I'm getting my car ready for a full repaint, following a roof replacement. Am thinking of changing to Ruby Red, rather than redoing Garnet Red. Planning on removing/doing as much of the disassembly and assy as I can, not going to be doing any body work. I've read a LOT of threads on painting, and haven't really found one with a good list of what can/should be removed for best results. (If there is one, please let me know.)

Major questions:
1. Front and rear bumpers need to come off, yes?
2. Windshield will be out for roof replacement, so that's a given.
3. Does hatch glass need to be removed?
4. What about rear quarter glass? (Thought I read that seals are not available?)
5. Door exterior window trim is shot, so that's coming off.
6. Planning on removing drip rails, and mirrors.
7. What about door locks?
8. I did take off rub strips and had the holes welded up.
9. Rear spoiler has been removed.

Any other major--or minor items I need to think about?

Thanks.
Thon
'85S

 

when i did mine years ago, i got a paintless dent removal guy to go around it first so saved using body filler for any slight imperfections in the metal
cheers
Phil

 

What I did for my 78 to do a driver quality respray: Bumper covers yes, hatch glass no, all window trim yes, I replaced my quarter glass seals with new, mirrors off and new desk pads/gaskets, door locks off and new gaskets, washer nozzles and gaskets replaced, antenna, replaced drip rails with new, door and hatch seals off, side markers/lighting, replaced Porsche hood badge and desk pad, and anything else I could remove that I forgot to mention. Would’ve been better if I pulled the engine and had the bay painted but opted not to.

 

Such a list would be tricky to aggregate. There was some optionality such as rub strips/sunroof. There are differences between NA/Japan versus ROW. Then, there is countless other differences over 18 model years..

Rear 1/4 glass & hatch trim (finish & construction)
The presence of a rear wiper
Bumperettes
Spoilers (front/rear)
Market-specific lights
Antenna masts vs. integrated vs. shark fin
Side claddings vs. spayed rocker schutz
etc., etc.

The biggest contingency is what level of quality you're after. OE-like, trailer queen, Earl Shieib's & everything in-between..

Something I don't see listed is the scuttle panel. You'll certainly want to remove this to properly refinish it.

 

I think it is important to remove the rear quarter glass. The rubber gasket can hide corrosion.

The last thing you want to do is complete the painting and see rust bubbles a couple of years later.

I have the rear quarter window gaskets for your model year somewhere. Let me know if you need them.

 

Major questions:
1.Yes, absolutely
2. If not replacing a roof (or the windshield due to pitting), I'd leave the windshield in place.
3. No removal of hatch glass.
4. Yes, R&R the rear quarters
5. Door trim has to come off
6. Drip rails and mirrors have to come off
7. Door locks have to come off
8. All rubstrips should be removed and the holes filled. Mobius would insist.
9. Spoilers need to come off.

If you're not doing a color change and the door jambs are in good shape, I would not remove the doors assuming the door panel gaps are good. Not much upside to removing and re-hanging them unless necessary.

 

Agree with Kevin. Absolutely remove the 1/4 glasses. The seals are usually still in very good condition. Rear hatch window is not always necessary to remove. Depends on whether there are paint corrections that need to be made underneath the window trim.

 

100% agree with all of this. Well, maybe #8 is subjective.

A little nuance with #2. If the upper molding clips have to be replaced or if there is a visible undercoat failure down to the butyl tape, then you'll have to pull the windshield. Otherwise, I'd also leave it alone.

 

@Kiln_Red I've worked with Austin on a couple of paint jobs and doing a quite a bit of work on the removal and installation. Personally, I'd recommend keeping with original color. Assuming you want some level of quality re-paint, here's my take to your questions:

Major questions:
1. Front and rear bumpers need to come off, yes? YES
2. Windshield will be out for roof replacement, so that's a given. YES (if you have a sunroof, that will need removed. this is a real pain to put back in and ALIGN correctly without scratching the panel. Potentially plan on a new windshield. It may crack upon removal if it's been in there for a long time.
3. Does hatch glass need to be removed? NO, once the trim is removed, it can be taped off pretty easily.
4. What about rear quarter glass? (Thought I read that seals are not available?) YES.
5. Door exterior window trim is shot, so that's coming off. YES
6. Planning on removing drip rails, and mirrors. (make sure you have the the appropriate PIN removal tool for the mirrors. You can search rennlist for the part number.)
7. What about door locks? Yes and handles and windows.
8. I did take off rub strips and had the holes welded up.
9. Rear spoiler has been removed.
10. Headlights should be removed. You could probably tape them off but if you are going this far...Have the headlight covers repainted.
11. Door sill panels can be tricky when removing. Be careful not break all the plastic pieces and the door sill itself.
12. Look at all your window/door seals. This will be the time to replace.
13. Are you removing the metal trim around the door or taping it off? If removing the metal trim, this is a tricky area. Make sure all the seals are removed and the interior panels are off. Then remove the "J" trim but knocking it out from the inside vs pulling it from the outside.
14. You will need 3M caulk strip for reinstall for the sunroof and other various places.
15. The door "channels" are held on by glue and can be very hard to get off. GO slow.
16. Removing the hose sprayers in the hood is a bit of a pain but good time to reroute and check those hoses. Lots of write-ups on consolidation. Good time to check your pumps and fluid container.
17. I'd suggest taking out most of the interior. It gets super dusty and is pain to clean after a paint job.
18. Make sure who ever paints the car doesn't strip it bare and remove all the original porsche aluminum protection.
19. Good Luck! It took me about 100 hours to reinstall everything. You have to take your time as these cars are NOT like modern production cars where everything just snaps. Alot of things take patience as you align everything up.