painting just part

[debbiej]

after cleaning up so nice, I realize the only part of my westy that needs paint is the front. it has a bubbly spot under the windshield, a little dent, and the paint is very chipped and cracking off. the driver's door is a repaint, and not an exact match, but dosen't look too bad. I'd love to get the whole thing done, but can't really afford to do it right.

most places try to dissuade me from painting only the front. in the samba classified there are a couple of 2 tone vans where the front and bottom half are one color and the top half another.

has anyone seen a two tone van where the second color is on the front and goes along just the bottom 1/4 or so?

I'm thinking of some colors that would contrast nicely with my coconut cream pie color.

one shop suggested orange with a frosted pearl yellow. not my idea of 'classic'.

maybe I'll try to photo shop a pic of my van to get some ideas...

[dubbified]

There is a reveal around most of the windows.

I also have a rust problem and didnt want to repaint the entire vehicle.

Would it be acceptable to mask off up to the reveal/frame and then paint it in black or white?

[morymob]

I have painted sides,ends etc and with a paint shop who gives a damn can match the paint pretty close and if u paint the whole front and feather off the corners it won't be that noticable. I scraped the side on one of mine, red color and had paint matched and did the whole side, have to look closely to see it's been repainted. Can't be made invisible on old paints that are faded some. If old paint can buffed out pretty good makes it easier for matching. My opinion only and comes with no coupons!!

[delibessleep]

A good paint shop can feather in "touch up" areas. You'll never notice it. They can color match your existing paint to blend in with a faded or weathered look.

Get the rust sorted out before it gets ugly. Don't spray any silicone based products on it, as it s difficult to clean and get paint to adhere.
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63 Single Cab
87 Westy
18 Alltrack

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[r39o]

RE: Nose job.

Many people do just the front for the same reasons. Depends on the color, I think. If you can get it to look real close to the original, great. The right way is to yank EVERYTHING off the front which includes the bumper and windshield. Fix the rust and do a good job. Read, do not just scuff and paint. Use a tough paint up there too. The body shop will be able to advise you on what is cheap and what is good. Cheap and good do not mix

RE: Sides (around windows.)

Again, depends on your van color. Painting semi gloss black around the windows is a lot like they did for many other VAG products. BUT, in those cases it was actually a sticker and not two tone painting.

Again, yank the windows unless you want a job that will look kinda cheesy later. I have seen some and it does not look too bad. FIX the rust, too btw

I have considered this sort of job myself, too. Along with the painting the lower sides with that black heavy liner stuff.

Some like it, some don't Kinda like Tiger's stripes....
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[debbiej]

I only have rust on the front below the windshield. all the other windows are fine. If I'm only getting the front done, I can get it done at a good body shop, and get a new windshield put in as the old one is cracked and pitted. most of the places I've taken it didn't want to do just the front. they would, but wouldn't 'guarentee a match'

what is a reveal?

[seanjenn]

Years ago I worked for a Sherwin William's commercial coatings shop. We could mix up about any color under the sun and even put most of them into spray paint cans. We also worked closely with the SW auto paint store and they could do the same thing with most auto coatings. Something to look into if you're gonna do it yourself. If you do decide to tackle this at home I'm sure we'd all like to see a good step by step photo shoot.
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1987 GL Sunroof
2.1 4 spd

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[RCB]

Hows about fixing the rust and then getting a nice (Colgan) bra which will cover up all the other boo-boo's.

[kshbaja]

I'd be more concerned about the rust repair than the paint!

I recently did a similar project. After the rust repair, which was thankfully minimal, a friend with considerable amateur painting experience was easily able to blend in the upper nose section (below windshield and above radiator vent). I had the paint computer matched and even though it wasn't a perfect match, it is barely perceptible. The area under the windshield was pretty easy to blend due to the geometry. The corners of front/side and angles around the nose area make great transition points.
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1986 Westfalia

[debbiej]

wow, thanks for all the great ideas. we do have several great automotive paint stores town. I will visit them. I have a good bra for the van, and it does cover a lot of the booboos, but not the rust at the base of the windshield.

so this is a good fall project, and quite doable. thanks

[IdahoDoug]

There's always THIS option: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484485

I'm in it for about $93 at this point, and the big day approacheth fast...

DougM
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[erdonline]

I agree with what everyone says about making sure you take care of the rust correctly.

I'd not go to a shop that says that they can't guarantee a paint match if you do just the front. I've seen paint work from high-end shops as well as lower end places, or what I would call a great job for the money. If it's a shop that wants to put in the effort, they can match the paint. Yes, it often requires some feathering to adjoining areas, as they may not get it to match absolutely 100%, but they ought to come close enough that you have to look hard at close range to see the repaint.

Also, be careful about windshield prices- there seems to be quite a range of prices out there. If heard of people paying as little as $180 installed, or as much as three times that much. I can't find the thread right now, but it's covered somewhere here and has the name of the website with the $180 price, where you put in you zip code and it gives you the name of the shop.

Good luck,
Ed
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