Checkerboard firewall?

How do you paint checkerboard squares on a flat surface?...I get all kinds of tape lines. I see some on firewalls and they look great!

 

Work out how big you want your squares and cut a load out of masking paper, as used by airbrushers. Paint the firewall white and mark out the squares in pencil. Stick your squares where you want it to be white and spray the rest black. Remove the masking paper carefully, clear and job done.

Probably easier ways of doing it but thats how i'd do it to get neat lines etc.

Good luck, Dan

 

Ah-Ha! I have been wondering the same thing - i'm a ways from paint but a checkerboard firewall is on my list. Thanks.

 

Buy checkered paint !
Sorry guys ---- I couldn't resist.

 

you paint the base color most times white. then take the correct width masking tape and lay it up on the firewall. let the first coat dry good....after you have the tape like you like it paint the other color. peel the tape and its done. thats the way an old guy here local did a friends model a

 

1 Light color / base first.
2 Then mask off a (vertical & horizontal) grid and spray the dark color.
3 Then re mask the grid over the last to make up the ones between.

Iv done it this way a few times …. Easier than cutting a bunch of little squares of tape.

 

use vinyl like i did 15 yrs ago and still looks new today. took about 2 hrs start to finish best i remember

 

That takes all the fun out of it!
looks great and I'll bet is easier to clean off oil and dirt too!

 

Smart guy, I just snorted cofee on my keyboard. Very funny.

 

Hey Gasolinescream, Just noticed your location. I just picked up something that was made in your neighbourhood in the 60's A little OT here but it's a '68 Rover P6 .. my new daily driver.

 

Always reminds me of a table cloth. picnic

 

A lot of it depends on what you have to work with. I've had friends do it on panels with a lot of contours and ridges. Takes a lot of time to stand back and eye ball the pattern and make sure the taped off areas look right before throwing any paint at it.

The effect would have gotten lost on my firewall, so I moved it up. There's always options...................

 

Same here. X2. Do you think they have wrenchware in their toolbox? LOL

 

If I was going to do a checker board design I would do it like this.

Figure out what size squares you want and buy masking tape that width.

Paint the firewall white.

Lay strips of tape on the firewall side by side, so the surface is completely covered.

Take a ruler the same width as the tape, lay it down at 90 degrees to the tape, and cut the tape in squares with an X acto knife.

Peel off every second square of tape.

Paint the second color.

Peel off the rest of the tape.

 

That's pretty much what I did Rusty. Figured on 3" squares, cut 3" tape every 3 ". Found the center and used a tag board 3" square and just laid the non tape square aside each tape square and kept going. Nothing to cut away. Took no time at all on such an easy panel. Should work the same for others.................

 

Sprayed it white first. Found center, and began measuring from there out. used green tape and just cut it into squares. used 2 inch tape. make sure you have all of your tape pressed down REAL good too! or it will bleed a bit. Did the white first cause Black covers white easily. but not the other way around. You will have tape lines no matter what you do here. Unless you want to spend a ton of time on it. I made the mistake of using engine paint assuming it would stay cleaner longer. Should have just done basecoat/clearcoat. Would have been easier to clean!

 

Don't do it it looks like crap.

 

Go to wal Mart and buy clear shelf paper. It's self adhesive, comes with grid marks on it...just cuts long the grid marks to make the checkerboard.

 

if you go to Autozoned it's right by the blinker fluid,muffler bearings, and VW Beetle water pumps, the original one not the new one

 

that is way to funny. Never saw those before.

 

Soory I forgot to add the quote

 

It's easier to show than explain. I did a Fan instead of exact square grid, just a bit more difficult. There is a tape edge at every line, no overlap so you just cut on the joints of tape edges. After the tape was lifted exposing the white Squares it was fogged white again to seal anything I might have cut through to metal, then the Black. Lift the other Squares exposing the White again. A shit load of work plus you need to be quick between coats not to loose adheasion window.
The Wizzard

 

checker board ??? i think it is a finish line racing flag...as in checkered flag....what do checker boards have to do with hot rods?

 

I have thought about doing this. I think it's something that make car more personal for the owner.

 

I have done this a lot on floor coatings. I lay out the squares and do a double row of 1/4" tape (one on each side of each layout line.) By using full lengths of tape, it's easier to layout straight. I then cut out every other square. This gives the squares a "point to point" layout. I then use wider tape to cover alternates and spray the second color. This is the fastest and most accurate way to lay it out IMO.

 

Why would you want your firewall to look like a cheap Italian tablecloth?

 

This from a Guy that drives an 85 Fiero. Figures.

 

What do checkered flags have to do with hot rods?



Ask the guys who really enjoy their rides from the drivers seat, not the lawn chairs.......................

 

Tape lines are just part of the deal, checker board is nothing but Hours of taping and seconds of painting.

Clear it and that will help.

You could , base coat-tape-spray second color, retape and spray First color to match mills of second color if you like the torture. Twice as many tape lines to cancel out the first set.

 

my point was it is a checkered racing flag ,at the finish line ... not a checker board...checker boards are red and black..