Windshield Frame Painting

Repair of the corroded windshield frame finally reaches a conclusion in this update as the repairs are completed the birdcage is painted.

As you recall, the driver side lower corner was completed in the last update. Since that time the same repair procedure was used to finish the passenger side lower corner. Once the lower corners were complete a skin coat of body filler was applied to the repair surfaces to ensure a smooth mating surface would be provided for the firewall.

With the windshield frame fully repaired, sanded, sandblasted and cleaned the frame was taped off for painting.

PPG’s DP90LF was selected as the paint system for the frame. DP90 is a rugged epoxy primer/sealer that also serves as a corrosion preventative. My research indicated that others have received good results with this product so I decided to give it a shot. It’s a bit on the pricey side – about $60 per quart with the catalyst – but it should do the trick nicely.

The DP90 was applied in two coats with a HPLV spray gun. The DP90 is pretty nasty stuff so the use of a respirator is required. I went the extra mile and added a pair of coveralls and nitrile gloves to be extra safe.

In the end the paint job came out quite nicely. The DP90 leaves a nice satin finish and actually doesn’t require a top coat. Most importantly, the satin finish will accept windshield sealant better than a high gloss paint would.

With the windshield frame repairs completed I thought this would be a good time to throw in some before-and-after photos to document the progress to date. Before – passenger side, windshield frame upper corner

After

Before – driver side windshield frame upper corner

After

Before – passenger side, windshield frame lower corner

After

Before – driver side, windshield frame lower corner

After

Looking back it’s nice to know that the birdcage has been properly repaired without cutting any corners. With this step of the restoration completed, the next goal will be to clean up the firewall and get it remounted to the car so that we can move on with the front clip installation and body work.