OK, entire frame or body off restocreation. This will be a Model T salad WWI Light Patrol Vehicle and painted OD green lusterless. Metal frame, running, boards, fenders, hood, headlights and wire wheels. Wood dash, bench seat and open express body.

What is the consensus on the level and sequence of priming and painting?

Would you paint every single part primer and OD Green and then assemble the entire car and then go back and touch up fasteners, nuts and bolts?
Would you prime everything that was bare metal, assemble and then spray OD green, so that some parts may have primer exposed if they were removed later?

Is there any evidence of bare primer on any original Model T's? Or if they were black, would every square inch of metal be black and then assemble?

I know I've got to test fit what little metal body parts I have and drill the holes in the repo front fenders and make sure the dangle of the angle is correct on fenders and running boards, then disassemble and start painting. Just wondering how far down I need to strip the parts off the chassis before priming and painting.

OPen to answer any questions , but I'll hang up and listen as to who did what on their project.

First I fitted all the parts and did necessary body work and welding. Then disassembled again.

This is how I painted mine. I painted first the chassis and all running gear. Then I assembled the chassis and axles. I installed the engine, which had been painted when it was rebuilt.

I sandblasted the individual body parts and primed them immediately before they could rust. Prime both inside and outside. Even prime inside the doors.

Then I painted all the black parts. Then all the color parts. After all parts were painted inside and outside Including behind the wood, I assembled the car. Followed by necessary touch ups and bolts.
Norm

More pictures.


Norm

Do what Norm did.

Can I hire Norm?

Finished car looks great.

Depending on what condition the metal is in and how smooth you want the finished surface you may be priming and sanding more than once before the top coat goes on. Metal preparation is 90% of painting in my experience......

Well, one good thing about a military vehicle is the lusterless (flat) paint hides a lot of sins and the fit and finish was not Job #1. My frames looks pretty good, so I'll just sand down to feather in the existing paint and use some high fill primer and sand again. Not planning on taking it down to bare metal.
Sounds like I'm building a car this summer and painting in September and then reassembly in the garage in the fall.

If you are painting over bare metal, the first application has to be self etching primer. This will help keep moisture from getting to the metal even after you have the vehicle completely painted and cured. I usually prep the bare metal with a wax/oil remover wiping that off with a clean towel. do NOT touch the surface with your bare hands ( wear surgical gloves?. Then I use a tack rag to remove any lint, then spray the 1st coat of self etching primer. Again I repeat the prep procedure (wax/oil remover) and then apply as many coats as needed of heavy bodied primer followed by block sanding with 320 grit and then 600 grit sand paper. Again repeat the prep process being doubly sure to blow off and then wax/oil remover/tack rag steps. The more times you clean the surface the better the results, it's all about prep and cleanliness, After all this its time for the final coat or coats if your using base coat clear coat.

Hope this helps
Rod

OK, I'm getting the flow. But, once all the body panels and parts are primed and painted, what about all the nuts, bolts, washers and fasteners? Are they all primed and painted seperately and then hope the tools don't rub the paint off? Or are the parts assembled on the car and then a touch up of the bolt heads and nuts? And, if the latter, are the fasteners touched up with primer and then paint while on the car? That would mean putting some primer overspray on the finished paint parts and panels.

Or are the fasteners just hit with a little finish coat and touched up every few years as the paint flakes off zinc and bare metal bolt heads?

I always paint the nuts and bolts separately, not the threads then install and touch up with a small brush.

I use a small air brush to paint the nuts and bolts first then touch up with a brush when assembled.