...................

 

Since you will already be taking the glass out for new rubbers, you might as well have it out for paint. It will make things easier to tape off and will look better in the end.

Also, since the truck is most of the way disassembled it would be a good idea to unbolt the front fenders. I would just unbolt the fenders rather than the entire front clip. This will allow you to get into the jambs and make the paint look better.

As far as the pervious hack job.. Sand the entire body until you get back to the factory paint or bare metal. You want to have clean body lines and no uneven areas from different layers of paint. If some areas get down to bare metal, shoot the whole truck in a DTM(direct to metal) primer than will also bond to old paint. Shooting DTM will also give you the option of smoothing out any body imperfections. After that its just block sanding and shooting color!

There is nothing wrong with single stage paint. All of the classic show cars with original paint are in single stage. They just require a bit more work in prep and finishing than the new BC/CC systems. Single stage paints also will give a bit more depth than a standard BC/CC. Get a slice of sheet metal and prep it just like the truck. Shoot it with DTM primer and then use it as a test panel. It will help you get the gun settings just right before spraying the truck.

 

Thanks. I will have to wait to remove the glass, because I have to do everything out in the driveway. I'm trying to get a carport at least to keep the weather off of it. I will have to once it comes time for bodywork.

Right now, I'm working on getting the 466 in there. My truck was originally an EFI460/C6 with all the smog, A/C, and towing package crap on it. I'm gutting it all and putting my mild-built 466/ZF5/1356 in it. I hope to have that done by winter. Next spring is when I want to start the bodywork/paint.

 

As a current auto glassman AND former body shop owner removing all glass is just about the only way I'd attempt an all over color change paint job. Vehicles ar painted without glass and there's nothing that looks better than the clear, sharp and precise lines this practice gives you.

When I ran my own shop anytime any thing could be removed to improve the finished result it was done. Along with the looks I never had flaking paint edges or missed areas due less-than-perfect tape jobs.

In short you're very, very well advised to remove all glass!

 

I always knew it was the right thing to do...but I was curious if I'd be OK leaving them in since the truck is out in the weather.

I'll strip everything off the cab.

 

Even though you aren't looking for show quality, painting a vehicle black your first time is sure to leave you unhappy with the result. Black shows everything......and I mean everything. As already stated, prep and body work is essential in getting something you can live with. Skip these steps and you might as well not bother and get a case of rattlers and go at it......

 

Take it to Maaco...

 

It's not going Black. The original color was black, however I want to paint it some kind of Ford Blue...

I have actually thought about that

 

My first car was a 73 Cutlass and I decided to do a paintjob in high school. My brother-in-law showed me how to do bodywork and sand and he offered to spray it. He kept trying to tell me if you can feel it you can see it in the paint. I did it my way and he sprayed it after about 6 months of bodywork. It looked good from about 50 yds.......I was always sick over the amount of time and effort I invested in that car. Paint was cheap in 1981.....was only $30 a gallon for the aqua blue. Bottom line.....if it is worth painting then it is worth painting right. You are going to want something you can be proud of. Not saying it will be perfect but the more time you spend on the prep the happier you will be.

 

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of "paint jobs" is the prep work required BEFORE the paint is even ordered.

Even the most talented and experienced painter can't make up for poor prep.

One trick we did when I owned a body shop was using a very light single coat of black on any high end vehicle before the final sanding operation. Because that's usually a hand operation anyway that process quickly reveals most things typically only discovered after spraying is finished.

Something to consider IF this is to be for the longer term...............