[PettyBlue]

I would like to know how they change paint jobs on an unwrecked racecar week to week without adding weight.A paint job can add 18 to 30 pounds per each.Can't see a reskin of sheet metal for every race,with the COT.Experts please help with this.

[jks812]

In some cases, paint schemes might be applied as a full decal wrap. One advantage of that: If a car emerges from a race unscathed, the decal wrap can be peeled away, preserving the paint job underneath.

[Racer Duck]

On most cars, the only paint on the body is the basic color. The rest is decals. However, I herd HMS has begun shooting a coat or two of clear over the decals to minimize wind turbulence from the decal edges (nit-picking? yes.) Also, the car will have fenders, doors, hoods, etc., pre-painted and on the hauler so any mess ups in practice or qualifying can be rectified prior to race time.

[Racer Duck]

after re-reading your question I realize we missed one of the most important reasons: there's always more than 1 car in the shop, usually a dozen or so, each special-built for a particular track or two. The fab guys can whip a new body on the car in no time, and the paint booths always seem to be busy.

when my son worked for Rich Bickle, their paint booth was always busy .. even when Bickle wasn't racing. reason: not every team has a paint booth, so they rent time in other team's booths, sometimes even renting the other team's painter! If you hang around these shops that rent paint booth time you'll see all kinds of racers from all kinds of teams roll out. sometimes you have to go back out front and look at the sign to make sure which team's shop you're at.

[oncea3fan]

also rarly do teams run the same car 2 more weeks in a row, it does happen, but not every week.
I believe most teams have 15-20 cars, and specail paint will will usaully be ready along before race weekend.

[PettyBlue]

Maybe I did not ask the question correctly.The COT is supposed to be a car to cut the need for a fleet.Change the motor,shocks wing angle,splitter height,etc. and the same car races at any track.Correct?

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Maybe I did not ask the question correctly.The COT is supposed to be a car to cut the need for a fleet.Change the motor,shocks wing angle,splitter height,etc. and the same car races at any track.Correct?

yes, but that doesn't mean they are only gonna have a couple cars. expect each of the top teams to have close to a dozen, the smaller teams half that.

the reason is it's easier and faster to setup a clean chassis in the shop than clean up the one that just came from the last race (for some reason most people don't realize how much cleanup is required on a race car .. even if it had no issues at the last outing!) and then swap the springs, shocks, gears, motors, refill/replace fluids, etc... point is it all takes time and if they have to wait for the hauler to get back it might be Tue nite before they see the car.

then they have to turn it around and be on the road no later than Thur morn (assuming the next race is less than 700 miles away!) so they can be at the track and ready to park in the pits when they open for haulers.

time is precious .. the only time the hauler drivers get to relax is at the races. the bigger (read that "richer") teams will have several haulers...

[wingkey1]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Maybe I did not ask the question correctly.The COT is supposed to be a car to cut the need for a fleet.Change the motor,shocks wing angle,splitter height,etc. and the same car races at any track.Correct?

Do believe here too your statement is generically accurate. Perhaps key is the word "need". While the "need" has been reduced teams will still set aside cars for particular track/track types. No two chassis are ever completely the same (performance), and teams will detrmine the better of the chasis on a track by track (type) basis and set them aside.

Then there is of course the 'ol - win Daytona and we take your car away for the year.

[PettyBlue]

Thank's for the input so far people but it seems I will need to rethink how I word this question.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

I would like to know how they change paint jobs on an unwrecked racecar week to week without adding weight.A paint job can add 18 to 30 pounds per each.Can't see a reskin of sheet metal for every race,with the COT.Experts please help with this.

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Thank's for the input so far people but it seems I will need to rethink how I word this question.

if you want the technical steps required to change a paint job then it's:

1. remove all decals
2. sand down the current paint to bare metal
3. fix any imperfections and insure the entire body conforms to the template
4. mask off the car
5. spray the new scheme
6. apply new decals

sometimes the new paint scheme is sprayed right over the current scheme, and, yes, it adds weight, but there's bolted on weight that can be removed to compensate for the extra paint. but a spray-over is rare and only done when there's not enough time for a complete redo.

now back to the main point of all of this: teams don't change a paint job between races because the prep time is too long and too many people have to look at it and approve before the new scheme finally rolls out. what it looks like on paper is not always what it looks like in real life. whenever a new paint scheme is in the works, a chassis is selected which will race the "debut" race and that car is preped as listed above. This usually happens several weeks before the "debut" race and includes time for pictures and die-cast models to be produced.

one other thing; prior to everything above, the entire drive line is usually removed as well as any parts/pieces that might interfere with the spraying or be susceptible to overspray. the chassis had been previously placed on rollers (cars are easier to move around if they're on rollers) when it returned from it's last trip to the track and has been moved by hand from location to location within the shop area as needed.

I hope this has come close to answering your question. if not, fire back your re-worded version and we'll take a swing at it again.

[Campbell]

Great question- I had been wondering that myself actually. I saw that Kurt's Dodge, which is usually blue, was gold a few races back. This definitely helps explain why!