to all the guys . . .

I am going to be in my garage ALL weekend doing body work. I am having so much fun with filler, sanding, etc. I am not sure if I am having so much fun because I dreaded this part - but I am really having fun. I do not need help in any way but if anyone wanted to stop by, see how to mix up some filler, apply, sand, repeat, they definitely can stop by. I am hoping to move from filler to finish glaze as the weekend progresses. I have a ton of supplies, heater, etc.

If ya missed the auto body tech class this may be a great time to see it up close and practice on my Bronco instead of your own lol. I am hoping to final sand all next week then apply Epoxy Primer and Filler Primer the following weekend (11th-12th), then block sand the following week.

I do live in BFE (104th and Tower) but if anyone is in the area, feel free to stop by anytime. I always have 10+ different s and anyone is welcome to stop about anytime after about 10 AM - we sleep in at my house on weekends.

BTW - the Dynacorn rear quarter panels from Bronco Hut fit freakin' perfect! The Dynacorn front Fenders appear to be a perfect fit as well. I could not be happier!

Anyone else having flash backs to Tom Sayer (or was it Huck FInn) painting a fence????

Actually sir, I too kind oflikethe body work, I dont know why, I just find it relaxing. Unfortunatly we will be under the front end of Drew's all weekend attempting the largest frame repair I have ever attempted. I think it will be fun too....

[Entourage]

This has been a busy week on my Bronco. I am in a big hurry to get it back on the road for summer and putting in nights and weekends.

I was able to install new Rockers - they turned out good. I thought they would take a few hours but ended up taking twice as long as I projected - just like the rear quarter panels and basically everything

I am really sad I missed the Trail Ride yesterday, but I was able to get a little work done on my Bronco. I applied Epoxy Primer followed by Filler Primer. Epoxy went on really well - 3 coats but the Filler Primer was very hard to spray and seemed to take forever. Got 3 Coats of Filler but took forever to get decent coverage.

Turned out good for my first time. I made my garage a paint booth with plastic on the walls, vent fan, etc. It was a little overkill but worked great.

Now the fun part of Block sanding all of the mistakes that I found

[hockeydad4-22]

DUDE!

That is going to be one sweet rig. If you are going to spray the primer, might as well spray the paint and clear too.

It looks great.

[dsmith01]

We've been neck and neck in our builds and those pics were just the motivation I needed. Great progress! You'll definately be done in time for summer.

[PonyCorral]

Nice work! I need to get an up close and personal look...What are your plans with the spray guns after you are done?

[Rox Crusher]

That thing is totally coming together nicely and you should be proud for doing it all yourself.

Let me know if you ever want any help on it.

[Entourage]

Thanks guys for the encouragement and nice words.

I got started Blocking last night and quickly realized how much work this is going to be. I thought I had it straight but realized I still have lots to do. Lots of low and high spots popped out when I long blocked with guide coat. Last night was my first time Blocking and I think I have a good plan to attack the body work this week. Here is my plan: spray guide coat, block sand, apply thin coat of finish putty to any low spots, sand the finish putty, switch to finer sand paper, apply another coat of primer, let it dry overnight, do it all over again the next day. I hope this gets me a little closer to a straighter factory finish. My new front fenders and hood are basically perfect so I really just have the main body and doors to concentrate on so it could be much worse.

Pony - The guns are available to all club members. Come by anytime to check it out in person.

Hockey - I wish I dared to spray it myself - too many things can go wrong :(

Dsmith - I hope we are both on the road this Spring / Summer! I know your Bronco will put mine to shame.

Zima - The trail ride last Saturday was the best encouragement to finish this project up - cannot wait to get out on the trails with everyone.

Rox - Thanks for the encouragement.

[GMAN]

Block sanding ..OH so much fun...I like to block 1st time with 180 Wet I do it the old school method and wrap the sandpaper around a straight paint stick. But a 8 inch block works fine also ..put a dash of dish soap in the wet sanding water bucket and it will keep the paper cleaner for a straighter cut.... Then I prime 2-3 coats and finish with 320 Wet .. Degreaser ..Sealer and 2 stage Top Coat. Don't be fooled I would also block sand those new parts...
you rig is really looking good has to feel good having it all one color. Great work

[Entourage]

That is great advice GMAN. I dry sanded and applied another coat of primer last night. I will do the Wet Sand Blocking tonight with dish soap trick and hope I am getting closer. I am not liking the re-priming thing – its messy and takes a ton of time. Hopefully I will not need to re-prime TOO many more times.

I am using the 7 pc. DuraBlock Sanding Blocks with the 16" on all the long main body, hood, and doors. Shorter blocks on the corners and fenders. Round block on the door and rear quarter body line. A paint stick is only about 12" so I may use the shorter 11" Block.

I will definitely listen to your advice GMAN and spend some time on the Hood and Fenders. I appreciate all of the advice. I keep telling myself Hell Week is almost over, its almost over, its almost over . . .

[Jesus_man]

Hadn't checked this in a while...nice work! She's coming along!

J.D.

[GMAN]

Another quick tip is to use Aluminum Foil to mask hoses wire looms and oddly shaped objects, works geat when painting around engine compartments, brake pedals etc.
Also, thin the final coats of primer to get a better finish spraying .... and it will also cover faster.
I like to use sealer that is close in color to the final top coat ...like using white sealer if the top coat is white and it also covers better. The last couple of paint jobs I actually tinted the sealer to approx. the same color as the top finish That way when you get a rock chip it will usually just chip down to the sealer and you won't see it !
Keep up the good work!

[BFD305]

The truck is looking great! Looks like a lot of work, but will be worht it for sure. This is why we left Jonah's body alone......not ready to venture into the body work yet!
You are doing awesome.

[Entourage]

Thanks BFD. Body work is definitely hard work. I did not realize I would be spraying Primer 3 additional times! I thought one time and I was made in the shade! That is 4 coats of primer! I used to build pallets and I think this is just as hard work. Thank goodness for Advil!

Sanded 8 hours yesterday then sprayed final primer coat and 10 hours wet sanding today. More final wet sanding with P600 on Tuesday then Tow Truck is coming to take it to Brian the Painter - yay

BTW - I posted the Grabber Blue pic to show the wide tires on an uncut EB with a 5.5" lift - I think I am going dark gray metallic but also looking at a sage green and light blue like Nick's Trix Bubba. Stil undecided

[71UGL]

That is going to be one sweet ride.......just missed meeting you at kinders going away party..we will have to grab a next time your down south

[Entourage]

I finished final guide coat and wet sanding with P600, then washed it tonight. Packaging the fenders, hood, doors, grill, dash, fiberglass interior panels, glove box, and ash tray in the morning. Tow Truck coming to get my Bronco and take it to Cope Custom Concepts for paint! So dang excited for paint and relax after days and days of sanding! I am going to the Bumper Build but them home to take everything out of the garage, clean the auto body dust off, and put it all back. Dust everywhere!

71 - I will take you up the sometime. That was a great party.

[Entourage]

Off to Cope's Customs for Paint!

[JGZ]

Is it done yet?lol.

[Jesus_man]

It'll never look the same!!

Can't wait for the upcoming pics!

[Raptoracer24]

Is it done yet?lol.

Amen. I wanna see it done.

[Entourage]

My Bronco was towed home today from Cope Street Concepts. Really excited to see it completely painted and home. I will be starting to put this thing back together and hope to finish this spring. I think I have all of the parts I need and hope it goes smooth.

Building this Bronco has been a Roller Coaster of Ups and Downs but to reach this point is a high point in the build, second only to the day I got the Bronco.

I cannot thank Brian enough for allowing me to do my own Auto Body Prep and take it from there. Brian also answered questions along the way while I learned. Anyone in the club is welcome to use my Auto Body tools to help keep costs down.

Brian's shop is HUGE. You can see a couple custom choppers, 72 Blazer, classic cars, old Dodge truck, and 777's sweet Bronco getting ready for paint. Cope's paint booth is amazing. I would recommend anyone in the club to give him first chance at your project. I know my Bronco would have turned out Show Quality if Brian did the Auto Body, but I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the build.

I filled in the marker lights, rear body seam, and the Tail Gate. Yes - I filled in the Tail gate. It may end up being the dumbest decision ever, but so far I am really happy out it. At least it won't rattle

Following the advice of club members and internet forums, I was going to paint my Bronco straight white, in hopes that it would turn out good for my first paint job. After meeting Brian and seeing his work, I decided to hire a professional. Since I was paying a professional to paint my Bronco, I decided to go with a darker color and a metallic.

Brian color matched the paint color of the Powder Coat on my Roll Cage and Front and Rear Bumpers. The medium gray metallic color is actually a late model Honda color and the match is perfect. He painted the entire truck - under the hood, engine compartment, under dash, glove box, ash tray, top rails, and even my new JGZ Fiberglass Interior Quarter Panels - all grey metallic.

I did a pretty good job on the Auto Body but Brian worked the hood and rear quarters again to remove some waves. Brian did a nice a great job prepping my Bronco for paint. He masked off the entire bottom of the truck. He painted Multi-Coat Metallic Grey, followed by Multi-Coats of Clear, color sand, and final polish. The finish is extremely glossy. Being able to have a professional spray the paint with an expensive commercial spray gun in a climate and dust controlled environment then bake the finish - it definitely turned out better than I could have ever done on my own.

I am really excited that I kept the rear uncut fenders. That may change in the future, but really excited to take off the 29's and get my 33's mounted up. Let me know if you some 29's ;)

The only problem I have now is that the paint turned out SO good that I may not ever take it off road

A special thanks to 777 for introducing me to Brian - I owe ya bro.

[Justin]

That looks awesome. It'll be a fine looking rig. I hear ya about not wanting to scratch it. I bought a pre-scratched rig for that very reason.

[Cortez]

Sweet progress Chad - you are putting me to shame. Can't wait to see it, maybe this weekend.

[ZOSO]

Looks good. First thing I said was he screwed up. Thought it was gonna be white. Till I read it. So you'll have it at the next breakfast?

[Jesus_man]

Can't wait to see some more pictures! We can't see the tailgate delete. I wanted to paint my bronco a similar color. I think it was a dark gray from a late model pathfinder or something. I am looking forward to seeing your in person.

Yep, there's always that risk of scratching it, but you could scratch it off-road or in the parking lot at walmart. Which would be a better story?

J.D.

[PonyCorral]

Swedish Meatballs! That looks awesome...