TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:23 pm

ya woundering if there are any tricks to paint the vents on the bk of the beetle and make it look like the outside of the car.. i was goin to cut the inside piece bend it dwn so i could sand and prime it then pain after that bend it back up tack welt very low temp with the mig then epoxy the rest of the seam thanks mike

Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:40 pm

Nope! and don't rip it down to try to sand it etc. You'll never get it to look right. I just finished painting my 66 and the best advice I can pass on to you was given to me by a seasoned pro. He's been doing VW's and bodywork since I've been alive. (32 years!) His recommendation to me was to use a 3M red scotch brite pad from your local body shop jobber and get a paint stir stick. My car had several poor paint jobs on it before I removed them all. The vent area had me going nuts. I have about 18 hours in detail sanding each and every vent as well as the area behind them. If you take the scotch brite and shove it through the vents, you can push it around and "sand" the area with a stir stick. My car was not rusted at all, and this worked well for me. If your car is rusted, you might try sandblasting the area first.

See the pics on my website:
http://www.german-pride.com/gallery/66?page=6

This is an underneath shot, as I have no "after" shots of the vents yet.

Good luck!
Scott Faivre

Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:09 pm

This has got to be one of the most asked questions. Well after lowering.

Thu Dec 22, 2005 9:08 am

As that "seasoned pro" mentioned by Quick Kafer, I know that he speaks of the method I have used in prep on this difficult area on a beetle.
It's also possible to attach a piece of sandpaper to that same stir stick if need warrants it.
Or, attach that "stick-it" sandpaper to a piece of a scotchbrite and sand away. Your fingers will appreciate that!
Many techniques are possible, all become necessary in different areas of the vents.
Still, I'd like to hear of the methods used by others...pro's are never to seasoned to learn something new.

Tue Dec 27, 2005 2:41 pm

I've used a small hobby sized sandblaster to remove the paint. It is very precise and can easily fit between the vents. Yo paint I used an airbrush to get in there.

Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:46 pm

You *can* undo the body welds to get into that area, and I've seen someone on this site document it with pics...

I guess it depends on how bad the area is vs how much time you want to spend on either of the two methods.

I haven't even come close to crossing this bridge on my project, I guess I'll make up my mind then :)

Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:07 am

After the hard part, the cleanup, I would mask everything on the outside and use a small airbrush with LOTS of thinner in the paint to avoid the stipple from overspray, shoot many thin coats. If you start getting stipple reshoot with thiiner to get it to smooth. Wait till dry between coats. Tricks can be done with fast reducer but more reducer. Slow will have more tendency to run.

To practice get a sheet of duct metal (roll) from Home Depot and cut slots in it. Duct tape it to another sheet that you can pound some louvers in. It does not have to be neat, but if you can get it close you can try the techniques cheaply.