1964 Buick Riviera
- Thread starter 64Rivi
- Start date
64Rivi
Promoted Users
Thank you, MD. I'm super impressed with the SPI Black. Beautiful product. 
Eddie, all the body work, paint and color sanding was done with the door panels attached to the doors. Even though they are pretty stiff, there would be no way the panels would get flat without being mounted. The stud locations are just a trouble spot since the metal will always deflect when they are tightened down. Just a down side of the design but manageable.
Eddie, all the body work, paint and color sanding was done with the door panels attached to the doors. Even though they are pretty stiff, there would be no way the panels would get flat without being mounted. The stud locations are just a trouble spot since the metal will always deflect when they are tightened down. Just a down side of the design but manageable.
64Rivi
Promoted Users
Getting back to some of the restoration work.....
After working out the lower quarter, of course the back was rotted to go along with it.
Working behind the quarter and up in wheel well, of course I started to see some more light poking through some pin holes. So up went the trunk lid and started poking around with a screwdriver. Never even saw the patches when I bought the car. The last owner had patches riveted to the trunk floor and then buried with trunk spatter paint.
The choice of patch panel was just another kick in the teeth to find another surprise inside.
Years of rot made for interesting body mount bolts.........or what was left of them!!
There were what I call "cups" under the floor that the body mounts attached to. The floor rotted straight through the top and the salt and water worked from the bottom up.
Thankfully the flange around the cups were in solid shape so I made some patterns over the cups themselves and formed new ones over the top and removed the rot as I proceeded.
After working out the lower quarter, of course the back was rotted to go along with it.
Working behind the quarter and up in wheel well, of course I started to see some more light poking through some pin holes. So up went the trunk lid and started poking around with a screwdriver. Never even saw the patches when I bought the car. The last owner had patches riveted to the trunk floor and then buried with trunk spatter paint.
The choice of patch panel was just another kick in the teeth to find another surprise inside.
Years of rot made for interesting body mount bolts.........or what was left of them!!
There were what I call "cups" under the floor that the body mounts attached to. The floor rotted straight through the top and the salt and water worked from the bottom up.
Thankfully the flange around the cups were in solid shape so I made some patterns over the cups themselves and formed new ones over the top and removed the rot as I proceeded.
64Rivi
Promoted Users
And then the floor patches....
Needless to say, there was a lot of this discovery and patching all along the perimeter of the car. The plan was to keep working on the patches along the lower body so that I can focus on the chassis and drive-train restoration. That was the plan of attack knowing that the body would have to be done after all the crap I found. Best to save that for last.
So after spending a lot of time with scrapers, grinders, torches, razor blades, sand blasters and other various tools, the chassis was cleaned and painted.
All the parts were removed and treated to the same cleaning, prep and paint before re-assembly.
And of course, nothing has been easy on this car. After going through the motor, it seems someone had been in it before. Cylinders had been reamed and compression was poor/ cylinders were worn pretty bad. Time for a re-build. Unfortunately, only one company makes replacement pistons for this motor and they are poor. The pins are cast too low so compression only comes out at about 8.7:1 when the original was 10:1. We had to have a custom set of pistons made by Ross to get the proper compression back up to where is should be for this girl.
Of course, while it was apart, I ported the heads and intake and put a bigger cam in it too. She deserves the love.
Needless to say, there was a lot of this discovery and patching all along the perimeter of the car. The plan was to keep working on the patches along the lower body so that I can focus on the chassis and drive-train restoration. That was the plan of attack knowing that the body would have to be done after all the crap I found. Best to save that for last.
So after spending a lot of time with scrapers, grinders, torches, razor blades, sand blasters and other various tools, the chassis was cleaned and painted.
All the parts were removed and treated to the same cleaning, prep and paint before re-assembly.
And of course, nothing has been easy on this car. After going through the motor, it seems someone had been in it before. Cylinders had been reamed and compression was poor/ cylinders were worn pretty bad. Time for a re-build. Unfortunately, only one company makes replacement pistons for this motor and they are poor. The pins are cast too low so compression only comes out at about 8.7:1 when the original was 10:1. We had to have a custom set of pistons made by Ross to get the proper compression back up to where is should be for this girl.
Of course, while it was apart, I ported the heads and intake and put a bigger cam in it too. She deserves the love.
64Rivi
Promoted Users
Same here, Crash. The pistons are definitely worth the squeeze (literally LOL) but after working with SBC's most of my life, the price tag on them was a bit of a hit. The biggest shame was bolting the cylinder heads on never to see them again. Opening up that box from Ross Racing Pistons for the first time with 8 shiny slugs of perfectly machined forged aluminum sporting nice domes on the top was exciting to say the least. I wish I had one just to put on the shelf and stare at.
And good eye! Yes, that is wrinkle paint on the valve covers and lifter valley cover under the intake. I guess this stuff is not used very much any more as most don't catch it or appreciate it...but I love the stuff. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it on the valve covers of a Ferrari Testarossa in the early 90's. It just pops.
The block was painted with VHT gloss black and the yes, that is stainless hardware on the motor. The air cleaner was done with the same.
And good eye! Yes, that is wrinkle paint on the valve covers and lifter valley cover under the intake. I guess this stuff is not used very much any more as most don't catch it or appreciate it...but I love the stuff. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it on the valve covers of a Ferrari Testarossa in the early 90's. It just pops.
The block was painted with VHT gloss black and the yes, that is stainless hardware on the motor. The air cleaner was done with the same.
D
daddio
This is my first post on the site ... I was researching paint to use on my 64 Riv , I crumpled the passenger side fender and had to track down a donor car to get the fender . I am at sea working right now but when I get in I will be painting it. I emailed SPI yesterday and got the distributor for my area , gave him a call today and he will be hooking me up with Epoxy, 2k and Clear from SPI and Prospray for the base . The color of the car is GM Torch red it was a mid nineties Corvette color car was previously sprayed in PPG DBU , I don't paint professionally ...just my own cars and then it's been a while . Look forward to trying out the SPI products , Your car looks great by the way ... you did a good job on the bodywork .
64Rivi
Promoted Users
LOL....no problem, Crash. Ferrari didn't mind that I stole their idea either. No complaints on this paint at all. I'm actually very impressed with it. Those covers were done about 6-years ago and while they haven't seen a lot of under hood heat and driving miles, they've been run hot plenty of times moving the car over the years. The finish is pretty hard believe it or not and great adhesion.
And thanks, Eddie. This was originally just supposed to be the family ice-cream getter for the weekends. LOL Hope to be tasting ice cream sooner rather than later with this thing some day. The dash on the first gen is flat but full of chrome and argent silver (before the government regulations). The center console was either the black filler or a wood laminate option (which is what mine has). I just pulled this from the net to give you an idea. Just a classy car all around.
No complaints on this paint at all. I'm actually very impressed with it. Those covers were done about 6-years ago and while they haven't seen a lot of under hood heat and driving miles, they've been run hot plenty of times moving the car over the years. The finish is pretty hard believe it or not and great adhesion.And thanks, Eddie. This was originally just supposed to be the family ice-cream getter for the weekends. LOL Hope to be tasting ice cream sooner rather than later with this thing some day. The dash on the first gen is flat but full of chrome and argent silver (before the government regulations). The center console was either the black filler or a wood laminate option (which is what mine has). I just pulled this from the net to give you an idea. Just a classy car all around.
D
daddio
64rivi , Like I mentioned ... I had to purchase a donor car to get the fender for my repair . If you find yourself looking for any parts when you start getting it back together hit me up and I'll see if I've got the part for you . My parts car has some cool options mine didn't come with like A/C , tilt wheel , wood grain steering wheel ,remote trunk lid popper , gonna transfer some of those options to mine ... but if you need a nut /bolt piece of trim etc. let me know.
64Rivi
Promoted Users
Daddio, thank you very much for the offer, greatly appreciated. And beautiful Rivi, by the way! Those are some nice options including the wood wheel and tilt!
I should be good for the time being but definitely appreciate the kind offer and will keep it in mind if I get stuck while getting this car done.
Good luck on your repair....and sorry to hear you even have to do it.
I should be good for the time being but definitely appreciate the kind offer and will keep it in mind if I get stuck while getting this car done.
Good luck on your repair....and sorry to hear you even have to do it.
64Rivi
Promoted Users
Finally got the whole car cut with 1000-grit. Wouldn't you know it.....the last night and the last piece....a cut through.
I kinda had a feeling those reveals on the hood were going to haunt me. Got the whole hood cut and literally the last reveal I was working on, I noticed a small cut through. Hardly even sanded that area but my fault anyway. Even though I did the 3 + 3 coats of UC, I sprayed the hood flat and didn't hit the small reveal at 90 degrees. It looked like it was getting covered well but I guess this proves otherwise.
Worst part is that I was itching to take the booth down and get my garage back. I cut the plastic in a few bays so I could move around the garage easier as it is really tight in there. Had to fix all the panels and completely scrub down the booth since I made a mess of it cutting the car. Go figure.
Originally -since it was a really small spot- I was just going to spot in some color and blend the clear. After digging through some of the blending posts, I think it's clear that that's a really bad idea. Too much time into it to cut a corner now so I plan to spot the base and put 2-coats of clear on the entire hood.....and hit that reveal at 90 degrees.....geez, it's never easy. LOL
I kinda had a feeling those reveals on the hood were going to haunt me. Got the whole hood cut and literally the last reveal I was working on, I noticed a small cut through. Hardly even sanded that area but my fault anyway. Even though I did the 3 + 3 coats of UC, I sprayed the hood flat and didn't hit the small reveal at 90 degrees. It looked like it was getting covered well but I guess this proves otherwise.
Worst part is that I was itching to take the booth down and get my garage back. I cut the plastic in a few bays so I could move around the garage easier as it is really tight in there. Had to fix all the panels and completely scrub down the booth since I made a mess of it cutting the car. Go figure.
Originally -since it was a really small spot- I was just going to spot in some color and blend the clear. After digging through some of the blending posts, I think it's clear that that's a really bad idea. Too much time into it to cut a corner now so I plan to spot the base and put 2-coats of clear on the entire hood.....and hit that reveal at 90 degrees.
....geez, it's never easy. LOL
D
daddio
Ouch , Good luck with the respray... Hood tach was off of a 1970 Buick GSX .
64Rivi
Promoted Users
It's been a few months since my last post but i'm still here and still at it.
I touched up the burn-through on the hood and applied a few more coats of clear shortly after my last post:
After that, it felt like wet sanding took foreeeeeeeverrrrrr........
After cutting the clear flat with 1000 grit on the plexiglass block, I followed with 1500 and 2000 on a soft block switching directions each grit so I could make sure all the previous scratches were gone. I went through a lot of trial and error and had scratches come back and bite me in the arse which is why this took longer than it should have. I found sanding in the sunlight was a lifesaver as the sun really makes the scratches dance and easy to see when sighting down a panel in different directions in the sunlight.
Finished up with 3000 Trizact although that proved to be an issue for me. I did the trizact on a DA but it seemed to just polish the surface and didn't really cut the 2000 scratches. I only realized this after I finished the whole car and went back and did the trizact by hand on a soft block. That finally worked....
Taking Jim C's recommendation, I went with the 3D ACA 500 compound followed by the 3D ACA 520 polish. I liked them very much (although not much to compare them to in my limited experience). I started with wool but didn't like it much. It's aggressive and takes the scratches out quickly however, I found using a yellow hex-logic pad cut just as quickly, left fewer holograms and -because it's a stiff foam- I was able to do just about every detail on this car with a 6.5 inch pad and not burn an edge (.....not that I didn't have a few boo-boo's, of course.). For the really tight spots, I used a 2-inch orange foam pad on the rotary with a 2-inch extension.
On the left, 3000 Trizact and on the right, 3D ACA 500 with yellow hex-logic pad (6.5 inch) at 1600 RPM:
Finished with the 3D ACA 520 polish using a black foam pad per the instructions. I found I really had to work it quite a bit to get out all the holograms from the previous step. I changed to a white foam pad and BOOM!....success. The white foam pad (Lake Country CCS 6.5 inch) really took it to the next level and polished out the holograms quickly leaving a brilliant finish. Once the car is back together, i'll likely follow up with the ACA 520 on a black pad for final polish.
Hood completed with ACA 520 on a Lake Country CCS White Foam pad at 1000 RPM:
I think you can tell i'm pretty happy with the results.
I touched up the burn-through on the hood and applied a few more coats of clear shortly after my last post:
After that, it felt like wet sanding took foreeeeeeeverrrrrr........
After cutting the clear flat with 1000 grit on the plexiglass block, I followed with 1500 and 2000 on a soft block switching directions each grit so I could make sure all the previous scratches were gone. I went through a lot of trial and error and had scratches come back and bite me in the arse which is why this took longer than it should have. I found sanding in the sunlight was a lifesaver as the sun really makes the scratches dance and easy to see when sighting down a panel in different directions in the sunlight.
Finished up with 3000 Trizact although that proved to be an issue for me. I did the trizact on a DA but it seemed to just polish the surface and didn't really cut the 2000 scratches. I only realized this after I finished the whole car and went back and did the trizact by hand on a soft block. That finally worked....
Taking Jim C's recommendation, I went with the 3D ACA 500 compound followed by the 3D ACA 520 polish. I liked them very much (although not much to compare them to in my limited experience). I started with wool but didn't like it much. It's aggressive and takes the scratches out quickly however, I found using a yellow hex-logic pad cut just as quickly, left fewer holograms and -because it's a stiff foam- I was able to do just about every detail on this car with a 6.5 inch pad and not burn an edge (.....not that I didn't have a few boo-boo's, of course.
). For the really tight spots, I used a 2-inch orange foam pad on the rotary with a 2-inch extension.On the left, 3000 Trizact and on the right, 3D ACA 500 with yellow hex-logic pad (6.5 inch) at 1600 RPM:
Finished with the 3D ACA 520 polish using a black foam pad per the instructions. I found I really had to work it quite a bit to get out all the holograms from the previous step. I changed to a white foam pad and BOOM!....success. The white foam pad (Lake Country CCS 6.5 inch) really took it to the next level and polished out the holograms quickly leaving a brilliant finish. Once the car is back together, i'll likely follow up with the ACA 520 on a black pad for final polish.
Hood completed with ACA 520 on a Lake Country CCS White Foam pad at 1000 RPM:
I think you can tell i'm pretty happy with the results.
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
Great work! Happy for you.
1_Wild_Cat
Promoted Users
Wow...That is a pretty incredible finish. Congrats.
MX442
.
Nice! I just attempted my first cut/buff yesterday on a door. SPI black bc/cc. It looks nothing like your results. I'll have to follow your steps. I did everything with a D/A. Lots of pigtails from the 1200/1500. Since every step with the D/A is orbital, I can't see when I get the previous scratch out. For the next panel, I'll try your recipe for the 1000/1500/2000, and do it by hand.