Of course, I didn't have the big rack in my garage, so I had to improvise (thoroughly mixing the paint is very important). You can see my solution in this picture. A small block of oak wood (tried cheap pine first, it instantly split apart under the torque) with a 1/4 inch bolt in the center for the drill to clamp to and a couple wood screws on the other side to mesh with "kehole" holes in the gear (almost looks like Spies has some special "single can" mixer tool that you put on a drill too). This "HS" primer is super heavy. This quart can felt like it was filled with lead. The drill could hardly get the mixer blade going at first.

In the upper left corner, you can see the detail of the little pourer "door". Works wonderfully, Tom dispenses paint by the drop with these things when mixing colors. The handle is held in the vise to hold it while mixing. 

This was the "HS" primer shoot of all the small parts. Now I am no paint expert, in fact this was only second time I sprayed paint out of a gun. The first time was when I painted the underside of the pan. This time I used a small "touch up" gun that I had never used before. In fact, I don't even remember buying it. It was just hanging there with some cobwebs on it and I thought it might be kinda cool to try (pretty sad huh?). The cup only holds 6 oz of paint, I mixed up 5 oz. I didn't know how far it would go. I dialed up about 40-50psi of air, adjusted the paint needle a bit and off I went. My 7 year old son could paint with this gun, it was so easy!!

I painted all of the small parts (Hanging: hood hinge arms, hood support latch, steering box inspection hole covers, shift rod access hole cover and speedo cable tube. Yes, Ovals had metal ones) And the face of one rim; and I still had paint left!! I was stunned at the coverage, and pleased too. The primer is $40 a quart and the hardener (mixed 1 part to 2 paint) is $35 a liter.

You can see my exhaust fan in the window frame in the background (good thing my neighbors house is white, it is now anyway ;-) and the 36 hp engine that needs to have it's T-stat and cooling ring installed. 

But can you spot the Beetle in this picture? The decklid is on top of it. That piece of plywood is hinged at the left on the post of the stairs to the house (see the post on the right side with the little caster wheel at the bottom). The car is under a blue cover behind, a comforter hangs over the backside of the "wall" (you can see it under the lower right side). That floral comforter was just retired from our bedroom and "donated" to the '57 (not sure it "goes" with the battleship gray walls all that well though). The 2 foot high cement kneewall behind the car is covered with jute padding, as is the wall in front of the car. You can see the engine to the right on a little 3 sided dolly that I made that you allows you to lower it with the jack right on to the dolly (I'll take a pic later).

So that is how I am protecting that paint from the kids bikes and stuff. Yeah, I guess when it is all done I will want to keep it "out" during the summer. I though of putting some "armor" on the sides of the cover and just keeping it covered. 

It was only after I downloaded these pictures that I realized just how close that ladder in the background was to these pieces. Yes, that is the "replacement" ladder. Some of you may recall the ugly incident with my "former" ladder and the freshly painted body that resulted in the fiery burning of the dismembered six footer. This new ladder was brought out to witness the commutation of this sentence and I can say has been very well behaved thus far.