Block Sanding Body Panels: Together or Separate?

D

desertspeed

Howdy,

I've been doing the body work on a '67 Dart one panel at a time so I can manage the dust etc. better when I'm stripping the old paint.

I'm getting close to getting the driver's quarter panel flat.

My question is, should I finish it or should I hold off until I'm blocking the door and the fender so I can block all three at the same time?

Now, this is a cruiser, not a show car. I'm not making the panels all flush with each other. The panel gaps are what they are for a 60s Mopar. They aren't bad, but they aren't even with each other obviously.

Also, I'm painting the car a solid white.

Is it worth the effort to block the quarter panel along with the adjacent panels (if I can) or should I proceed with blocking each one individually?

Thanks!
 
Pain in the butt - but I always block the car assembled then tear it apart and paint then re- assemble You say it’s not a show car but after you paint it and it comes out great ( by following everyone advice here ) you’re gonna wish you took the extra time to do it right
 
Sanding across the gaps (what you are asking about) is only effective when you have perfect panel fit. You only get perfect panel fit by spending a lot of time adjusting, modifying, correcting, gaps and alignment. Judging by your post you answered your own question. If you aren't sweating gaps then there is no need to block across the gaps....some cases it won't even be possible. If you are ok with factory 60's fit, just concentrate on getting each panel straight.

It is always a good idea to fit everything up though while in primer so that there are no surprises when it comes time to re-assemble after paint.;)
 
Sometimes I think the fascination with getting the entire side of the car to look like one continuous sheet of metal is a little overblown. Unless you can get the vehicle shown at a higher-end show, very, very few will even notice.

That said, it's a wise idea to make sure panel fit is as good as possible before disassembly for final blocking and paint. Like @Chris_Hamilton , I also recommend and always perform a trial assembly so that any "bad stuff" can be taken care of before paint. White does tend to be very forgiving, but just because that works to your advantage doesn't mean you shouldn't make it be the best version of a '67 Dart that you can, within reason.

Usually we shoot for somewhere between that perfect ideal and what the factory dealt us. As long as the result is excellent, we may be forgiven that it's not perfect... Maybe...
 
One thing to mention for white paint & fit isn't so much the consistent level flatness between one panel & the next. With white , the actual gaps between the parts are much more highlighted as opposed to dark colors. I'd at least eyeball that they are reasonably consistent from top to bottom before paint.
 
I appreciate the responses. I could have answered the question myself by laying a block on top of the door and fender gap, which shows this would be impossible without panel refitment, which I’m not going to do.

I feel this is a technique really geared for very high-end hot rod restorations.
 
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