Perfect start for First LH body!

Any Questions feel free to ask.

Owned my 3.3 powered Eagle for a while now.

 

Really nice example! hopefully you can keep it clean!

 

A nice Dodge, a good base to rebuild, may it serve as long and as well as possible.

 

Hey guys, this is my first post as I'm new here. I JUST bought a 1997 Dodge Intrepid last week as a "beater" car. But as I'm checking into everything that needs attention, this car is actually in REALLY good shape for its age. The paint is definitely shot, every single panel is faded and/or has the clear coat peeling off. It has oil leaks galore, pretty much every rubber bushing on the car is toast, but it actually runs and drives EXCELLENT. No check engine lights, no hesitating or poor performance. Even the heat and AC work great. The seller bragged about it being a low mile car since the odometer only reads 78k miles. I was skeptical thinking maybe the odometer was replaced at some point or something. But looking at the paperwork, and what all is worn (and what IS NOT worn), I now believe the miles to he accurate. This is actually a one owner car, they bought it in January 1997. The Carfax history seems to line up with the mileage, they didn't put very many miles on it each year. The interior is in IMMACULATE shape except for the headliner and a few minor cigarette burns on the driver's seat. Even the carpet is in excellent shape with no rips/wear holes or stains anywhere. Even the factory spare and Jack are still there.
Seems like this car must have been for an older couple who let it sit out in the weather for all these years and mother nature took a toll on the paint and all the rubber parts and gaskets.
But with the help if all of you guys here and your expert knowledge of these cars, I'm sure you will guide in in the right direction as far as repairs and procuring parts for this old gem. View attachment 42039
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That is one of the cleanest 1st gens I've seen in a while! Love it! Take good care of it!

 

This car isn't exactly as "clean" as it seems in these pictures. I noticed that the paint looks a LOT better in these pictures than it does in person. The paint on this car is in absolutely HORRIBLE condition. Every single panel has clear peeling or color fading, or BOTH. The roof is by far the worst. I'm surprised it looks so good in these pictures, it even look quite shiny in the pictures. But if you look VERY close, you can actually see the sections of clear peeling. But aside from the paint, yes this car is actually in pretty good shape especially for it's age. Too bad it wasn't garage kept, because the it would be in even better shape! I can tell the previous owner didn't drive it very much, but I can also tell that a lot of the wear and tear on this car is from weather and age.

 

Oh this paint is WELL beyond the point of saving it with compound and polish. The clear coat is oxidized and fading on the roof and trunk, and it's peeling on every other panel. It's literally peeling off in sheets. I suspect that's because pretty much every other panel has been repainted at some point. It's pretty obvious due to the overspray, especially on the bumpers. I see a small amount of paint over spray in the engine compartment, and around the tail light area. If I REALLY wanted to make it look better, I could probably pressure wash most of the clear coat off and just re-clear it . But to be quite honest, it's a 25yr old shitbox. I'm more concerned with it running and driving good and being a fairly reliable commuter car. As as it rides good, has good AC and heat, steers and handles well, and reliably runs and drives good and doesn't run hot or leak all the fluids out, then I'm happy with it.
I still have to do some work on the suspension, and looks like I'm gonna have to replace the oil pan gasket because it's got a decent sized leak.

 

..... The paint is definitely shot, every single panel is faded and/or has the clear coat peeling off.

For inspiration, in the video below Chrisfix does a low-budget detail and paint touch-up of his beater car, using the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, and he follows up with the separate Meguiars Polish. He does the whole car by hand (a bit of a workout), but a cheap ($30) orbital polisher like in the Scotty video above will also work. The 6" models like Black & Decker are easier to find bonnets for now than the old 8" ones.

He also shows using 5000 grit wet/dry paper on a lacquer touch-up paint job after it dries. I didn't even know it came that fine, but it may be good to start out that fine or 4000 grit on the flaking clear coat before moving on to 3000, 2500, 2000 if needed; and then the compound and polish.

Just need to go lightly at each step to not remove more clear and color than you need to - experiment on a small inconspicuous area first. The wet/dry paper and Meguiar's with the cheap polisher is low-cost compared to all the other compouding and polishing options with the $120 oribital polisher you see in the other videos - I don't really want to buy all that. But you can always move on to that later if you want.

ChrisFix uses a sponge under the wet/dry paper, but don't use a sponge with the Scotch Brite pad on one side, or you could slip and scratch the paint. Or instead just use a stiff block of some kind of foam. Obviously use a bucket to keep the paper wet and clean. You can also use the Meguiar's (or other brand) clay bar kit first (also cheap) after thorough washing to first remove any grit that has embedded in the clear coat. WalMart and the parts stores have those kits too.

Few more notes, if you wind up doing any paint touch up like ChrisFix shows:
Notice that for the touch-up paint, he uses lacquer primer, color, and clear. In case people are not aware, lacquer is very easy to use, and unlike enamels, mistakes and drips can be easily wet sanded out after drying. Also much safer if you breathe any in. (Still best to wear a half mask with 3M organic vapor cartridge filters, or at the very least an N95).

The Dupli-Color Perfect Match primer, paint and clear that they have at lots of parts stores is lacquer. You just have to use VERY light repeated coats of the primer, color, and clear or it may lift and bubble some OEM paints (try on a small inconspicuous area first). Dupli-Color also has a primer-sealer which may work better than their regular Perfect Match primer for sealing the OEM paint to avoid any lifting. Most of the auto parts stores have the Perfect Match paints in several OEM colors or they can order many colors. For example, they have the 1994 Chrysler Emerald Green Pearl on my car. Dupli-Color has their own instructional videos on YouTube (duplicolortv) if you search ond Dupli-Color Perfect Match.

Also, unlike the headlight stuff that ChrisFix does in the video, Meguir's has their own plastic polish and headlight coating which will work better, with less risk of putting fine scratches haze in the plastic with wet/dry paper (not really good for plastic).

How to Detail Faded Paint by Hand (Paint Correction)

 

A beautiful car!

Looks nearly a twin to my old one... I'll have to dig up pictures of my old threads, maybe the COTM pictures still exists some where.

Any recent updates?

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