1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

[Tony N.]

Does anyone have any insight on refinsihing the spare tire cover (fiberglass) with semigloss black paint? Let me expand on this.

Working on restoration of my 1965 convertible. I had to strip the finish on mine as someone coated it with undersealer and now the fiberglass is very faded. It is the original cover. I was looking to paint with a single coat of semi-gloss black. Will this be deemed as a bad thing with judges? I do plan to paint the riveted metal strips for sure. Will they subtract points for this. Or is there an alternative to treat the fiberglass with something to "refresh it"....make it look like new again?

Thanks in advance for any insights on this.

Tony Nick

[Harry S.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

Does anyone have any insight on refinsihing the spare tire cover (fiberglass) with semigloss black paint? Let me expand on this.

Working on restoration of my 1965 convertible. I had to strip the finish on mine as someone coated it with undersealer and now the fiberglass is very faded. It is the original cover. I was looking to paint with a single coat of semi-gloss black. Will this be deemed as a bad thing with judges? I do plan to paint the riveted metal strips for sure. Will they subtract points for this. Or is there an alternative to treat the fiberglass with something to "refresh it"....make it look like new again?

Thanks in advance for any insights on this.

Tony Nick

Painting the fiberglass will get you a 20% deduction (finish) on the points assigned to the lid.

Get a set of new rivets, take the V bar off the lid, media blast then paint it.

Post a picture of the lid as they were all shades of gray. You may be Ok with the color you have.

If you must make it darker use a fiberglass dye. Get white and black and mix together till you get the shade/color you need. The dye/pigment is made by Fiber-Glast or Akemi.

Good luck

[James W.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

The spare tire cover fiberglass should be natural fiberglass with some evidence of blackout paint. You will receive an originality deduction if it is completely painted black. I would follow Harry's recomendation for the tray that the tire sits on.

James

Does anyone have any insight on refinsihing the spare tire cover (fiberglass) with semigloss black paint? Let me expand on this.

Working on restoration of my 1965 convertible. I had to strip the finish on mine as someone coated it with undersealer and now the fiberglass is very faded. It is the original cover. I was looking to paint with a single coat of semi-gloss black. Will this be deemed as a bad thing with judges? I do plan to paint the riveted metal strips for sure. Will they subtract points for this. Or is there an alternative to treat the fiberglass with something to "refresh it"....make it look like new again?

Thanks in advance for any insights on this.

Tony Nick

[Mark E.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

I just refinished the spare tire tub in my '70. It had 50 years of weathering and a couple of cracks but wasn't painted. First I removed the grime by scrubbing with Dawn, then used fine Scotchbrite to prep the surface. The idea is to prep it for refinishing but leave most of the original texture. After repairing the cracks using fiberglass mat, I lightly dusted the repaired area with antique grey spray paint from the hardware store (I picked it as a close match to the tub color; let me know if you want the brand/color).

I then applied a couple of light coats of satin clear on the entire tub which protects the natural fiberglass look. I was able to strip, prep and paint the metal support without removing it from the tub with careful masking of the tub and rivets. I decided to not remove it because it was in fair shape and to preserve the original rivets.

[Tony N.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

Thanks Mark for your insights on this.

If you could offer the brand of spray paint and the part number (if possible) you reference to as "antique gray spray paint" would be great.

I've got the surface completely cleaned up. The fiberglass looks dull and crevices are a whitish / yellow.

Tony Nicosia

[Tony N.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

Thank you Harry for the insights. I'm not famaliar with fiberglass dye and or working with it. I'm understanding that your indicating I can purchase both black and white dyes and mix up the proper shade of gray. I would then rub this on lightly to the fiberglass to obtain the color / finish I'm looking for.

Tony

[Harry S.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

Thank you Harry for the insights. I'm not famaliar with fiberglass dye and or working with it. I'm understanding that your indicating I can purchase both black and white dyes and mix up the proper shade of gray. I would then rub this on lightly to the fiberglass to obtain the color / finish I'm looking for.

Tony

Yes, it acts as a stain. If you have a piece of junk fiberglass laying around, test colors on it.

[Mark E.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

Thanks Mark for your insights on this.

If you could offer the brand of spray paint and the part number (if possible) you reference to as "antique gray spray paint" would be great.

I've got the surface completely cleaned up. The fiberglass looks dull and crevices are a whitish / yellow.

Tony Nicosia

I used "Rust-Oleum Universal Antique Pewter Hammered Spray Paint and Primer In One" which I bought a Lowes.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum-Universal-Gloss-Antique-Pewter-Hammered-Spray-Paint-and-Primer-In-One-Actual-Net-Contents-12-oz/50147304

When lightly feathered it's a decent match for the tub (the darker tubs; not the light grey tubs) and undercarriage fiberglass finish. It's not perfect but most folks won't notice it. I used it for repairs to the bottom of the battery box, floorboard and spare tire tub.

I've never done it, but Harry's suggestion of matching the resin's color may give a more natural (vs. painted) look.

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1965 Spare Tire Covers - Refinished

A good fiberglass supply will have pigments for tinting.

Use a small qty of black mixed with white tint to get a match for the gray. You mix that color into the resin/ hardner that you then brush into the repair area.