Painting Notes for a 1971

[Simonjjb]

Car is getting painted next week and I have complied this from the forum....Any corrections and additions would be appreciated...Thanks

Paint Overview

Fenders were fitted and bolted.
Lids, doors, etc were on special fixtures that went down the line with the body.
The lids and doors were assembled after paint before mounting
Whole shell body color
Door Bolts and hinges are painted on the car
Back of the front and rear bumpers is body color

Undercoat

Wurth SKS undercoat
Grey/beige SKS undercoating under the car, wheel wells, rockers
SKS lightly in the engine compartment and lower parts of the trunk between the batteries

Underbody

Grey/beige SKS with a very small amount of over-spray in body color, just near rocker's edge...
Hand painted flat black brushwork, just at the rocker's edge.
Transition from the beige to Flat black at longitudinal and wheel wells


Engine Bay

Flat black wash that was brushed on in the engine compartment

Inside Satin Black

Dash and dash top,
Around the seat tracks,
Down the center tunnel,
Down to the floor in front behind the pedal boards.
Bottoms of the doors, where the door panel reveals the metal of the door
Behind the fresh air vent,


Front Trunk

The factory didn't apply the clear coat in the front trunk just the body color.
Some apply a flatining agent to the clear coat in the front trunk
Black paint is hand brushed on strut towel after body paint
Black paint over VIN
Smugglers Box black inside

[Scott A]

i have a 1971 USA non karmann, car that was not restored, so showed me a thing or two.
plus, i did a detailed study of low milage 70 and 71, some never painted from canepa.



Paint Overview

Fenders were fitted and bolted.
I painted mine separate, and made it look like they where painted in place...
that way, more control and better paint...and better corrosion protection, but about 5 practice fits.
and the last thing I installed, because there is some much aligning to do with the doors and hood, and grills and lights.
so i wouldn't paint them in place.

Whole shell body color
i hardly masked off anything...as i was painting inside and out. people mask around the window frame...but dont.
but I had no headliner in there.


Back of the front and rear bumpers is body color
i dont think i agreee with this....the bumper insides are bumpy, but grey (then splashed in cosmolene)
inside valence panel is grey too. (cant remember if bumpy) but I did bumpy on mine.

Underbody
a thick bumpy undercoat just under the long rocker trim. then body color.


yes, Hand painted flat black brushwork, just at the rocker's edge.
Transition from the beige to Flat black at longitudinal and wheel wells, but only black where you see. the rest is grey.
if you grab the fenders and pulled them towards you...that area all over is grey. bumpy.

and i think very very important...the wheel arch edges are a disaster (but the best part) of bumpy body undercoat...
i will show a photo.


Engine Bay

Flat black wash that was brushed on in the engine compartment, and YES for the brushwork. looks better, more fun, no masking.
the brushwork is the most fun part...do it yourself if you can
i used a flat black called zero rust, (smelly stuff, but I wore a respirator)

Inside Satin Black

Bottoms of the doors, where the door panel reveals the metal of the door, [didnt understand this.]

Behind the fresh air vent, yes, inside the vents. and in a few places on the outside of fresh vent
and behind the horn grills...and on front of battery boxes.


Front Trunk

The factory didn't apply the clear coat in the front trunk just the body color. (does your car take a clear coat...mine didnt)
the trunk is a lot of primer showing thru, in grey, like on top of smuggler box lid. just a misting around the side walls, and more paint near battery boxes.
i put a lot a paint in battery areas, so it got more protection.

Black paint is hand brushed on strut towel after body paint
yes, Black paint over VIN, and mine had a dab of black on smuggler latch.
there is also black paint under the bottom hood latch...down in the hole.
as well as the one in the engine compartment.
no, Smugglers Box black inside, it is grey, a dark grey, but not too dark. about 60%.







This last image. Shows the heavy bumps on edge of wheel arch.
Important. Or first giveaway of a repaint.

[Richy]

Generally the black paint was sprayed and then finished , touched-up with a brush . Why is there black over spray on the floor along the rockers with paint shadows and shadows at the fender wells and chassis ? It was a sprayer with a sharp fan pattern , maybe a Hudson type . I use an airless .

[Lz7w]

This is great info! What are the differences between a 1970 and a 1971?

[Scott A]

Almost no difference between 70 and 71.
There is probably more difference between karmann vs non karmann.
But there is one commonly unknown difference. That I forget, so if it comes to mind, I'll post.

[terry911t]

Thanks for this guys! Can you comment on the texture in the front nose/around fuel tank/battery boxes. Do you replicate that as well?

[tom1394racing]

Small correction...I believe the VIN stamping in the trunk was body color in 1970.

Also...Can anyone recommend a brush-on paint color to replicate the greyish undercoating color?

[Scott A]

For the underside grey color I also used the grey version of zero rust.
Zero rust is like POR. But I like it better.
I asked the paint store for yellow ochre tint. And added that to get a more yellow, than blue, grey.
And most of that I hand painted with a brush.

[Richy]

Yes , the VIN stamping is body color for the 1970 MY .

[Longballa]

Top of strut tower isn't black paint. It's was a thick tar type of material to seal it.