1938 Studebaker front end repair.

[Big Beat]

I too would paint the fenders. It is very difficult to match up new paint and worn paint in a random spot, the difference will stand out like a sore thumb. Much easier when there is a logical line of some sort to set this boundary, like a painted panel (fender) next to original paint on the panel next to it (hood). I am all for original paint, but once you already have no choice but to paint a part, don't just half-paint  it. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Big Beat (see edit history)

[Harold]

I agree with the others....paint the whole fender...the repaired area will be less conspicuous that way.

[JustDave]

Just my two cents worth,go all over the fender carefully,don’t say this is good enough or nobody will see it.go around the wheel well carefully make sure it’s nice and straight and the bed is uniform all around,also where the bumper brats go threw the fenders make sure it’s as straight as possible,these things will aggravate the hell out of you once painted,do not get in a hurry slow and steady,   Dave

[wayne sheldon]

I agree with what has been said already. Paint matching is tough enough. Painting the whole fender gives it a breaking edge where the paints get seen from different angles. Painting half a fender usually leaves a hazy transition that often stands out and looks worse.

Don't worry about "how original" it is. You have done a fine job of keeping this mostly original car, still mostly original. Other than a very few virtual time capsules, locked brand new into nice clean carriage houses, practically no car is totally original. Nearly all have had some service work done, almost always tires hoses and belts, batteries etc. Many have had minor bodywork done, and even partial repainting. You would be amazed at how many original interiors have had one seat cushion redone (the 1910 Fuller I used to have did!).

A little more? A little less? No worries. You have a fine car there. Still. And that is thanks to your devotion.

[SC38dls]

Wayne, thank you. Now I feel I better really check the whole car out not just the fenders. I always just considered it a great driver to use and enjoy but your words have elevated its status. I guess I better wash it more often and wax it 4 times a year instead of twice a year. LoL

i do appreciate your comments. Thank you. 
dave s 

[wayne sheldon]

Dave S, I just say/write what I think.

[SC38dls]

I’ve looked over the rest of the car just to be sure I am not missing any bad paint areas. All is ok except the top of the right front so I will strip it if paint tomorrow and repaint it when I do the rest of the front end. I hope I have enough epoxy primer as it takes four or five days to get here. Time will tell. If it warms up like it is supposed to I may be painting by Friday!  I will let you know and take pics as I progress. 
dave s 

[Buffalowed Bill]

I need not remind anyone here that there are about a dozen shades of black. Finding one that matches will be problematic. Years ago an acquaintance told me how he matched the original paint on his Pierce, by using glass microscope slides sprayed with a particular shade of black. This he said allowed for an opaque media which could be backlighted to match against the original color. Although I have never used the process, it seemed to make sense to me. 

[SC38dls]

Bill I don’t have access to a microscope or slides and wouldn’t know what I was looking for anyway!  LOL. I did take a side panel with me to the paint store and they matched the paint to that. Even if it’s a little off I can live with it I just don’t want the fenders purple and the rest of the car black. 
Spent the day stripping the paint off the right front fender. Tomorrow I’ll clean it up, degrease it with a cleaner and paint the epoxy primer. It’s supposed to be about 70 by late morning with no wind forecast so I will do this outside on the driveway. I will wet the drive down before I do it. 
dave s 

Edited November 8, 2021 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[95Cardinal]

Even if you're painting outside, use a respirator, not a typical particulate mask.

Your lungs are worth more than the $30 you'll spend for a 3M (or equivalent) respirator!

[Bloo]

And cover your skin. All of it.

[Digger914]

Dave

Good job with the portapower.

Most important part of painting is the prep-work and shinny black shows everything.

My trick for blending black is to figure out which black I need by by wet sanding and buffing the paint that I will be blending into. Blue black or brown black, single stage enamel is easy to blend.  Blending clear takes some practice and with the body line definition of these fenders, I wouldn't even think about blending into lacquer.  

 

[Buffalowed Bill]

42 minutes ago, SC38dls said:

Bill I don’t have access to a microscope or slides and wouldn’t know what I was looking for anyway!  LOL. I did take a side panel with me to the paint store and they matched the paint to that. Even if it’s a little off I can live with it I just don’t want the fenders purple and the rest of the car black. 
Spent the day stripping the paint off the right front fender. Tomorrow I’ll clean it up, degrease it with a cleaner and paint the epoxy primer. It’s supposed to be about 70 by late morning with no wind forecast so I will do this outside on the driveway. I will wet the drive down before I do it. 
dave s 

Point well taken! I've never had the issue with any of my repairs, so we are on the same page regarding tha slides. It did seem like a good way of making a match so I thought I would include it. It's hard to find the old school paint store employee who is willing and able to do a visual paint mix. That leaves us at the mercy of the spectrometer. Results can very. 

[edinmass]

Dave, if you want it to not look "too new or shiny" as Walt described.......I can run up and do my best paint work on it free of charge. It will probably look more like a crinkle finish with bugs in it. 

[f.f.jones]

1 hour ago, edinmass said:

Dave, if you want it to not look "too new or shiny" as Walt described.......I can run up and do my best paint work on it free of charge. It will probably look more like a crinkle finish with bugs in it. 

Hey...you must be the guy who painted my pickup!

[SC38dls]

Ed, mechanically you can do what ever you want to make it run better. Heck just doing the distributer correctly you made it run cooler and I got better gas mileage. As far as body work or painting come on up, I'll get the WOODFORD out BEFORE you paint and I'm sure you world do a perfect job!  I better stock up because it may take a lot of WOODFORD.  Another idea is you paint mine and I/ll pound dents out of your J car!  

dave s 

[Buffalowed Bill]

It reminds me of one of the rare times I was in the company of some younger First Gen Camaro fans. It seems as though one of the guys was having a car painted by a backyard painter who was well known to all. Color had already been applied, but the owner had not yet seen the job, but one of the others had seen it. "Well how does it look" the owner asked? The answer to which was terrible, and then responder said that he wasn't kidding either. The car owner began whooping and danced a little jig. That's just perfect now he is going to have to color sand and rub the whole car. The moral of the story is it doesn't matter what the process is, it's the final result that counts, and what it takes to get it there.

[SC38dls]

The car is all stripped of paint on the fenders. I’ve cleaned it and degreased it once. I need to drill holes in top of fenders for the original style parking lights.  Well do another wash and degrease after that in AM then push it outside (after I take covers off wheels) to apply the epoxy primer. Any idea how long it will take for that to dry?  I want to put it back in garage ASAP. 
dave s 

Edited November 9, 2021 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

Mike I’m using EASTWOOD in a spray can. I will let it cure for at least a day or two. 
dave s 

[edinmass]

Wait an hour between coats as long as it’s reasonably warm and sunny. Let it cure overnight in a heated garage. Then go to town! 👍

[edinmass]

Dave, I’m very distressed! That bottle on the counter doesn’t look like a good Canadian Rye! Shocking!

 

 

 

[SC38dls]

Gatorade! I need to replace my fluids at my age with an occasional non work influencing liquid!  Rye or good old plain KY bourbon has a tendency to make me sit down and watch my work improve the more I consume. Come on up and I’ll show you how that happens. By the end of the evening you will consider your painting abilities to be on a par with Michaelangelo do Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni ( his actual name). The problem with that is you will see you were supposed to paint the car not the garage ceiling! 
dave s 

[edinmass]

if I painted it, it would look like it was done by a surrealist.

[SC38dls]

The epoxy primer is on. Two coats a few hours apart. I’ll put it back in garage overnight and then start doing the rest of the job!  
dave s 

[Digger914]

Dave

 

For not being a body man, you do pretty darn good work.

 

Remember shinny black shows everything, so get yourself a couple different colors of fast dry and filling primers. A lite dusting of the fast dry with a lite sanding over your filling will show all the little dips and pin holes you can't feel. Alternate between fill, prime and sand until your dusting color disappears with gentle 400 grit block sanding and you have a base that's ready for paint.

 

There is a trick to taking runs out of wet paint, but it's the kind of thing that you need to be shown and practice, so don't get to carried away while you're laying down the black or you will need to wait until dry to sand out any runs.

[SC38dls]

Thanks Digger, I did get one run ( at least that I saw) back near the bottom door hinge. I’ll sand it out tomorrow then reprimand it. The filler will be fun and tedious but I’m actually looking forward to trying it. I’ve got black sanding primer so will follow your suggestion on doing it multiple times. Pictures to come as I go !  
dave s 

[Paul Dobbin]

Now it looks about ready for a skim coat of rage filler.  You will now spend more time sanding an filling than you did hammering an dollying.  That's how you end up with a nice job.  Keep up the good work.

[edinmass]

Just to make things interesting in the world of Stude........Phil, "with the hands like George The Animal Steel" found a 37 Stude pick up truck yesterday, and we are going to try and buy it tonight.........I'll keep you posted. It needs a paint job, so all the practice Dave is getting in will be a big help. 

[SC38dls]

George will love it. Best place for parts is Stephen Allen’s just up the road from you. If you need body work I’m available and I don’t consume as much Woodford as I did in my younger days. The engines in these Studebaker’s are almost bulletproof with a little care so I hope it works out well for him.  Let’s us know how it goes and post picks. 
dave s 

 

[pkhammer]

The '37 Studebaker Coupe Express has to be at the top of the "most beautiful pickups ever built" list.

 Chester Bradfield, right up the road from me has one in his collection. 👍

[mike6024]

Looks good. Now you don't sand that at all. Go to filler, can sand that. And a different type of "sandable" primer. The sandable primer can go on thicker and can be used as a filler in it's own right, to an extent.

 

Just FYI: if you are sanding and you don't want scratches from the sandpaper to show though a paint coat you should get down to 400 grit preferably. Maybe use successively finer grits, something like 150, 220, 320 and finally 400. Each time you go to a finer grit look to see you are eliminating the scratches from the previous coarser grit.

 

Maybe 320 would be good to paint over too, but I've read 400 is best if you don't want sanding scratches to show through a paint coat.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Someone in MN is offering a couple of front end emblems for a '38 Studebaker President:

It looks like some rechroming will be in order, but you have saved so much in premium body work charges that you can afford it:

 

1938 Studebaker Emblems - auto parts - by owner - vehicle automotive... (craigslist.org)

Edited November 11, 2021 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

Hudsy I actually have mine from before the accident. They weren’t damaged. George R also gave me one as a spare. All three are in good shape. I did buy a set of the parking lights that are Art Deco style offered as an option on State Commanders I will mount on top the fenders. Thanks for thinking of me. 
dave s 

[wayne sheldon]

2 hours ago, mike6024 said:

Just FYI: if you are sanding and you don't want scratches from the sandpaper to show though a paint coat you should get down to 400 grit preferably. Maybe use successively finer grits, something like 150, 220, 320 and finally 400. Each time you go to a finer grit look to see you are eliminating the scratches from the previous coarser grit.

 

 

Very good advice.

A longtime very good friend of mine that has painted and detailed many prewar antiques, including a few shown at Pebble Beach, goes even further than that. Gradings vary by brand and suppliers. However, whatever brand or supply he is using, he steps from one grade to the next, not skipping any available grade. Beginning down around 70 or 100, he steps up through each and every grade until about 800 or a 1000. One of the Pebble shown cars he did, he sanded to 1500 before starting final paint!

I do not know what kind of paint he was using? But some of it was $1000 per gallon fifteen years ago!

He says skipping a grade can be seen in the final finish. And I do not doubt that he can see it (I don't think I could?).

 

Posted mostly for information. You are not going for a Pebble Beach show restoration, and do not need to be quite that anal about it.

[SC38dls]

Wayne, I agree it’s great advice and I appreciate your comments also. I made have to go to 2000 grid to prove to Ed I can work on his ‘J’ car while he paints my garage ceiling. 
dave s 

[prewarnut]

42 minutes ago, SC38dls said:

Wayne, I agree it’s great advice and I appreciate your comments also. I made have to go to 2000 grid to prove to Ed I can work on his ‘J’ car while he paints my garage ceiling. 
dave s 

 

Heck, I've got 8000 grit - that makes 2000 look like child's play....(it is what is needed to get a mirror polish on steel). You may know but if you get to 1500 you can switch over to a random orbital polisher and polish acceptably. If not going back to sanding to 2000 and then polishing will work (for final coat that is). Good luck!

Edited November 11, 2021 by prewarnut (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

If we keep going with the sand paper grid number I may be sanding until I’m 80 !  
All kidding aside I will use multiple grades of sand paper to get a reasonable smooth surface to paint. I do wonder what sand paper grid I should use when I sand the paint. I assume I should wet sand it but no idea of what grid to use. Also do I sand each coat or just the final coat? 
dave s 

[edinmass]

Dave, your going about this all wrong. My first total paint job was done when I was 14.........a good oil based floor paint, made from five or six left over cans and a nice roller with a short nap. My Buick was “barf pea green with some highlights of brown form poor mixing. Looked good from 200 feet. True story. 

[mike6024]

After you are all done painting, and you want to "wet sand" the final surface to a mirror polish, that's totally different. I was just referring to sanding between coats. Also sanding the skim coat filler and then the first "sandable primer" coat is not so critical either.

 

I would suggest the sanding on the final primer coat before the first paint coat should be about 400 grit. And sanding between paint coats also be 400.

 

But sanding on the filler, and sanding the first primer coat, not that critical.

 

[wayne sheldon]

Heck, Ed M, I still paint that way! 😁

 

I know my friend has gone to at least 4000 on finish work. I don't know if he went beyond that or not, but he was using 4000 one day when I stopped by.

 

For me? I rate the quality of my paint job by how much I enjoy driving the car and following other antique automobiles. Been way too long for me. That has got to change soon.

 

The funny/ironic thing about my longtime friend and I? We met in high school. His family had moved in about six blocks from where I lived. I happened to ride my bicycle down his street one day and saw the model A Ford he had just gotten. We became almost instant friends. 

The first person to teach him the basics of body work? Was me!. He soon found a much better teacher in our neighborhood, an old master that had taught body work for years and had restored a few horseless carriages for himself. That teacher became a mentor and very good friend to both of us. My friend became a master body man and painter himself. Me? Can't hold a candle to him.