is it possible to have paint overspray from the factory???

[ViperperfectionGTS]

I was helping a friend inspect a '97 GTS that he was looking to buy. There was slight blue paint on the inside of the hood vents, that I witnessed when I opened the hood.
The car only has 1500 miles & looks like it in everyway, but that was suspect. It was obvious that the cars mileage is accurate, because it is in perfect/un-used condition. Original Owner claims that it has lived in the garage & has never seen a paint shop.

Is it possible that it left Dodge with Paint overspray?

Have you seen this on your car or others?

Thanks

 

[RobZilla]

It's possible. With such low miles I would run a car fax anyway and see what comes up... if nothing, then no real problem.

 

[Chrissss]

It's possible. With such low miles I would run a car fax anyway and see what comes up... if nothing, then no real problem.

Actually it's very unlikely. Also, don't put a whole lot of stock in Carfax. Carfax can only report what is reported to them. The car can very well have had body work done for a number of reasons and not reported to Carfax. I've seen many cars, including one I bought, that had a clean Carfax but in fact had some damage due to an accident that had not been reported to Carfax. I would recommend taking the car to a dealership and have the bodyshop look it over. They should be able to tell you if it has had body work done to it. Should have a dealer give it the twice over anyway.

 

[plumcrazy]

carfax isnt the answer...a trained pro eye would be.

carfax is crap and it lies. ask it about 98 ram truck and it comes up clean as a whistle. it was almost totaled and fixed.

 

[Freddog11]

It is possible to have overspray at the factory. In fact, many of the classic cars that are sold for the highest prices get top dollar because of the overspray. It is an indicator for certain models that the vehicle is either original or the restoration has been done so exactly that even the overspray areas are "correct". You'd have to compare it with the same model of the same year to see if the overspray belonged on that model. I doubt that it is the case with the Vipers though, as it had never been mentioned before.

 

[GTSnake]

Keep in mind that CAAP doesn't have a paint shop. All painted parts come in the plant pre painted. So if the overspray is on a part that is assembled at the factory I would be suspicious.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Keep in mind that CAAP doesn't have a paint shop. All painted parts come in the plant pre painted. So if the overspray is on a part that is assembled at the factory I would be suspicious.

Yep, I was waiting for someone to mention that, panels are painted one by one off the car then shipped to the plant for body assembly, I don't se how overspray is possible.

 

[Bobpantax]

Yep, I was waiting for someone to mention that, panels are painted one by one off the car then shipped to the plant for body assembly, I don't se how overspray is possible.

True. But I think that a car can still be sold as new if minor damage occurs after it is finished at the factory, during transport and/or at the dealer and it is repaired. If you can get the internal history of the car from the original dealer that sold the car, it would show the repair in the Chrysler data base.

 

[Mopar Boy]

Yep, I was waiting for someone to mention that, panels are painted one by one off the car then shipped to the plant for body assembly, I don't se how overspray is possible.

Agreed Lee.

Maurice also mentions in his book Viper Buyers Guide that overspray is a no no on a Viper.

Somethin smells a little fishy.....

Robert

 

[AZTVR]

There was slight blue paint on the inside of the hood vents, that I witnessed when I opened the hood.

Keep in mind that CAAP doesn't have a paint shop. All painted parts come in the plant pre painted. So if the overspray is on a part that is assembled at the factory I would be suspicious.

Yep, I was waiting for someone to mention that, panels are painted one by one off the car then shipped to the plant for body assembly, I don't se how overspray is possible.

It sounds as if ViperperfectionGTS is saying that the paint used on the outside of the hood vent is showing up as overspray on the inside of that same part. So, I can see how it would happen during original painting if the masking wasn't quite right.
Although Detroit is highly regarded for their quality control, mistakes sometimes do happen.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

It sounds as if ViperperfectionGTS is saying that the paint used on the outside of the hood vent is showing up as overspray on the inside of that same part. So, I can see how it would happen during original painting if the masking wasn't quite right.
Although Detroit is highly regarded for their quality control, mistakes sometimes do happen.

Hmmm, on second thought I tend to agree, so the inside of the hood is not painted? I just assumed it was, my car is black so that may be why I'm confused. Are the inside of the hoods body color or another color? If they are not painted I can certainly see overspray coming through when painted. Only way to really know for sure is to have another owner with one of the same year take a look.

 

[OKViper]

It is possible to have overspray at the factory. In fact, many of the classic cars that are sold for the highest prices get top dollar because of the overspray. It is an indicator for certain models that the vehicle is either original or the restoration has been done so exactly that even the overspray areas are "correct". You'd have to compare it with the same model of the same year to see if the overspray belonged on that model. I doubt that it is the case with the Vipers though, as it had never been mentioned before.

Bad Advice. We're not talking about overspray on a 60's musclecar...

 

[dave6666]

How about a picture of how much overspray we're talking about here? From the car in question.

 

[crazyspeed]

In a word .....no

 

[ViperTony]

Hmm...I checked the vents (non-white) on my hood and there's no overspray underneath the hood or in back of the vents. Lee, The underside of the hood is black. FYI.

 

[-FROG-]

PM me if you want a carfax for kicks.... Wouldn't hurt to look...

 

[RevHeat]

If you get a chance, try to take some pictures. In addition, you might can tell if the hood was in a wreck if the top coners of the hood is totally smooth. Here a picture of a hood that has not been wreck. Notice that it is not smooth at the very tip and that there is spacing. Most often, when wreck hoods are fixed they will be smooth with no spaceing. I hope this makes sense.

You must be registered for see images

Rev

 

[Dom426h]

Looking at how deep the gaps are between the vents, i'd say that when spraying the front(top) that it would be impossible for overspray to Not get on the opposite side. So my guess is that they spray it, then turn over and paint the flipside black. You may be seeing spots where the black is wearing off and you see the slight overspray underneth.
Anyone else think this is possible?

sounds like a question for the GrailKeeper

OP, there is other ways to tell if the viper has been repainted, if you dont have a body-shop eye, then find someone who does that can inspect vipers with you and your bud.

 

[Freddog11]

Bad Advice. We're not talking about overspray on a 60's musclecar...

Have you ever seen the painting process used at most of the Big 3 plants? I have seen most of them. Overspray is VERY common. Look under the hood of most of the late 90s and early 2000 Ford trucks for example. They paint the rubber hood adjusters. Most of the overspray, which is actually more common now than in the 60s, is less noticeable because the things that used to be painted black, such as firewalls and radiator supports, are now painted the same color as the outer body panels exept with a matte finish. Most OEM paint is done with a robotic electrostatic process now that brings the transfer rate from about 65% up to about 97% and the body, doors, and hood/trunk panels are painted before assembly, however, overspray and QC repairs are very common, even on a hand assembled car using pre-painted panels. Do you really think that if a GEN2 hood were to have been slightly damaged in shipping or during assembly with maybe just a slight scratch they would just scrap a $16,000+ part?

I did say in my original post that I doubt that it is the case in the Viper.

Lucky you to be buying such perfectly painted and assembled cars. Makes me wonder why the Big 3 is going broke with such perfection.

 

[Vipuronr]

Our own Mr Tator went over my car and did find a little overspray on the inside edge of the hood...but said it was never re-done. Also, both Chuck and I agree that the trunk lid of my Viper was re-done (not great either), but I had a clean Carfax report...so I would not trust Carfax. My understanding is that it has to be reported to the insurance company for Carfax to pick it up....if you pay a body shop directly, there is no way for Carfax to pick it up.

Good luck on your very low mileage find.

 

[plumcrazy]

my truck was reported to carfax, paid out to me a lot of cash, fixed at a body shop and never shows on carfax. its total BS. dont trust it

 

[GR8_ASP]

Have you ever seen the painting process used at most of the Big 3 plants? I have seen most of them. Overspray is VERY common. Look under the hood of most of the late 90s and early 2000 Ford trucks for example. They paint the rubber hood adjusters. Most of the overspray, which is actually more common now than in the 60s, is less noticeable because the things that used to be painted black, such as firewalls and radiator supports, are now painted the same color as the outer body panels exept with a matte finish. Most OEM paint is done with a robotic electrostatic process now that brings the transfer rate from about 65% up to about 97% and the body, doors, and hood/trunk panels are painted before assembly, however, overspray and QC repairs are very common, even on a hand assembled car using pre-painted panels. Do you really think that if a GEN2 hood were to have been slightly damaged in shipping or during assembly with maybe just a slight scratch they would just scrap a $16,000+ part?

I did say in my original post that I doubt that it is the case in the Viper.

Lucky you to be buying such perfectly painted and assembled cars. Makes me wonder why the Big 3 is going broke with such perfection.

Did you read above where it was stated that all (read ALL) panels are painted separately. Impossible to get overspray from one part onto another or anywhere else on the car. This was true for all Gen I and II. Starting with Gen III stripes have been painted after full assembly and could leave stripe color overspray. The question here is could the inside of the hood vent get overspray from the hood itself during the painting process. I will have to go through some old pictures to see if the vents were installed before or after painting.

 

[Dom426h]

The point about the panels being painted separately is somewhat INVALID as we are not talking about overspray from one part to another.

Re-read the OP, he is concerned about the hoodvents. (One single part) Like i previously said, i dont see any way to paint those things without getting some overspray inbetween the vents that would show up on the backside only to be covered up later by the underhood black.

Also i dont see how wether the vents were painted then installed, or installed then painted as a whole with the clamshell would make any difference. I assume they would be painted separatly so that they can dry without being stuck to the clamshell.

 

[ViperTony]

The point about the panels being painted separately is somewhat INVALID as we are not talking about overspray from one part to another.

Re-read the OP, he is concerned about the hoodvents. (One single part) Like i previously said, i dont see any way to paint those things without getting some overspray inbetween the vents that would show up on the backside only to be covered up later by the underhood black.

Very true...I looked really closely at the hood vents and there's a very slight, uniform overspray line behind each individual louver at the very top but no overspray inside or on the backside of the vents. You can't see it without sticking your head up under the hood looking up into the vents. I'll try to take and post pics later today of what I'm talking about.

 

[EllowViper]

The wheel vents are painted as part of the hood assembly...not separately and then installed after. Same with the NACA duct They are individually shimmed, aligned, and then painted from the underside first and then the top color coat/clear put on last. That is why you get body color overspray on the underneath black of the gills. How do I know this? When I did my stripes and recleared the entire hood, I took the wheel vents out and guess what, they were painted and clear-coated while installed in the hood. Really surprising to find this out. Like most of you, I had assumed these part were finished separately and then installed on a finished hood. Not the case. Need a reality check, take one off and see if the clear cracks at the joint and if you just have any body color under the area the vent attaches.

 

[Freddog11]

The point about the panels being painted separately is somewhat INVALID as we are not talking about overspray from one part to another.

Re-read the OP, he is concerned about the hoodvents. (One single part) Like i previously said, i dont see any way to paint those things without getting some overspray inbetween the vents that would show up on the backside only to be covered up later by the underhood black.

Also i dont see how wether the vents were painted then installed, or installed then painted as a whole with the clamshell would make any difference. I assume they would be painted separatly so that they can dry without being stuck to the clamshell.

EXACTLY!!!

 

[Freddog11]

Did you read above where it was stated that all (read ALL) panels are painted separately. Impossible to get overspray from one part onto another or anywhere else on the car. This was true for all Gen I and II. Starting with Gen III stripes have been painted after full assembly and could leave stripe color overspray. The question here is could the inside of the hood vent get overspray from the hood itself during the painting process. I will have to go through some old pictures to see if the vents were installed before or after painting.

Did you read above where I mentioned that I was talking about repairs being made. Let me make it clearer. If, during assembly towards the final stages, something happens, someone leans on the hood and scratches it, whatever. Do you think the take the whole car apart to repair the paint? I thought I made it clear when I mentioned quality control repairs and talked about damage during assembly...usually the repairs are made after the damage is done and since the damage was caused by assembly, it would be safe to assume the car is ASSEMBLED. So it doesn't matter if the parts are delivered painted or not.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Did you read above where I mentioned that I was talking about repairs being made. Let me make it clearer. If, during assembly towards the final stages, something happens, someone leans on the hood and scratches it, whatever. Do you think the take the whole car apart to repair the paint? I thought I made it clear when I mentioned quality control repairs and talked about damage during assembly...usually the repairs are made after the damage is done and since the damage was caused by assembly, it would be safe to assume the car is ASSEMBLED. So it doesn't matter if the parts are delivered painted or not.

And I repeat, CAAP does not paint anything. No touch up or anything. They do not have paint facilities. If a panel is found damaged they replace it.

 

[Dom426h]

EllowViper, your findings seem pretty conclusive.

Has anyone else taken off their vents that can verify this?

 

[viper k]

if the price is right buy it don't worry