What have some of you people done to transfer your body and panels to the paint booth? My body of my 65 convertible will be ready for paint later this summer. I am doing all the priming and prep. in my garage. I found someone kind enough to lone me the use of his paint booth, 5 miles away. My first thoughts are to bolt/srew the body down through the body mount holes to the dolly. I will add the door jamb supports/2x4 screwed to hinge and door latch. The dolly is constructed of 2x6 and 2x4 construction,very solid. I will then strap the dolly to my flatbed car trailer. It would be better to use an enclosed trailor to prevent road debri/stone chips!! I may have to look for one of those next. Any suggestions or ideas appreciated. Thanks!
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Re: Transporting of body to paint booth
Several ways to do the deed....
First, transport the body on the chassis itself. Only problem here is most restorers dive right in and yank the body so they can start on chassis and engine restoration. In my view, a bad move since paint/body work is the LONG lead item and I'd do that first since labor costs only seem to go up over time.
Second, if the chassis HAS been restored, then you can tarp it with a large sheet of plastic, set the body back on and go that route. But, painter has to take care and watch his overspray/handling.
Third, transport the body on a rolling dolly and paint on the dolly. This is the closest way to how paint was actually done in the factory ('mule' tugs were used to transport bodies through the paint booth). You simply have to insure you have adequate rigidity for the front end of the body to thwart, bending/twisting.... -
Re: Transporting of body to paint booth
Dick, if you have access to an enclosed trailer, I would definitely use it.
Corvette bodies are very aerodynamnic in that the fenders and hood create lift with air flowing over them. While these lift forces are not evident driving a complete car at low speeds, they are significant for a stripped body, and can cause an inadequately secured body to, er...take flight. I have heard stories about guys (I may even know a couple) who backed Corvette bodies onto open trailers, and forgot that the hood latches had been removed for paint prep...Oops.
Substantial fastening of the body to the dolly is a must in an open trailer; an enclosed trailer eliminates any concerns in this area. It also reduces the dust that can attach to the body; This will allow you to do most of your cleanup in your garage, but you can figure that your final masking and wipe down will be down after the booth is closed up.Comment
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Re: Transporting of body to paint booth
I agree with your assertions. The flatbed worries me. After all the work I am going through,I can't take the chance of cracking or chipping the body or worse. I did always intend to build a paint booth in my shop. The concern besides the safety aspects,are this color is milnao maroon which is a metallic paint. Any dust in the paint can be bad news, more so than a solid color. Thanks!Comment
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Re: Transporting of body to paint booth
I would wrap the chassis and bolt the body to the frame so the shocks and springs can soften the ride. you can always put it back on the dolly at the paint shop.BillComment
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Agree With Bill...
Dick, if the chassis restoration is complete, CAREFULLY wrapping and masking the chassis and painting the body mounted would be my choice. Then you don't have to worry about damaging your fresh paint job later while making the body drop.
As Jack Humphrey says, we usually get the cart before the horse on our first body-off restoration. Ideally, we should strip the body and do the body work BEFORE we remove the body from the chassis. Most body dollys do not support the body like the chassis does, so doing your body work on a dolly is less than ideal.
After the chassis restoration is completed, re-install the body, and then do the paint as described above. There may be a slight disadvantage to this approach in cases where there is lots of rust and the shims are pretty well chewed up; this sequence may require the "gaps" be fine tuned after the body drop.Comment
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Re: Agree With Bill...
Chuck,
This is exactly the advice I've been given multiple times, and what I'm doing with mine. Bagging the engine and wrapping the chassis, then setting the body on for final fit and any wiring etc before painting. Couldn't imagine a more stable way to transport to a remote paint booth.Comment
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Re: Transporting of body to paint booth
I know several people that mounted the body back onto the chassis prior to painting. It may sound backwards, and not the sequence used at the factory, however, if the chassis is carefully protected, it prevents any damage to your newly painted body that can occur during mounting it after painting. A clear understanding is important between the painter and owner with regard to the care taken, as Jack said, with regard to overspray.Comment
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Re: Transporting of body to paint booth
The body for my 63 is going back on the chassis (with a couple of bolts to hold it) to be transported to the paint shop in an enclosed trailer. There we are removing the body and placing it on a jig until all the work and paint is done. I'll bring the chassis home until the body is ready. When the body is ready I'll bring the chassi back to the shop and put the body back on the chassis for alignment and fitting. I'll then transport it home to put the rest together.
I did the bodywork and paint on my 34 Ford with the body on. Won't do it again.
My .02
Joe's 63 FI ConvertibleComment
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