I'm doing a bottom half repaint. I've got the doors off and have masked up so I can do the front door shuts. I'm keeping the rear hatch on and using sponge masking tape. I've also taken the sliding door off as I figured it was going to be pretty impossible to paint under the rear sliding link with it on. But I saw somewhere that some folks put the doors back on for the final top coat, so you get a continuous run of paint. It seems to me that unless you're pretty good at this, painting a 4 1/2 metre long bus will be tricky, involving something like a line dance whilst keeping the gun straight. What do the experts think? Is it just a matter of keeping up a rhythm and selecting the right music or do I do the doors off the bus?
I'd say doors on. If you take the rear hinge complete off the slider you can still shut the door. Just don't forget when you open it after painting.
Doors off for me... Just one of those things that I can't bring myself to do is paint with the doors on (or windows in either)
Just a niggle with me... I like to make sure the shuts are done properly, and the inner edge on the panels too... Like I say, just my choice...
" I can't bring myself to " and "shuts are done properly" seems to suggest that you think that any method other than the one you employ is sub-standard, which is not the case. Just two different ways of skinning the same cat.
if you paint with the doors on.. will the over spray not go in the gap and go on the white inside the van?
You use this stuff in the gaps. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOFT-EDGE..._Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item3350e84833
There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. In the end it depends what you fancy. I quite like getting the doors fitted and adjusted up before painting and you know for sure the colour will match all round. I think it would be far more important with metallic paint though. It is a faff doing the cab door edges first though!
Whereas I prefer to sub-out my cat skinning to a cat skinner so long as I've got plenty other stuff to keep me busy - he's just through the partition wall. Cat skinning is the pits.
In the scheme of things its not really a big issue, the fact that you are thinking about it means you are going to do a decent job ? Good luck with it.
Good advice from everyone. With the doors off I'm going to paint them separately, apart from the back. Zed: that foam tape from ebay is a bit cheaper than the stuff I got. I'll look out for it next time (if there ever is a next time).
