VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 paint on the 41 cabriolet finally

Well it's finally time to finish the old 41.
The first 8 pieces are almost painted. Cameo cream is the color and it will have black top and red interior I've got a year + to have it finished for Tahoe. I'll be basically re-restoring it after 12 years on the road (in primer). 10 years running with a leaking, oil burning 216 (it was free). There is so much grime underneath that the only way is to pull the body and do it right. In 2013 I put a 261 and powerglide gears and two years later have it sorted out(long story).
So wish me luck guys...I'll be 75 next month and may need it.
Jay

P.S. I haven't been one in awhile and I see All Cal pictures posted in the banner...Thanks Bill
Of the three pictures 5 Sierra View Region cars are shown. The'41 staff car twice!

Thats going to be my dream 1941. A Cameo Cream convertible with a black top and red interior.
Best of luck you young kid.
I saw Pinky Randal last week. He is going to be 88 and has two project cars he expects to finish I'm happy to get one washed.

Thanks for your kind words Gene,it's the kind of encouragement I need. Pinky a great guy I had a nice visit with him on the bus trip to the Heritage center during the Flint meet.
Well it's 6:15 in California I'm going out and re-shoot the front fenders before it gets hot.

The car is going to be outstanding.

It appears that you are doing excellent work.

My 41 project car just sits there. Nothing is happening on it and I'll soon be 81. I hate the da-- thing. Plus I have nowhere to work on it. My four bay garage is fuller then Andy Griffith after all those spaghetti dinners that time.

Hope you finish it in time for your stated purpose, Tahoe.

Best wishes,
Charlie

Charlie thanks for your reply and encouragement. I hope I get it done too, but if not it won't be the end of the world. It'll just mean I should have started sooner.
This is the fifth 41 convertible I've owned since age 15. Only the years between 19 and 25 was I without one. A lot of good tours and car shows and good memories.
Jay

Hi Jay,

Like you I am in the middle of a body off restoration and paint job. Should I request that the fenders, and hood be painted the same color on both sides? I think the doors and trunk lid are?

I also have not separated my hood so it is still riveted together. Should I have the body shop separate it before painting? I assumed I might not get it as tightly reassembled?

I would appreciate the pro's and con's on my concerns ASAP.

Thanks,

P.S. It is hard to imagine how fortunate you have been to own a Cabriolet all these years. What a story? What an adventure?

I understand this question was not asked of me but I will comment.
The underneath of the hood and fenders were not painted body color. They were black. The hood and fenders were painted by Chevrolet before they were installed on the car.
The body was painted at the Fisher Body plant and the doors were installed . The under side of the trunk lid was pinted body color but not rubbed out, as required by lacquer and was dull. The "edges " of the doors was pinted and some of the inner panel caught the overspray.
Todays owner can paint the car any way he desires....

Mike thanks for your comments. Regarding taking apart the hood there's no advantage unless it's rusty in the center flange. I don't remember why I did. I put it back together with machine screws which wouldn't be show quality.

As usual Gene's comments are right on and correct. Additionally the full quarter panel was painted body color including the area behind the fender.
I have seen original cars where overspray blows through the hood vents and onto the black underside, but your wouldn't do that on a restoration.
Jay

If you were to paint one as the factory did folks would think you were a sloppy painter.

By what I have been told they did not mask anything off when they painted so if it was in the way it got painted.
Tony

YES, they wern't building show cars.

When the hood and fenders were painted at the factory, was the entire part primed first and black just applied to the inside of those parts and then the color sprayed on? Was the inside of the car body primed or bare metal?

The hood and fenders were painted black with a primer/surfacer. It was like the primer that new parts came with. Then the color was applied on the outer surfaces.
For the most part the innner body had a primer and in some areas a sound deadner material sprayed on. Also caught some color around the edges.

She's going to be a beauty. You have a nice big garage to work on your project. I can't wait to see more pictures.
Mike
38 Town Sedan

Thanks Mike, the shop is not as big as it look's 30x30, and a separate 20X36 four stall storage garage. Problem now is, everything is full I don't know where I'm going to put these parts until it goes back together.


This is what I stated with....It was a parts car for the 4 door convertible that I purchased in the early 80's. Since I never throw anything away I started to restore it in the late 90's, by 2003 It was running and in primer with all the expensive stuff left to do. So I put a cheap top on it and started driving it as a rat-rod/beater.

Even the cheap top looks good and I wouldnt call that a ratrod either especially after seeing what you started with.
Tony

Thanks for saying that Tony. The top looked good then but has shrunk and faded in the last 13 years.

Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how folks take a heap and bring it back to life. Looked good, can't wait to see it freshly redone
Mike
38 Town Sedan

I celebrated the 4th by painting the driver's door this morning 9 panels down, 2 to go then the body.



Everybody have a happy 4th!
Jay

I can see your having a great holiday!! nice job

Well all the body panels are painted, rubbed out and tucked away. All that's left is the body...I pulled it off the frame yesterday.


And got it mounted on the rotisserie.



Now I've got 18,000 miles of blow-by to clean up.

Well, I finished the paint work, almost. still have 5 rims and the top irons. Plus all the dash pieces.

Now on to the frame!
Jay

Very very nice!

Beautiful. Lots of fun at this stage!

Thanks for the kind words guys. I have a feeling of accomplishment getting this done at my age. I recorded the hours on the calendar and have spent over 400 in the last four months. But the real shock was spending over $3,000 at the paint store on materials. Egad!
Putting it back together is the fun part. the first piece to go on was the fisher body tag.


It's been over thirty years ago that I removed it. The 1,590th body built at the Lansing MI plant. The floor tag reveals final assembly was at the St Louis plant in November 1940 the 13,654th Special Deluxe in all body styles.
If they could only talk! Where was it sold new? How did it get to California and when?
Jay