The revival of 650143R, 1970 with TS.

[Richard48Y]

Made the run into the big city today.
Got two more bags of blasting soda.
Also stopped at the paint store.
No luck finding the Lotus French Blue by code.
Resorted to Nason single stage color chips and found a very close match to what is on the door I took for comparison.
Nason SM5360.
Also got a recommendation to use High Tack 2K Primer Sealer.
Still need to get some Holdtight 102 I have to order on-line.

[Kendo]

Since I'm close to painting my TCS, why did your paint source recommend that high tack primer? And what brand?

Second, I'd never heard of the Holdtight 102. Looking it up, they talk about eliminating flash rust and salt contaminants on metal. Does it also do good things for fiberglass? Or are you talking about using it for the chassis?

[Richard48Y]

So naturally that particular primer/sealer has been discontinued.
Suggested alternative is epoxy primer Nason 491-16 and 483-19 activator.
About $130 per quart for the set.
There appears to still be a High-Tech primer available from several sources including Summit Racing.

The Holdtight 102 is pretty much critical to clean the surface after Soda-Blasting.
It certainly would not hurt with other types of prep but is a bit expensive so if you do not have to use it I would not.

[dakazman]

Pics of my too small veneer sample.
This may be Birdseye Maple?

Very light until stained, still lighter than the samples at the store after stain.
I also have Dark Walnut stain but that is too dark even on this light wood.

Pics, stained and raw, in the light and in shadow.
In the light the color is pretty golden, in shadow it is closer to what I was looking for.
Camera is not 100% accurate.

   I use Upol 2253 hi build and hardener  , Pinholes are a nuisance so push the paint into the holes and respray area.
 After spraying any primer bake it , let it sit in the sun and BAKE.
dakazman

[Richard48Y]

I think I most likely will be squeezing on a thin layer of epoxy resin over the entire surface of the body after repairs.
This is one reason for soda-blasting, a true clean surface to work with.
Epoxy goes over Polyester, but not the other way around.
Seems universally agreed that Epoxy has better adhesion.
I have to only do this once!

[Kendo]

I've generally read that the first layer after fiberglass is a high build polyester primer. Polyester/polyester adheres pretty well. Sanding that gets all of the sanding scratches and other blems covered. Then 2K epoxy primer, paint, and clearcoat if you do that.

[gideon]

The oft repeated idea that polyester won't adhere to epoxy is not necessarily true.  Bond strength is similar to polyester over cured polyester provided the epoxy was mixed properly, fully cured and the surface properly prepared - at least according to the author of this article

https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/applying-polyester-gelcoat-over-epoxy/

[Richard48Y]

Today I soda blasted my bonnet.
Here are my observations.
It required more soda than I would like at $1.00 a pound.
After a few minutes I was able to reduce the soda flow while keeping the efficiency.
Smooth side blast a lot quicker than the rough.
Original paint can be stubborn.
I still need to touch up a few spots on the rough side.
If there were a chemical stripper that could be used without issue it would probably be my preference.
But Soda gets ALL the paint and filler off so reveals every old repair and flaw.
It also takes the soft Bondo away.

I am now convinced that Soda is the best if the body is to have all old issues addressed.

EDIT: Adding pics.

[TurboFource]

Nice work, did all those cracks show in the paint?

[dakazman]

  Nice job Rich.
  Be careful rinsing and leaving the panel upside down and wet, panel can warp.   Stand on edge and let dry.
  Dakazman

[Kendo]

What’s up with the ‘X’ reinforcement? Did later cars get that? Or is it a PO addition?

My ‘73 TCS doesn’t have that. But a PO extensively damaged the front end. So I think I have a replacement from somewhere.

(BTW, 3M Safest Stripper seems to be working for me. Water based, easy to rinse off. No problems under the parts I have painted so far.)

[jbcollier]

Early cars had it.

[Richard48Y]

Cannot say for certain what did or did not show in the paint as I am redoing old primer and repair.
I am sure it would have shown in my new paint as Bondo is not really a repair for fiberglass.
I will look into the 3M product.

[dakazman]

  Those look pretty bad in the front corner, I would taper out the cracks as one and reglass.
The 3m product is an excellent bond to glass however I had a problem with it showing fiber outlines after the paint shrinks a year later . Mainly noticeable where I did not apply any putty. Just primer and sealer.
 Dakazman

[Richard48Y]

I am still a long way from sealers and primer.
3M I am looking into is their paint stripper mentioned above.
It would be nice to only use the Soda-Blast for final clean up as it is a bit expensive.