Giulia Going Grigio Grafite
In a rare moment of clarity and intelligence, I realized the Bondo work I was doing on the TI could, and more than likely would, be better done (or worse yet, undone and redone) by someone who gets paid to do this kind of work. Also, I’d lost touch with friends and family because they don’t much like spending their leisure time in my driveway. Go figure.
So last weekend I did the last bit of body work (banged on a few dents, sanded some bondo, etc.), and then ‘installed’ a spare Giulia Super seat I had in my basement to go drive around some of the shops down on International Blvd, aka East 14th. I love this street. For car guys, it’s where to go if you need something done (usually) reasonably well and at a fraction of the price you’d pay in the less, how do we say it, international neighborhoods. And if you’re not a car guy, you might enjoy one of the couple hundred or so taquerias.
I drove to a few different shops, but of course ended up back where I started, at Pete’s Body Shop and Frame (510-534-5402). Hand painted sign, 2-bay garage, no frills. I won’t say exactly how much it’s costing, but he beat the competition even on International by more than half.
Here she sits, wearing white paint for the last time ever.
Pete (Pedro) is bringing the car down to bare metal, addressing any remaining dents or anomalies, priming, sealing and painting everything except the engine compartment (I”ll live to regret not yanking the engine for this, but oh well; I know where to find him when I do). That means trunk, door jambs, under the hood, etc. It helps that the car is completely gutted, so whatever overspray happens is going to land on stuff that’ll get covered up anyway. Except the dash and glass, of course.
Today I dropped by just to take a few photos, and here they are:
The hood and nose, mostly stripped. Looks pretty good to me.
Front quarter view. DeLorean might like this better than any "paint" job.
The rear end still needs some paint removed, not to mention the taillights and license plate, but the trunklid is mostly bare. Small ding just visible at the top of the left part of the scallop.
The view from the right rear. I find these pictures interesting because you can almost imagine what the cars looked like on the assembly line.
Here's the repair I did on the trunk, with the Bondo sanded down. It's not the most difficult spot to repair, but I have to say this one came out pretty well, and I know the Bondo here is very thin.
And last but not least, the desired color on a similar car (image courtesy of Alfabb.com):
Gunmetal Gray TI. Yum.
Grigio Grafite (‘graphite’ or ‘charcoal’ gray) is pretty much a gunmetal gray; it’s very rich but also kind of flat, non-metallic of course, and really, really beautiful with a red interior. I’m pretty excited to see how it comes out. Stay tuned!
October 16th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Think he would be scared by the SS?
Matt