Shade Tree Set-up

I received questions about what "Shade Tree" is and what my set up is. I figured, since I am still completing Bondo cycles on Zed, the 1979 Datsun 280ZX, I would post some pictures of my space. Since I am approaching the end of the Bondo cycles, I'll share what I have learned as well.

Zed Bondo Update

Yes, I am still doing cycles with Bondo, but I am much closer to complete. I have learned a few things the long-hard way. I hope these are helpful so you don't make the same errors I did (and sometimes still do). It took me many many hours of failures to learn this, though I am sure there are folks reading this who knew all of it already.

Let's start with how to discover a spot that needs to be fixed. I started with feeling with my hands by moving them fast and slow over the paint-stripped body. A painted surface is much better for seeing issues, by the way. Once you find the spot, you need to determine how large a patch you need to lay for it to become flat. For that, I now use chalk, drawing a circle around the malformation. This allows me to easily spot where to slather on the Bondo without having to re-evaluate while the Bondo is mixed. That leads to my next learning: Bondo viability duration.

Bondo is only usable for a handful of minutes after the hardener has been mixed in. Some say 3-5 minutes. So, rather than making a big blob of it, I make multiple super-small batches. By super-small, I mean like up to a cup of Bondo at a time. From the can, I slap it onto a small sheet of glass for mixing with a spot of hardener that's maybe the size of a US$ dime (or smaller). Once thoroughly mixed into one consistent color, I go after the spots I have marked. I now apply more than what is needed to fill the imperfection as Bondo shrinks a little bit when it dries and you need something to sand away to get it perfect. Once the consistency of Bondo starts shifting from smooth-like-sour-cream to cakey-like-cookie-dough, stop applying it, toss it out and make more. Bear in mind, Bondo will adhere to bare metal and some primers, but not paint. So, your surface might need to be sanded down before you start applying.

This 2-step process is great for getting the area set up, but similar to "you can be a mediocre welder if you are a good grinder", the key to Bondo is sanding. I have tried all kinds of different things to get my panels smooth, and in many cases I removed too much, if I had even applied enough. Assuming I have enough Bondo, removing too much is the next issue. Rather than go through what hasn't worked, I'll focus on what has.... other than: do not use your hands/fingers if you want the contour to be correct. Use a block; you may think your fingers know how to find that flatness. They can sense it when you're checking your work, but they can't push sandpaper to it. Your car, your choice.

First, I have an 8" sanding block with a worn-out 400-grit paper on it. I cut down sheets of 150-grit so I can hold a square with my fingers around half of the sanding block. So, half of the block is 150-grit and half is 400. I try to keep the 400-grit side furthest from the target Bondo and the 150-grit side in the Bondo as much as possible. This way, I am not agro-sanding on areas of the body that are outside the Bondo, while also using that body contour to influence the cut-down of the Bondo with the 150-grit. Obviously, the 150-grit exits the Bondo area some, and it needs to, for feathering the edges. All the while, in the front of your mind know that you are attempting to get the dip-filled-with-Bondo to disappear so the panel is completely without blemish.

Sometimes, for an especially rough area, I will use a worn down piece of 80-grit instead of the 150 to get started. This is simply to accelerate my progress, and I'll switch back to 150 before I get too far. The 80 is just to take that top edge off so the 150 will bite a little bit more. 

Once I think I have the panel smooth, I will use the 400-grit block (without the 150 wrapped) and go over the entire area. Then, I will feel for edges and contour. If necessary, I'll return the 150-grit to half of the block and sand some more. Using 150-grit takes much much longer to sand than the 80-grit, but I have not over-sanded one area since I switched to the 150 as the main contouring grit. Your car, your choice.

Once I got the worst of it done, and many of my old areas corrected, I needed to check the work. So, I shot some automotive sand-able primer on the repaired spots as a guide coat. I would then sand these areas down with the block. I repeated the Bondo cycle where needed. Often, a small imperfection in the Bondo itself (like an air bubble) will force another cycle even if the overall panel is now flat.

At the time I took these pictures of Shade Tree, I had completed the doors and rear hatch. That's why they do not appear in the pictures; they are stowed in the garage until I'm ready with everything else (fenders, shell and hood). That's right; I do not intend to do any more Bondo cycles on those panels.

Shade Tree

I alluded to this concept in my last post. "Shade Tree" is where my kids and I (and anyone else, for that matter) hang out with our cars, making improvements or repairs. I added 2 10-foot x 20-foot Harbor Freight car ports last Fall to extend the car-play season into the rainy season. It turns out, these canopies have made summer car efforts much more pleasant as we are now in the shade. Between my smattering of tools, we can work on 2 or 3 cars at once, and with the lot couch and camping chairs, there's seating when you want to take a break. We have twinkle-light strung up to extend the work day past dark. This is especially useful between the Fall and Spring equinox here in the Pacific NorthWest when it feels like daylight only lasts a handful of hours.

There was a time when I wanted to rent a warehouse and make something like this available to the public. I thought of all the people out there in situations like I had been: using a curb as a ramp to change my oil, getting hassled by apartment management because I opened and then left my hood open to change sparkplugs, or imposing on a friend who had a driveway to do something, and then worrying about that coming between you. I know some folks who have a significant other who does not approve of the mess that is created during the work, so they don't work on their cars much anymore. That's just sad.

Owning a car is already expensive with insurance and fuel. When you add in having to take your car to a mechanic, even for simple things that you can do yourself... simply because you don't have a place to do it? Well, that makes owning a car a class thing, and that's not right. Sometimes, you simply need a car. Maybe mass transit doesn't get you to where you work, and paying to Uber or Lyft every day takes too much of your income. I know. I used to paint new-construction tract houses. By definition, there was no mass transit, because the new construction was going where there used to be a farmer's field. That's just one of 100's of possible examples for why we have our cars. And that was why I wanted to create Shade Tree. So we could keep our gotta-have-it cars running (and a place to clown on our projects) without the hang-ups. Unfortunately, this idea came right around the time that pot was legalized in Oregon, driving up the price-per-square-foot for warehouses almost overnight because the now-legal growers snatched them all up. I could not make numbers work so it could remain cost neutral, much less make any profit, without creating a cost structure that I wouldn't want to pay if I were a consumer. 

So, instead, I use my driveway.

That's it for this week. At my current rate of progress, I may be ready for the final primer as early as next weekend. I know I have many bits (hinges, mirrors, etc) to locate, prep and prime as well, but once done, we will be talking about base paint soon thereafter. Thanks, as always, for following along-

Shade Tree with Gramps

Today's post is about some efforts on cars that are not mine, around the cycles of applying Bondo, sanding it down, applying a guide coat of sand-able primer and repeating. This is all so I can get the panels as smooth and flat as I can before I get into the paint. Recall, I am still waiting for the body kit, so I am in a holding pattern anyway.

Shade Tree

I have mentioned in passing a few times that one of more of the kids we know will drop by to work on their cars in our driveway. They are new to car ownership, have few tools and a little experience. Boo and I call it our "Shade Tree" where they or their friends can come to get after some work on a car in a safe place with the tools they need, WiFi and an extra pair of hands. We bought a couple of car port canopies last year, and those serve as the base for this Shade Tree concept. Nearby, we have parked Hapy, and set up like DriveWay Fest: lot couch pulled out, seats strewn about, camping table set up. So, when you need to take a break, there's shade, a comfy seat and a cold beverage.

For me, this is an opportunity to hang out, wrench on some cars and help a friend or two out. If I could, I would do this every day. Fortunately, as the kids get more into their respective cars, this is happening more often.  I have not posted about these moments, but with my time dedicated to the Bondo cycles, I am not generating material... just lots of dust. So, today's post is about a weekend afternoon spent with a couple of kids and their cars.

K2 - Gramps

stock image, not Gramps

K2 got my parent's old Jetta3 when they decided that they should not drive anymore. That was a great decision, and for a base grocery-getter Jetta, Gramps was a pretty good little car. It does not have air conditioning, and it suffers the 2-dot-slow engine (non-turbo), but that should make it easier to work on, since there are fewer parts. Still, those parts which remain can be a PITA. Case-in-point, K2 wanted to do a simple tune-up, replacing the spark plugs. Well, to do that, you need to remove the intake plenum because the sadist engineers at VW located the sparkplugs on the fire-wall side of the engine, underneath the big air intake. To remove the plenum requires considerable flexibility, so this basic maintenance has not been done.

With that backdrop, we learned a couple of weeks ago that Gramps was not running. It turned out that Gramps was running, but he would go from everything-is-fine to suddenly overheating within a few minutes after achieving normal operating temperature (NOT). So, K2 drove Gramps over and pulled him into the front spot in the driveway nearest Hapy. He explained that he was sitting in a drive-thru and steam started billowing out from under the hood. After popping the hood and noticing a new hose clamp near the outlet flange, we learned that shortly before the overheating, he had removed and replaced that clamp. Why that was done was not explained, however, we concluded that maybe it was related.

The symptoms were interesting. Like I said above, the engine would run fine for a while and then water would start bubbling out of the overflow bottle as the engine temp climbed above normal. I felt the hoses. The top hose heading into the radiator was hot. The radiator was not, nor was the lower hose. That indicated water not moving, so I figured that there's either a blockage or the pump isn't working. Once the engine cooled down a little bit, we added water, but the issue repeated. I thought maybe there was an air pocket stemming from the prior hose clamp removal, so we remove the upper hose from the radiator. No water came out. I was able to run 1/2 a gallon of water into the top of the radiator before it was full, so I felt like we were approaching the solution. With the upper hose removed, and the open end held below the top of the radiator, we continued to put water into the over flow bottle, squeezing the hoses by hand to force water through. Eventually, water started to drip out of the upper hose, so we re-connected it. Then, we performed a repeating process of adding water, running the engine to get the bubbles out, turning off the engine, adding water, etc. We discovered very early that the radiator was now getting warm, so the circulation had solved. The fans, however, were still not firing. Still, the car was able to not overheat enough for him to drive it home and on short trips until he had time for another visit and diagnose of why the fans were not coming on.

G - unnamed

sort of what G wants
it to look like

K2's best friend, G, recently bought a late-model Jetta. I don't know the exact year, but it's possibly the newest car among those we have clowned on. A few months ago, I helped him remove his old stock muffler to install a fart-can. He knew then that he would need a cat-back exhaust system to get the sound he wanted. Since that time in the driveway, he got and installed a cat-back system. It has a sporty rumble to it now. On this visit, G wanted to replace his coolant, and do a little customization of the front grille. G had found a step-by-step online where you could cut and fab lower grilles from wire mesh as a replacement for the little slotted-looking vent things. He had built and installed them, but they looked kind of weak. To improve the look, he first removed the front bumper cover. G taped around the little grilles and then shot the grilles and the bumper covers inside the grilles with black spraypaint. We talked about cutting the fog-light supports out, but decided that just shooting black was enough to hide the body color and now he had the option of installing fog lights later. The coolant was fairly straightforward. He loosened the lower hose from the radiator, and drained into a pan. He re-connected the hose and filled the overflow bottle. So simple. These take about 1.5US gallons of 50/50 G12 (or G40) when completely emptied. Since he had not opened up his heater, that coolant did not get drained. So, his refill only used about a gallon. After driving it around, the level didn't drop, so we're confident that he filled it.

Zed

Of course, I continue to perfect Zed's body. I had a mishap with the Bondo where I believe I mis-mixed the hardener in. The symptom: it never fully hardened, and when I sanded on it, the Bondo came off in rubbery strings. I ultimately had to remove all of that layer of Bondo, and start over. Fortunately, I have been mixing smaller and smaller batches, since the areas which need attention are also shrinking. So, much of the areas I fixed that day were quite good. I mentioned at the start that I used a guide-coat. It was after this cycle of Bondo that I did that. I shot a light coat of sand-able automotive primer on top of the areas I had just sanded and then scuffed with 220 grit paper. I found 4 spot that I had not sanded sufficiently and about a dozen small imperfections (dips or gaps) that needed another round of filler. Around helping K2 and G, I sanded down the handful of high spots, vacuumed and re-shot with primer. I will scuff that guide-coat and fill the tiny spots next.

I am starting to wonder if that body kit will arrive after I am past ready for it. I expect I will focus on the hinges and other stuff, as well as shooting primer on the parts that will not be impacted by the kit (like the hood, doors, tailgate).

If you're in the area and need a place to tweak your car, come on by. We'll help as best we can. All we ask is that you lead on your work, the car leaves (but my tools don't) when you do and you check your politics at the curb. So, that's it for this week. Thanks, as always, for following along. 

Flash Departs

Quick post today. Unrelated to the usual car stuff, my older son, T, reported to the fire line this morning, starting his forest fire-fighting season almost a month earlier this year than last. Currently, the Bootleg fire on the Oregon-California border is 0% contained, has doubled in size over the last 48 hours, and threatens the main electricity transmission lines from Oregon power suppliers to California power consumers. That is just one of 8 fires south of Eugene, where he deploys. I feel both pride and concern for his well-being, knowing that he will be among the hundreds of fire fighters dedicated to containing the threat this summer. On to cars...

Zed Update

I do continue the body work on Zed, but there is little to highlight about it that I haven't already mentioned. My last post was about re-shooting the high-build primer. Since then, I sanded the shell and all of the various body parts with 320-grit. Once completed, I shop-vacuum'd all of the dust and then felt for wobbles for more another round of body filler. This time, I tried something a little different that I hadn't read online: chalk. I took a bar of chalk the kids used to use on the sidewalks and slide the flat edge along the body panels. Wherever the chalk would disappear, there was a small dent or crease/scratch that I had not found before. After going over all of the body panels, I found a couple dozen small imperfections. Considering how much I've worked on this car, I had hoped for better. Still, I persist. I expect I will get these fixed in a few Bondo cycles (read: until I'm satisfied) and then I will set up for urethane primer to seal everything. The body kit has still not arrived, so this saga has still a few chapters left in it.

When a Friend Asks for Help

The highlight around the Zed bodywork was the unexpected departure of Flash, my 2001 TDI Jetta. Since the pandemic started, Flash hasn't really seen much use. I work from home now (driving much less), and with the now mostly-operable fleet, he hasn't seen much action, sitting still while I go for spins in the bus or Nemo or Boo's new-to-her 2009 A4. A few weeks ago, Boo and I were at a family event. Our niece and significant other were detailing a hit-and-run incident they were subjected to, resulting in their commuter car getting totaled. Their other "car" is a big diesel truck needed for their construction business. While it is a great truck, the mileage sucks and it is a poor match for longer drives or A-to-B runs that do not include hauling stuff. So, Boo and I offered up Flash to them. They are familiar with and like diesels. They have a project VW Beetle, so understand VW's. In preparation, I re-installed the Panzer-plate (5 17mm bolts) that I had removed when I was planning to install it onto K'Lack, which is also on long-term loan / rent-to-buy to a family member. Turned out, K'Lack rides higher than Flash, and our niece's place has rougher roads, so Flash is the right place for the plate, since I only had one.

You Help Them

They were recently local, visiting in their big hauler pickup truck, and dropped by to collect Flash with a U-Haul flatbed car-hauler. Flash could absolutely have made the drive to their place, but they like riding together, and have the ability to tow, so why not? In classic Flash form, he pulled onto the trailer without incident. Because of the low front bumper, we needed to remove it so it would not get hung-up on the front of the trailer when Flash was backed off. There are 4 Torx bolts that hold it on at the nose, and, if your car is all in one piece, there are a few screws from the wheel wells. The front bumper cover went into the bed of the pickup, and we inched Flash forward the last little bit. The U-Haul flatbed car-hauler have straps to cinch the front wheels down, and they secured Flash into place. With the ramps set back into their respective slots, Flash was ready for his next adventure. He arrived at his new home without incident.

Actual ownership is blurry; this is a try-before exercise. Also, Flash will need to have his timing belt replaced in the next few months so he will be visiting our friend Justin before the rains return. Net-net, Flash is not completely gone, but it sure felt like it when I watched him trailer away.

The Zed body work continues, but it is not terribly photogenic nor are there any really new learnings coming from it. It is just a lot of hours of work. Accordingly, posts will continue to be sporadic until I shoot the urethane primer and get into the base color or the body kit shows up. Thanks, as always, for following along.