Hello,

The time is going to come soon where I'm going to need to start stripping down my 1958 Olds to the frame. I've already started tearing off the front end and I'm picking up my first batch of powder coated metal and my newly chromed bumpers today.

When the fenders come off, I'm going to need to recondition the inside. Is there anything commercially available these days that is historically accurate to what they originally used in the 1950s?

I figure I can safely do the inside of the fenders myself because even if I screw it up a little, who's going to notice? Plus, I need to bone up on my skillz with an HVLP gun. I've got a few motorcycle projects that I don't want to pay someone else to do and this will help me get up to speed.

Thanks for your help!!

 

Nobody knows?

Really?

 

I don't know if there is anything that is specifically "factory original." However, since you had some of the parts powdercoated you must be willing to fudge a little on the "factory original" aspect of the vehicle since I doubt Oldsmobile was powdercoating anything in 1958. I would suggest purchasing a POR15 product to recondition and coat the fender wells. POR15 is durable and superior to any other paint I have used in the past.

 

Thanks for the reply.

You're right. I probably should have been a little more descriptive. I really don't care if it's 100% "historically accurate", as long as the color and texture are similar in appearance. I'm more concerned about the vulnerability of the area, since it gets a lot of dirt, road grime and water in there that has a tendency to sit and corrode, over time. You should have seen the crud that came out of there when I took it apart!

The stuff that was back there before was a sort-of gray color and had a matte texture.

Would powder coat be out of the question?

Can you coat the inside of a piece that will need to be painted on the other side? (sorry if that's a stupid question )

 

Well, as far as I know to powder coat something you need to electrically charge the metal that is going to be coated. How would you electrically charge the inside of the rear fenders while the car is in your garage? Especially if you don't have powder coating equipment.

Use a POR 15 product. It is superior to powder coating and can be done easily by a do-it-yourselfer.

http://www.por15.com/

 

The fenders are off the car now, so I thought I'd take them into the shop for powder coating but the more I think about it, I am starting to feel like the POR15 idea is much better...

Thanks for your help!

 

POR15 is great stuff. I used it on my interior floors. It looks alittle rough but with practice, I hear you can get it to lay down smooth. Smooth as powdercoating, I don't think so. But if you can see the area anyway . You won't be disappointed.

 

You will be happy with the results. Plus you will spend much less than having the fenders powdercoated.

 

Do you use the brush method, or do you shoot it through an HVLP gun? I imagine the "brush method" wouldn't look that great but would probably be fine for floorboards and areas that aren't seen. If I wanted to shoot it to make it smoother, could I?

Also, is gray the only color? (sorry, stupid question but it wasn't really clear on the website)

 

I believe you can spray it but I used the brush method. Most people that I've seen also used the brush method. It's actually black. They have topcoats that you can put on.

 

There are numerous colors available. I brushed it onto my engine and it turned out ok. Of course, the engine has a rough cast surface anyways. I am not sure if you can use an HVLP gun. I would call POR 15 to make sure.

 

If the POR15 is fresh then it will brush on easily with little if no brush marks (even with a 30 cent chip brush!) This stuff has a 2 year shelf life.

Before you open the can, gently slosh it from side to side (do not shake)and listen... If it sounds like a liquid it should be okay. If it sounds thick, open it and stir it. If it is very thick and will not mix, it is too old.
There might even be a date code at the bottom of the can.
If too old, email the POR15 guys and they might replace it for you.

I got a can of engine paint from the parts place a while back that was over 5 years old! POR15 easily replaced it for nothing.