Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

How to paint body

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masracingtd1167:
I don't think you can even buy Zink Cromate any more . If you scuff your bare panels with a Scotch Brite pad and prime with a self etching primer you will be fine . Another alternative would be to take your panels to your local Maco dealer and have them done .   

Supercat:
Most of the paint products used at your local Maaco are not top shelf products. This is what allows the cheaper cost of work.
Most epoxy etch primes of today require a medium wet coat for correct adhesion to the substrate.
We paint all the panels with a base paint for the car being painted(customers chosen colors). We then assemble the body. Any graphics are laid out and all panels are then painted. All stencils, tapings and paint blemishes are removed. We then apply 2 coats of clear. We separate the panels while the clear is still pliable. We then wet-sand the panels and apply 2 more coats of clear to the full exterior of the panels.
We apply a thin silver decal to the back side of the exterior panels at all overlapping joints. This provides a wear/chip guard from body flex.

14DRT:
Anodize then paint or PC. (No Primer)
Paint sticks to a freshly anodized surface like nobodies business, Then the non-painted surface is protected.
Ever handled a freshly anodized part, practically sticks to your hand ..... well so does the paint !
Not the least expensive but probably the best method. The Aerospace industry does this,
I process parts for them, that's how I know !
Keith

ricardo1967:
I think an anodized FED body would look really nice itself. Would there be any problem of just getting anodized? Price ballpark?

rooman:
Ricardo1967,
                    one of the problem with anodizing panels (for exterior finish) is that different grades of aluminum will come out different colors and even different batches of the same grade can do the same. In addition your body builder had better do a good job of any panel re-contouring (windshield opening etc) as what you see is what you will get. Another problem is the the color is simply a dye and most are prone to fading. Gold and Blue seem to be the best but red will bleach out very quickly in the sun. Even black fades, tending to end up with a purple hue. If you want a really glossy finish you need to polish the panels and then also have them "bright dipped" after the initial anodizing process adding more expense. Most anodizers specialize in industrial work and have racks made to hang the product. If you turn up with a bunch of body panels they will usually hang one panel per rack space so instead of doing say 100 parts in that space they can only do one and that can add to the " per unit"cost depending on how friendly your guy is.
  I am with 14DRT on the anodize and paint deal. It makes the body look good on the inside and promotes paint adhesion. A little more "spendy" than the basic prime and paint deal but definitely worth the effort if you can afford it.
  As for adding graphics and keeping the color consistent (especially with candies and pearls) the best way that i have seen (and used myself) is to make a saw horse deal that will support the panels as they sit on the frame but with them separated by an inch or so. Circus in New Jersey actually painted their stuff "backwards" (and Jesse probably still does) by putting the stripes on first and then masking them and spraying the base color. They would prime the body and then mount it on the frame to tape up the graphics before hanging the panels on the horse and extending the tape to the end of the panel (into the area that is overlapped when the body is on the car). After the stripes were done and masked over they would then put the primary colors on, again with the panels on the horse to make sure that the color was even from panel to panel. Using this method ensures that even if the panels move a little on the car there are never any bands of primer showing at the panel junctions.
   For most people the back masking of the stripes is overkill but the end result was the it takes a lot less clear to get a smooth finish without the stripes being laid on top of the base. Any slight "misses" on the taping were hidden by the pinstriping that they added to outline the stripes. A lot of work but the end result was awesome and in the late 80's/ early 90's they won more "Best Appearing" awards than any other shop in the country.

Roo

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