# 65 GTO rear panel resto



## yammiman (Apr 19, 2009)

Looking to repaint the tail light housings and center piece between them on a 65 GTO - I have a couple of questions

1) is there anything special I should do to make sure the paint adheres good to the chrome?

2) what would be the best way maintain the chrome on the tips of the fins - should I try to tape them off, or just paint over them and try to remove the paint afterward?

Got to be someone out there that has restored these parts!!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Let me know when you find out...I should do mine, it's all original and kinda faded out. I did my center console by just spraying it on, and then taking a stiff, damp sponge and going lightly over the fins when the paint was wet...worked really well. The paint for the '65 tailpanel is a semi-gloss black, I think. My original stuff is right on the chrome....no primer.


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## yammiman (Apr 19, 2009)

Hopefully someone on here willl give us some insite - I thought about the sponge routine, but thought if I could find some 1/8" painters tape, that would be alot cleaner - do you think any semi gloss black would work?


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

It has to have good adhesion properties...so it will stick to the chrome. I like the tape idea....the fins do stick out a bit, so all of each fin would need to be masked off. the problem with mine is that the original paint is missing/faded in only a couple of spots, but it's hard to match. If I could just touch it up and blend it, I would..... Anybody out there restore a '65 rear panel?


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## 1AMike (May 11, 2009)

1. A very light first coat is the key to the paint adhering well. Clean the surface well, and use a prepping solution before painting.

2. I taped then used a razor to cut excess.

Do a light first coat and let it dry.
Score the paint along the edges of the tape before the second coat
After the second coat allow the paint to set but not dry, peel off the tape while the paint is still wet.

You'll learn a lot the first time you do it. You probably won't get a perfect result on the first try though.

Mike


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## yammiman (Apr 19, 2009)

1AMike - thanks for the info - any recomendations on paint?


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## 1AMike (May 11, 2009)

Anybody on the forum a body or paint guy??

I did mine a while ago and since it was a driver, and my first attempt, I just used Krylon Semi Gloss. It flaked around the ribs within the first couple of years. 

When I go to do mine next time I'll take the panel and bezels to the place I buy paint, show them the project and see what they suggest. They might even have a better technique for painting it and exposing the ribs.

I don't know the gloss factor of the original. It was probably 40-50% but I think I'd prefer about a 70% gloss. I have seen an NOS one of these out of the box and there was a low sheen to the paint not quite dull but definitely no reflective property to it.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Thanks,Mike. Good info. Yes, I would think about a 40% gloss max, maybe even less, but NOT flat black. More of a "satin" look. Thanks again!


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## LeGTO (May 24, 2009)

*65 HTO Rear Panel Rest*

Yammiman...No paint will stick to chrome for long. Pick up a rattlecan of Zinc Chromate primer from an aircraft maintenance supply house at your local municipal airport. Better hobbyshops that cater to scale model RC aircraft stock it as well. Zinc Chromate is the lime green colored primer used as a basecoat on bare polished aircraft aluminum. The primer sticks like glue to the polished metal and the black topcoat will dig into it & stay put.

Scott
65 LeGTO... Dead in the Driveway


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## yammiman (Apr 19, 2009)

LeGTO - would it be better to strip the existing paint, or leave it to help the new paint stick? - the existing paint is on there pretty good!! - thanks for the info!


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## LeGTO (May 24, 2009)

Yammiman...I'd get rid of any traces of the original paint. Whatever is still there will eventually flake off and any primer or paint that's on top of it. Bare chrome...Zinc Chromate Primer....color of choice. Thats the formula. Funny story...I worked with a guy, a saxaphone player, who had a VW. Blacked out chrome was in style for Bugs 20 years ago & he spent an entire weekend disc grinding the chrome off his bumpers to get down to bare metal so the matte black paint would adhere. His hands were so sore & blistered from manhandling that Makita he couldn't play a club gig the following Monday. No need to go thru all that. ZC primer would've accomplished the same effect in 20 minutes.

Scott


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