Our Sacramento based Mopar club has had a variety of members over the years, some brilliant, some not.
One guy stood up at a meeting to tell how he planned to paint several parts in his restoration of a mid 70s truck. He said that the factories would dip some parts in paint and not spray them. He said that all you had to do was have a wide vat with water in it but with about 1 1/2" of enamel paint on the top, effectively making two layers. The part was dipped through the paint and into the water until the whole part passed through the paint, then it was pulled out of the vat and the water stayed below the paint, the pain ted part dripped paint back into the top layer. He said this technique was excellent for maximizing materials since there was no overspray.
It is an interesting concept. Have you heard of this?