Code name "STEALTH"

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr JP, will the paint stick if you sand it that slick? I'm no painter by any means but I thought ideally you wanted it just rough enough for the paint to stick but not show the scratches. Harold

The paint will stick as it has on the other 70-80 cars we have painted that way over the years. Our methods are quite unique and mostly missunderstood over the years, but the end result has always been a work of art.

You were here and saw what we started with, it is night and day from our starting point. And though I might not say it enough, I do want to thank you and Rick once again for the opportunity and the vehicle of course.

Next car headed for the new Gargoyle land will be a yellow GT..........

[Sparky73]

One thing I have learned since I started doing body work when I was 14, is that every company.. every person.. has their own way and technique to 'restoring' a car. Everything from body filler and prep work to paint. There is not one exact way to do it. As you do more and more over the years, you'll perfect your own way to do it.

blancojp; the car is looking great! I can't wait to see how it turns out. I know one car I sprayed I had let my buddy do most of the final sanding before paint, and sanding even to 1500 before the first base coat was a horrible idea. We also sprayed with House of Kolor, which is extremely thinned out to begin with. I have all the faith in the world for your Gargoyle's. Just from looking at the pictures of the car in primer you can definitely tell that they have awesome talent.

Keep us updated and I'll be checking back often to see the finished product. Is there another thread in the making for this Yellow GT you speak of?

[gtzero]

Can't wait to see color!

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by Sparky73 One thing I have learned since I started doing body work when I was 14, is that every company.. every person.. has their own way and technique to 'restoring' a car. Everything from body filler and prep work to paint. There is not one exact way to do it. As you do more and more over the years, you'll perfect your own way to do it. blancojp; the car is looking great! I can't wait to see how it turns out. I know one car I sprayed I had let my buddy do most of the final sanding before paint, and sanding even to 1500 before the first base coat was a horrible idea. We also sprayed with House of Kolor, which is extremely thinned out to begin with. I have all the faith in the world for your Gargoyle's. Just from looking at the pictures of the car in primer you can definitely tell that they have awesome talent. Keep us updated and I'll be checking back often to see the finished product. Is there another thread in the making for this Yellow GT you speak of?

Thanks for your comments, it is very hard to visualize the amount of preparation and the mix required to do this type of work. One of the old guys is the one that sets up the paint gun. He had a special paint gun made for him back in 1990 and believe me, I paid for it so I know it was not a cheap deal. Neddless to say, no one knows how or what he does to set up the gun since he does not let anyone near him when doing the prep work.

I painted the white Opel (Animal) but it was at best a #4 job, comparable to a factory new car finish. This car is getting a massive paint job and I can't wait to see the car this weekend when it is completed. I do have quite alot of work to do after this but I am sure the car will be on the road before September.

The Yellow Opel still is in the planning stages, I believe the first step would be to actually talk to the owner and let him know what the plan is. After all, he does own the car and should be informed as to what is going to happen.

[Sparky73]

Hows the paint coming along?

[benncojr]

JP, called me last night about the "Stealth". He is going to go over on Friday to pick it up, on Saturday he will come over to my place and pick up a couple of parts that were left, and then I will help him put it back together.

I will take photos and post them when I see it on Saturday.

From what JP told me, the paint job was great!!

[blancojp]

Hello All!

Today was not my day to transport the car home. I left while cloudy, arrived in Gargoyle land under a massive storm and got home under another storm. Needless to say, the car is still there and was unable to get it home.

I was able to take a few pictures of it though, it is very sweet to say the least. There were a couple of problems in the area this past week so only two coats of clear had been applied. But even with just two coats, the car actually jumps out and grabs you. Here are a few prior to paint, just pay attention to detail on the panels.

Enjoy the pics!

[blancojp]

Just a few more!!

[blancojp]

And of course, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the beginnings of "Stealth".

The car is not finished but you can clearly see the work. I had to shoot the pictures at weird angles but I guess you can somewhat preview the work.

The rear stripes are complete, the front stripes I did not have the time to shoot on Wednesday. For some reason they want me to paint the stripes so I guess I will have to do my best on this subject. If the weather is clear tomorrow, I will finish the stripes and the Gargoyles can continue their work. Once the stripes are in place, the edges will be pinstriped with a surprise color, wet sanded and the final clear coat will be layed out. This will make 5 coats of clear, 3 coats of base (Black and Green) plus the other preparation done. After which, the color sand/buff/polish ritual will take place and the car will be ready.

Enjoy!

[gtzero]

Yowza, i like!

[T-6 driver]

I love the green, what color is that? I really enjoy reading your posts, please keep 'em up!

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by T-6 driver I love the green, what color is that? I really enjoy reading your posts, please keep 'em up!

There is nothing fancy about the color, it is standard Opel Jade mist green for the year. It was mixed however a bit differently to give it a slight darker twist on the color scale.

I believe the PPG number is L-303 and can be found if you look at the sample colors for Buick in the 1973 catalog.

The car should be home this weekend.

[blancojp]

Howdy all!

The car finally made it home today, the paintwork is about 30% complete but I need the vehicle to be here for some of the other stuff I have to get done.

I will post a few pics when work starts on the individual sections.

[Sparky73]

This is one restoration I have been watching closely. Any updates? A couple more pictures just for the 'eye candy'? Anything?

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by Sparky73 This is one restoration I have been watching closely. Any updates? A couple more pictures just for the 'eye candy'? Anything?

I have not been able to work on the car for a few weeks since work has me all over the place. There are a few items which have been done, electrical work started and the installation of the a/c handler unit inside the car. I also mocked the convertible top installation which will required some work to look like a factory installed unit. But the work is like the chicken/egg deal, can't do this until I do that so work will continue slowly but surely.

This car has many upgrades and lots of other items which require major though prior to implementing. So for now I will tackle a single area at a time during the available spare at home time.

Will post a few items soon.

[blancojp]

Hello All!

I was once again on mandatory vacation which lasted 4 days and was able to work on Stealth a little bit. I stated to sort out a few of the mechanical items I wanted to take care off prior to start wiring.

1) I leveled the engine in the compartment. I know Opel engines sit at an angle but I wanted a square sitting engine on this car. This was done by changing the motor mount on the driver's side. A minor modification to the actual motor mount bracket was done, a new doughnut style rubber isolator was installed and now the engine sits leveled in place. The transmission mount was also replaced after leveling the engine with an energy ignition poly unit, which are not bad for a $20 investment.

2) The air handler is in place and now comes the fun part. The air unit I am using has cool hoses on the passenger side and heat hoses on the driver's side. I don't want any hoses going through the bulkhead so I purchased an aluminum bulkhead fitting adapter to simplify the installation. Now all my internal hoses go to the bulkhead which make hose replacement easier. This form is great but it is subject to leaks if you don't install the fitting correctly. I will however have to modify the heater box area since I don't have enough flat area to install the fitting.

3) Gargoyles forgot to remove a few broken studs in the from of the car. I hate this type of work because it takes forever just to remove one. Once this is done I can mount the front bumper and continue with wiring.

4) The front circuit wiring is all layed out. I am using all THNN 14awg cable for any circuit up to 20A and THNN 12awg for any circuit in the 20-35A range. This wire is expensive due to having about three times the amount of strands and a regular automotive wire. The battery circuit is using a 2/0 cable from the battery to the starter and a THNN 8awg is going through the charging circuit and fuse panel supply. My fuse link is a regular ATO 80A fuse mounted on a weatherproof housing that should provide a safe operational habitat. I know this is a bit of overkill but I always over-estimate electrical circuits so no surprises can come about. Besides, all of the wiring I am using was free and the fuse panel was a free sample so, all is good.

I had a few visitors look at the car and they were impressed with the amount of work done in such a short time. If all goes well and I get to stay home more often, the car will be on the road in the next three months. I plan to drive it for a while, have some fun, upgrade mechanicals as required and get to know what the limitations are. Once that is done then the vehicle will be disassembled and final work will get done.

I know it is double work but it pays off since I get to drive the car.

Got to run, my flight leaves in two hours and I still need to get to the airport.

[blancojp]

Howdy All!

Since I am now retired and do not have to put up with a weird work schedule, I started work on Stealth once again. Seeing all those Opels in the parking area on Saturday got my juices flowing again. Not to mention I have nothing else to do other than babysit the Gargoyles so I plan to have the car on the road by Christmas.

I will be rebuilding the front end and the steering column in the next few days so there will be plenty of pictures to go around. The front end will also include my new vented front brake design which uses common chevy Celebrity parts and allows you to keep the stock 13" wheels. I'll also document all of the other work done and described previously so nothing is missing.

I've been asked to install either a mustang II or a chevette rack on this car so other car owners can perform the same work. I have several racks in stock and will check to see which one I have.

So for now, stay tuned........

[opel kid]

just think of all that free time you have now!

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by opel kid just think of all that free time you have now!

You ain't kidding, I was telling Gene how great it was since I have not received any calls or emails in the past several days. I am unemployed however so I will need to seek out donations (Opel parts) to continue.

But kidding aside, I have a friend in Alpharetta that needs an engineering manager so I guess that will be my source of income for a while.