Anyone painted their car here without having the front clip installed? I am considering painting the fenders and valance off the car.

Advantages and disadvantages of doing this? Obviously there is a risk of chipping the paint.

Chipping the paint is a huge risk. Also color match, especially if the color is a metallic.

With the new generation of basecoat clearcoat paints, I have never had a color match problem painting them seperate. I paint every piece off the car. Makes it nicer because there are no paint lines in the door jambs. You just have to be extra careful putting it together. Make sure it fits before you paint the fenders, make notes of how many shims and where. The most critical areas to watch when putting them on is where the bolt goes at the top behind the door, and at the bottom of the fender to the rocker panel. Go slow, use masking tape, and a couple of extra hands.
Another advantage is you can buff pieces as you paint them instead of spending a whole day buffing.

We paint everything off of the car except the doors, no problem at all. Just be carefull going back together.

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Micky Hale Restorations
69 L-89 Chevelle
68 Biscayne 427/425
34 Plymouth Drag Car
ACES #134
www.haleperformance.com (http://www.haleperformance.com)

i have seen people's cars who have painted the front seperatly. even thought it was at the same time and same paint, when it went back together there was a slight distinction in the concentration of metal flake between the parts. personaly i would paint them together on the car, after doing all the jams, because the sprayer sprays everything at once and it will be blended. thats the way i always have done it.

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I couldn't repair my brakes, so I made my horn louder.
Just let me apolagize for my spelling right now!
www.EINSTYN.com (http://www.EINSTYN.com) TC Gold#1460, VCEA#2, SCPC#44
68-72 Wagon resto & mod info, parts & sales.

I had no problem painting mine with the front clip, doors, and tailgate off. I used SS urethane and it all matched perfectly.

The big mistake I made was not measuring the opening between the fenders for the hood when I reassembled everything!!! So stupid me ended up having to redo the top of the fenders when they got scratched as I attempted to put the hood back on!

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ACES member# 5093
Elcaminos are special!
I'd rather walk around with a Chevrolet hubcap in my hand than drive a Ford

Ole Paint (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/olepaint1)

so far I have done it with the whole car apart, and having the doors only installed. I have seen a lot of websites that show guys painting the car complete after previously doing the jams. I wonder can you really get things masked off that tight? I see guys with the whole engine compartment detailed to the max and then I assume its papered off and the hood set on top? Must to be hard to mask with the hood hinges installed. I want to try jamming the car first and painting it together just to see what its like. What it your site Mickey where you did a cutlass complete except the doors were left off? That looked like a good way to minimize tape lines but I still wonder about the engine compartment.

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Dave
70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
68/72 chevelles
55/57/61 chevies
TC member #493
Never forget Earnhardt!

i edge everything up put it on sand it and paint it if you use dart i forgot what dart stands for but it is foam tape that doesnt leave lines because it allows the paint to be feathered in the door jams. the car could be taped where the engine compartment gets no paint in it at all. i think no matter how careful you are (at least in my world) something is going to get scatched during reassembly and once the car is painted it's alot harder to repair

I am having my car painted by a very reputable shop and they were adiment about pulling the front clip off for the puposes of being thorough. That's not to say you can not get a great job leaving it on, I'm simply stating my situation. I'm pleased they are going to the extent they are as it will allow for some engine bay detailing while the "can of worms" is open as well as a change out of those less then desirable plastic inner fenders.

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1969 SS 396 Convertible
ACES # 5682

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lee H Weber:
I am having my car painted by a very reputable shop and they were adiment about pulling the front clip off for the puposes of being thorough. That's not to say you can not get a great job leaving it on, I'm simply stating my situation. I'm pleased they are going to the extent they are as it will allow for some engine bay detailing while the "can of worms" is open as well as a change out of those less then desirable plastic inner fenders.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

i dont think anyone is saying not to take the front end off for a thorough job. the question was wether to paint the cowl and jams then put it all together and paint the whole thing .....or paint the cowl and jams then paint the fenders and parts while they are off the car. also whats so bad about plastic inner fender wells?

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I couldn't repair my brakes, so I made my horn louder.
Just let me apolagize for my spelling right now!
www.EINSTYN.com (http://www.EINSTYN.com) TC Gold#1460, VCEA (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/vcea/)#2, SCPC#44
68-72 Wagon resto & mod info, parts & sales.

My car (both times, once with lacquer, once with BC/CC) has always been done with only the doors on and has come out great both times with no color match issues. Obviously, all the parts were painted at the same time and the fenders were painted while hanging on a fender buck to hold them in as-installed orientation.

I have also removed the hood, trunk, doors and front clip a couple of times after the car was together to fix a few things and have yet to scratch anything. Go slow and careful and use common sense and it can be done. Besides, scratches or chips CAN be fixed once things are back in place. If you know what you are doing, these things can be repaired so no evidence of the chip/scratch repair remain. A hassle it is, but no one said a great looking car was easy to create and maintain! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif