Painting Hard To Reach Places

[Old Moparz]

Just wondering what some of you do to get decent paint coverage in places that you can't reach or see?

Specifically, the inside brace on the rear edge of the fender. I'm painting the underside of two fenders that I had dipped & stripped chemically at Kwik-Strip & need to get them covered. The old paint & undercoating were completely removed & the fenders are bare metal with a temporary phosphate coating. I scuffed & sprayed the outer surface with a self etching primer, but I'm using a different coating underneath that's a sealer/primer from PM Industries & brushing it on.

(I've used this stuff before, it's great. http://www.masterseriescoatings.com/index/ )

I can paint most of the areas by forcing a sponge brush into places like the headlight housing, but the rear brace has me stumped. I've wondered about whether some kind of flexible brush exists, like a pipe cleaner, but much larger. If anyone can tell me what you've done to paint in these tight places, I'd appreciate the help. 

[Silver R/T]

some body shops use spray wands to reach inside areas, mostly inside frame rails to restore corrosion protection

[b5blue]

Check out Eastwood online, I think they sell the "wands" for rust proofing. 

[Old Moparz]

Thanks, but I'm not spraying this particular paint, I'm applying it with brushes. (I don't own any spraying equipment) It's not a finish coat, it's a type of rust sealer/primer that's going onto places that you won't see. I've been googling all kinds of flexible brushes, even large pipe cleaners, & have come up empty. I did consider fabricating my own brush by using a thin wire coat hanger & twisting some wire to a sponge, but I was hoping I can just find something readily available.

This is where I'm trying to reach:

[Silver R/T]

maybe you can fabricate one of those weed spraying wands so that you can spray inside of there

[b5blue]

Tape up the holes and pour it in then dump it out. 

[gasoline_24]

 

[tan top]

that & spray wand thingys  ... what i done 

[b5blue]

So Tan Top, that would work when I treat my hood inside all the impossible areas too? (I know it's rusting in there) 

[Old Moparz]

Tape up the holes and pour it in then dump it out. 

That actually isn't a bad idea, but I'm going to take a closer look at the structure of the brace. One edge is sealed by the rolled over edge of the outer sheet metal, but the opposite edge may need to be taped off too. I'm going to see if the brace is clear all the way through & may try one of the heads off a small sponge brush on a thin wire like a guitar string. Mount the sponge in the center held in place witha knot & a washer, then pull it through back & forth. I'm just trying to avoid pouring paint, it's extremely messy.

[tan top]

So Tan Top, that would work when I treat my hood inside all the impossible areas too? (I know it's rusting in there) 

yeah if the hood is badly rusted  in side  , might be an idea to get the hood dipped in a rust removing acid first ......

[b5blue]

Yup! I got a "shaker" hood.....shake it and every now and then a little flake of rust comes out! 

[Old Moparz]

So Tan Top, that would work when I treat my hood inside all the impossible areas too? (I know it's rusting in there) 

yeah if the hood is badly rusted  in side  , might be an idea to get the hood dipped in a rust removing acid first ......

I just remembered this site that I bookmarked: http://www.69hemi.com/

It's one that belongs to a member here who had his entire car dipped like my fenders, but then after the rust repairs were done, it was dipped a second time to prepare it for being e-coated. The e-coat process is what I would have liked to have done to my fenders, but there isn't anyone local that I am aware of to perform it. It gets dipped in primer & electrically charged so it seals every part of the surface, even cavities, corners, & seams.

The dipping & ecoating pages are listed as Dip 1 & Dip 2 on that site. 

[b5blue]

Thanks! The hoods not terrible I just don't want to do something that accelerates the problem later (like your concerns) and funds are short. 

[mopar73]

dip it and E-coat.

[FJMG]

  Pouring would increase the odds dramatically of coating everything. If you are worried about the mess, just lay some 4 foot 2x4's (or whatever else you have laying around such as pipe) on the floor to form a rectangle and lay a 5'x5' sheet of poly down to create a 1.5" deep "tub". When done just scoop up the paint on the poly with a sour cream container to reclaim it and toss the poly after it is dry.

[Old Moparz]

I tried the method I posted about with the drawing above, but substituted a small rag in place of the sponge. The sponge seemed too flimsy & would probably come apart inside the hollow bracing. I doused the rag with the paint, slid it back & forth with a thin cable, & it seemed to get against all the interior surfaces. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure, but I did it several times with a good amount of paint & think it'll have decent coverage.

I do think that I'd rather go with the dipping method of stripping & e-coating, but there isn't any place that's closer to where I am in NY than the midwest. I spent a few hours searching on line, e-mailing, & making calls & came up virtually empty. The only places in the northeast that e-coat, only do smaller parts that fit into 2 foot by 4 foot tanks. The hood & deck lid I'd like to do next will probably not happen at all unless I invest in some spray equipment.