A C2 painting tip.

[67HEAVEN]

If you've had the paint completely removed from your C2, or are changing to a different colour, here's a tip.

Most paintshops will not paint far enough inside the door openings. Why? Because they are used to most cars having interior trim pieces that cover more of the opening than our cars.

Luckily, I have some extra paint because I'm having to work my way around both upper sides and the tops of the door openings (coupe) to add about a 1/4" of colour.

It's always something. :eyerole

 

[Tom Bryant]

That's too bad. At least it should blend well all being new.

 

[studiog]

Just curious... I have a C1. I don't understand where the paint is falling short. Is it where the kick plates attach? Or is it something unique to the coupe door?

 

[67HEAVEN]

Just curious... I have a C1. I don't understand where the paint is falling short. Is it where the kick plates attach? Or is it something unique to the coupe door?

From the mid-point of the C2 coupe door up (including the top of the door frame). The mouldings do not wrap around the edge, so portions of the frame are visible.

Also, on the lower rear of the C2 door (where the quarter panel vinyl piece tucks in) I'm not sure if the lip is body colour or interior colour?

 

[JohnZ]

If you drew a line straight down the "peak" of the lip on the body, the outboard half of the lip is exterior color, and the inboard half is interior trim color. Really

 

[67HEAVEN]

John,

Can you help me understand exactly what you mean by "lip".

 

[JohnZ]

Maybe it's better called a "curl" - the 180* U-shaped formation at the front of the body panel that forms the rear of the door opening (that your quarter trim vinyl panel slips inside of at the front). A mask line is taped all the way down the center "peak" of that curled portion, with interior trim color on the inboard side and exterior color on the outboard side. See pic below - mine is a convertible, but the coupe is painted the same way.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Gotcha. Thanks.

From your photo, it appears that the factory painted the inner "lip" the same colour as the seats, and not the carpet.........except of course where the seats and carpets were the same colour.

I take it that they did not paint the upper coupe door frames in the same manner. As described earlier, the tiny areas that show where the interior mouldings do not fit 100% and a small area of non-exterior colour may be visible.

For instance, mine was originally Silver Pearl. It is now red. The interior is black. Because the painter did not "wrap" around the door frame interior edge a little, I'd have a different colour between the exterior red and the interior black mouldings.

 

[JohnZ]

I should have added that the metal cap that closes off the top of the "curl" area is also painted "split colors" like the panel is, and the two little screws that attach the cap are also painted to match the cap.

On coupes, the upper portion of the inner door frame is painted low-gloss interior color; the breakline between interior and exterior color is underneath the door weatherstrip. The breakline at the rear of the door is between the upper window track screw and the top of the door panel; at the front, the breakline is just below the front corner of the vent window.

No fancy color splits or masking was done on the inside of the body in the upper portion of the coupe door opening; it's common to see exterior color below the bottom edge of the upper door opening inner garnish moldings on original cars.