The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Painting in pieces

We have our 53 ready for paint. It is in pieces now with the whole front end apart and the doors off, all glass out and the rear fenders off. For those of you that painted this way how difficult was it to be put back together again without scratching it all up. We are going to do a dry run today of re-installing the front sheet metal to see how hard that is to do. I guess we could pull the engine, so that the painter can paint the engine compartment with the front sheet metal on? I know putting the hood back on will be tough, but we can't get around that no matter which way we go. Any suggestions from those of you who have painted this way?

I've painted things apart - just hafta be careful! it does help to assemble everything when primered to get the fit right - if the 'tweaking' is done before the painting then the final assembly will be smoother - the hood just needs 3 people to be a piece of cake - re-installing the glass is where have to take the most care!

as for painting under the hood w/ the engine out - the inner fenders and frame are black, not body color, so you still have lots of masking to do that'll result in a job that looks like a repaint, not fatory, which was done piece by piece - also the firewall needs body color right down to the floorboard, further than you can get when it's on the frame

Bill

Thanks red58, We put the sheet metal on the front, definitely needed some tweaking to get everything back together. Still have a few more tweaks to get everything lined up. We are now considering trying to paint the front sheet metal together but not on the truck, then only having to attach at the radiator support and the fender to cab bolts. Have you ever tried it this way? We thought this would allow easy access to the inner fenders, firewall, etc, then have a few extra hands available to install the front as one piece, less the hood. Thanks Coach Frank

yes, actually I took the front clip off the 58, less the hood, when I changed the engine, before it got the paint job it has now, but it's one heavy sucker to do anything with - the AD might be a bit different, but mine was sure awkward to put back in place w/ the inners installed

maybe you should sorta split the difference as was suggested some where else here, paint the firewall, around the window openings, and door jambs and edges, then assemble it all and paint the works - paint the assembled box seperate then install it - that gets all the places done that can't be reached when it's together, but still keeps from too much chance of dinging fresh paint

Bill

I like to put in my two cents as well. If you want to paint the front clip as a whole, pre-paint the edges of the panels before assembly to get paint in all the nooks and crannys that cannot be otherwise reached when assembled. If you paint everthing separate, apply masking tape to all the edges that come close to anything hard. During assembly, if a part rubs against something else, the masking tape helps avoid chipping your fresh paint. During your mockup, it is critical that you make the parts go together easily. If need be, elongate bolt holes so panels line up correctly without stress on the parts. If everything falls together the reassembly will have much less chance of paint damage. By the way, only solid colors should be painted on parts separately and at different times, metallics should be painted all at one time.

Joe

coach-frank,

This, was painted in parts and put back together twice, once while in primer and again after the final coat.

How would you paint parts seperately using the 2 stage method?

The biggest issue I see with painting the parts then assemblying them is getting the paint shades correct, how would you mix the paint to get the same color match? Let's say you're shooting acrylic enamel, you have to mix the correct amount of paint, reducer and hardener. I guest you would have to mix the exact same amount for every batch.

tri5nerd,

I used the same paint on all parts, I just don't understand where you are coming from here???

yes Nerd, that's why the painters have measuring cups and why you buy all the paint you'll need in 1 go - the reducer and hardener don't affect the color if you stay in the ball park, painting in a shop where temp and humidity are fairly controlled takes care of the rest - it should only take 3 sessions max to do everything - 2 in a good booth of reasonable size

you have heard of partial repaints? not hard to paint half a car and have it all match

Bill

Ad,
I'm talking about using the same paint at different times to do parts seperately, let's say I paint the fenders and Radiator support on one day then the hood, valance and other misc parts on another day. How do you mix the paint to get the same shade of that specific color every time?

like I said Nerd - the same paint [from the same mix batch] will be the same color if you measure any additives close - how do you do a partial repaint this year on something you painted last year and get the same shade? done every day in every body shop in the world!

Bill

Red58,

Got it now, thanks for enlightening me.

I painted my 59 all in parts while dissassembled. It made it much easier as you don't have to worry about dry lines and overspray from painting one panel at a time. Plus putting everything on saw horses and painting it flat makes it much less likely to get a run or a sag. I painted the interior first and then flipped them over as the exterior coat was what matter the most. Assembly went fine, just take your time and be careful. You can even use rags on the edges and have everything loose, then pull the rags and tighten it all up.

I probably won't dissassemble my 72 to paint it, maybe, but I already have the bed slid back so I can do some cab repairs.

Most people don't have a paint booth with adequate exhaust to control overspray or fumes, so I think painting in pieces is better as long as you can get the color matched. Another thing that helps is to make sure you have all the pieces hung the same way- hang the left and right fenders the same orientatation, same as the doors, etc, so you spray at the same angle for everything. In pearl and metallic paints the gun angle really affects how the color looks.

Also, most people don't really have a big enough compressor to paint a whole car without causing big variances in pressure or moisture as you go around the car. Painting one panel at a time helps make sure that you don't gain moisture in the air as you go along and that you keep the same pressure all the way. I like to use a regulator right at the gun and record the pressure setting to make sure I get it the same every time I paint with that paint.

paint???