As far as I can see from historic pics (correct me if I am wrong), BMC / Leyland painted cars ASSEMBLED.



Credit to the BMC / Leyland Heritage Group for the images


I recently painted a Mini assembled, where in the past I have only painted cars disassembled.

Lately I have been thinking that paint assembled would not only be quicker, but panel alignment would be better and easier and you can get a coat of paint on all the bolt heads, nuts etc.

In your opinion (yep, everyone has one), what would be arguements for painting a car assembled AND disassembled?

When my car was done it was done partly assembled, although the doors, bonnet and boot were removed along with the glass and chrome trims etc but everything else was left in place, albeit taped over.

It came out very good and was cheaper and faster than doing a full respray. i ended up getting a professional to do it as I'm not that talented as a painter.

I'd recommend it, depends on how much of a brilliant paint job you want, the paint on the inside of my car wasn't too bad but the paint exposed to 35 years of weather was looking a bit shabby.

There's my 2c.

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

Fair enough. I have seen paint / panel shops do that a lot.

I have a bare shell, totally stripped of all paint. The bolt on panels are the same.

I am trying to decide whether to bolt the panels on, then paint (as per factory), or paint then assemble.

I am doing all the work myself.

If I bolt together, align, then paint, everything is straight, aligned and coated. No mucking around. I like that idea. I can even drop body onto front subframe, with motor attached - again, as per factory.

Hmmm.......food for thought.

Anyone want to shoot this theory down in flames?

by assembled you mean with doors bonnet and boot attached?

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Yes, only those parts.

wouldn't you get into difficulty with things like the bonnet edges/ under bonnet?


and hinges too

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Wot about the hinges?

Doogie

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I won Hay once, here's the pic to prove it..


Hay, it's not about the car, it's not about the venue, it's about the people that come here. Peter Dwyer, Mayor of Hay NSW.

Not if you want a job that will last.
The Countryman was sprayed "complete", but there are rust stains coming from behind the door hinges (no paint there).

Also looks terrible when you remove the bonnet from the hinges as you can see where there's no topcoat, and you strip all the paint of the bolts the first time you need to remove them - like when you fit the engine

I wouldn't do it that way unless it was just a quick fix spray job.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

well the bit that rubs...




edit...

where mike said...

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May not be quicker, but surely you'd get a much better job with everything taken off - including the door hinges so that you could paint behind where the hinges go (both on the doors and the body) where Leyland didn't paint all those years ago...Yes???

Hooroo

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Rod
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v607/Rodney/

Yes, Leyland did take short cuts.....

Aren't ALL new cars painted assembled these days?

I am thinking about etching and 2K priming the car disassembled, then assembling, then painting in colour.

I don't really think I will save time, that is not my issue. What I am looking for is paint coverage, over EVERYTING.

I might try the car restorers forum....see what they think.

Would you not get better finish by painting the doors off the car- less likelihood of sags/runs.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

and that means the plastic gaskets on clubbys will be the same colour as the car instead of black ...
makka

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Anonymous moderation means the agro that is built up towards the mods isn't aimed at an individual (fewer "Makk" attacks). Less stress for mods means less moderator "retirements".

if you want quality take off absolutely everything, doors, boot, bonnet, hinges, windows, lights etc etc etc.. as has been said if you miss certain areas with the paint it will rust of easily scuff

to my knowledge car companies do it all differently to one another, but, ford spray just coloured primer in the engine bay, boot etc, then fit the panels and spray the car, inside first, then out..

i think holden do it now too, or spray a super thin coat of paint over the engine bay..

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Potato

yea that was my other line of thinking....... paint the shell with say 2 coats (inside and out), then assemble, then do another 4 coats at least over the whole thing.