Bodywork and painting panels on or off the car?

[7_Zero]

I am wondering what body panels can be reworked off of the car and which should be done on the car. I know that front fenders should be repaired on the car, but what about the rear fenders?

When welding a patch and lower skin on the door, would it be best to do it on or off the car?

How about any of the other following pieces?
Hood
Splash shields
Radiator apron
Hood
Gas tank
Rear valance
Rear body panel

Lastly, when it comes to painting, which pieces would be recommended to do assembled vs installing after paint?


Thanks!

[Mike Peters]

Fenders: I do outer fender beads on the car. Fender is firmly held in place for pushing, pulling, or whatever you need to do. When finished, you can sight down the outer bead to see if it really is straight.
Door patch panels: Same thing. Fit your patch with door both open and closed for fit. I did a lower door patch on a truck once on saw horses. Looked great until i installed the door and it wouldn't close. Lesson learned.

[Mike Peters]

Hood: separate into four pieces. Paint, reassemble.
gas tank: Was originally painted on the body. Underside wasn't covered very well. I paint underside, install on body, and finish painting with rest of body, including welting. If going for fine point, paint assembled on body only.
splash aprons: Paint separately, then install.

[rotorwrench]

Metal finish work can be done on or off but it boils down to convenience. The convenience I speak of is how to best support an item for either metal working or for welding. Sometimes welding requires different positioning than on the car can produce.

[whirnot]

I just finished installing front fenders and splash shields on the chassis. I can't imagine trying to do the front fenders on the car.

[chrs1961815]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

My opinion is similar to Mike's. I went to school for paint and bodywork and the correct way to do it is straighten everything and maybe work out some od the dents while it is on the car. That is done for the sake of fitment and body lines. If you do everything off the car, it will not look right unless you have a lot of experience with how Model A fenders are supposed to look.

[Oldbluoval]

I work front fenders on the car. Brackets and light bar are critical to fit. They often go off and on half-dozen times. Often both brackets and light bar need tweaking even if the ones originally to the car. If foreign to a specific car could take lots of tweaking. Also tie back end of fender to running boards to stabilize and fit.

Painting fenders is always off the car.

[Tinbasher]

When your working on the Hood top panels, a trick is to leave the hood rod in the hood while you do the repairs, filling and prep. This helps to keep it straight and hold it in the place it will be when your finished.

[Russ B]

Fitting needs to be with the body on the leveled car frame, but much work can be done more easily off the car. Assembly and disassembly multiple times was a significant part of the two thousand plus hours I spent on my cabriolet. Painting is best, in my opinion, done with the body fully blown apart. Screws, bolts, and rivets were placed on drilled plywood panels for painting, and tiny pieces were assembled using a lot of tape to prevent scratches during final assembly.

[7_Zero]

Thank you all for your replies with suggestions and tips. Your responses have been helpful to me in determining my approach. Hopefully in the next couple of months I will begin to really dig into this car.

Thanks!

[Jack Shaft]

Easier to fix and block sand disassembled,laying the work flat and at the proper height reduces the physical side of the job