Ok, here's the deal. The '69 is going through a complete teardown and rebuild including new wiring, paint, mini-tub, etc. For the grounds, of course, you can't be going through paint. So, I'll need to remove some paint on the frame and body for the connections :( . The question is how do I prevent these areas from rusting? Can I paint over them? Should I? What's the best way to make a ground? Thanks.

Get yourself an assortment of shake proof or “star” lock washers. Place the appropriate size lock washer against the painted surface under the ground strap and tighten it up. The teeth on the lock washer will dig through the paint and provide a good ground. This is how the factory did it when these cars were new.

ditto, I luv star washers!

I agree with the Star washers. I use them on all my frame grounds. Double check your grounds with an ohm meter, that will tell you if they are good. I had a charging problem one time and it turned out to be a bad ground at the regulator. It pays to double check the grounds instead of spending time on a problem because of a bad ground.

Great! Thanks guys. I was thinking I was going to have to scrape off some of that new paint. :hurray:

If you can, nut and bolt the connections and use the star washers on both sides of the panel. Steer away from bolts that thread into the thin sheet metal if you can. Solder the ring terminals to the wire ends and then after making the connections put some dielectric grease over it to help seal out moisture from getting to the connection. On cars at work I sometimes take black silicone out of a squeeze tube and cover the connection. If it ever needs to be checked the silicone is easily removed and if you apply it good you can make it look nice.
If you are adding more electrical devices than what was on the car originally, upgrade the wire size of the ground from the battery to the body of the car. If you don't this smaller wire becomes a restriction.
Jim