My paint is cracking and needs to be replaced. I have to do pull some dents and/or do some body work in a few places (I'll be learning; I've never done bodywork). I want to change colors, too, so I need to get pretty much everywhere. Is it better/easier to do the bodywork with the fenders/panels/doors/trunk etc. on the car or should I take them off and work them on a bench or something? I see shows/articles about gaps and panel alignment etc. and I've seen pictures of panels both off and on the car. Should I do the bodywork on the car and then paint the car with the panels off? I'm not trying to be obtuse; just trying to get an idea of what's ahead of me and learn a little bit. Thanks!
I'm no expert, but I'm doing my body work with the fenders/hood/deck lid off but leaving the doors on. I'm not doing a color change, so that does save some work, but I couldn't find any real reason to pull the doors.
Speaking only from my own, very limited experience (more experienced readers are encouraged to verify or re-define my notes), I took all the panels off and did the metal work as was needed. Then I edged the panels in etching sealer and re-assembled. The entire car was then coated in sealer after the welds were ground flat. That was when the bodywork began (I was told never to do bodywork on bare metal). Once the car was smooth, it was primed, then taken apart. The insides and edges were prepped then painted. The gaps and alignment were finalized during re-assembly. After that, the whole car was sanded and prepped, then painted. Of course, this is the short version of the story...
Thanks guys! Wow, beautiful finished product! Nice work I appreciate both answers. It looks like the "process" will include plenty of off AND on work:laugh:
Yep, sounds repetitive but after getting my toes wet on doing bodywork on my Buick, I'm glad I practiced doing reassembly and panel alignment on my non finished parts. It does take some getting used to and I'm sure if I wouldve tried that once the panels were painted I'm sure I would've wrecked the paint job.
If you need to do patching welding etc ,get that done first then reassemble the whole car with all the parts u are using ,make sure all your gaps are correct,do your final bodywork then prime. If you chose to do your bodywork with the parts off ,you still need to fit everything together at somd point to makd sure you have no suprises after its painted!! Good luck ! I know the assembling stuuf can be time consuming but it needs to be done for a quality end result!
I did a color change on mine and i opted to pull most panels for several reasons. I pulled the fenders because i opted to replace them. Of course it is easier to change the color on the inner lip with it off too. I left the doors on so the inner doors/door jambs were a PITA but doable. But with the fenders off the hinge area was easier to get at. I removed the hood and trunk lid also for the color change but i did all the body repair to those panels on the car. I also used the underside of the panels for testing to determine how much pearl i wanted to use in the clear. I also pulled the trim and glass to be sure there was not rot "which there was. The rear window was also ready to fall out, only about 3" of sealer was holding anymore and the trim was the only thing keeping the back glass in place. I replaced the back dash while the glass was out and was able to repaint the pinch welds/pillars while the glass was out too. Of course the front glass was turning milky from time and was loaded with chips and scratches, called my insurance company over a chip in the glass and i had a new tinted glass installed for free.
Pulled every panel off of my 72' Lark foolishly did the body work off the car. Put everything back together and realized that the door has body work too high and wouldn't align. Had to take off everything I just did. It was a PITA.
If your going to do a color change I'd recommend taking off your doors fenders hood and trunk, and the paint line we have you can put color on over your primer if it's within an hour so I'd prime all the parts and then spray your colour and clear on the inners and jams of those parts and on the car do the same thing with out any of the stuff on, spray everything in primer and again paint your jams behind the doors, trunk and hood and do the cowl and everything thats hidden when the parts are on. Then put everything back on, and line it up. then sand down your primer on the outside of the parts and your ready to paint, I always prefer spraying the parts on and lined up so you don't risk damaging the paint lining it up and also the distance you spray your color at makes a difference on metalics so if you spray one part farther away it could look a little different then the next part. Hope this makes sense and helps
Line up all your gaps using the doors, fenders, trunk lid, hood that you plan on using for the car. Do your metal replacement where it needs to be replaced. Afterwards you can take all the panels off to finish them up- working out dents, filler, and then prime everything. I would scuff and jam everything at this point in time. Wet sand every body panel then rehang everything. Make sure all of your gaps are where they should be. Paint
Doug I would get a thick straight yard stick from a hardware store and put in vice tighten and snap off about a 10" section. Then turn on bench grinder and round off all edges at the end of the stick . So when your sanding all mud work it will be perfect. Remember to sand in one direction on an angle then reverse. Like your sanding in an X . Take long strokes from one end of panel in long motions! When you think you got the plastic close to being straight . Get a high quality prep towel ( the kind you wipe a car down with solvent before you paint) Run your hand over the mud with the paper towel dry. Under your hand on top of the mud . Go bake and forth up and down. You will be amazed at how much imperfections you can feel but can nt see! Try it If your car is not wrecked . You can sand panels off the car. But if their is collision areas close to the end of panels apply the mud and sand with thick straight yard stick ( cut short 10") those panels will be straighter than anything else you can use. Then when you high build primer surfacer over mud switch to the big black blocks the sell on snap on tool trucks
Doug line up/ adjust all your fenders hood and doors when they are straight . Use 1/8 the drill bit and drill holes near all mounting bolts . And drill on hingdes in 3 different spots. So when you put doors back on car down the road .line up holes put roll pins in to fill holes or 1/8 inc drill bits . And Dremel them off flush. So when your panels are all painted and done and (beautiful ) you don't GOUGE them up. Then your panels will be where they were when they were in primer. Don't forget if you have trouble getting fenders fitting flush to doors lower down on the panels if fenders are sticking out . Put a jack under frame where body(cowl) mounts are . Jack up frame till tires are almost not touching ground then push in fenders and tighten 2 lower bolts. Release jack . Then check with aluminum yardstick for straightness
Doug If you really want to get awesome . If your panels or(sheetmetal) has lot of abuse . Too many a Whiskey dents strip down panels with stripping pad 36/40 grit sand paper . DA whole panel with 80 grit then epoxy (2 coats) next day . Spray entire panel with sprayable ppolyester in a gravity feed with A BIG oversized spray gun cap . Put two heavy coats on . Then block down with long black block or 10" yard stick . Wait to days then high build surfacer (3) coats board that down . Then (3) coats primer sealer. Block ( semi softer) block not hard. After blocking to get sand lines out . I sand with 3m DA ( orbital) with a soft pad and buzz over with 3m 500grit the new Velcro stuff. Don't spend a lot of time sanding just want to get out straight sanding lines that look aggressive out. So when you paint it . Well it's PERFECT!
Can't say I have ever seen it done that way. When my father does his cars he does put on about 3-4 coats of primer and blocks them down each time. All his cars come out great. It does take a long time however. I only put two on mine and I'm definitely happy with the results. All depends on the body work done before hand. Use a block & don't get to happy with the DA!
Chris you should see my car! 72 ( 3967) single stage . no clear car looks like lacquer . did not sand or buff . If you think that I went to extremes. look at a white car with bad gaps not pretty to look at . you can see it a mile away!
Chris your right about takes a lot of time. 18yrs. But putting bumpers on now. then will try to get interior in next winter. not enough snow here in Pittsburgh! I plow snow for the GS funds.
When you get to areas like the hood were the panel starts to roll , the fenders,and the panel between deck lid and back glass. I used a 3M black x-large squeegee . old worn out ones are the best. but if you have to use anew one. grind the edges on a grinder wheel on a workbench. to round it of make it smooth. so when you sand panels that are rounded and uneven you won't leave sand lines
