[Bitchin'57]

Yesterday, I modified my engine's fuse panel, per a kit sold by PCM of NC. The ECM and fuse panel designed for my LS3 crate engine from Chevrolet Performance was designed to operate a single engine cooling fan, by simply turning it on or off. However, the ECM has the ability to operate two cooling fans, in either low or high speed, depending on the need. That ability is turned off by the factory. With the modifications I made to the fuse panel, and then having a professional tuner enable that feature inside the ECM for me, I will be able to control my twin Spal fans with no other external electronics.

We had some nice weather here today, so I was able to prep and spray Raptorliner on the inner fenderwells, splash pan, and splash side pans.

If I get nice weather next weekend, I'll paint the other side of them black.

 

[Hafrod]

Should have done the black first Dave. Two reasons, got to sand and buff anyway and the tape edge will be rough because of the liner. Ask me how I know. Lol

 

[Bitchin'57]

Should have done the black first Dave. Two reasons, got to sand and buff anyway and the tape edge will be rough because of the liner. Ask me how I know. Lol

I'm not going to tape off anything.

 

[Hafrod]

cool

 

[Bitchin'57]

The next item on the hit list is getting the doors prepped and painted. I like to work smarter, not harder, so to that end, I built these stands for the doors. The doors will stay on the stands until they are ready to get bolted back onto the body. All priming, blocking and painting will be done on these stands. As long as it doesn't rain, work on the doors will commence this weekend.

 

[55Madman]

Man those will save your back, shoulders and time!
JR

 

[Robert Haas]

I built a fixture that bolted into the hinge pockets using the hinge bolts. This fixture was mounted on an engine stand. made a sort of mini rotisserie. Sure made it handy to get the power windows and glass installed too.

 

[KMD]

Awesome stands, nice how you made them tilt. Wood don’t seem to be my friend, so a carpenter I am not, so I am impressed.
I made a couple metal stands that bolt to the hinge pockets so I could paint the doors but your design works much better to do block sanding on. They look really sturdy. Nice job.

 

[mundert]

The stands look very handy. Good work.

 

[Bitchin'57]

Thanks guys for the compliments on the door stands.

Got some more work done. I sanded the inner fenders to 320 grit, which means they are ready to be painted. I went back and forth on whether to paint them satin black or gloss black. I may later regret it, but I'm going to shoot them gloss black. If I don't like the way they look straight away, I could shoot a coat of satin black over it if I'm within the recoat window.

This past weekend, I sprayed two coats of epoxy primer on the doors, followed by two wet coats of high build primer. My high build primer gun has a 2.5 fluid tip, so when I say wet, its a healthy coat! On a side note, I added simple handles to the pivot platforms.

 

[55Madman]

Thank you all for the feedback!! Much appreciated!! ISatin black is the clear winner, so satin black it is!

Changed your mind, eh?

Kidding aside - it'll look great either way you go.
JR

 

[Bitchin'57]

Changed your mind, eh?

Kidding aside - it'll look great either way you go.
JR

LOL!! I like shiny things! Seriously though, I learned towards the gloss, because since I'm painting in my dirty garage, if I get dust in the paint, or if I get a drip, I can correct the gloss paint. I can't correct satin paint, whatever it is, it is.

 

[55Madman]

LOL!! I like shiny things! Seriously though, I learned towards the gloss, because since I'm painting in my dirty garage, if I get dust in the paint, or if I get a drip, I can correct the gloss paint. I can't correct satin paint, whatever it is, it is.

FWIW - if you chose satin you could have it powder coated and it would be tough as nails and would resist most all under hood chemicals...and it's cheaper than paint (around here, anyway). You could also have it coated gloss black - but it would never look like the shine you'll be able to lay down with a spray gun. Good luck!
JR

 

[Bitchin'57]

FWIW - if you chose satin you could have it powder coated and it would be tough as nails and would resist most all under hood chemicals...and it's cheaper than paint (around here, anyway). You could also have it coated gloss black - but it would never look like the shine you'll be able to lay down with a spray gun. Good luck!
JR

Powder coating is not an option. I've already sprayed Raptor Liner on the inside, and primered the outside, along with small spots of body filler.

 

[Bitchin'57]

Well, I changed my mind at the last minute! I sprayed the inner fenders and the radiator support components satin black. The satin paint laid down nice and smooth, and to my pleasant surprise, no dust whatsoever. The single stage paint dried quickly, which is great for painting in a dusty environment like my garage.

I ran out of space in my parts room, so I had to store some painted parts in the spare bathroom! It's a good thing that I have a supportive wife!

Custom parts for the radiator support assembly.

Last weekend, I painted some small stuff in gloss black.