So, you guys know I bought the 88 GTA a few weeks back, and I LOVE it...not a bad move AT ALL. Right now, she's in the Body Shop getting a fresh coat of paint, and I've just about gotten everything she needs, including ORIGINAL GTA badges in the Flame Red (used, but not in terrible shape), lower door hinge pin and bushing, new GOLD headlight lettering, new fiberglass spoiler on the way, and a new spindle for the passenger side. (More on that in a moment)

The teardown is just beginning. When I bought her, I *thought* she was already Flame Red, but only a shade off. Boy, was I wrong!! I have never seen such a shoddy paint job as what she had on her. The shop she's in now, I have every confidence in. He is a BIG favorite of several Mustang clubs, he does frame-off restorations, and he's known internationally. The shop is Gibson's Autoworks, and the owner is Frank Gibson. He SHOULD be at Firebird Fest of the Carolinas should any of you care to come. (Read the webpage...it'll be worth your trip!)

So, here's how she stands now...poor girl looks pitiful, but I know it will be worth the heartache in the end.

The "before" image...


And how she stands today. LOOK at the color difference!! (the strip is the original, factory paint job!)


NO Badges


NO lights or spoiler (that looks ODD to me!)


Of course, when she's done, she will be Flame Red Metallic again. Frank got the paint code from GM, so I know it will be RIGHT. BUT, she will have my own personal touch. The lettering on the back, here...(like the plate?? ;D)
...will be painted the same color gold as the GTA wheels. So, it will look a little bit like this...(VERY rough mock-up)


What do you think? I'll post pics as we go along.

As for the spindle, apparently the car was in an unreported accident. The hood needs to be re-worked, and the left headlight's been replaced (but yet, still doesn't work!). The relays are shot, I think. They work intermittently, but less and less often, and down is never a problem. Anyway, the pass side front spindle is bent...you can't even get your index finger between the wheel and the tie-rod. So, we're off and running.

BTW, how do you deal with WITHDRAWAL!?!?!

 

Friday, 5/7

So far, so good...Only one place of rot, in the usual place. Under the ground effects on driver's quarter... The shop is sanding the paint off by hand rather than chemical stripping or bead blast. This is about 3 days' worth of work.







A closer look...


Slow progress, but she's coming along. I'm pretty pleased with how things are coming. Fender wells are clean, too, which is nice. This girl will never see another drop of rain if I can help it! Thanks for lookin'! More in the next post!

 

Friday 5/15

Man, are they COOKIN' on this girl!! I went over today and the hood was off for chemical stripping (they didn't want to warp it with sanding!). All but one fender was in DP primer, and he was almost done stripping the hood. The A-Arms that I ordered from Hawks on Wed afternoon were already there at 11:30 this morning!

Next week, they'll start working out dings and dents, then the primer will go on. Man, I am excited now because the end is in sight. The biggest piece of body work is going to be that rust spot in the rear quarter. That will be the most time-consuming to get done because they have to cut out a pretty decent-sized piece of her. I know...it's all for her own good in the end.

Body filler in the hood...


Taken apart for bodywork.


New A-Arms...Ordered 3:30 on Wed afternoon, arrived Fri morning!


These two are a Ford he just finished spraying. No polishing yet...just straight from the sprayer. Now I KNOW I made the right choice!



More pics as we go...

 

I see the last person that painted your car had the fender emblems in the wrong spot (below the bumper strip), make sure they put them in the correct place this time. Another thing to watch for, make sure they don't put the sail panel emblems right in the center of the sail panel, they should be lower down and towards the door.


My GTA is flame red too, and can't wait until it gets redone. Thinking of doing it myself.

 

Yeah, that's part of why I was repainting it...that and it had drip marks ALL the way down both sides of the body. I've got emblem placement guides (with exact measurements) from the GTA Source page and have given them to the body shop. My goal here is to never have to repaint her again. When she's finished, she'll be IN the garage under a cover when she's not being driven. I'm even on the list for a fiberglass spoiler from Hawks. Hopefully, that will come in this week and I can get that to the shop! Just means I gotta drive down and get it... ugh.

 

Forgot to ask... what are you going to do about the bodyside mouldings? I have considered leaving mine off after paint, but not sure.

Not sure who's car this is (it was on ebay), but it looks pretty good without the mouldings.

 

who ever painted it before done a shitty job, looks like a lot of orange peal, but nice car to work with.

 

Leave the molding off, they look much cleaner without them.

cars looking good!

 

That's something I hadn't actually considered. That car does look pretty nice without them, but I really will have to think about it...I want to stay stock and have it original, but that's also something that would set it apart.

Dang...now I have another decision to make.

 

Hmmmm ... this thread looks awfully familiar. Where have I seen it before? Oh yeah!

I vote to leave the bumper strip off unless you're making it a daily driver. Mine will be coming off of the notchback. Looks cleaner IMO.

 

I know what you mean. I would rather have them on there, but the one on my drivers door is starting to curl. If I left them off that would be one less part I would have to spend money on.

 

I'm really glad you posted pics showing a car properly disassembled for paint. Everyone always wants to take the easy way out and mask stuff off and paint it with the gfx and bumpers on. This one's getting done right! The only thing better would be if you were doing it yourself.

I bet you can hardly wait.

 

Nice project you got there.Looks like this body guy doing a great job on that for you. looks like your in good hands by the pics.

T

 

It's taking ALL my strength not to be up there at the shop every DAY. I don't want them to feel rushed because I KNOW it's getting done right...but this is also prime cruising season/weather and I am sorry, but my Honda is just NOT cutting it!

 

You'd be much happier leaving the door bumper off if it's just your cruising car.. You just have to park way the hell away from anyone in parking lots..

 

So how much is this setting you back if you don't mind telling us, it looks like an extensive paint job to the level I want to do.

 

You said you can't get your finger between the wheel and the tierod? I'm sure you have checked this but make sure you don't have a rear wheel on the front, I've had the tire shop do that and it will mount up but will rub.

 

I think he said we're up to about a $4200 tab so far...not including the parts I've bought and taken to him. And from what I understand, he's cutting me a deal. AND that includes removing mirrors, moldings, and door handles, and re-spraying jambs. He took off my door panels and such, too. The only thing not on the car that could come off for painting is the hatch...which is still a possibility.

I'm sure. The driver's side isn't like that...and I've had the tires rotated since then and I know the wheels changed. I've had two different places tell me that and the car was put in a ditch at some point in its life. The fender is messed up, the headlight's been replaced completely, the suspension needed work, and the hood...well...




But even if he is cutting me a deal, I'm really going to recommend him to everyone. He's an awesome shop with awesome help, he's HONEST, keeps me posted on what she needs, and has no problem with me coming in, with or without parts.

And for those of you who are wondering, I am going to be leaving the door moldings off. Thanks for that idea.

 

Good choice!
Looks like it's coming along nicely.

 

That price is about where I was thinking. When I finally do a full paint job I am probably going to strip the intererior out and all the seals before I take it to the shop.

Is he doing anything to the underside of the car?

Looks good btw can't wait to see the finished car.

 

The underside is remarkably clean, actually. Could use some cleaning, but that's about all. Once I get her back, she'll be completely rust-free.

 

Ive been lucky with no rust.

You going to have him repaint the centers of your wheels? or are you going for new wheels?

 

My wheels are actually in really good shape and don't really need to be painted, but regardless if he does, I'm going to have the letters done in the same color, so he'll have the paint mixed anyway.

I'm not springing for new wheels in any case. There's barely even any road rash on mine. A little oxidation, but that's it. Might give them an acid bath and new gold.

 

Never thought about doing an acid dip on the wheels I guess that would save alot of the prep time before you start polishing. I've done the clean,strip,sand finer and finer and polish on the wheels on my car and am about to do them again as I didn't get all the machining marks off the first time. I wonder where you would get them diped at.

 

Yup. That was the problem. (See second picture)

This was my first look at her underbody...ever! They needed the floorspace, so they had her up on the lift with two hoods and a bumper on the floor underneath her. (Can't put an emoti here unless I delete a picture) LOL! I was pretty pleased with what I saw.

CLEAN underbody for an old girl...



New A-arm/spindle...and what happens when you have the WRONG OFFSET MOUNTED (THANK YOU TIRE SHOP!...I won't be going there anymore)! You can see where the wheel has been rubbed away by the tie-rod end where the silver is brighter. Still debating if I should make them buy me a new wheel.


What it SHOULD look like...


And finally, more rot under a fender...very well-hidden. Still fixable.

 

Looks good, Bethany! I am looking forward to seeing it in person sometime.

 

Thanks, Chris!! You will...you're close enough, and if nothing else, you'll see it at the Festival next spring. By then, I should have the interior done.

But that's another thread, for another day...

 

the tire shop that mounted mine wrong I told them 3 times that it had different offsets and the ones on the back had rear stamped on the inside of the wheel. They still thought that it ment to put the wheel on in the direction with the rear faceing in.

Atlest it didn't damage the wheel to bad.

 

I went over today and he's hired another guy. Body work has FINALLY gotten underway. The quarterpanel patch is in, the hood re-working has begun, and they patched the rust hole under the front fender. I asked him to have her done by July 20th (my birthday, non-coincidentally). So, here's hopin'.

...and of course, the pictures...


The hood is a LOT straighter, even though it's still dinged...


The hole under the fender...


Driver's fender


Passenger quarter


We've still got work to do, but at least she's rot-free now!

 

nothing quite like progress!! hope she's done in time for ya!

 

I will be interested to see the final results. Looks good so far.

 

where is that.....? im trying to figure that out , and can u post more pictures of the rust repair.

 

That's on the inside of the Passenger side fender just about where it meets the rocker.

More photos!!! You'll be AMAZED at this change!!

Before...


AFTER!!!



More fender work...


The quarter dent is out, though!! YAY! (pre-sanding work)

 

MORE pictures...I stopped by to see her yesterday. They are really CRACKIN' now. BIG progress...we should be in primer late next week. Then will come the final block/sand.

Remember that big ripple in the fender?? GONE.


More blocking and sanding...



Right quarter is almost done...


Here's Travis working on the passenger door...


Moving right along now. I'm pretty pleased...

 

Looking fantastic. I remember when I had my crappy paint job redone in proper Flame Red Metallic I ended up going with Flame Red Metallic emblems though, instead of the original bright red ones (odd how 87 cars got those...)

 

looks good, they gonna make your deadline??
what are the plans for the powerplant?

 

It looks like they'll be able to make my deadline. There's very little body work left to do aside from removing the windshield to do the A-pillars, and putting a new windshield in. The old one is not in great shape.

The power plant, for now, will stay like it is. Money is one thing...I'm going to school this fall. School is another...we may get to rebuild it, but it has to be stock to be rebuilt by the college. When/if the tranny goes, I'll probably drop a five-speed in. The engine is in remarkably good shape for being owned by someone who never checked/changed fluids. She smokes a little on startup, but not bad at all and it goes away completely. I have to change the transmission pan gasket and change the oil again when I get it home. I also will drop the K&N air filter back in. I put in a paper filter to suck up all the shop dust.

It's looking pretty promising...I'll just be happy to have her back without that AWFUL paint job she had before!!!

 

i hear ya on the $$.
the smoke on start up is just the valve guide seals. they will leak a bit into the cylinders when its not running, not a big deal. cheap parts, but there is a bit involved in replacing them.

 

See?? There's a reason I love this site. I'll have to pick that stuff up when I get the pan gasket.

 

Went back today. Main body work is DONE!









YEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAA!

 

If they remove the windshield or at least the molding replace it with the wide version. Mine had the thin 89 version, but on the 91-92 camaro at least, it was wider and had a better look.

I dont know it the T/A's had the same deal, but I like the looks of the wider trim.

 

I have no words... He said they're going to try to lay color on her next Thursday. I am SO excited!

 

Is that true that they used the bright red emblems on flame red cars in '87? I have never been able to figure this out because my car is flame red and sure enough it has bright red emblems. I always thought they had been changed or something.

Blg, I took my car to the body guy a couple of days ago, I'll have to start a thread when I get some pics. This guy is actually a tenant of mine, but I made a deal with him that I would exchange a few months rent for a paint job. He works for a custom body shop and has 28 years experience so I'm confident he will do a good job. Is that spoiler your original rubber one, or is that a fiberglass one?

 

Is he doing it on his own or did he take it to the shop he works at to work on it? Would be cheaper if he did it on his own, but then again, his shop would be paying him for the work AND he wouldn't have to pay rent for the few months you've given him. I'm sure he'd be really happy with that.

 

He's planning to do the prep and primer at home, and then he'll take it to the shop to paint it after hours on his own time.

 

The spoiler is a fiberglass replacement from Hawks. The shop said it's also the nicest one they've ever had to work on...they've gotten some that were so bad that they had to throw them out and get a new one.

As much as I would have loved to use the original spoiler, they took the paint off and said it was just like a sponge underneath. It was useless and needed to come off the car. It was warped, the paint was cracked, and it was just in poor condition. So I drove down to Hawks (after a many-week wait) and picked it up and drove home with half of it in my lap.

The 87s did have bright red badges. I think the jury is still out on the 88s. Mine had bright red, too, but it had also been "repainted" recently...and I mean that in the most remote sense of the word. I picked up a set of original Flame Red badges for $35 from Third Gen Ranch. I'm still keeping an eye out for a NOS set...

 

just like to chime in on the no door molding, best choice ever. just put some pit bulls next to your car when you park and no one will come near it! lol she sure will look good once it's all done. do you have plans of painting the engine bay at all?

 

Thanks, man. She will probably not be driven much, and if I do drive her anywhere, I'll park WAAAYYY out and double-park. Thanks for the vote on the door moldings. I'm really excited that the shop got the lines done well enough and they won't have to hide anything!

I don't plan to paint the engine bay because that's another two-grand I don't have. The paint in there is pristine anyway, so it doesn't really need it. It needs detailing (from all the dust at the shop and from just not being cleaned), but the paint isn't scratched or anything and still has the factory sheen. If I even have to rebuild the engine and remove it, I'll paint it then, but not right now.

 

Its looking good! Although i have to ask. What kind of filler are they using?

 

They're NOT!! The only time they've put filler on is to cover welds where they cut out the rust in the quarter or where it wasn't completely smooth after pulling dents. They've used bondo in those places. 99% of what you see under that primer is sheet metal. The biggest quantity is on the front of the driver's door, and even that is maybe 1 mm thick. There's really a minimal amount of body filler. Believe me...I've been up there every three days to watch what they're doing. If you look at the earlier pics of the pass quarter, you can see where they laid a LOT of bondo on, and then a few pics later, it's down to one small spot. This shop does quality work and it will be warranteed for life once I get it back.