<VV> Well, so.../paint

[Mark Blaskovich]

Maaco/Miracle/Joes cheap paint/whatever can do a reasonable job of applying
single stage paint, especially if you do the bodywork/rust repair/trim
removal/masking to your satisfaction beforehand-or have someone else do it.
Don't mask until just before paint.  Masking tape gets sunbaked and very
difficult to remove.

Don't detail the engine or trunk, put on lousy tires, don't do the interior
yet.  All will get oversparyed.

Be careful of your color selection.  We have had very good results with non
metallic colors, even black.  The metallics seem to fade more quickly and
gets applied less evenly.  If not done properly can look REALLY cheap even
if the coverage is good. That said, I have also seen some nice metallic
paint jobs from these shops, the odds just seem less in your favor.

Buy your own paint or have the paint shop supply upgraded paint.  Most of
these shops use cheap paint that may look great but won't last more than a
year or two.  Go to an automotive paint/supply store and tell them what
you're doing, they should be able to help you out just fine.  Don't get
cheap here.

If you prime the car, make sure your primer will be compatible with paint to
be used.  If you do the priming most paint shops will not take full
responsibility for the final quality of the paint job since they didn't
apply the primer and don't know for sure what you used or how the
preparation was done.  In reality, this is only fair.  I would probably have
the paint shop apply the primer.

Stop by the shop periodically during the process, but don't be a pest or get
in the way.  If you show interest in the project the shop often takes more
interest.  I have been known to drop off a 6 pack on a Friday afternoon or
drop a few dollars to the guy completing the body work, final sanding,
masking, whatever. Little gestures are often greatly appreciated.

FWIW, with the local Miracle paint shop we use, and the car is
dechromed/trimmed/etc as far as we intend to go before getting to the shop,
by the time we pay for paint, minor bodywork and prep, an application of a
solid color one stage paint it usually runs $1200-2000.

My 1966 Corsa convertible has a 12 year old Miracle paint job that still
looks fine (white) and my 1972 Pontiac LeMans convertible paint is 3 years
old (yellow) and still looks great.  These cars are covered when not being
driven with good quality covers.  Both of these cars were painted original
colors and were in good overall condition, so the door jams, hood and trunk
were not painted.  I forget what the Corvair cost but the Pontiac was $1700.

For comparison, I recently had a 1972 Corvette roadster painted that I am
restoring to sell, the car was completely void of chrome or trim, needed no
bodywork, and the solid red 2 stage paint job cost me $4500 going thru my
friends auto repair/restoration business.

Replacing damaged trim and emblems, weatherstip, and fuzzies really adds to
the final appearance.  Fresh bumpers are great but can be a little pricey.

If you want to go metallic and/or base coat clear coat, that's another
story......

As much as I like Corvairs I'm glad mine doesn't need paint because it's
hard to justify an expensive paint job on a car that is years away from
being worth even $10K.  On the other hand, you are wasting money putting a
cheap paint job on any car you expect to get over $12K (never mind $25K or
more!) IMHO.  I have looked at lots of desirable cars I was interested in
purchasing, with cheap paint/prep jobs that I had to pass up.  I would maybe
have even paid the asking price or close offer if they hadn't painted the
car in the first place!!!  Now it would cost me too much to strip and
repaint the car properly.

Happy Motoring-
Mark Blaskovich
1966 Corsa 140 convertible
etc

> So I guess it seems t me like what I really want to do
> is this.
>
> Get the car down to bare metal(there are two
> completely diferent paint jobs on the car, and neither
> are pretty.
>
> self-etching primer, thick sandable primer(to get my
> surface all smooth, sealer(this might go in with the
> primer, I haven't quite figured that out yet)
>
> lots of snading to get it smooth, go to 400 with the
> thick crap, then do a guide coat, and sand with like
> 600 grit(since the color is going to be metallic blue)
>