leadfoot4

My cable TV provider added the Velocity Network, a few months back, and I've been watching some of the "fix 'em up" and "trick 'em out" shows, like old episodes of 'Overhaulin', and newer episodes of 'Bitchin Rides', 'Fantom Works', and 'Iron Resurrection', among others. Something showed up with the paint jobs that they do, that got me thinking. Hopefully the paint experts here, can shed some light.

On these shows, I've seen them "two tone" a few of the cars that they've repainted. On one hand, they VERY painstakingly mask off the car while applying the two colors. Other times, I've watched them blast one of the colors on the lower part of the car, with no masking at all, THEN painstakingly mask off color #1, while color #2 is then applied. But there's a bit of overlap of colors, at the line where they intend both colors to meet. The actual "meeting point" is hidden behind a piece of trim, but there is still several inches of paint overlap.

My questions are these: A) when "2 toning" was popular in Detroit, how was the masking done, and how was it done quickly enough to be "production line efficient"? And B) when not doing a sharp line of masking, doesn't the bit of color #1, under color #2, affect the coloration of color #2, in that area?

Thanks for any enlightenment that you experts can provide!

DUB

I cannot comment on any other GM car other than a Corvette which is all I work on ....so...

GM can bake the paint quickly and then pull it out an then mask it off and send it around for round two.

From what I have seen they paint the #1 color (top color)...and for example that is silver. So the car is painted silver....then the charcoal gray is then applied on it for the bottom color #2 .

Generally...due to them applying a darker color on a lighter color it does not effect the color that much....so it can cover quickly.

I paint them backwards ... and shoot the bottom color generally and then mask it off and then shoot the top color then clearcoat the whole car.

If it is on a C1 car where the coves are painted. It would depend if I want to mask the area in the cove to be painted and shoot car AFTER I have painted the cove....or vice versa. It depends on how I am feeling at the time and the colors being used....and how I want the line to look where thee two color meet in regards to how much of a lip of paint is there.

DUB

leadfoot4

NONN37

back in the day they painted the cars completely in one color. Top to bottom, inside out. the ones destined for custom or deluxe trim were sent back around masked off and 2nd paint over the top.
On vw buses. When the original paint starts to fade you can see the bottom half color show thru. same with many gm cars of that era. you only had to mask it once, and the surface was nice and even.

white top



seafoam poking thu



im pretty sure they started figuring out ways to save paint. and simplifying trim options to save paint.

leadfoot4

This illustration sort of continues my original question....yes, I can see how the entire car was most likely painted the lighter color first, then the darker color over portions of the car. What I was also getting at, was how, in a "high volume production atmosphere", did they EFFICIENTLY mask off large sections of cars, in order to apply the second color. Was it with masking tape and paper, or did they have some sort of substantial "mask" that they carefully set on the car, shot color #2, then lifted it off the car?

DUB

I will get back with you on this in regards on how they did the two tone Corvettes. As for other GM cars and other cars...I have no clue.

A lot if it has to do with HOW CLEAN the masking material is when it goes in for round two of the paint job.. So I seriously doubt they have a stencil they reused over and over again. But who knows....maybe they a stencil made and it was a once time use.... and that is what I will look into for you.

I honestly believe they masked it off with tape and paper due to recently seeing the way the underside of the front clip/bumper area looked on a Corvette someone posted a photo of. You could see where they did not do good job on masking it.

DUB

NONN37

factory cars are designed with fast production in mind. they are never perfect. but if youre doing 100 a day you know how to mask them fast. thats why there is trim pieces, decals that cover up the edges. they mask off using trim holes or body lines as guides.

DUB

COOL PHOTO...and what amazes me is that they did not cover the entire top surface to protect from overspray. Obviously they are using a down draft booth air system where all of the overspray is being sucked under the car.

DUB

leadfoot4

That photo just reminded me of a 1985 Firebird SE, that I bought in the fall of '84. It was a "two tone", black, with the lower, rocker panel done in silver....with the "paint break line" hidden by a decal that was about 3" wide.

Dave Tracy

And no mask or respirator!

DUB

I noticed the same thing and also it seems like the way the car is masked off and paper being on the exhaust filter area of the exhaust of the booth. The overspray seems to be quite excessive and the 'booth' does seem to have the door open on it. This the exhaust system is not going to work the same as if the door were closed.

Unless GM used a clear protector shield for the front side marker light. . It seems like they are allowing paint to get on it also because it is not masked off using masking tape.

DUB