Originally posted by painter77
hi there, i just finished a dearborn duece and it wasn't all that great. i was surprised at how much time and effort was needed to get the thing ready for paint.
For the guys who like metal bodywork, I've seen a couple metal rod bodies, from different manufacturers, and I reached the same conclusion....nobody's product is perfect. If it's a consolation, that is a minor concern in the scheme of things. Just plan on some "finish work" before paint, as part of the building process.

I do a lot of bikes, and as a general rule, I don't care who made it....I don't care how much it cost....that new sheetmetal's gonna need some work! Some need a little, and some need a lot. Many guys assume that it's straight, but from my experience, they should assume it's NOT.

Even in the world of original cars, this is also true. Things only need to be out-of-straight a few thousandths to show up under a high gloss finish. I did a '57 Chevy delivery a while back. Before he brought it to me, he paid a dealership bodyman to strip it, rough out the body, and get it into primer. I guidecoated it, blocksanded, and started glazing in the imperfections. He called to see if I'd started painting color yet. I told him that 40 to 50 years results in a lot of minor damage. He asked me how many spots, so I counted them. He was shocked there were 186 touchups, after the initial "roughout" of the bodywork. He even had to run over to the shop to see for himself. The experienced painters out there know this is not that unique!

:-)~ ......and some people thing all we have to do is shake the can really good, and spray on that glassy look! LOL!