Trunk Compartment Restoration

Your car trunk is like a basement—it's a place to throw stuff! Mostly stuff you don't care to see again for a while. That is unless you have a flat and have to unload all that stuff to change your tire. Not fun, even on a sunny day! A restored trunk on a collector car becomes a thing of beauty to help in winning another car-show trophy. It's a simple process provided the trunk floor is sound and no metal replacement is required—and it's the same for almost any trunk compartment. Simply research what color the sheetmetal was painted and whether or not you need a trunk mat. Our subject here is a Sixties GM A-body (Chevelle, Skylark, Cutlass or LeMans/GTO) that has a sound trunk, except that somewhere along the line a carpet was glued to the floor. Not good! We'll begin by removing the goo and glue left from that unrighteous redecoration.

Cleaning the Floor
We are using an abrasive-bristle disc and 4.5-inch grinder to clean off the adhesive residue and old paint from the floor sheetmetal. A few passes will take off paint and superficial rust, making for a nice clean surface to repaint. To ensure that the new trunk paint will adhere, give the bare metal a bath in aerosol pre-paint prep or lacquer thinner (wear protective gloves) and wipe with a clean towel. A couple of applications might be necessary to get all the surface contaminates off. Allow the area to thoroughly dry prior to painting. You will also want to disconnect the wiring harness to the taillights and move it safely out of the spray area. Consider wrapping the harness in new electrical pressure tape as part of the process.

Parts Removal
Most Sixties cars had front and rear marker lights that were installed after the trunk was painted at the factory. If you want a correct restoration, unplug the wiring harness and remove the rear marker-light housings. Normally it's done from inside the trunk and the housing is retained by two or three 3/8-inch speed nuts. It takes about one minute to remove a light. You can use 0000 steel wool to clean the metal housing, and it only costs a few cents to replace the light bulb. Should you choose, remove the trunk latch from the deck lid, clean it and paint it cadmium silver color.

Painting
General Motors used spatter paint in their cars—it hides a multitude of imperfections. Normally you'll find black & aqua or gray & white spatter paint. Occasionally you'll find black & gray. Prior to cleaning off the original paint, look in an area up on the rear wheel well where there is normally no surface damage, and see what's correct for your trunk. Any large auto supply or auto paint store will sell the right color scheme for your car. This aerosol spatter paint has one quirk: you have to shake it forever to get it mixed up. After 10 minutes, shake it for another five to be sure. With the temperature at around 70 degrees, practice a few squirts on some cardboard to experience how the paint sprays. Unlike normal paint, you must stay back about 18 inches from the surface and move rather quickly. If you stay in one area too long, the spatter builds up and makes a mess. Practice and it'll be perfect. You'll need three cans of paint to be sure of having enough. What's left over can be used for touch-up in the future.