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6G Celicas Forums > 6th Generation Celica > Exterior Styling
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Coomer
This thread is going to be updated as I do some bodywork and paint my car. I always love these progression threads myself, so I figured I'd make my own this time. smile.gif

Please post your comments as I go along. Since this is my project car and has a salvage title due to vandalism, I'm not doing things that I would if this were going to be a super nice paintjob, like having the rear side windows removed (Average quoted price was $200 around here) and using urethane base coat/clear coat paint (Expensive! And two different types of coats means twice the chances of me messing up.) I'm going to use an enamel of some sort, and going to stick with yellow probably.

Anyway, on with the project:

Day One

Day one started with washing the car with lots of harsh dishsoap and drying it, to remove dirt and some wax. Don't mind the amateur graffiti or the ugly front wheels...Les Schwab screwed up my alignment and it ate my nice Yokohomas up front. frown.gif But do note those sexy sideskirts in the foreground...DCW JDM dealer option replicas, which fit perfectly and are beautiful! Props to Romas for excellent work on those skirts! biggrin.gif

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I then removed the bumpers, headlights, tail-lights, trunk lid, license plate bezel, and some other things. My front bumper is being replaced with a non-modified '95 bumper, and I'm getting rid of the fog lights. My license plate bezel and trunk lid are being replaced with parts from a '94 coupe as well, since they were both damaged in the horrible vandalism incident last June.

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The next step was to start sanding, so I applied grease and wax remover to the hood and front fenders and wetsanded those with 400 grit sandpaper. I called it a day after wetsanding the front end.
Coomer
Day Two

Day two started with more cleaning with grease and wax remover, and then sanding some of the scratches from when my car was vandalized. I used 120, then 220, then 320, then 400 for these areas, except in a couple areas where the scratches are so deep that it'll be easier to use some body filler.

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I then sanded the roof and sides of the car, fuel door, all that fun stuff. I managed to get fiberglass embedded into my arm from my spot sanding pen, which wasn't much fun.

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Once the whole car was sanded (the stuff off the car still isn't sanded, except the trunk lid), I took a break and then worked on getting the TRD replica wing to fit. My new trunk lid has four holes in incorrect places that need to be filled, and needs four new holes for the wing. I drilled the new holes and laid fiberglass over the holes that are going to be filled from the bottom side of the trunk lid, and tomorrow will fill these holes in completely with body filler.

I also fixed a small chip in a sideskirt caused by shipping, and filled the backside of the antenna hole with fiberglass cloth. From what I read, for a small area such as this, the fiberglass cloth should be fine and shouldn't crack and fall off. Again, this is another corner cut, where the best situation would've been to have sheet metal welded in there.

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At this point, it was late, and I'd been working for a good eight hours or so, so I called it a night.

I'm debating whether or not to shave the sidemarkers. Now would be to opportune time to do it, but I'm not quite sure if I want to. What do you guys think?
Kadett
Nice work Coomer, yeah if I were you I would shave the sidemarkers. Looks cleaner.
j0e_p3t
nice. good to know you're keeping your celica.
pandakid
looking nice, hope everyhing comes out great smile.gif
Batman722
You have incredible skills Coomer, I vote get rid of the side markers.

oh yea 1988 called, they wanted their graffiti back wink.gif
presure2
looks good so far chris, good to see you bringin back the yellow celi!
ditch the markers. =)
jgreening
Keep up the good work Coom. Are you keeping her now?

(Laughs at Batman)
ILuvMyCelica95
Nice work Coom!! I think u should ditch the side markers smile.gif
dustinkemp
good lookin coom.

new color? same color? mods?
Supersprynt
I guess im outta the loop? Not selling ne more I'm presuming? Did you decide to go back to the cars natural hair color? Turquoise Pearl ftw.
ILuvMyCelica95
aren't u going with that greenish color?
97lestyousay
Nice work, can't wait to see it finished.
Digndoug
About filling in the fender, do you think the fiberglass would hold? I was thinking the same thing, but thought the glass would pull and crack the bondo. whats your thought?
b1gr3d
as long as you fill thr outside of the holes with fiberglass before body filler you should be ok. make sure that the surrounding area is ground to bare metal of course
Digndoug
QUOTE(b1gr3d @ May 28, 2006 - 10:25 PM) [snapback]438802[/snapback]

as long as you fill thr outside of the holes with fiberglass before body filler you should be ok. make sure that the surrounding area is ground to bare metal of course


Ground to bare metal would not matter, because Glass does not bond very well to metal.. I was thinking of drilling holes and then laying matt and resin
Coomer
QUOTE(dustinkemp @ May 28, 2006 - 8:44 AM) [snapback]438650[/snapback]

good lookin coom.

new color? same color? mods?


Same color I think...not entirely sure yet. There will be some extra body parts and shaved stuff. smile.gif

QUOTE(Supersprynt @ May 28, 2006 - 8:47 AM) [snapback]438652[/snapback]

I guess im outta the loop? Not selling ne more I'm presuming? Did you decide to go back to the cars natural hair color? Turquoise Pearl ftw.


Yeah, I got lots of interest, but everyone kind of fell through, so I'm keeping it.

QUOTE(Digndoug @ May 28, 2006 - 2:07 PM) [snapback]438652[/snapback]

About filling in the fender, do you think the fiberglass would hold? I was thinking the same thing, but thought the glass would pull and crack the bondo. whats your thought?


I'm going to fill mine with fiberglass...hopefully it'll hold up. wink.gif
Coomer
Day Three

Day three didn't consist of getting a whole lot done. I started by sanding some areas on the car where I'd missed before. I then sanded down the sidemarker area both on the outside and inside of the fender, taped it off so that resin wouldn't drip down, and applied two layers of fiberglass cloth and resin to the inside of the fender.

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I then put my efforts towards sanding the front bumper and rear license plate holder. It took me forever to sand down the front bumper! Once this was done, I glued a piece of plastic behind the key hole in the rear license plate panel. I'll fill the front with plastic body filler, and it should work perfectly to shave the plate hole. I used this technique on the Yelli Celi's rear plate panel after the car was vandalized, and it held up perfectly.

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I also began sanding down a sideskirt, but by this point my fingers were bleeding, so I called it a day.
j0e_p3t
damn... bleeding fingers. that's when you know you're working too hard. nice work coomer.
axelrduvirage
Hey Coomer,

good luck and much success with the project. I had no idea you suffered such a vicious attack last summer! It's a wonder the Yelli Celi is still on the road. Many would have given up. I guess you are obsessed as the rest of us wink.gif . I will be flagging this thread because I too am starting a bodywork project, hopefully this week. there are so amny obstacles and life keeps getting in the way. Appointments and shift changes, deliveries and commitements keep popping up. I will start a thread as soon as I start. I am going to fix the bumps and bruises the ol' Celipig suffered in it's previous lifetime ( the last owner was a dick-- neglect, scratches, rust, etc) and repaint it stock colour-- Alpine Silver Mettalic. There is so much to do, and I fear I will suffer withdrawl syndrome when I have to drive my Tracker for 2 to 3 weeks while I get this done. i am seriously addicted to my Celi.

Again, hope all goes well and you have a chance to share your experience with the community.

Ray.
Coomer
Day Four

Today was a very productive day, at least by my standards. biggrin.gif I started by sanding down the areas where I was going to apply body filler, and then filled those areas. I filled the front bumper license plate holes, sidemarker holes, a chip on the hood, a ding on each door (only two dings on the entire car in 3.5 years...parking way away helps a lot,) scratches on the passenger rear quarter panel, the antenna hole, dings and holes on the trunk lid, a chip in a sideskirt, and the shaved license plate holder key hole.

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I used USC Halftime, which works very well as both a body filler and icing. Once the filler was dry, I sanded down the areas with 120 and then 220.

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Finally, once all that was done, I cleaned the areas up and shot them with Duplicolor rattle-can sandable primer and primer sealer.

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Supersprynt
Are you relocating the key hole, with the Curren wing on it it wont pop.

Jeez this entire thing would be my nightmare, good work.
Coomer
QUOTE(Supersprynt @ May 30, 2006 - 12:19 PM) [snapback]439387[/snapback]

Are you relocating the key hole, with the Curren wing on it it wont pop.

Jeez this entire thing would be my nightmare, good work.


Nope, my key hole was absolutely destroyed when my car got vandalized. My old trunk wouldn't pop either, so I just prop up the handle on the inside and then open the trunk. I very rarely use my trunk anyway, since it's got a battery, amp, and sub back there.
dustin15brown
I have been recomended to weld shut the sidemarkers and trunk hole.... Is there any reason that you chose not to?
Coomer
QUOTE(dustin15brown @ May 30, 2006 - 1:09 PM) [snapback]439399[/snapback]

I have been recomended to weld shut the sidemarkers and trunk hole.... Is there any reason that you chose not to?


Budget. tongue.gif

Like I said in the first post, I cut some corners to save money, since it is just my project car. I read that the fiberglass should hold up, and it has for a long time on my bro's car, so hopefully it holds up. smile.gif
brianforster
damn coomer, nice job, this really inspires me to do my own car.. as soon as i fix my headlight issues im gonna be all over this thread for tips and tricks
Coomer
QUOTE(brianforster @ May 30, 2006 - 2:03 PM) [snapback]439439[/snapback]

damn coomer, nice job, this really inspires me to do my own car.. as soon as i fix my headlight issues im gonna be all over this thread for tips and tricks


Cool man. smile.gif

Here's some tips I haven't posted yet that I've learned so far:
  • Buy good sandpaper and change your piece out for a new one once it gets dull...sanding with dull sandpaper takes forever...it's worth the extra cost of a bit more sandpaper to get it done much faster.
  • Use good body filler...USC Rage Gold is excellent. I've used USC Half-Time on the Yelli Celi for this project and it's worked very well too.
  • Wear a respirator when wetsanding fiberglass...don't think that the water will contain all the fiberglass...small particles still get into the air and are very bad for you. If you can smell fiberglass when wetsanding, that's a sign that you should be wearing a respirator.
  • Quit when you're tired, and if you start to lose inspiration take a break and go look at some sexy cars online or something...that's always motivating for me. smile.gif

That's all I can really think of now.
brianforster
my big problem with my body work right now is my freaking front bumper and headlights, they are so out of wack that im just depressed every time i look at my car.. once i fix the front end the rest of the car will be a piece of cake
Digndoug
The fender looks good.. Thats exactly what i wanted to do, but wasnt sure if it would hold.. and Dont want to have to re-do it some other time.. Im thinking i might try it aswell, but im going to drill some holes around the outside as well, so when the glass lays and drys will have a better hold.
amysmojo
Can't wait to see your finished project @ the meet Coomer!

with out the front bumper or heat lights the front end looks kinda like the new mustang hah tongue.gif not the exact same or anything...just kind of reminded me

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dustinkemp
close amy ^^^

nice finding lol
dustin15brown
QUOTE(Coomer @ May 30, 2006 - 8:25 PM) [snapback]439411[/snapback]

QUOTE(dustin15brown @ May 30, 2006 - 1:09 PM) [snapback]439399[/snapback]

I have been recomended to weld shut the sidemarkers and trunk hole.... Is there any reason that you chose not to?


Budget. tongue.gif

Like I said in the first post, I cut some corners to save money, since it is just my project car. I read that the fiberglass should hold up, and it has for a long time on my bro's car, so hopefully it holds up. smile.gif

wasn't trying to rip on ya.. just offering some advice or looking for some helpful hints the way you were doing it.... good job coom
97lestyousay
QUOTE(Coomer @ May 30, 2006 - 2:12 PM) [snapback]439443[/snapback]

[*]Wear a respirator when wetsanding fiberglass...don't think that the water will contain all the fiberglass...small particles still get into the air and are very bad for you. If you can smell fiberglass when wetsanding, that's a sign that you should be wearing a respirator.
[*]Quit when you're tired, and if you start to lose inspiration take a break and go look at some sexy cars online or something...that's always motivating for me. smile.gif
[/list]
That's all I can really think of now.


[*]I used to machine fiberglass bow limbs, it would make a cloud of dust.
wear at the least a particle mask. Nasty crap.

[*]Send some of that motivation my way. Props for the work.
Looking good. smile.gif
snapshotgt
Plans to keep the car after all eh? ...not selling it any more?

Good work. Keep the updates coming! woot.gif

~snap
KAOS
Coomer what year bumper do you have? And are you selling it? Also I noticed you got rid of your sidemarkers... hahah, I'll take those too.

Shoot me a PM.
playr158
QUOTE(dustin15brown @ May 30, 2006 - 9:30 PM) [snapback]439544[/snapback]

QUOTE(Coomer @ May 30, 2006 - 8:25 PM) [snapback]439411[/snapback]

QUOTE(dustin15brown @ May 30, 2006 - 1:09 PM) [snapback]439399[/snapback]

I have been recomended to weld shut the sidemarkers and trunk hole.... Is there any reason that you chose not to?


Budget. tongue.gif

Like I said in the first post, I cut some corners to save money, since it is just my project car. I read that the fiberglass should hold up, and it has for a long time on my bro's car, so hopefully it holds up. smile.gif

wasn't trying to rip on ya.. just offering some advice or looking for some helpful hints the way you were doing it.... good job coom


welding would be the way to go...but also takes time and can be a pain (if you don't tig) cause fenders are fairly thin...fiberglass probably the quickest, cost efficient and easiest...cause don't forget you have to form the metal a little bit to the contour of the fender curve before you weld it in..
Coomer
This weekend I'm going to have lots of free time, so I'm considering filling in the license plate panel and putting the plate below the rear bumper, possibly attached to a linear actuator so that it can retract into the bumper for pictures and stuff.

What do you guys think of this idea? I did a rough Photoshop rendering:

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And if I choose to go this route, what would be the best way to go about doing something like this? Someone mentioned filling the panel with Great Stuff expanding foam, then shaving it down, then fiberglassing over the foam, and then applying body filler and sanding to finish it off. But I'm not sure if that's the best way to go.
Supersprynt
Honestly, I really dislike that. I'm not fond of shaving the plate location, but the hanging plate just looks "dirty." If you know what im saying. If your going buckwild I'd cut out a new place in the rear bumper and keep the plate from hanging below the bumper.

But thats just my opinion. I am sure I dont have to say how much that doenst make a difference when its your car.
brianforster
i dont really like the shaved liscence plate AT ALL, sorry coom
playr158
i like the shave plate...well cause i did it...expanding foam, glass and filler are the way i did it and turned out pretty good...for the license plate hinge you'd want to use something like a small cabinet door hinge and probably gorilla glue it to the inside of the bumper (to prevent screws or wat not)...but good luck project seams to come along nicely
azian_advanced
^^ what he said. but i think a uk plate surround would look much nicer! all of this reminds me of my old 4th gen project.. oh the memories..
ILuvMyCelica95
I dont like the rear plate hanging off the back like that, it just looks misplaced to me
Coomer
Thanks for the comments. smile.gif I'll probably just go with a normal plate panel with the shaved keyhole, since it'd be a lot of work to make the panel look perfect if it were flattened anyway. If I get a hold of an extra, perhaps I'll do it on the extra panel, paint it (I'll have leftover paint,) and then throw it on to see how it looks.
jgreening
Christian, what are you going to do for paint? (color, technique, clearcoat, etc)
Coomer
QUOTE(jgreening @ Jun 2, 2006 - 4:21 PM) [snapback]440480[/snapback]

Christian, what are you going to do for paint? (color, technique, clearcoat, etc)


I'm not entirely sure yet. I think I'm going to use an acrylic or synthetic enamel single-stage gloss paint, which I'll color sand and buff and polish afterwards. There will be no clear coat.

I'll be painting with a small-ish Craftsman air compressor and a HVLP gun in my garage which will be turned into a makeshift paintbooth, so we'll see how that goes. The hood, bumpers, rear plate panel, trunk lid, spoiler, extensions, sideskirts, and fuel door will be painted off of the car to make painting easier for me.
jgreening
QUOTE(Coomer @ Jun 2, 2006 - 7:10 PM) [snapback]440495[/snapback]

QUOTE(jgreening @ Jun 2, 2006 - 4:21 PM) [snapback]440480[/snapback]

Christian, what are you going to do for paint? (color, technique, clearcoat, etc)


I'm not entirely sure yet. I think I'm going to use an acrylic or synthetic enamel single-stage gloss paint, which I'll color sand and buff and polish afterwards. There will be no clear coat.

I'll be painting with a small-ish Craftsman air compressor and a HVLP gun in my garage which will be turned into a makeshift paintbooth, so we'll see how that goes. The hood, bumpers, rear plate panel, trunk lid, spoiler, extensions, sideskirts, and fuel door will be painted off of the car to make painting easier for me.


Did you see the 3rd post in this thread?

Budget Paint Job Thread

Makes me wonder if this isn't a good way to go? IPB Image
KAOS
What you SHOULD do coomer is wire in a couple of reverse lights into the shaved license plate panel. That might look sweet!.
CelicaZR
Good luck Coomer smile.gif
Cant wait to see the outcome biggrin.gif
Coomer
QUOTE(jgreening @ Jun 2, 2006 - 5:18 PM) [snapback]440500[/snapback]

QUOTE(Coomer @ Jun 2, 2006 - 7:10 PM) [snapback]440495[/snapback]

QUOTE(jgreening @ Jun 2, 2006 - 4:21 PM) [snapback]440480[/snapback]

Christian, what are you going to do for paint? (color, technique, clearcoat, etc)


I'm not entirely sure yet. I think I'm going to use an acrylic or synthetic enamel single-stage gloss paint, which I'll color sand and buff and polish afterwards. There will be no clear coat.

I'll be painting with a small-ish Craftsman air compressor and a HVLP gun in my garage which will be turned into a makeshift paintbooth, so we'll see how that goes. The hood, bumpers, rear plate panel, trunk lid, spoiler, extensions, sideskirts, and fuel door will be painted off of the car to make painting easier for me.


Did you see the 3rd post in this thread?

Budget Paint Job Thread

Makes me wonder if this isn't a good way to go? IPB Image


I actually came across that thread a couple months ago, and I tried it a few weeks ago on an old hood, but couldn't get the paint to look right at all. I tried a few times but had no luck at all.
Supersprynt
Are you staying yellow? I know you hated it because you got hasseled.
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