Guy's I've painted a few cars over the years but I now want to redo the job on my camaro.. The question I have is how do you paint the door jams and not get overspray all over everything. If I paint them first I will get overspray on them when I do the rest of the car. If I mask them, I will get a line, if I paint them after the car, I will have a blend with overspray. How do you all do it.

Your going to have over spray no matter how you shoot it. I have the interior removed and shoot the jambs the same time I shoot the outside of the body. There is a few different ways of doing it. You can also mask off the interior at the door opening and shoot it this way. I've even done after shooting the outside and jamb the doors with a mini gun. Doing it this way won't leave a line. But the overspray will have to be buffed off the outside. The first way works best.

Good luck
RandyB..
67prostreet chevelle
67 RS/SS to restore this winter.

After painting the jams and scuff sanding the overspary use 3M's D.A.R.T. (http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/auto_marine_aero/automotive_aftermarket/node_GS2D6QNBMVgs/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_GSLPLPKL4Xge/bgel_GS6KHB95RXbl/gvel_GSFTPZR7V0gl/theme_us_aad_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html) tape to keep the overspray from blowing into the door jams. It will leave a less noticeable line.

hey the 3m aperture tape (the stuff 69lemans) reccomends is awesome, like he said you will never have it perfect and this will do the best job limiting overspray.
another way would be remove doors, tape door opening off then spray whole car with doors set-up on stands, this way there are no tape lines no over spray!! goodluck
jake

I paint them when I do the whole car. Since there is going to be overspray on one or the other, I put the last coat on the jams because I can cut and buff the outside of the car much easier then trying to buff the jam.

I agree with 68rszee. Paint them when you paint the car then you can ultra fine sand the outside and buff it without touching the jams. That is how I do my cars also.

Painting jambs
There is as many ways to paint jambs as there guys doing it. Unless it is an out and out show car I say paint the jams and then paint the outside. Many guys will say do it all at once with the panels off. The extra work and chance of damaging your new paint are so great, I say save that for the out and out show cars. If you tape off the jambs well, you can barely tell the difference.
These are a few things I have learned that save a lot of work. First off, when you paint the jambs, apply both color and clear. DO NOT let the overspray go out onto the outside! This can cause HUGE problems along with the extra sanding that can be avoided. Unless completely removed, that overspray can ruin you work. The solvents from the paint on the exterior will get under the thin overspray and lift!

What you want to do is be sure that the outside is TOTALLY done and READY to be final sanded and painted BEFORE you do the jambs. Now, tape off the outside along the jamb edge with at least 18" paper so you don't get that direct overspray out on the exterior. I tape the paper up to about 1/8" from the edge of the jamb. Then take your tape and "backtape" to the edge. This is when you lay the tape up to the edge on the outside so it is hanging over the edge, then gently fold it back, exposing the jamb but keeping the outside covered right up to the edge. This back taping will make a "softer" edge and be much easier to sand.
Go ahead and paint and clear the jamb, and remove that last tape that is back taped while the clear is still a little wet if you want (not necessary but you could choose to do that) the clear will then flow a little at the edge and leave you will even less of an edge to sand off.
Now when you paint the outside tape off the jambs up to about 1/8" or 3/16" from the edge so the seam won't be seen when the door is closed. Sand the exterior including that little edge left from the jamb paint and do the last little bit of jamb paint up to the new tape line with a gray scuff pad. I even will put that tape a little bit further away (about another 1/16") from the edge and after the scuffing with the gray scuff pad, apply a fine line (the blue plastic tape) tape over that last tape but hanging over the edge onto the new jamb paint that 1/16" bringing the line up to the original desired 1/8" to 3/16" from the edge. This will ensure that your jamb edge doesn't peel.

You could also use "aperture" foam tape that 3M makes. It is a rope made of foam with adhesive on it and is like "back taping" it leaves a "soft" edge.
I can go even more anal for you.
This may not work well in your jambs but if you can open the doors before clearing you could do it. I have found an even better way to all but eliminate that edge.
Tape off the edge as described with the extra line of fine line tape over the last 1/16" of new jamb paint (this works with when painting up to any paint actually, it doesn't need to be new paint you are painting up to). Then add ANOTHER strip of fine line the same way, over the next 1/16" or 3/32" getting up even closer to the jamb edge. Now, after you paint the color on the outside, you remove that last fine line added BEFORE you clear the exterior. Now, you will be burying the edge of the base coat under the clear! You don't have to do this by any means but it adds to that detail that is almost like you removed the doors to paint.

Great reply. Thanks.