Ok, here is a question for the Master Restorers in Moparts Land. What is the best suggestion as to how to paint the fender, trunk, exposed bolts after hanging the painted sheetmetal? I an trying to avoid the "marred look" after putting a socket over the painted bolt. I heard to remove some bolts, stick through a piece of cardboard and paint. When dry, use a t-shirt, etc. between the socket and bolthead when re-installing the bolt. I tried this, but still managed to mar the hex high spots on the bolt. Any and all tips are welcome!!!

Thanks guys!!!!

front fender

Mask the area around the bolt head off (I leave about a 1/32" gap around the bolt head) & airbrush the bolt head.. Done it many times, if done properly it's invisible...

I think the air brush method described would work best but I had my paint shop mix 4 ounces of single stage paint in color and I used it to touchup nicks worked great.I also use plastic wrap when assembling painted bolts.

Hey Gary, the paint looks nice.
I used masking tape around each washer. Sprayed some etching primer on the bolt/washer. Using a small amount of paint on a lid or in a cup, mixed in a little reducer, then used a hobby paint brush on each of them. It's time consuming but with the reducer it will flow and smooth out when drying. It might take an extra coat to get full coverage.

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What is the best suggestion as to how to paint the fender, trunk, exposed bolts after hanging the painted sheetmetal?

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The best way? Install, align, and gap all of the panels before painting the car, that's how the factory did it on millions of Mopars, why mess with success?

Unfortunetely the "Chevy/Ford" menatallity is rampant among painters who seem to think the only way to paint a car is to blow it appart and shoot each panel on it's own on body bucks. Not only does this create a detail issue for Mopar purists (bolts, unpainted areas, overspray, etc.) it is also a good way to end up with painted panels that look different when installed because of the angle and application of the paint, especially on panel edges and with metallic paints.

That said, the air brush method makes the most sense to correct it, hopefully the artist is good enough to pull off a believable finished look. Also, if you want good paint adhesion blast those plated bolts (those are aftermarket bolts right?) so the paint will get a better grip.

i also agree with scott on the factory procedure -only because if done like the factory this question wouldn`t arise. BUT...in looking at the paintwork which looks amazing i can see the show benefits of painting things apart-we do it when customers want show type finish-what do we do for the bolts-get yourself another set of new bolts-blast them and dip them in a good thin etching primer then spray them with the same paint color-hopefully direct gloss and not clear over base. let the paint harden and get yourself the snap-on sockets that are lined in rubber to prevent paint chippping-i`m sure you can get 7/16 1/2 and 9/16. that will cover most of your bolts.
good luck
all the best
frank.

Met wrenches turn bolts and nuts by indexing to the flats rather than the traditional socket/wrench that point loads. Couple the use of them with zip lock bag plastic and you have a fighting chance.

Good luck with the issue

Thanks for thew tips so far guys. wasn't really looking for the debate of how the car SHOULD have been painted, just a few "constructive tips".

1cuda...thanks. yep, the paint turned out fantastic. Can you imagine this was painted back in '04? Except for a little dust, it still looks flawless. I'll try the plastic baggy trick. I think when I used the t-shirt, I didn't give enough drying time for the paint. I'll paint a few bolts and let 'em dry for a couple days.

If any more techniques, please feel free to mention them.

nudder.

when it first came home in '05.

Your car looks fantastic, please don't take my comments the wrong way, I wasn't trying to be negative towards you or your car, it was more of a comment for the guys reading this thread who havn't had thier cars painted yet to consider before turning the painter loose on thier cars.

Since they mixed the paint for you why not see if someone local can put paint in a can. Then you can mask and paint.

Gar,
You going back stock with it this time?
I seem to remember you were headed towards a resto mod cruiser sorta thing before .

IF so, go stainless bolts = no paint needed.

I've done the mask and airbrush method with decent results.
Never tried the plastic socket insert method before , although it sounds plausible

wheres your answer to his question John?

They do make sockets with plastic inserts in them, which will prevent the scratching/marring of the paint.........

I'm in the same boat as the original poster. Just got my RR back from paint, only to find out that the painter didn't paint the fenderbolts, etc, in place.

I have to do it all on my own.

One method I had read years ago, was to paint them separately, then slide them into a toaster oven to harden the paint.