painting the trunk, any advice?

[moonrunner1972]

Here is the trunk after I have removed the mat and vacuumed up the dirt and debris



And surprizingly the mat came out in one piece



I did discover why the passenger side had fallen victim to rust more so than the driver's side. Apparently the aftermarket dual exhaust set up had been just a bit too close to the trunk floor as evidenced by the following photo.



I measured the holes in the trunk for the body plugs and came up with 2" for the larger plastic ones as seen in the photo above and 1' for the smaller rubber ones located in the 12/3/6/9 positions of the trunk as well as the two located above the trunk beside each wheel well. I had found someone on eBay that sells kits for other Mopars however he does not sell ones for my application. He did however offer to put together a kit and provide me a price if I could send him the measurements of the plugs I need along with the amount per size. Just to be sure, when ordering the plugs does it go by the opening size or by the plug size?

 

[polara71]

Jimmy, you should probably ask the seller to be clear you and he are on the same page.


That trunk pan isnt bad at all....... You are in good shape

 

[moonrunner1972]

I was so relieved to see just a bit of surface rust underneath the mat. I had feared the worst. :happy7::happy7:When I first contacted the seller regarding price and availability he originally quoted between $9.95 to $14.95 depending on the sizes and number of plugs required. In my follow up response I had included the reqested information. I figure he will be in contact me within the next 24-48 hours.

 

[polara71]

Excellent! You are coming together ....

 

[moonrunner1972]

I heard back and the seller had offered a kit that includes four 2" and six 1" plugs made from polyurethane for $10.99 + s&h. It sounds like a fair deal to me so I am going ahead with the purchase. Also, what are your thoughts on a seam sealer? Should I buy the Eastwood brand or would you recommend something else?

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-2k-self-leveling-seam-sealer-cartridge.html

 

[moonrunner1972]

On second thought, some of the reviews are less than encouraging for both of their products. Perhaps I should use a 3M product or something else.

 

[moonrunner1972]

During my search I had learned a couple of things. First, unless you are using an adhesive specifically made for use on bare metal, the area to be sealed should be first primed. Second, according to 3M, self-etching primers should not be used in areas that you intend to place sealant without first applying another type of primer. Here is the link where I found this great information along with a tip on how to reproduce the factory sealant look.

http://3mcollision.com/products/sealants/3m-urethane-seam-sealer-white-310ml-cartridge-08368.html

 

[commando1]

Most guys I know prefer to be neater than the way the factory did it.

< Sent from my tablet >

 

[moonrunner1972]

Commando1,

Your spot on regarding the sloppiness of the factory assembly line. It took me approximately 10-12 man-hours to scrape all of the original sealant from the seams in the trunk. When I scraped off the driver's side where the trunk floor mates to the wheel whell I discovered a series of dents and welds that appear to have been done in haste. Initially I thought, "well maybe this had happened after, a previous owner perhaps," yet the sealant is the same as the rest I had scraped off. I have included a picture as a reference:

View attachment 13388

My plan for this afternoon is to finish removing the surface rust and old paint surrounding the area. I have been using a variety of drill mounted wire wheels and abrasive pads to clean the metal before I spray on a coat of primer. This week, I have been averaging about 3-4 hours per day on the project. I hope to be able to share the finished product with you by the middle of next week. In other news, my wife is suprizingly happy to see me working on the car rather than complaining about being too busy with work to spend time on the car.

 

[commando1]

Breaking your azz on the car releases gobs of endorphins in your brain which make you happy which in turn makes you less grumpier than usual which makes your wife happy. I learned this biological molecular chain reaction a long time ago.
Wife miserable? Go work on car....

< Sent from my tablet >

 

['69FuryIIIConvertible]

I've used Eastwoods Seam Sealer with very good results, don't buy the 2K crap, get the regular stuff that can be brushed or that comes in the tube.

Nick