'63 Giulia Spider Normale Restoration (Euro) - Page 5

**pathung** · #61 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfazagato

Patrick,
Black and sinful red...a great combination! My California based Spyder Veloce is that livery and is great. If you need it I can let you have the details on the red. It is not a 501 blue/red but more like a Pininfarina red...veering to the orange.

alfazagato · #62 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 04:40 PM

Great, bring it to California for the Mille and there will be three identical liveried Spyders there!

**pathung** · #63 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vivace

Nice! My favorite. I'd like a Giulietta Sprint in that combination.

**pathung** · #64 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfazagato

Great, bring it to California for the Mille and there will be three identical liveried Spyders there!

alfazagato · #65 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 02:31 AM

Now garaged in Danville, Looked after by Conrad Stevenson in Berkeley.

**pathung** · #66 (**permalink**) 10-22-2006, 01:30 PM

Stuart, no better person than Conrad to look after an Alfa - if my cars were so lucky.

To continue on my restoration saga, the car's been blasted, and has made its way to the painter's. The entire car was blasted (except the weaker panels on the car, such as parts of the hood and doors), with sand (I know, what was I thinking?!), which pitted the metal quite a bit. My painter complained a bit, but he'll be able to make that right, at higher cost, of course! When I first saw the blasted car, my heart sank... but the project must go on, despite mistakes. Attaching a few pictures below.

The blasting revealed a very different car, one that requires a great deal more metal work than was originally planned. One of the rockers is rotted out, and most of the wheel wells toward center of the car need repairs (which happen to be the culprits for the rotted rockers - what else is new?). The car was apparently hit on the driver's side in its past life, just aft of the door; the nose was also damaged and repaired haphazardly - I'm blaming this all on the P.O., who was apparently more interested in sailing than properly caring for the car

Rather than rate the car a "good body condition", I'd have to downgrade the car to an "average", thankfully nowhere near "junk" status. Wisely, the painter said, if you can't take surprises (costly one at that) too well, DON'T STRIP YOUR CAR! He further proceeded to call me a "madman". Madman or not, I could (and can) not sleep well knowing that there're more rust bubbles waiting to pop up on me at any time.

By the way, the painter suggested that he returns the car to me with the exterior panels in primered state only (the interior areas will be painted) for fear of my scratching the paint/denting the bodywork while assemblying the car. He suggested that I install everything that resides inside/underneath the car, have him apply the final paint to the exterior, then proceed to finish the car by installing the windshield, trim, lights, etc., while masking off the interior, engine compartment, etc. Any comments? Has anybody done this before with good results? Thanks.

Last thing, I'm planning to powder-coat the wheels, despite the fact that no one has identified a decent powder to mimic BMW Polaris Silver. It's cheaper and more durable, most importantly.

**pathung** · #67 (**permalink**) 10-22-2006, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ossodiseppia

If the casters are held with 3' lag bolts, the chances of the wheels getting ripped off are slim. I am concerned that there isn't any cross bracing. If the dolly flexes, I would recommend some cross braces. Better to over-engineer than to get in trouble. It's looking good, Pat.

ossodiseppia · #68 (**permalink**) 10-22-2006, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pathung

The blasting revealed a very different car, one that requires a great deal more metal work than was originally planned. One of the rockers is rotted out, and most of the wheel wells toward center of the car need repairs (which happen to be the culprits for the rotted rockers - what else is new?). The car was apparently hit on the driver's side in its past life, just aft of the door; the nose was also damaged and repaired haphazardly - I'm blaming this all on the P.O., who was apparently more interested in sailing than properly caring for the car

Rather than rate the car a "good body condition", I'd have to downgrade the car to an "average", thankfully nowhere near "junk" status. Wisely, the painter said, if you can't take surprises (costly one at that) too well, DON'T STRIP YOUR CAR! He further proceeded to call me a "madman". Madman or not, I could (and can) not sleep well knowing that there're more rust bubbles waiting to pop up on me at any time.

VeloceOne · #69 (**permalink**) 10-22-2006, 10:44 PM

Greetings,
As far as not painting the exterior, that is what I think I would do, for the reasons that the painter mentioned. Also if you have been following Akitaman's thread, you would see that It would let the primer dry properly before the final coat is applied.
Regards Ian.

Alfajay · #70 (**permalink**) 10-23-2006, 12:03 AM

Patrick had asked:

"... the painter suggested that he returns the car to me with the exterior panels in primered state only (the interior areas will be painted) for fear of my scratching the paint/denting the bodywork while assemblying the car. He suggested that I install everything that resides inside/underneath the car, have him apply the final paint to the exterior, then proceed to finish the car by installing the windshield, trim, lights, etc., while masking off the interior, engine compartment, etc. Any comments? Has anybody done this before with good results? "

Well, no. Most people have their painter complete the painting, and then reassemble things. Sure, you may get some scratches and nicks in the course of reassembling things. These can be fixed, just like scratches and nicks you get once you start driving it.

The problem with painting the car after it has been assembled is that your painter will get overspray on the nicely powdercoated suspension, expensively restored gauges, new wiring harness, etc. etc. No matter what he says, paint will get everywhere when he completes it after assembly.

I am currently doing a comparable restoration to a Sprint GT. It was delivered to the media blaster on a dolley (and, yes, we found more rust and dents once the old paint was removed - better to find them and correct them, than to have old Bondo or rust come through you new paint!). The metalwork has been completed, and we are ready to begin painting. No question that ALL painting will be completed prior to interior work and reassembly.

Yea, these things get out of control. But, down the road, you're not going to look at it, and regret doing too much.

Regards

alfa soon · #71 (**permalink**) 10-23-2006, 09:56 PM

Patrick,

Post a few photos of the problem areas on the body your car. It will be interesting to see how a car that looked as good as what you started with turned out to be when the paint came off. I'm going to buy a pressure washer and have at the underside of my spider to see if I really am rust free under the 1/2" plus of dirt that covers everything.

As far as paint before or after assembly, I'd say you appear to be careful and organized enough to avoid damaging the paint if it's painted first, and as was pointed out, you wont have to worry about overspray.

**pathung** · #72 (**permalink**) 10-30-2006, 10:20 PM

Thanks for everyone's input on whether painting should be completed in one step; it seems most folks are for getting it done all at once, and I've decided to go that route.

As to Matt's suggestion to post more pics of the car's problematic areas, below are a few which I'd posted earlier; unfortunately these are all the pictures that I have at my disposal - other than the obvious blotches on the body - driver's side fender by headlight, aft of door, etc., the rockers have rusted through, previously covered by bondo/paint. Having blasted loose undercoat off from the wheel wells, rust is discovered, which helped water get into the rockers.

I'll get to see the car with all metal work done this coming weekend, and will post pictures for more discussion and comments from folks.

**pathung** · #73 (**permalink**) 10-30-2006, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfa soon

As far as paint before or after assembly, I'd say you appear to be careful and organized enough to avoid damaging the paint if it's painted first, and as was pointed out, you wont have to worry about overspray.

gowanusvin · #74 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 09:05 AM

Patrick:
I've followed your thread for months, thanks for all the details and useful info. I've have one thought to post on paint color. My '63 Giulia Spider was restored and painted a Ferrari red back in the 1980s. A friend here in Atlanta restored the same car a few years later and painted it the Alfa red, which as I've seen posted here is definitely an orange red. Side-to-side there is no comparision in which is the more outstanding color; my friend regrets his choice to this day. I know all about the puristi, but you'll have to live with your color choice for the rest of ownership life. After all, it's not Alfa red or Ferrari red, but Italian Racing Red. Just a thought and again thanks for the online journal. It's to the point now where you can probably publish it; its much more informative and well-written than any car book outhere. Best, Vince Coppola

**pathung** · #75 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 09:42 PM

Thanks, gowanusvin! I'm truly enjoying posting this odyssey of sorts online, more for my own benefit than anything else; however. It's my first restoration, and I'm glad that my questions have brought forth lots of great information and excellent opinion/advice that are possibly helpful to others as well. I'm about halfway through (maybe less) - lots more to come!