A couple of painting theories...

[thrown_hammer]

I have my passenger side fender fitted and gapped. It looks so good I don't wanna take it off! Which got me thinking. I see two options here.

Option #1:
Paint the jambs and under side of hood and duck, place all panels on the car and shoot all at once.

Option #2:
Paint all peices seperate and CAREFULLY bolt the pieces back on.

Whats the best way to go here? I see benefits either way. What say ye oh experienced ones?

[RickM]

Good question!

It's probably done both ways but I'd say, in the quest for uniformity (and perhaps ease), option 1 has the edge.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I'm just an inexperienced dummy here, but in a un-galvanized car like yours, wouldn't it be best to spray with everything apart, to insure that everything gets coated and therefore protected?

[fintstone]

I have painted cars both ways. Since I generally work alone, I usually damage the paint on the large parts on assembly or adjustment(doors, hood, fenders) when I paint first. For the do-it-yourselfer, it might be better to prime and shoot a color coat while unasssembled and then the final coat and clear (if used) after assembly.

[thrown_hammer]

Ah hah! A third option! Good thinking. Could I have a moderator add Option #3: Prime, color coat, assm, final coat.

[Oliver911]

I usually do something similar to option 1...I "cut-in" all body panels (spray all not fully exposed edges and undersides of duck and hood) before reassembling the car and spraying as a whole. By spraying not fully exposed edges I mean lips of fenders, duck grille area headlight buckets etc. So you could probably get by with leaving just that fender on and "cutting in" the rest of the car. This way you do not run the risk of damaging any freshly painted pieces and the drip prone areas are taken care of before the majority of the color coat is applied.

[toolman]

I restored my whole car by painting each part off the car, sanding and buffing each part then carefully reassembling the car. The advantage is you will have no over spray or tape line in your jambs, which is the BEST and most original looking method. You will not have to worry about getting over spray all over the vehicle either, and can undercoat before installation. I wouldn't worry too much about alignment because the fender does not have too much adjustment in the first place.

[targa80]

I am in the process of doing option 2. The big question is how was it done in the factory. When I took my fenders off the car I found that the lip that bolts to the chassis(where they put the sealing putty) was only primed and not painted. On the other side where you have the rubber between the fender and the window cowling therubber is not sprayed over. I believe that the fenders were painted first and then installed to the chassis. Am I wrong in this assumption?

[thrown_hammer]

For reference I am installing F/G hood and fenders. As well as F/G bumpers and Duck.

[BGCarrera32]

You could prime your parts, and shoot the hard to reach areas with the base coat, then...since you're doing a color match, you can shoot the panels attached to the car and overspray onto the adjacent panels...finishing up with the color sanding and a machine buff out (effectively blending it all together).

[toolman]

What color are we talking about here and how well do you want it to match?

[Zeke]

If you are using metallic, you might want the car together.

[toolman]

BG, what you are talking about is considered a blend which is a good idea. The procedure would have you blend the base coat on to the adjacent panels then clear the entire panel to seal in the blend area, this is very hard to do with a single stage paint, but very easy with BC/CC.

[thrown_hammer]

Single stage enamel Gulf Blue.

[Rot 911]

Shawn, as you know I am a complete DIY'er working alone in my garage. If you are not using a clear coat, which I have quit doing, then paint the pieces separately, then assemble. Will you scratch something? Yes. How to fix it? Do what I do, get a cheap airbrush and fill in the scratches. The paint will still be new so blending is no problem. In addition, if you wait a week before assembling that enamel paint will be quite hard which reduces any assembly problems. You will find for the first 48hours that enamel paint stays quite soft then progressively hardens over the next 72 hours.

[thrown_hammer]

Kurt,
Thanks. Should I paint everything at the same time and assemble at a later time? I was thinkling I could hang the F/G pieces from the rafters and shoot them the same time as the tub. I plan on waiting about a week before reassembly.

[RickM]

You'll want to make sure the hanging pieces are well secured. If able to sway or move you'll compromise the quality of the finish.....not to mention the fun of "chasing" them.

[BGCarrera32]

Originally posted by toolman
BG, what you are talking about is considered a blend which is a good idea. The procedure would have you blend the base coat on to the adjacent panels then clear the entire panel to seal in the blend area, this is very hard to do with a single stage paint, but very easy with BC/CC.

Agreed. Wasn't aware he was using single stage. If you had single stage layed down all buffed out, etc. and wanted to blend onto it with BC/CC, what would you do to the existing single stage panel you are blending to? Sand with 2000 grit for adhesion, or? I have a small area on my passenger door 'bout the size of a coffee coaster that has some cracked filler I will have to repair in the next year or so...would rather not paint the whole enitre door or side of the car. Advice? My whole car was redone by the PO in single stage.

-BG

[toolman]

Get the paint matched as close as possible to the original color and paint it off the car. If you dab a little paint on your original color to check the match, let it dry because it will dry darker than while wet. When I hang parts to paint, I always wear long rubber gloves to steady the swinging panel while I spray. Good luck with the project Shawn, let us know how it turns out.

[atlporsche]

what happened to punisher satin black???

sjd