Paint Job/body work update 6-17-2012

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    I'l be posting pics of this later:

 Today I decided to address the areas on the AMX where paint is bubbleing up.  These spots have been there since I bought the car in 1987.  Specifically on both sides of the car at the bottom corners of the lower windshield trim in the "fastback area" and a little on the deck below the windshield.  

  The passenger side had the largest area of bubbleing with the paint actutally lifting and cracked along a 4" section.  I took a half inch scraper and gently lifted away that bubbled paint in those spots.  I didnt find any bondo there  and the paint just chipped right off. 

 I sanded the metal down to remove the oxidation...it almost looked like black primer, but was in fact surface rust!   I got it down to bare metal...and it isnt perforated anywhere in those areas, 3 tiny pits but nohwere near deep enough to go all the way through, the metal is pretty thick in those spots.  Quite relieved that I didnt find rust holes through the metal here! The drivers side only had a small one inch area of bubbleing that sanded right down to bare metal.

Next areas that had obvious bubbleing were just behind the 343 emblems on the rear quarters adjacent to the rear quarter extensions.  Again the passenger side had the biggest bubbleing, and I did find bondo there.  Once I got down to bare metal I found 4 small holes that go through to the trunk.(approx 1/16th-1/8th)  There is also a LOT! of bubbleing on the lower rear quarter on this side so most likely it will need a patch panel to correct this.

  The drivers side 343 emblem area didnt have any holes when sanded to bare metal and there is no bubbleing at all on the drivers side rear quarter.

There is one other small area above the rear window trim about a 1/4" that is bubbled and the same area on the front windshield from chipped paint. Light bubbleing on the drivers side pillar also.  So I'll sand these spots down to see what I am dealing with.

  I am going to have the car returned to frost white and probably black go pack stripes to compliment it.  

Edited by 348AMX - Jun/17/2012 at 1:25pm

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348AMX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: Massachusetts Status: Online Points: 2854	Post Options Post Reply Quote 348AMX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Paint Job/body work update 6-17-2012 Posted: May/02/2012 at 7:30pm
	I'l be posting pics of this later: Today I decided to address the areas on the AMX where paint is bubbleing up. These spots have been there since I bought the car in 1987. Specifically on both sides of the car at the bottom corners of the lower windshield trim in the "fastback area" and a little on the deck below the windshield. The passenger side had the largest area of bubbleing with the paint actutally lifting and cracked along a 4" section. I took a half inch scraper and gently lifted away that bubbled paint in those spots. I didnt find any bondo there and the paint just chipped right off. I sanded the metal down to remove the oxidation...it almost looked like black primer, but was in fact surface rust! I got it down to bare metal...and it isnt perforated anywhere in those areas, 3 tiny pits but nohwere near deep enough to go all the way through, the metal is pretty thick in those spots. Quite relieved that I didnt find rust holes through the metal here! The drivers side only had a small one inch area of bubbleing that sanded right down to bare metal. Next areas that had obvious bubbleing were just behind the 343 emblems on the rear quarters adjacent to the rear quarter extensions. Again the passenger side had the biggest bubbleing, and I did find bondo there. Once I got down to bare metal I found 4 small holes that go through to the trunk.(approx 1/16th-1/8th) There is also a LOT! of bubbleing on the lower rear quarter on this side so most likely it will need a patch panel to correct this. The drivers side 343 emblem area didnt have any holes when sanded to bare metal and there is no bubbleing at all on the drivers side rear quarter. There is one other small area above the rear window trim about a 1/4" that is bubbled and the same area on the front windshield from chipped paint. Light bubbleing on the drivers side pillar also. So I'll sand these spots down to see what I am dealing with. I am going to have the car returned to frost white and probably black go pack stripes to compliment it. Edited by 348AMX - Jun/17/2012 at 1:25pm

hassyfoto Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Nov/16/2009 Location: Maryland Status: Online Points: 1723	Post Options Post Reply Quote hassyfoto Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/02/2012 at 9:03pm
	Post some pics! Always ready to see the projects of other AMCers
	Murphy's Law: Any given mechanical job you decide to solve alone will imminently require a third hand, at its most critical moment

348AMX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: Massachusetts Status: Online Points: 2854	Post Options Post Reply Quote 348AMX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/02/2012 at 9:43pm
	Here is the area that had the worst paint lifting at the corner the rear windshield and fastback area. I expected to see it all rotted out underneath, but luckily it wasnt. The lower chrome molding is moved over a bit, there wasnt any rust under it either. Edited by 348AMX - May/02/2012 at 9:45pm

348AMX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: Massachusetts Status: Online Points: 2854	Post Options Post Reply Quote 348AMX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/02/2012 at 10:02pm
	This pic shows the area behind the 343 emblem that had a lot of paint lifting but it hadnt cracked open. Looks like there are a few layers of old body work there...white must be bondo, the red is primer and then the black paint and clear coat. I cant tell if they simply filled holes that were already there with bondo, primer, and paint or if it rusted afterwards? The metal around the holes was able to clean/shine up pretty good with sandpaper. I guess this could be fixed with building up weld and then grinding it smooth??? I Don't want to have it repaired with bondo. Luckily, this car was garaged over the past 26 years or else there would be major rot in those areas and in the trunk floor underneath from the weather. Edited by 348AMX - May/02/2012 at 10:34pm

1970390amx Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/12/2008 Location: colorado Status: Offline Points: 1256	Post Options Post Reply Quote 1970390amx Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/02/2012 at 10:59pm
	I bet the area around the rust holes is thinner than you think. From what I see the best action is to remove a section of metal at least 2 inches from any rust hole. Then check how thick the metal is and fabricate a patch.
	1970 390 4speed Bittersweet shadow mask AMX 1970 Amx missing most everything, or in a box

348AMX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: Massachusetts Status: Online Points: 2854	Post Options Post Reply Quote 348AMX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/03/2012 at 12:09am
	^^^^^ I am sure you are correct and it probably would be the best solution to cut that section out and weld in a patch. My guess is that from the "stinger flare" down it was given a coat of bondo to cover similar pits/holes in the metal. You can also see a wave in the flat edge section of metal that faces the tail light housing....if that is from rust it will also most likely have to be cut out and a patch welded there, looks like that area might be tricky. Edited by 348AMX - May/03/2012 at 12:10am

hassyfoto Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Nov/16/2009 Location: Maryland Status: Online Points: 1723	Post Options Post Reply Quote hassyfoto Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/03/2012 at 7:30am
	348AMX, In looking at the photos, the four holes may not be rust holes. Look at the backside of the holes, maybe clean the backside with a little sandpaper. Those holes behind the emblem look like the typical dent repair which is (Drill a 1/8 hole, screw in the dent knocker, bang dents out and finish the dent off with body filler). Can't tell about the other area of course unitl the body filler is removed. Many times a repaired car in which holes were drilled and a screw-in type dent knocker will cause more rust issues over time then the original repair, which was a dent repair. Check the backside if possible, if so, a much easier repair is possible, if it is rust, as already stated, cars rust from the inside out & the area of rust will be bigger than the observed rust damages on the outside of the car.
	Murphy's Law: Any given mechanical job you decide to solve alone will imminently require a third hand, at its most critical moment

348AMX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: Massachusetts Status: Online Points: 2854	Post Options Post Reply Quote 348AMX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/03/2012 at 8:10pm
	Here is a picture from inside the trunk showing the 4 holes where the paint on the exterior of the quarter was lifting. In the upper right you can see the quarter extension mounting bolt and to the left is the 343 emblem mounting caps. It looks like water was getting trapped between the paint and metal everytime I washed the car, and it was just corroding that area. It Looked like it could have been from a dent puller on the outside but this pic shows it was pitted due to corrosion, no apparent previous dent. The good news is that the metal surrounding it looks much much better all the way around it. Not sure if that is the factory black undercoating I had to chip it off in spots. Edited by 348AMX - May/03/2012 at 8:22pm

hassyfoto Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Nov/16/2009 Location: Maryland Status: Online Points: 1723	Post Options Post Reply Quote hassyfoto Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/03/2012 at 9:13pm
	Well that's good news & bad news. The bad news is, it is confirmed as rust, the good news, it's only a small area that is fairly easy to repair. Yup, looks like you chipped away the factory seam sealer with a little factory undercoat sprayed over the interior side of the panels ( quarter & rear body panel) Good luck was with you on the area around the rear glass. It appears the paint lifted around the seam between the quarter & rear glass sill panel. This is a rather common area for the paint to lift & start causing corrision. This seam was usually filled with lead on earlier cars & eventually filled with similiar materials as lead later on. The problem, if the acid from the lead seam filler material was not completely neutralized, it resulted in many factory cars with a primer/paint adhesion problems. It appears this is the good luck in your case. Usually this area is prone to rust.
	Murphy's Law: Any given mechanical job you decide to solve alone will imminently require a third hand, at its most critical moment

348AMX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/03/2007 Location: Massachusetts Status: Online Points: 2854	Post Options Post Reply Quote 348AMX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May/04/2012 at 12:28am
	^^^there was literally a period of 12 years from 1989-2001 where this car stayed in the garage with a car cover over it, and never even got wet..the M11 lost reverse so I couldnt back it out of the garage LOL!!! Even though it has it's spots with rust, it probably is better off than cars that werent as fortunate with storage over the past 20+ years. I would just start it up once every week or so, make some noise revving it to warm it up, move the transmision lever through the gears and then shut it off and put the cover back on. I had the transmission rebuilt in 2001 and started driving it occasionally and replacing worn out suspension parts...and buying bits of trim here and there that were missing, like the rocker panels and rear reflector. I also bought a very nice rechromed front bumper off ebay...that I installed and put a fiberglass rear valance on it to replace the OE dented one. The rear bumper was kept polished so it looks very good still no pitting or peeling chrome. So it wasnt totally neglected, The engine bay is rust free, even under the battery. The paint job and body work on it were done in 1983! Time to get it back to the original color. It still looks good with the custom 80's paint job but its scratched and chipped everywhere. Didnt know about the lead in the seams? This car has the R at the beginning of the serial number on the door tag, so it was built in the kenosha plant...dont know if that means it got lead or not? Edited by 348AMX - May/04/2012 at 12:38am