Bolt Hole Clearance
Do you ever check the bolt hole clearance on your Pedal Car before paint? Or do you assume it was good before so it should be ok now.
The original paint job on the car was basically a bang em out job, there were no primers like we use today. Now restorers metal finish cars and prime them at least once and some restorers prime them twice.
After priming the Pedal Car it is best to use a small hole reamer to clean out the primer build up. This keeps the hole true to the original size.
After the car has been painted/clear coated you should again size the holes by using a very sharp X-acto knife, this produces a clean cut and will not rip or chip the paint.
If you use these two tips you won't have to try and force the bolts thru the holes and risk chipping the paint during the assembly process.
Tip from D & S Pedal Car Restorations