Trunk paint..cleaning up a mess.

[torredcuda]

Some of the spray can splatter paint I`ve seen actually stays soft and doesn`t really harden like normal paint.It`s almost like a rubberized undercaoting with paint mixed in.Laquer thinner should remove it but will make a mess and you need to be carefull as it may remove a lot of other paint as well.

[quapman]

I'd go with a good enamel primer, not clearcoat. Stay away from parts store primer because it's usually lacquer.

Don't laugh, but I've had very good luck with primer from Dollar General.

Do you have a paint shop that will mix your color and put it in a spray bomb? If not, you can use one or more Preval spray bottles, usually available at paint or parts stores.

P.S. I HATE spatter trunk paint! The guy who painted my car assumed I was going to use it and gave me a funny look when I told him it would be body color. 

[shadango]

Well, got the trunk done today. 

Got all the parts stripped of spatter paint that I wanted to, and now have sublime on the entire trunk except for underneat the package tray (didnt feel like ripping out the speakers, wiring, package tray etc). 

[422STROKER]

Looks great!  What kid of paint did you use?

Tom

[shadango]

I went and had the Napa shop mix up some of the same Martin Seynor paint that was used on the car (lucky I still had the can with code etc).

Had them make spray bombs out of them.

I used duplicolor primer under that, and Duplicolor clear enamel over it.

Its not perfect, but for a spray bomb job I think it looks great!

One mistake I made though.....I THOUGHT I had sealed the interior of the car from paint...removed the back seat and divider and masked/papered it off....

Well, I missed a hole.

Found out I had covered the interior with fine green paint dust.   

So I spent a good half hour cleaning up that mess...LOL

But over all I am pretty happy......I have my spare tire mount AND my trunk is no longer covered in grey spatter paint that melts everytime it gets wet! 

I am gonna hate putting stuff in my trunk now for fear of scuffing the new paint!  LOL

[dodj]

Looks good Shadango! 

While looking over your pics I noticed that there are no access holes to get at the top rear shock bolt. My Challenger has about 2" access holes with plastic plugs in them. Just another difference between a Challenger and a 'Cuda I guess. Or maybe it's a year thing?
 

[quapman]

Looks like a repro floor with NO holes.

[shadango]

Yeah, it is a repro pan.....after I had already painted the tank I happened acorss "shock bolt access hole plugs" on a site and was curious myself....your post sends it home that the repro pans dont have the holes.

I was trying to figure out how useful those access holes would have been to access the shock bolts....as it is, I dropped my tank to do the trunk. Cant for the life of me figure how a 2" hole above each shock bolt would have helped...   

[dodj]

Cant for the life of me figure how a 2" hole above each shock bolt would have helped...  

From inside the trunk you can pop off the plug and remove/install the nut with a ratchet. Whether this is helpful or not I suppose is individual preference.

[shadango]

Ok, so i guess it would be on the vertical surface under the spare tire?

I dont think it would have done much for me....since its a bolt and nut, the head started turning after I started turning just the nut anyways...so a trip under the car would be needed.

Now I have the tank down, which makes it easier too...

[MEK-Dangerfield]

You can take your shocks out either way, but I found the access holes to be of help to me. I'm too big and I'm gettin' too old to be crawling around under the car.   

[shadango]

But dontcha have to get under there to hold the bolt head anyways? Plus, to remove, replace the bolt and shock...? 

[MEK-Dangerfield]

But dontcha have to get under there to hold the bolt head anyways? Plus, to remove, replace the bolt and shock...? 

Yes, I had to get under there to install that bolt up top, but the tightening I did thru the access hole. Much easier that way. So yeah, I had to be under there to remove the shock from the mount plate by using a pry bar too... So I guess I'm not winning this argument, am I?   

[quapman]

70 cars (and maybe 71's?) have the shock access hole on the TOP of the floor hump, so you pretty much have to use a box end wrench through it and a ratchet on the other side, under the car. What sucks is that it's pretty easy to dent the side of the hole from the wrench contact.

The 72-later cars have the hole on the back side of the hump, in line with the nut, so you can use a ratchet. You need to jam a box wrench on the bolt under the car, which inevitably ends up on the floor.

Not much room under there with the gas tank and all.

It's almost a two-person job.

Use of a lift makes it all a breeze, of course.

[Street_Challenged73]

Nice job with getting it painted to match factory specifications!   That looks much better than any trunk spatter paint.