Welcome to Foothill Paint and Fabrication. My name is Mark and I am here to help you with autobody, paint and fabrication plus so much more!
This channel just isn't about cars and trucks, I will be doing custom modifications, metal art, welding, engine work, patch panels, painting tips and tricks, tool selection and use, auto interior design and modifications and so much more. On top of that I will be featuring my 1967 Pontiac GTO on a series of videos as we do a full Resto Mod on my dream car.
If this sounds good to you hit that SUBSCRIBE button and leave me a message in the comments!
- About Me - I am a do it yourselfer with over 35 years painting cars as a hobby with many of the cars and trucks winning trophies at shows. I learned in my garage or driveway like most of you by trying and I am happy to pass what I have learned on to you.
@@douglashart5059 Thank Doug, I don't have room for all those fancy tools plus there is a lot of satisfaction from making your own. I am hoping all the prep work we have been doing pay off soon.
Mark, I am so envious. You had one of these at 19 ?? The 66-67 GTO are my favorite years. I was 16 when the 66's came out, and just drooled over them. I started "muscle car'ing" with 70-73 Camaro's when I was in college in the early to mid 70's (still have a 71 restomod, built for autocross). The GTO's changed in 68, with the sleeker body design, and although they were beautiful, I always thought they lost something in that change. I love your channel sir. AT 74, I'm still building cars and old motorcycles as my prime retirement hobby (in actuality, looking at how busy I am now, I've no idea how I had time to go to a real job). Very much looking forward to seeing your progress, and especially the end product.
@@JohnnieBravo1 Thank you Johnnie for such a wonderful comment. I agree that the 66 67 have a great Coke bottle look and the stacked headlights make it look awesome. I hear you on being so busy with projects you wonder how you ever put in 40 hours in at work. Email me some pics of your projects and I will showcase them at the end of a video.
Really enjoyed this video Mark! How fun to revisit projects you did before experience, skill and patience set in. The, “just cover it with carpet” comment was funny. I’m getting epoxy sprayed on Pops this week. Should finish the body tomorrow. Then on to doors and fenders. I’ll email some photos. Thanks again for these informative videos.
@@travlite8496 I have had a lot of bad experiences with heat and sheet metal in my youth. Spent some time around some metal workers that only turned to heat as a last resort. I took their knowledge to heart and things got better fast. Not afraid of heat just go there last.
Some of my fondest memories are my Mom yelling out the back door "where are my coat hangers" as my cousins and me snickered in the barn. Great work Mark. Thank you for your time.
@@lazyhoundracing9621 I didn't know how to act when I was in metal shop in school and they had filler rod without kinks, bends and a coating. Great way to learn gas welding using hangers.
@@FoothillPaintandFabrication Gas welding will make you a better TIG welder. I once welded a piece of rebar together in an emergency situation on a jobsite with a cutting torch and a piece of tie wire much to the amazement of the young guys. It saved a $10k pour.
@@autoboy48 Cab alignment is important getting all measurements even side to side as a small difference at the frame/cab translates to a lot at the nose. Sometimes you have to tweak the cab to get the front on and looking good even though it isn't technically straight. Frame twist, accidents in the past or simply body/frame mounts that were not installed at the factory straight can frustrate the whole process.
Good job. You got’er done. I use a Henrob gas welding setup to weld 60 year old Swiss cheese, rust so bad that hitting it with a wire wheel would have instantly destroyed. I would say it was 50% open. 90% of the rust was removed chemically. That which remained popped and disappeared as new metal flowed in. It was extraordinarily tedious but it just goes to show anything can be fixed if you want to bad enough😊
@@ThisIsToolman You are absolutely right about that. I have never seen one of those torches up close but it sounds like it must work very well. Luckily mine was pretty solid overall.
I don't know if John is cool with me discussing his personal business but I will ask him if it is okay and get back to you. I just installed Edelbrocks Pro flo 4 fuel injection in the SS last month so it is worth even more now...
Would be interesting to see if adding fumed silica to make a gel would let it be used on things like chassis and fitted panels. I have seen phosphoric acid solutions turned into a gel for stripping rust so it may work for this as well. Probably be less harmful to people too.
That is a great idea! I saw some guy that used a small fountain pump and routed the hose to flow over the rusted areas and let it drip back into the tub the pump was in. Your idea is way better especially if you covered the area with plastic wrap to hold the moisture in while it worked.
I have the pro Flo 4 app on my phone but under the “E tuner Display” yours has a speedo and tach. Mine only has a tach and it’s just a basic graph style. It doesn’t look like an actual gauge like yours. Are you using the E tuner 4 app? I can view my speed on the transmission app but that one is separate for the trans controller they sell.
@@jarrettb.7302 Yes I downloaded the newest version I think. When I select the E Tuner display it asks to use my phone's location services so the MPH must get its signal from GPS on the phone. I am using an Android with the latest OS.
Looking good mark. Two options for the thin metal areas, get your MIG gun closer to the weld. Your long stick out is raising your amperage without you realizing it. Option two, TIG weld the holes. For me it is easier to control the amperage. Plus keep the Tungsten close for a tight arc and use .030 wire fire filler. If your TIG welder has a high startup current, establish the arc a few mm away from the thin area then move to where you need to be. You can use pulse mode if available or manually pulse the pedal if necessary to manage heat.
@@gofastwclass Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it. Still a newbie with tig but my machine can do pulse and I can control the start amperage setting. I found using a longer stick out with the MiG allows a little burn back and less push into the parent material getting build up with less penetration. It seems to work for me. I need to get some more practice in with the tig welding in holes for sure.
Those were great shots of your welding Mark. I enjoyed watching your work! I have to agree with you on the heat. It has been a miserable month of July here so far. Highs over 115, and lows in the 90's. Not much fun. ☹
Yeah a day here or there is fine but this constant blistering heat just builds and builds on itself. If it cooled down at night it wouldn't be so bad but 85 degrees at 4am is ridiculous. How is the truck coming along?
@@FoothillPaintandFabrication Unfortunately Mark, I haven't touched the truck in 3 months from just being too busy at work plus I've had some health problems as well. Hopeful to get back after it soon.
Really enjoyed the video Mark. When that first hole blew out it reminded me of the many blowouts I’ve had on Pops. I learned the copper sheet trick from you last year some time (or earlier?). I’m hustling to get things ready for epoxy as I don’t have the dry air you have in SoCal. Thanks for keeping the videos coming in spite of the hot weather down there !
Thanks Robert. There used to be a saying around welders "that guy is so good he could weld two soup cans together" Mind you that was back in the stick only days. Well I can weld two soup cans together easily if I had too with a mig. Like I mentioned to you before the panel is pretty well protected because of the Phosphoric acid dip at the end but you are smart to get going as fast as you can towards epoxy. If you would have had Pops media blasted it would already be flash rusting. You and I will be spraying epoxy about the same time, I am just a year in prep...
Very nice work welding up the pits. I didn't think you were going to be able to pull that off. I love your attention to detail. Thank you for your time.
Me either but I have a few hours with a mig gun in my hands so I had a 50/50 chance. Not the perfect repair but the panels are really solid so I am okay with it.
Really enjoyed the video Mark. Attention to detail! I learn something in every episode. Keeping things around can be messy at times, but when you need something it’s right there!
Nice work as always, Mark. My son has a 69 Camaro and wants a little wider rear tire. But mini tubs add so many more mods. Moving the springs and narrowing the fuel tank, or a four link set up makes it so cost prohibitive. I'll suggest we look into something like this. Thanks for showing us your work.
Thanks Matt. I have never done this on a Camaro so I can't speak to that but it certainly is worth a look to see if you could glean some room. Doing tubs opens a big can of worms for sure.
Very nice work Mark. Right there is the difference between a job and a labor of love. I have never liked the look of aftermarket tubs no matter how well they are done. I really don't like when they tub the AD trucks. Some classes of racing you have to run under a 12" wide tire. I like to keep my racing options open so I'm widening the rear fenders about 2" I think. I really like the ide of the rolled inner flange. Getting rid of that sharp edge sound like a great idea. I also want to widen the front fenders and running boards for a little wider look. I learn a lot from your videos. You explain thing very well. Thank you for your time.
Thanks. I have been thinking about your widening of your fenders. I think the Cut and Butt method would work the best. Here is a link to Fitzees Fabrications. Tony does a lot of Cut and Butt and this video shows why it is so useful. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MBYGGz1yyZ0.htmlsi=EFqQj5Z9iUxtREQS On your fenders you could cut the donor fenders 2 1/2" out from the mounting flange from one end to the other, make a 2" wood spacer to place between the two flanges of the donor piece and fender to clamp them together so it will be perfectly parallel line up the sheet metal and tack it like Tony does. Then cut all the way through both pieces at the 2" mark, make the seam flush and tack away. You need a really thin cut off blade on your grinder but this method will help keep the shape of the fenders really well. I would start at the top of the fender and work each way to the bottom.
Learned a lot Mark. Nice video. I’ve been gone for a couple of weeks and am now catching up on your videos. Picked up the ‘49 at Bo’s yesterday. Turned out great. It was a little tall for his tank so there is a small section of corrosion on the inside of the roof. I’ll take care of that. The doors and fenders are perfect. Just like on Ruby, some new areas of corrosion presented themselves. I’ll deal with that. Will email some photos to you. Thanks again! R
@@robertmazzei2412 That is great news Robert. Pretty exciting phase of your project. I look forward to seeing the pictures. How is the humidity there? Not bad I hope.
Well. In the summer it’s fine. Not like SoCal for sure. But I won’t be able to let it sit as you’ve done with Ruby. I’ll need to get the DTM epoxy it sooner rather than later. Are you still satisfied with the epoxy product you used on Ruby? Thanks very much Mark.
@@robertmazzei2412 Yes I am but there are plenty out there to choose from. Just read the product sheets on all of them before you choose. Just because they call it DTM doesn't mean it is for large bare steel areas. What paint line are you thinking of going with? Are you using base coat clear coat or single stage?
I’m going to use single stage. Maybe I should go to the auto paint store I use and get their take on things. I recently had them match a paint color for my airplane tail and they did a super job. I can look back at your video, but can you give me the product name you used. I’ll run it by them and see what they think. Really appreciate your help!
@@SkaterStimm Not sure, the water seemed to beat up on the Gibbs but was definitely different than the bare steel. It has almost been a year since I had the car stripped and it is doing great. The phosphoric acid they dip it in is the key. Almost ready to spray epoxy so all is good.
@@davidpowell5137 Thanks I am putting a TKX in. I wanted to use the Muncie with an overdrive but it cost more than the Tremec. My tunnel is pretty beat up and needs work either way.
Crazy there was 55 plus holes in the underside guess im gojng to have to take a look when i finally get my lemans on a rotisserie but istill have a ways to go thanks again mark
In all fairness Chris I made probably half those holes moving stuff around or removing factory mounts. They still needed to be filled though no matter how they got there. I am sure yours will be a lot less. Thanks
Nice work Mark, I think I enjoyed the metal work the most on my Buick. I made alot of mistakes, but we learn more from them then our successes. keep it up!
Thanks Matt. I have made my share that is for sure, luckily they were a long time ago but I still manage to screw things up from time to time. New situation, new chance to mess it up.
Always a pleasure to watch you tackle a project, Mark! What are your plans for the finish on the undercarriage? Will you put an undercoating? Happy 4th of July to you and your family! I got to hand it to you, working in the shop with those kinds of temperatures. It is going to be 115 all week here in Phoenix, no way I'm going out there to work. 🙃
Thanks Doug and Happy Independence day to you and yours. The wheel wells will get undercoating but I am thinking of painting the floor pan gloss red like the exterior. Sound deadening will be done on the inside so having a nice smooth and glossy finish underneath will be easy to keep clean and will look good too.
Thanks. How is the frame coming along other than a marathon hole filling session? If I remember correctly you are using a lot of the factory frame and beefing it up where needed.
@@FoothillPaintandFabrication Yes I'm using a set of original frame rails and mirroring them to make boxing plates. Then I can weld them top and bottom to give me more of a factory look. That's why I filled all the holes. I took my mag drill and an annular cutter of the next size above the hole and make a perfect hole. Then I made little plugs on the lathe that tap fit in. For the most part it was just fusion welding. I didn't want to MIG them because it's too hard of a weld and didn't want to end up drilling half way on a hard Mig weld.I'm making all the cross members and X bracing out of tube. Some classes of racing require original frame rails. I got tired of working on the frame and now I'm changing my steering wheel ring from a 18" to a 15.5" ring with the stock center. I'm using a 59 dished on my wheel on my 53 to get the nice self canceling turn signals. I'm also running EPAS Performance electric P/S on stock box with a 1.5 steering quickener.
@@lazyhoundracing9621 And I thought I go overboard on stuff! Sounds like you found a smart way around the rule book on the frame. Send me pics of your handy work so I can share them. Especially the steering wheel.
I restored a 64 GTO and I couldn't find quarter panels and they said they didn't reproduce them at that time whitch was about 10 years ago so I had to make 65 quarters work I had to modify the wheel well to make the work it was a hard journey but in the end it all worked out and the customer was happy.
Funny when you think there are repops available you look at a panel and think "That is done, it has to be replaced" but once you can't get a replacement you look at the panel and think "Well it isn't that bad, we can save it" Good on you for not giving up and saving the car for your customer.
If U don't cut that flange from the stamping of that hole. (before U weld) U can't planish the weld if U get any distortion! Plus U will see the patch from the inside! All welds shrink.
I know these classic cars were leaded in the sail panel... but nobody has ever been able to explain why that was. Do you know the reasons behind all that?
The factory used that area to spot weld the inner and outer panels together in a certain order for crush strength from what I know. The lead was their body filler back then and performed and still performs better than catalyzed fillers. No shrinkage, dense like steel and sands smooth. Just a lot harder to apply than plastic body fillers.
Thanks Doug. My view is that I need to get better at doing it. The factory lead lasted all this time with zero issues so that shows how good it really is. Plastic body filler has its place, just have to use it properly.
THIS IS THE BEST MOST CONCISE, TO-THE-POINT, PROFESSIONAL VIDEO I FOUND. AND USED! THANK YOU... I WILL EMULATE YOUR PROCESSES ON A COUPLE OF MY CARS...THANKS
Mark, have you ever used “All Metal”? I have the same seam to fill on my Camaro’s sailpanels. Another option is to weld a strip of metal between the qtr panels and the roof skin, so that a small amount of filler replaces a larger area.
Hi Charlie. I have use EverCoats Metal to Metal which is the same as All Metal. They are metal (aluminum powder) reinforced plastic body fillers. They work great in zero flex areas and are much harder than lightweight fillers. I know a guy doing a 67 Chevelle that welded in a strip on the seam. Looked like it was going to work really well but I wanted to try my hand at leading in that large area and make it match the other side...well kind of match 🙂
