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Kemptville Ont Carpenter/Renovations

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So this body work thing has got me thinking. 

1.  At school we were sanding down old panels using air powered random orbital sanders.  Are electric ones the same or do I need an air powered unit?.

2.  I doing body work myself what are some basic tools that would help the cause, buying where, etc.  Don't need the professional stuff as it is for me only?

3.  Painting myself, told it is very doable, what size compressor, what type of gun, etc.?  Any advise here?



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Brantford On, Hooked on Nova's

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Your asking questions that you will get very opinionated answers for. The short version would be go to Princess Auto and buy :

#1. a long sanding board-I think they are around 16"
#2 a smaller sanding block - 4-5 "
#3 some plastic filler spreaders and a bondo board or something to mix and carry the bondo on while you put it on the truck.
#4 a grinder with 24 grit paper (my preference over a grinder disc but the disc will work) 24 grit is for the bondo to bite into.
#5 some kind of paint gun- sky is the limit on price and quality. I would go with a gravity feed HVLP gun. Tip size is a hard one. I have a 1.8 for primer and a 1.4 for paint/clear.
#6 Sand paper basics-mainly keeping it minimal.
40 grit long board strips for roughing out filler
80 grit long board strips for filler
120 long board strips for filler and first round of high build primer or spray filler (this is my preference only, some will disagree)
DA discs-120 for feathering. Because you are a rookie LOL, that is probably all you will need. You should probably hand sand all the primer.
120 sheets, 220 sheets,320 or 400 sheets depending on paint choice, and if you are going really nice 600 water sanding paper.

There's probably more but that's all I can think of at the moment. How much you need as far a compressor is a tough one. To paint a car you need a big tank on the compressor. I would say a 5hp/60gal tank but I have seen guys do it with less. An air nailer compressor isn't going to do it.

If you are in the Brantford area sometime, you can stop in and I can show you what you will need and try to explain things a bit. Some of my past build threads that Ben and I did on Rodders will show and explain things a bit as well.

Disclaimer-I do not call myself an expert and these are just my opinions. You could spend a million dollars on tools and still end up with a crappy paint job or some simple tools and a touch of knowledge used wisely and end up with a paint job you can be proud of.


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Tin basher Metal shaping guy

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That's a pretty good list.

Air sanders and air tools take a lot of air and require big compressors.
I prefer electric sanding tools as I only have a 2 HP compressor.
It's good enough for spraying primer and I have done some painting with it.

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Tin basher Metal shaping guy

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I bought a set of sanding blocks from Gulley.
They have removable rods for tighter curves. I haven't used them yet, but I believe the longer the better.

https://gulleyperformancecenter.com/sanders/adjustable-flexibility-sanders/



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Komoka On, Board recruiter, Good will embassador Rod-side Member

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Several years ago I bought a set of those sanding blocks. I haven't used them lately but they do work good. It's easy to find the sand paper now but years ago when I bought mine it was difficult to find the sticky paper in a roll that was reasonably priced.
TMJ



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St.Thomas Ont Member

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I bought my first body hammer off the Snap-On truck, in grade12.
- took 3 days summer job pay, that one premium purchase
- still my favorite tool, to this day
Get a used one off E-bay, the vintage forgings are tough & extremely well balanced.
- Snap-On BF604, my got-to hammer

- Proto 1426 is ideal for folding door skin edges.

Air Tools, painting & sand blasting is a pig on air CFM - buy a 2 stage compressor, 5 HP.

The old Makita 5" Angle Grinders, were built to last / the new 20v ones from Dewalt, are cordless.

Harbor Freight has a electric 6" D/A, great for rough work / but far heavier, than Air tools.

- excellent value & on sale for $50...  https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-57-amp-heavy-duty-dual-action-variable-speed-polisher-69924.html

In the early days, a few USA made C-clamp Vice Grips, and a length of rail road tie, was used to bend the 19g sheet metal...use 18 or 19, not 20 gauge.

 

 

 






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Kemptville Ont Carpenter/Renovations

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Thanks guys, you have all been so great to deal with. Going to see how I am going to deal with this stuff. Once decisions are made I will post what I am going to do. Got a price to walnut blast and epoxy prime the truck. Waiting on a second price. Thinking then I will decide what happens next.

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Keene Ontario member

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I try to save bucks on the small stuff so I can buy the big stuff later. Not to say that the right tools for the job are not important but if you can do a good job with a little patience, I try to save when I can. To that end, when it came to sanding blocks, I made my own. I saw how expensive they are and how they work and what they do and I'm sure some here will laugh but I bought a couple of 'pool noodles' and used them. They worked perfectly for me. I cut them into the same lengths as the professional sanding blocks and cut them in half length wise. Then I taped a thin piece of wood along the flat side so the flexibility was retained but not as much. I used a piece of that old panel board they used to decorate wreck rooms with in the 1960s and 70s. And if I wanted a bit more firmness, I slid the straight part of a coat hanger through the noodle down both sides and one in the center. Cost me a couple of bucks and saved me about $60 or more. Those blocks are expensive. I admit, if I was doing body work all the time, I would probably invest in proper blocks but if it is just for my only ride, I'm happy with the result and the cash I saved. Hope that helps.

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Courtice On Rod-Side Member Pin Striper

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I'm going through the same process here myself. I found a set of mac body hammers and dolly's on kijiji - basically brand new. I love them!

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