Z. Bodywork Part #6

The rear of the car needed a good cleaning. The inside of the trunk had dirt from years of use and there was a lot of old dirt behind the rear bumper cover.

So, I moved the car out onto the driveway to wash her down. I removed all the panels and the battery from the trunk. I used Purple Power cleaner, some brushes and the water hose to wash the inside of the trunk. I had to take the plastic plugs out for drainage. After scrubbing twice, the trunk was clean!

I also washed down the engine bay since it had collected a lot of garage dust.

I even washed down the area behind the seats with a wet rag.

I also wanted to begin sanding the exterior in preparation for paint. So after the bath, I started the wet sanding.

First I hung the front fenders with a couple of bolts so they could be sanded. I used 400 grit sand paper to ensure there is enough tooth for the new paint. PPG recommended 500 grit but I could not find any locally.

I did it all by hand and used a block on the rear deck where I could. The block did find a couple of high spots.

Now the entire car has been sanded once. I found road chips that will need some glaze and a couple of small dents that will probably get some body filler, or maybe nothing since they are not bad. I may be able to knock them out from behind and remove them. Both are on the front fender edges.

I sanded the rear bumper cover. It was off another car and is new with new paint. It had apparently been replaced just before the car was parted. It had a couple of small scratches in the clear coat that sanded out nicely.

I used a fine scuff pad to do the rocker panels. They have an uneven surface and the scuff pad is the only way to get down into the low spots.

I also sanded the fog light surrounds. They too will need some glaze to fill the rock chips.

Now I plan to get some advice from a local professional painter. Hopefully, he will be available to come by and see what I have done. I may rent a paint booth, or I may still get him to paint the car to ensure a better result. My budget has not yet been set, but that is due to a lack of funds for now!