The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors Repro Doors - Rust Prevention

Hi,
Bought 2 new repro doors for the '54. They have a black paint on them inside and out - don't know what this paint is and I expect that it may be crap. I would like to paint the inside of the doors so they won't rust away like the old ones. Any best practices for doing this? (i.e. paint to use and how to get it into the nooks and crannies) Thanks.

btw. tried searching for this with no luck

that 'black paint' is EDP, as good as epoxy primer, scuff it and paint, don't worry about the inside, won't rust in your lifetime

Bill

EDP applied to spotlessly clean metal will be a good base coat to paint over.
It is not suitable as a final coat. It will rapidly degrade when exposed to the elements, if not top-coated with paint.
It is therefore not as good as epoxy primer. (Sorry Bill.)
You need to ask the following questions:
1) Is the paint on your parts certified as EDP?
2) Are you confident that the underlying metal was properly cleaned prior to application of the EDP?
3) Are you about to spend thousands of dollars on body work and paint? If so I'd recommending spending a little extra money on media blasting the doors inside and out, then prime them with the same primer which you will use on the rest of the truck, and paint the inside of the doors. This will give you a relatively inexpensive piece of mind.

If you plan on a rattle can rat rod job, please disregard.
Carl

I did say 'scuff and paint' Carl, which will leave the EDP as the best primer possible - or easily scour right thru the coating if it's not EDP - and I can't imagine how the inside of the door will be "exposed to the elements", but if one wanted the extra expense of trying to strip the inside of an AD door, the painting should probably be done by pouring a gallon of paint in and sloshing it about, cuz you're not going to get all the EDP [or cheap black primer] out .... virtually all replacement parts nowadays are EDP coated, most efficient way for the manufacturer, best substrate for the body shop

YMMV, but EDP has been pEace of mind for me on a number of pieces, both GM OEM and repro, saves time, saves money and labor, saves doing it over later

Bill

I think the inside of the door shell needs paint as there is going to be moisture in there even if the truck is kept in the garage and only driven on sunny days. Since access is limited, I can't see how to get a complete job with a spray gun, so I guess it means doing the pour and slosh method. We are painting the truck with Ful-Thane IS so we can use that for the inside.

Thanks.

I have used POR-15 (a moisture-hardening urethane), if the surface did not have flakey paint on it. It is a bit messy in application inside the door (as any paint would be).

I sloshed it around the door insides by slowly rotating the door in all directions, ending up with the door "standing" in normal orientation.

Do this on throwaway drop cloths and/or paper.
Do this while wearing throwaway gloves.

Have old rags (and solvent) on hand to wipe off the POR that comes out of openings.

Once it has dried, you would have to grind it off, or sand it smooth for finish paint-prep, etc.

Good point, Bill! I glossed right over that. We still friends?
Carl

Thanks. I will put on my rattiest clothes and giv'r.

Gord I just had two almost mint doors given to me. Wish I had known you were looking. The inside of the doors on my 49 are excellent. They may have had some undercoating at the factory, don't know. I drive in rain and am not concerned about the inside. Just keep the drain holes clean and do not use spray foam on the inside. The type used to stop drafts.

Please don't tell me things like that!

Anyway, the new doors are on the cab and they look great and they work properly. That sounds like I'm being smug, but I didn't finish the job. After installing, removing, adjusting hinges and reinstalling the doors over and over again over several days with mixed results, I got expert help. (It was Fran's suggestion - apparently my frustration was a bit much for her.)

The expert builds beautiful cars and trucks. He really knows what he is doing. The truck is back home with doors that probably fit better than when it left the factory in December 1953.

I asked him about the coating the inside of the doors for rust protection. He agrees with Bill. It's not needed.

Painting the bottom of the cab was not considered necessary by Chevrolet in the '40s and 50's. Bet they would have lasted longer if they had.
As many rotted out bottoms of doors that I have seen, It is apparent to me that the inside of a door is not a friendly environment.

Proven by the many doors with rusted bottoms (seemingly rusted from the inside out?).

Modern use is different then the original intent, which was working, multi-purpose utility vehicles. My truck never gets driven in rain or snow, ever. The inside of my doors will never get enough exposure as was stated in my lifetime to be a worry. The originals on the other hand for most of their lives were driven in every weather condition, mostly parked outside and the larger ones perhaps used only as needed around harvest cycles. You look at the weatherstripping on the doors and you can see whatever rain or snow that accumulated after a short number of years is going inside that door. As soon as the drain holes plugged (they are not that large nor numerous) those doors then become compromised. So where does this go? You need to look at your use, storage, and conditions where you live, unless you have a daily driver you are probably OK.