lasher_350

Okay, got this 85 Z a couple years back for 500 bucks...barely running



The kid didn't even have a hood on it, but tossed in some plain jane hood for it. Did some mechanical work on it and now she runs like a champ (except for puffing out genies on startup, need new valve seals). A previous owner slid the rear end into a fence post, and there's a few other dents and dings on it. Planning on getting it into a body shop soon and have the body straightened up and getting a Purple Haze paint job on it, but I've been just playing around with some rattlecans in the meanwhile...




----------
Found me a good cheap hood locally that is correct for the car



Got it painted




Then my son thought it needed some stripes so it could be a "race car" (lol he's 6)


so that's where we are up to date...

Open to some critiques....be gentle! lol

BlueZee28

iTrader: (30)

I think it will look awesome in purple, just not that particular shade. Purple Haze is a great color though.

Spike-Z

iTrader: (4)

Id paint the headlight pockets black too. It would look great a tad lower!

camarodude87

totally agree with spike

lasher_350

I agree with you about the black headlight pockets, so here we go:



And yeah, the cap of the paint looked much darker than the finished product, but I was already committed lol, so I have to live with it for a while longer. Purple Haze/Hawaiian Orchid rocks. I've wetsanded the hood and buffed it out and it's looking sweet! Mirror finish ftw!

I'm also considering a high rise rear spoiler, simply because I like the look, but the stock spoiler on it now is good too. Just not sure.

I just got some hood louvers in that I got from eBay. Nice pieces, only missing a couple of mounting tabs, but have all the speed nuts for them. gonna freshen them up just a little before installing.

I do plan on getting some lowering springs once I get the bodywork done and get it painted.

19CAMARO85

iTrader: (5)

damn man thats good lookin. I like the stripes alot. It makes me want them again... but i just cant with the iroc. I like the look of the rattle can paint. Its pretty good for what you used. BUT it will lok amazing when its done. Nice Work. -Matt

lopedawg

WOW! It sure has come a long way in a short period of time. Great work.

How's the interior looking right now? Are you gonna wait until you finish the outside before you start working inside? I'd like to see where you go with this. Keep us posted.

lasher_350

The interior is average, I'd say. Needs carpet very badly, and someone who must be less fortunate than I am needed my stereo more than I did, and tore up the console getting it out one night, so I'll be replacing that. Missing a couple panels in the cargo area and no headliner at the moment. All in due time. I'm going to concentrate on the exterior before hitting the inside.



Sorry, but this is from a low grade camera phone back soon after I purchased the car. Basic idea though, of the interior present day.

lasher_350

Well, a little elbow grease and some polishing compound and this is the result. I, for one, am rather pleased with the outcome. Stood and just looked at it for about thirty minutes afterwards. I'm a geek. haha



Oh yeah, got the hood louvers in as well.







So I guess I'll move from one body panel to another, and it should turn out halfway decent.

One question...should I continue the black stripes on to roof and decklid also or leave them be only on the hood?

19CAMARO85

iTrader: (5)

not on the roof just the decklid

omnipotentgoku

iTrader: (1)

Nice progress, I love it when someone takes the influence of a time period out of a vehicle and makes it timeless. I like the stripes also.

83TransAmRECARO

That looks great for Rattle Cans...
Reminds me of my first car... lol
I got a discount at the hardware store for buying 20 paint cans...
also got alot of laughs and comments from the old guys there..

85_ZED28

Great progress! A foglight grill would look good, as well as new stock style parking lamps. Keep up the good work

lopedawg

I have to say it looks amazing for rattle cans. Glad to see your hard work and time is paying off.

As for the stripes like 19Camaro85 said, do the decklid but not the roof. As far as I can remember SS stripes like those are only present on the hood and trunk, never on the roof.

Couple pics to give you an idea.

lopedawg

Another suggestion....



A billet grill.

Fords88Bird

Coming along nice, def. looks good for spray can job. Later.

KCobain147

Can i suggest painting your louvers? Looks like you installed them, but they're the same as when they were removed. Maybe paint them w/the same black you did the stripes. They look a bit faded in the pics.

J.Prock

I think it looks great gave her new life! good work

lasher_350

I think I will definately add the stripes to the decklid and not the roof. That's a dang classy look. Thank you for that advice and those pics.

I'm on the fence about the grill, though. Part of me likes the style that I already have in there, but the rest of me likes the foglight grill, and I have to say that I'd really like to have some foglights, so I might just swing that way soon. Luckily, that can be changed out at any point, so I'm free to change my mind! lol I'm thinking that billet would not really go with anything else on the car lol although it looks awesome, probably not an option at this point.
I am definately going to be getting new park lamps, they are on my list, but haven't got them quite yet.

Here is my thoughts on painting the louvers, because it had certainly been on my mind. I thought that having the flatness of the ABS louvers be a contrast to the gloss of the stripes, to make a more pleasing look to the eye. I'm not ruling out painting them, however. I'd like opinions on this from people. I can see both versions being sweet. Ideas?

Bullydawg

iTrader: (7)

Looks great. I think I would have went with a different color though... Did you use primer? I didn't know Rattle can would buff out like that.

Kevin84Z28

iTrader: (3)

Box in the stripes like on some of those 1st gen camaros Lopedawg posted up, and continue them on the rear deck.

mesterz2889

man i have to say that paint looks great even for a rattle can job. i think you should get the foglight style grill just looks better IMO. i painted my old hood the same way when i was bored but in flat black your looks better tho keep up the good work

lopedawg

You're welcome. As for the louvers I've never had a set so I'm not familiar with the material. If they are hard plastic like door handles and mirrors like on most entry level GM cars you could just add a good coat of ArmorAll. That would bring them to a nice shine and protect them from the elements. All while giving you the contrast you're looking for as they will shine but will not be as reflective (glossy) as your stripes. Just an idea.

Sergio.

Kevin84Z28

iTrader: (3)

Go to the auto parts store and get a can of "trim black" then hit those louvers with that. I've sold three or four sets of them on Ebay after using "trim black" and everybody who bought them gave me excellent feedback thinking they were like new.

IROCThe5.7L

How much clear is on it? Wet sand it and take a PC to it. You can make it look good.

lasher_350

I've got 3 coats of clear on it, and a cheapo Harbor Freight single speed buffer lol. And the clear is Wal Mart buck twelve a can spray! But yeah, I did wet sand the clear with 1500 grit then used white turtle wax brand polish in the little tub and buffed it with that. Trust me, this project wasn't intended to be perfect, but it does go to show you what can be accomplished with some super budget materials. I'm not really going to try to make it any better than it is right now, because it's all going to be stripped off anyway when I get the bodywork done and it goes in for it's real paint job.

At first I wetsanded the purple basecoat to try to avoid alot of orange peel, but I found that after clear coating, you could see the tiny little scratches that wouldn't be buffed out. So then I tried it just spraying on the base coat then after that dried, applying the clear. Even with the overspray from the basecoat, the clear blended all together, and when I wetsanded the clear and polished it, you can't tell there was any basecoat overspray at all. That's what is the worst part about rattlecans...too much overspray. I dream of the day I have a nice air compressor and an HVLP spray gun, just to see what I can do then....ahhh dreams lol

QuiK

Give us some more pics, I love do-it-yourself budget jobs, a little bit of creativity and elbow grease can easily fill the gap between a budget and professional paintjob.

Personally I praise the people who take the time to do it themselves with their cars. Hell you can even ask me about it, I spent hours hand-sanding my whole car, still haven't gotten around to painting it, I was planning on going with rustoleum though, no clear coat, just 7-10 coats of super thin rustoleum with wetsanding inbetween and finally buffed out, got 2 cans of Rustoleum Smoke Gray just sitting there