I'm not sure if this used to be common practice but based on this photo King Cobra was painted on site.  Thought it was interesting as it seems these days coaster parts are painted before they arrive to the park.

Source: https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/binaries/content/gallery/kings-island/blogs/v2/banner-astrocomet-1.jpg

That's a really cool picture, not just because it is showcasing an unpainted King Cobra, but because the Ferris Wheel is there. Other pictures I've seen don't give a good indication of where exactly it was in the park; now we know*!

*I think its location now contains one of the caricature booths (also, where you could win an ATV at some point).

 

And as for whether coasters were painted on site back in the day, I think @Shaggy might be a good person to ask about that!

The backstory on that is rather interesting. They literally bought the ride "off the lot" and it was taken apart and shipped here.

 

King Cobra was painted on-site, as was The Bat. There are some great construction photos of both rides here: https://www.rivershorecreative.com/kingsislandphotos

Is there a benefit to onsite painting?

Is there a benefit to onsite painting?

they probably didnt wanna scratch up the paint during construction, or it was cheaper to do it themselves than to contract someone to paint the pieces before they were shipped

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Obviously painting on site didn't protect the steel used on the ride. 

All good possibilities mentioned here and to add to it there is the curing process to consider.  Even after paint is "dry" it can take a matter of hours up to a month for paint to fully cure depending on its chemical makeup and environmental conditions.  Baking paint can significantly reduce the cure time which argues for pre-painted.  Perhaps the park was not in a rush and choose this route. 

Or the Park GM and the CEO were still bickering over the color scheme and missed the decision deadline.  (Would make for a better story)

When it was an operating prototype at the TOGO yard in Japan, I don’t believe it even had the white primer on it yet that’s present in the photo during reassembly at KI.

Top Gun: The Jet Coaster was painted in the Carowinds parking lot prior to be erected. I would dare guess it could have been a number of things from the park not knowing the name and theme to being cheaper to buy unpainted and paint on site. 

I didn`t know that B&M coasters weren`t painted in the factory, especially as late as 1999 when that ride was built.  Painting in the factory allows for a better quality, as you can better control the environment.

Don't know for sure, but I know older steel coasters were fabricated with railings and track bent on site. Pieces were welded rather than bolted together. It makes sense you would not paint track unless welding is completed. 

From around 1990 and later most track has been fabricated at the plant and also painted there. This is due to the use of computer aided design which is easier and more precise.

Vortex and Magnum were bent,  welded and painted last. 

Diamondback and Millenium Force were completely fabricated and painted at a plant and only bolted together onsite.

I get that.  A little surprised to hear that a ride that opened in 1999 was still using that process of being painted in the field.