Body repair and prepping for painting

Jul 11, 2003 3 Replies
E

I'm doing a complete re-build of a small sports car. I have removed the doors, hood and trunk cover, as they all need a lot of rust repair. Some of the body work I can do myself, but the more complicated welding and sheet metal will have to go out to a pro shop.



If I send out one major panel at a time, how should I handle the finish for each piece? Should I request that each piece be given only a light primer paint, and then store the pieces until I'm ready to paint the body? Also, should I remount these big parts onto the car before painting, or would I get a better and/or cheaper paint job by leaving them demounted?



Thanks,



Ed



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N

Use epoxy primer-sealer if the pieces are not going to be painted for a while. Also consider spraying the backsides of the panels in color before you hang them so that all the flanges, joints, etc. have a protective coating on them. (or just use POR-15.)

good luck

nate

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E

You can of course get the nooks and crannies better with the parts off the car, but the paint usually matches better with them left on. There's also the difficulty of re-assembly with the parts painted. It's a nerve-racking experience hanging painted parts, as you're scared you'll chip or scratch something. I removed the trunk lid on my Porsche to repaint and man! was it a hassle getting it back on. By the time I'd adjusted the hinges and latch, I'd chipped the paint on the edges several times. Emanuel

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