66 Vette Progress - Cutting In

[Len]

We've been making steady progress on this Corvette, we've finished the body work, applied and sanded the filler primer, applied 2K primer and guide coated and now we've just finished cutting in the jambs and lids. Below are some pictures of the jamb painting.

jamb2.jpg

Masking plastic is used to cover the vehicle then cut around each area to be painted then the edges are masked so that the masking paper lays on top of the plastic then tape is applied so that it hangs over the edge slightly.

jamb3.jpg

This slight overhang helps stop the newly applied paint from making a ridge that would need to be sanded off before the exterior is painted.

jamb1.jpg

After some small fiberglass crack were repaired the door jambs are done the same way as the other jambs. Plastic is cut, paper is applied then tape overhangs the jamb about 1/8".

jamb4.jpg

There were a few areas that needed to be painted black. Under the cowl grills is painted black so that it helps the grills look clean and sharp when installed. After spraying the exterior yellow color around the edge we masked and applied black on the underside of the hood.

At this point we have started block sanding the 2K primer on the exterior and hope to be installing the lids and doors then applying exterior paint next week.

[ry57pont]

Len, after you assemble the doors, trunk ect.. how do you mask off the jamb areas? i have seen on some shows that they use a foam rope in the gaps. is this the best way? - ryan

[79TA455STROKED]

Len,will you be trying the new 007 gun when spraying this car next week?
Is there anyway you can post those pics againso we can click on them to enlarge them.It would be nice to be able to see how exactly you taped for the edges,i know you explain it,but larger pics would help a rookie like me see it.
Thanks Len!

[Mike Geary]

Len: Discretion being the better part of valor, I see you left the windshield stainless on. Don't blame you in the slightest! Is there some trick to get a precision paint edge where it meets the molding?

Do you overlap the tape and trim it to the exact edge of the stainless?

Or do you overlap the paint onto the stainless and scribe it off while it's still soft?

Thanks for the pix!

Loved the Detailing for Enthusiasts DVD. Too bad he wouldn't divulge which products he used. Particularly the "polymer" just before applying carnuba.
What do you suppose it is? And that LED headlight is really something. Too bad it's $80 and Santa is gone until next year...

[Len]

Len, after you assemble the doors, trunk ect.. how do you mask off the jamb areas? i have seen on some shows that they use a foam rope in the gaps. is this the best way? - ryan

The foam rope (DART) works well to stop overspray from getting into the jambs but causes a nasty jagged paint edge on the quarter side of the door jamb or the fender side of the hood jamb. To stop this from happening I use the new 3M Transition Tape at the edge then apply 2" masking tape back from the 3M tape THEN use the DART foam to fill the gap.

jambmask2.jpg
jambmask1.jpg
jambmask3.jpg
jambmask4.jpg

[Len]

Len,will you be trying the new 007 gun when spraying this car next week?
Is there anyway you can post those pics againso we can click on them to enlarge them.It would be nice to be able to see how exactly you taped for the edges,i know you explain it,but larger pics would help a rookie like me see it.
Thanks Len!

Yes, I'll be using the new 007 gun for this paint work.

Are you interested in any picture in particular?

[Len]

Len: Discretion being the better part of valor, I see you left the windshield stainless on. Don't blame you in the slightest! Is there some trick to get a precision paint edge where it meets the molding?

Do you overlap the tape and trim it to the exact edge of the stainless?

Or do you overlap the paint onto the stainless and scribe it off while it's still soft?

Thanks for the pix!

Loved the Detailing for Enthusiasts DVD. Too bad he wouldn't divulge which products he used. Particularly the "polymer" just before applying carnuba.
What do you suppose it is? And that LED headlight is really something. Too bad it's $80 and Santa is gone until next year...

I mask the bottom molding as close as possible but make sure NOT to cause a problem on the painted surface. IOW I would rather remove paint from the molding that have to respray the fiberglass.

[JimmyPtr]

Len- what did you use on the underside of the hood? Single stage flattened black? If so what gloss level? Looks nice. Jimmy

[Jon E]

Len, why don't you go ahead and spray everything while its unassembled instead of jambing it in, painting the outside and then having a tape line in the jambs? It looks like it's a non-metallic anyway so it shouldn't be an issue to match the color/metallics.

Just seems like you're creating extra work for yourself and won't have as good of a finished product either.

[SHOWCAR FINISH]

Every shop I've been at does it like that and I wonder the same thing. I imagine it's for good reason since so many shops do that. I imagine cause the risk of scratching a brand new panel. Painting is the most costly and most important process in the entire repair.

EDIT: btw, can't see the pics. Getting that blue box with the question mark. Might have to upgrade the OS or I photo. Sounds like an awesome project. I'll
try to use another browser to see if that works.

[79TA455STROKED]

Len,please report back on your opinion of the new 007 gun.
Thanks

[Len]

Len, why don't you go ahead and spray everything while its unassembled instead of jambing it in, painting the outside and then having a tape line in the jambs? It looks like it's a non-metallic anyway so it shouldn't be an issue to match the color/metallics.

Just seems like you're creating extra work for yourself and won't have as good of a finished product either.

I've done it many different ways and now I break up the spraying like this for a couple reasons...

1. Assembling major body parts after painting has the slightest chance of damaging the finish and (to me) it's not worth the risk.

2. Most spray booths/rooms are too small to spread out the panels and do all the spraying at one time so you end up spraying three times instead of two. If you spray the parts and the car disassembled you still need to spray the underside of the lids and the door jambs prior to the exteriors then flip them for the exterior. After the doors are flipped you still need to spray them separately from the body unless you're spraying in a small gymnasium.

3. When metallic paint is sprayed in the location that the parts will remain you have a better chance of matching the color. It probably won't apply here but I don't like spraying adjacent exterior panels separately. I think it's a lesson that I've learned a couple times so now I've surrendered to a "tried and true" method.

I've even put the panels in place then removed the door catch so that I could spray the jambs without needing to use the door handle. That didn't work either, too much movement caused problems.

Doing it this way I can apply my one jamb color in one application, assemble the vehicle and apply my exterior in one application.

[Len]

Len- what did you use on the underside of the hood? Single stage flattened black? If so what gloss level? Looks nice. Jimmy

I use Zero Rust because it looks great and welds itself to the surface. Never had a complaint using it on literally hundreds of "high-end" restorations.

The ZR has a slight gloss that almost perfectly matches the old frames. It worked out (as it always does) on interior and under hood blackening. Before I apply my exterior yellow I'll also apply it in the wheelhouses then drop a masking paper skirt from the car to the floor. After the car is painted and polished I'll remove the skirt and it will look outstanding.

At this point in time the only black area that I haven't deciphered is the black in the louvers behind the front wheels. I haven't decided if I should paint the black before or after the yellow.

[67 Firebird]

Hey Len. I have a tri coat to paint soon and was wondering how you think taping the jambs like you do would work as far as not having a transition of red to gold to red and having to come back and touch it up.

[ry57pont]

I mask the bottom molding as close as possible but make sure NOT to cause a problem on the painted surface. IOW I would rather remove paint from the molding that have to respray the fiberglass.

Len im a little confused here. on my amateur restoration i have taken off all stainless trim to paint. ( although i have my windshield out too) is the perferred method to place all stainless, then paint? - ryan