Here are the goodies we ordered from Summit Racing. The key components to a blocking job will be the blocks. Since the body has multiple curves and various flat panel sizes, we picked up a block assortment kit made by Dura-Block. The kit features a standard, 1/3, 2/3, full size, round, and scruff blocks. Most of the time you will want the block to stay rigid and flat, but there will be a few areas that will necessitate the need for a flexible block and this assortment will fill both of those needs. For the sanding duties, we grabbed a roll of 80-, 150- and 220-grit papers to stick on the blocks and a roll of 80-grit for the dual action sander (D/A). To fill the low spots, a can of Rage by Evercoat body filler will do the trick. This lightweight body filler has great spreading and sanding properties, thus eliminating the need for cheese grating or sanding with coarse papers. We also picked up a can of guide coat and a box of 3M grinding discs just in case we unearthed some bad rust.Here are the goodies we ordered from Summit Racing. The key components to a blocking job w A slick paint job sprayed over an arrow-straight body is a key element to a car that will make people stop and say, "sweet ride." Sadly, it can also be one of the most costly things that goes into the build. We have heard stories of guys spending 10 grand or more at a shop to get the body to show condition. Add that to the rest of the money you'll have to shell out for things like a motor or wheel and tire combo and you can start to see why it takes a big wallet to take a muscle car from busted to beautiful. Since we're all about trying to show you how to save cash by doing something yourself, we hooked up with "Slick" Vic Sapien from Seaside Collision in Hermosa Beach, California, to walk us through how to block a car. Vic has 30-plus years of experience and has really earned the nickname Slick Vic. For the sundries, we ordered everything except the primer from Summit Racing. That is right, Summit has a full selection of body working supplies that are competitively priced and were shipped right to our door. We didn't get the primer from Summit because they didn't offer California-compliant primers at the time of print. Summit has a line that can be shipped into California thanks to a lower VOC rating. With Vic's knowledge and Summit's products we were able to get a '65 Chevelle fender nice and straight. Since most of the time involved in paint and body is the bodywork, you can save a whole lot of coin doing it yourself. Follow these steps and your car will be one big step closer to being finished. The first step is to assess what is under the paint, primer, sealer or whatever might be on the body when you start. A piece of 80-grit strapped to the D/A will be the best way to find out. Also, when using a D/A make sure to keep it flat to the surface and let the sander do the work; you won't need to push down very hard. What you are trying to do is feather out scratches and chips to see what is underneath. If the fender is new and has the black E-coat, then all you need to do is scuff with 150, since we are working on old stuff we didn't get 150.The first step is to assess what is under the paint, primer, sealer or whatever might be o After the fender is sanded, take the paper off the D/A and hand sand all the edges. This is one area you don't want to forget for the best results possible.After the fender is sanded, take the paper off the D/A and hand sand all the edges. This i After being blown off with compressed air the fender can be primed. The primer we are using here is a high build 2K with a 2.1 VOC rating, which is the max for us here in California. At press time, all of Summit's primers had a higher VOC rating so they couldn't ship them into California, but now they fall into compliance. Back to the primer at hand, this stuff is designed to go over bare metal and still be a high build. It was mixed 4:1 before being poured into Vic's DeVilbiss PRI gun with a 1.8 tip. He applied 3 heavy coats, 10 to 12-inches from the panel being sprayed with a 50-percent overlap on each stroke/pass.After being blown off with compressed air the fender can be primed. The primer we are usin While Vic was waiting for the primer to dry (two hours in our case), he cleaned his spray gun. Vic said, "Clean the gun ASAP, as the catalyzed primer only has a pot life of one hour. After that a simple clean job will turn into a scrubbing and chipping nightmare." After the primer had dried, the area was dusted with the guide coat.While Vic was waiting for the primer to dry (two hours in our case), he cleaned his spray With some of the 150-grit stuck to the medium-sized block, Vic began sanding. You will want to sand diagonally at roughly a 45-degree angle between the top and bottom bodylines of the section of the panel you will tackle first...With some of the 150-grit stuck to the medium-sized block, Vic began sanding. You will wan ...After about six swipes go the other diagonal direction again from top to bottom. This creates an X-pattern, which produces the best results and prevents the block from creating gouges....After about six swipes go the other diagonal direction again from top to bottom. This c As the guide coat comes off, high and low spots will reveal themselves like this high (on the left) and low (on the right). The idea is to sand out all of the low spots without breaking through to bare metal. If you break through to the bare metal, it's time to add filler or get the hammer to tap the high spot down.As the guide coat comes off, high and low spots will reveal themselves like this high (on The guide coat will show your eyes the high and low areas, but your hand will also be a good tool to assess how bad they actually are. If you can feel it with your hand you will defiantly see it once it's covered in shinny paint.The guide coat will show your eyes the high and low areas, but your hand will also be a go Here are two excellent reasons to have a good assortment of blocks. The '65 Chevelle features a tight concave area that runs along the top of the body that the round Dura-Block is perfect for. When using the round block continue with the X-pattern but rotate the block, like twisting the throttle on a motorcycle, as you sand...Here are two excellent reasons to have a good assortment of blocks. The '65 Chevelle featu 1 | 2 | » | View Full Article By Calin Head Enjoyed this Post? 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