proper way to repaint a car to best get factory look

Is there any book or "how to" instructions to get the best look or technique for repainting a car? A friend of mine is starting a full blown resto on his car and is trying to get accurate information for the painter. I'm familiar with the dip tank primer process but is there any certain way or order the body color was applied?

thanks.

First - get the right paint
Second - have the car assembled like the factory assembled it before it was painted
Third - paint it the same way the factory did, all at once with overspray here and there

It's my opinion they painted the car from the inside out, so interior then trunk then engine compartment then the car

Need more info like what kind of car to better answer your question

He is doing a GTX. What would have been already assembled? I'm guessing doors, fenders, hood, trunk lid were all attached already? He is looking to do a base clear vs the single stage.

I also know the GTX got that organisol paint on the lower part of the car below the body molding. Would the color of the car been painted all the way down or just down far enough past that molding so as they did not waste paint?

The factory used single stage enamel so hes already going in the wrong direction using base clear if factory is truly the goal.

true but isn't OE allowing base clear from what I heard? Either way, thats the paint he wants to use and I don't think he will ever go OE judging with the car. I guess his main goal is to make it appear like it was factory using modern paints and such.

Ok, well the problem with asking purists thier opinions/advice on details like these is that you may not always hear what you want to hear.

no problem. since I'm going to be helping him disassemble and reassemble the car, I figured I'd try and get as much info for him as possible to help with the resto.

I do know that he has planned on keeping the undercarriage the primer gray and not paint it the full color of the car like over restored cars get.

Yes, the factory dip and primer with color over spray as per factory is definately the trend

yup, thats what he is trying to go for.

If you want a good factory look, have him drink a six pack about an hour before he starts. That should about do it.

The main issue with using two stage paint is that you paint all of the bolts in the engine compartment as the whole front clip is assembled. If you use base coat clear coat, what usually happens is the paint/clear builds up really thick on all of the fasteners in the engine compartment, and it just doesn't look right at all. If you use single stage, it doesn't look like thick frosting on the bolt heads and sheet metal edges. If you touch any of these bolts, obviously you crack the paint, and this doesn't look right either. I'm not aware of any "normal" factory process that adjusts the sheet metal after the car is painted. I understand that the doors, truck lid, and front clip are all adjusted and painted on the car - so there's no reason to adjust later. I know on E Bodies the rear fascia was installed after the car was painted, but that is the only piece as I understand. Also, look for other sealers on the front fenders or any other sprays anywhere on the car as it's taken apart. This is the best way to know how the car should look on reassembly. Document what you find if the car has never been taken apart as this is by far the best information you can use to put it back together. Best of luck!!!!!!

Is there a reason you can't tell us the year? Over communicate, please!

I'm assuming it's a 69 but it matters. It also matters what factory it came from.

As Scott pointed out if he's going two stage he's already failed so what's the point?

You asked for correct, is that what he wants or is he going down the Home Depot to buy some Krylon?

Yes. Body shell plus everything that is body color, as carefully noted during disassembly, such as the following list that is correct for a '69 A body and may not be correct for a GTX. But this list will give you an idea what to look for.

Body shell, partially
Upper rear shock mounting studs
Side marker housings, 4
Hood, all over
Hood Hinges, partially, and fasteners
Hood Striker and fasteners, all over
Front Fenders (except wheel well) and fasteners, exterior only
Fender tag, all over, and one screw
Yoke Cross member and fasteners, partial
Hood Lock Vertical Support and fasteners, partial
Upper Grille Panel and fasteners, exterior only
Lower Grille Panel and fasteners, exterior only
Battery Tray, Battery Tray Brace, and fasteners
Doors, except interior of weatherstripping.
Door Hinges and fasteners, partial
Deck Lid, all over
Deck Lid Hinges.
Deck Lid Hinge Supports (welded to body), partially
Deck Lid Torsion Bars, partially

Other paint: doors interior of weatherstripping, called UDF (upper door frame) color and LDF (lower door frame) color, door frame plastic plugs, and also quarter panel interior; door lock knobs; roof rails; A pillar plastic covers; quarter panel lower garnish.

In addition there are some special things to note about sealers in the engine compartment at the cowl and on fenders as noted in the photos.

This photo shows quarter panel interior to be painted UDF color.

There are other instructions that you may want your painter to know, such as in these photos.

Another special paint consideration I have never seen discussed in this forum is: what will the backsides of parts bolted to the body shell be painted?

One example is the battery tray and brace. If they are painted while bolted to the inner fender, the backsides will receive no paint. And the part of the inner fender covered by the tray and brace won't get painted either. A solution is to paint the tray and brace all over while loose and bolt to the painted inner fender with painted fasteners. Or paint the parts all over while loose and again while bolted on.

A similar situation is the backsides of grille sheet metal panels. These backsides were coated with dip primer at the factory. For restoration painting, something better than primer would be preferable, such as a primer followed by a top coat that looks like factory dip primer before bolting on the car.

In the case of the hood hinges, the factory hand painted the hinge/hood interfaces with green zinc chromate paint. This green zinc chromate may have also been hand painted on the interfaces of some grille sheet metal parts, such as the yoke cross member, before it was bolted on. (I stripped all paint off this part before I knew to look for factory hand paint.)

Photo shows hood hinge painted body color F5 Limelight Metallic Green. The darker green on the bolt joint interface is factory hand painted zinc chromate.

Those two points I agree are VERY important!!! Started to restore my '69 LA plant GTX with points that I knew from Lynch Road and St. Louis assembly plant '68 and '69 cars and they were not done the same at the LA assembly plant. Even some of the decal placements were different on the LA assembly plant GTX and there were reasons for them being place differently......one was funny to the point of disappointment as I thought someone had replaced the radiator support.

Even within the same plant in the same month there are differences.

Lots of different employees, different shifts, temperature & humidity when the car was dipped, sprayed, etc., etc.

So........

Your car was there when it was built, so it is the best evidence you can find, explore & discover all you can.

Record the details with a camera & start a file.

Document what you find on your own car & then put it back to the same way, anything less (or more) is not a true restoration.

The elephant in the room is that the OP is not the owner/builder. This is the the kind of information that you really shouldn't rely on your buddy to seek out and supply. If you are doing a serious O.E. type build you need to be directly involved. .02

Morty,

He is using PPG automotive paint and not Krylon. Also, if using Base / Clear is so bad, why are manufacturers using that on cars today? And isn't OE now allowing base / clear also? Whats wrong with having radial tires on a car when the originals were the bias ply tires? Maybe he is missing the mark by using PPG instead of whatever brand of paint the factory used? Seriously, he is trying to make it look like how it would have been in 1969 with the gray primer showing and all but it shouldn't matter if he uses base / clear and radial tires since he is not building an OE car nor plans on doing that route.

Kent,

Thanks for your tips. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

For the others, the car is a 1969 GTX convertible. It will have radial redline tires on it and base / clear PPG automotive paint. His overall goal is to make it look like it was new in 1969 regardless of the paint being single stage or base / clear. Maybe he should try and find some 1969 air for his tires too to make some people happy on here since its their car. smh.

There is nothing wrong with base/clear, it's all I use, well 95% of the time. It's much easier to repair, blend, etc... big reason it's used on newer car. Clear protect the paint, uv resistant etc.

The issue with base/clear based on getting it to look factory is, they didn't use base/clear in 1969. I won't even consider doing one in anything but base/clear unless it's a solid color. Not worth the possible hassle if something goes wrong.

Basically the optical difference between the original acrylic enamel and BC/CC is one of "depth" - in BC/CC you're of course viewing the color through a layer of clear.
The reason for the BC/CC on modern cars is appearance and protection; it'll stand up to stuff the old enamels won't, and retain a shine longer. Similar logic to panel fit, people aren't as tolerant of the weird gaps that used to be commonplace and were sometimes a warranty hassle. People were simply less demanding 40-50 years ago.
The difference in texture is part inherent in modern chemistry & equipment, and largely in the color-sanding & buffing. If the painter can lay down a very clean finish, and you avoid the 1000/2000 wet-sand & polish (just nib & polish any dirt), you can have some texture.

The reason is the EPA. They are killing off non-water based paint. Base coat / clear coat leaves a wet finish that many people like, but that is not how it left the factory. If he wants correct then you need the single stage, if he wants the glossy look then BC/CC - it's his car.

Nothing wrong with doing a restoration back to the original, as delivered condition, except for using BC/CC and radial tires.

Nobody in the Houston area, where we get a great deal more direct sunlight than more northern states, is doing acrylic, because it won't last very long here. I had covered parking both at home and at work when I bought my brand new '69 Barracuda, so the factory paint still looked nice until the mid 70's, then started going down hill.

I still recall what a huge improvement radial tires were when I first put them on my Barracuda in the early-mid 70's.

I talked to my friend yesterday and he isn't that concerned about the gloss factor. He plans on driving the car and having it out in the sun so I'm sure it will dull down over time losing some of its gloss. He said if he was doing a museum piece that would never get driven and only be trailer place to place, then he might consider going single stage but he isn't going that crazy on the car. He can live with base / clear and radial tires.

I worked at House of kolor in Minneapolis Minnesota for a few years in the early eightys and they used a technique for OEM paint. Spay the car with three coťes of color let it set over night, then sand clean up and repeat. You could do this with clear coat or a signal stage color..