Sound like you got her licked.

The bubbles you see is if the paint is too thick and puddles, will make it
bubble. best to streatch out the paint as far as it will go with each brush
load. 2 thin coats are best. I have had the same problem, I get in a hurry
and want to lay the paint in. If a little is good, then a whole bunch is
better. Not always.

when you give it the second coat, you want it dry only to a tack point.
dry to the touch with a slight finger drag still remaining.
probly the same with the POR-Patch.

I use those Acid brushes, metal tube handle with about 1/4 in wide brush.
get them ar Harbor freight, a package of 30 or so for a couple $. I smooth
the POR-Patch with them, and work it in where I want.

I just fixed a seam I noticed under the floor along the rocker. the under
coat had a hair line crack in it, and poking around I found some rust just
starting. Can you imagine, rust in Sunny Calif?
I used paint stripper to soften the rubber undercoating, scraped it off,
used Metal ready, painted black POR, then laid in the POR-Patch back in
the seam to smooth it all off. then coated it with Hurculiner Pick Up bed
liner coating.

Now I need to find out why/where the moisture got in. maybe a leaky
windshield seal. no evidence of water on the floor any where. oh
just one more thing to investigate.

The stuff should work for you, give it a good 24 hrs to cure. then glue in
your gasket. If it isn`t perfect, no one is going to see it.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Thanks, Charlie...

It looks like it's a combination of a thick layer of paint with humidity... Ironically, I did the best job on the lower channel, which runs between the tail-lights - the paint dried pretty smoothly there.

I am considering letting it cure for a couple days and then getting a sanding wheel for my drill and removing a layer off the channel bottom where the paint bubbled and then giving it a thin coating...

The side walls look good, so maybe that isnt necessary... But especially where i had to patch a lot the bottom is kinda rough... So i was considering it...

__________________
84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

The humidity is what cures the paint. different than other paint, where humidity works against you.

You do need to sand or roughen up the cured POR to add another coat.

POR has a primer called Tie-Coat that is formulated for POR if you decide to paint over it, you don`t have to sand first. just spray the primer, it bites into the cured POR.

Or when the POR is dry to the touch, but has that light finger drag feel to it, give it a light dusting of a spray primer. Just fog it on where you can still see the POR. let it dry for 12 hrs or so, the primer, add bondo/filler etc... and finish with top coat.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I didn't mean topcoat, though that is a possibility... I meant to sand down the channel floor to make it smooth and remove bubbles.

I found a nice wire-brush head for my drill, so tomorrow I will try it out and see what I can do to smooth out the channel from all the unwanted bubbly features, then put on some Marine Clean, and a final (hopefully) coat of POR-15.

Now that I know what makes the bubbles, I will make certain to apply the paint sparingly!

__________________
84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

Here is another thing about metal Ready and Marine Clean.

Quote: "Does metal that`s been cleaned with marine Clean have to be treated with Metal Ready rust remover/preprimer before gas tank sealer or POR-15 rust preventative paint can be used"?

YES. Marine Clean is a powerful caustic solution that leaves an alkaline finish on metal. An acid finish takes paint better because it etches the metal and gives it a surface profile with "tooth" and the proper PH for adhesion. Our metal Ready rust remover/primer is the perfect prep to use on any surface that`s been cleaned with Marine Clean first".

Now what you are going to do is sand it smooth first. I think if you use marine Clean to wipe it down, you should use a cloth with clean water to wipe up any residue the MC might leave. You wouldn`t have to use the MR, since it is for bare metal/rust.

OK, now we need pictures, this group lives for pictures.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Haha! Yes, as soon as I have it in a more-or-less serviceable state, I will take a few shots to show my not-so-artful handy work.

I will probably do sanding tomorrow, although it's going to be pretty chilly (high of 34F)... But I think that's not a bad thing for sanding because that should keep the paint nice and solid.

__________________
84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

Here are some pictures. Don't judge too harshly.

The finish did not turn out great, as you can see from some bubbling, but there were reasons for that. First, the constraint of working outside during daylight hours in cold weather (below 40F). Second, the channel geometry limits tool access and the ability to polish/sand surfaces. Third, coat application was done with a brush instead of a spray gun, for obvious reasons in my circumstances.

All in all, I believe the seal will go in ok, and liberal application of the adhesive will help it keep the water out of the channel and out of the trunk.

Attached Files

	ChannelLowerRight.pdf (93.5 KB, 125 views)
	ChannelLowerLeft.pdf (100.4 KB, 96 views)
	ChannelLeft.pdf (101.3 KB, 87 views)
	ChannelRight.pdf (107.2 KB, 88 views)

__________________
84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

Here are two more pictures, of the most difficult part of the job and with, perhaps, worst-looking results, but the repair will hold, the holes in the channel were patched, and the channel wall was reconstructed for the Upper Right, where shown in the picture by RED lines and arrows.

Attached Files

	ChannelUpperLeft.pdf (105.3 KB, 110 views)
	ChannelUpperRight.pdf (120.7 KB, 102 views)

__________________
84 300SD - bought in April '06 with 237,000 mi

Looks good. the bubbling shouldn`t cause you any problems, it is sealed.
I have used a brush for all the projects I have done with POR. It is
amazing how the paint will flow and not show brush strokes. You were
hampered by the bad weather, but as long as it is sealed, and preped well
you should have no problems. besides, the gasket will hid all the imperfections.

To make you feel better, Iam in Carson City,NV. and it is cold and snowing. BRRRR. 36Deg at 10:55PM.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works