Fender Welt

J

jmujica

Junior Member
Can fender welt be painted or do I have to get it the same or close to what color the car gets painted.
my car is a 1946 mercury.

thank you
 
jmujica said:
Can fender welt be painted or do I have to get it the same or close to what color the car gets painted.
my car is a 1946 mercury.

thank you
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Originally, the anti-squeak (welt) material was made in a color to match the body.
Today, you are unlikely to find a good match.
Painting is an option but there are numerous issues to overcome.
Finding a welt that can be painted is the first obstacle.
Then, the preparation to make certain the paint actually adheres very well to the welt.
Then, last but certainly not least, you must use a quality flex agent in the paint, or it WILL crack upon installation and / or shortly thereafter.

If you choose to paint the material, I strongly suggest you have each piece fit to its specific place required.
 
IMO, you would be better off not painting the welt as the paint will flake off over time.
 
I agree with 19Fordy and 325w. Leave it black and install it without the paint. Kube has stated all the negatives from trying to paint it.
 
I say get the proper “box weave” welting from Thirdgen and paint it body color. I just did it on my ‘46 Merc and had no issues at all. I carefully did all the trimming and cutting darts and bolt holes into the welting for minimal installation hassles, and I “pre-bent” the welting where the turns were the sharpest before I painted them, and shot them with the same single stage enamel I used on the body. I’ve had zero cracking issues. And I think unpainted black welting would look bad on any color other than a black car. Zoom in to see how the welting looks on my car in Modern Blue. It’s a key part of a restoration, and I think doing it right will be worth it. Just my opinion.
 

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I forgot to add that didn’t use any flex agent, but I think that’s a great idea. And I probably could have used an adhesion promoter. But I think the key is to get the pieces pre-fitted and pre-bent so you’re not working the pieces too much during installation. I was fortunate that I had pretty complete remnants of the original welting to use as templates.
 
Bruce_MO said:
I say get the proper “box weave” welting from Thirdgen and paint it body color. I just did it on my ‘46 Merc and had no issues at all. I carefully did all the trimming and cutting darts and bolt holes into the welting for minimal installation hassles, and I “pre-bent” the welting where the turns were the sharpest before I painted them, and shot them with the same single stage enamel I used on the body. I’ve had zero cracking issues. And I think unpainted black welting would look bad on any color other than a black car. Zoom in to see how the welting looks on my car in Modern Blue. It’s a key part of a restoration, and I think doing it right will be worth it. Just my opinion.
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588909
 
The welting we make by the foot will allow paint to adhere. Staple it to a 2x4, dust it with a adhesion promoter and flex agent then paint.
 
35fordtn said:
The welting we make by the foot will allow paint to adhere. Staple it to a 2x4, dust it with a adhesion promoter and flex agent then paint.
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What would one use for an adhesion promoter or flex agent? Isn't the welting sold by the foot made of some kind of plastic material?
 
ursus said:
What would one use for an adhesion promoter or flex agent? Isn't the welting sold by the foot made of some kind of plastic material?
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Michael, in post #13 is giving you very sound advice.
Just be sure to cut the pieces to fit prior to painting. Makes life so much easier :)
 
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