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Complete re-paint of my '76 wanted...How??

To: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: Complete re-paint of my '76 wanted...How??
From: ShewFamily@aol.com
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:47:28 -0500
Peter,
I have recently gone through this process over the last 8 months.  
Unfortunately, it was not that I decided it was time to repaint my car, I had 
an altercaton with a Volvo wagon.  Being a glass is half-full guy (I know that 
is hard to believe for someone who owns an LBC), I decided I would make the 
best of it and get myself a good paint job while the insurance company was 
picking up part of the tab.

Since my car was going to require replacement of the right inner fender, front 
valance and right wheel arch, I decided that I wanted a body shop to do that 
work and the final paint. Then it happened.  I came down with a serious case of 
Shipwright's disease.  I decided that it I was going to do it right, that meant 
stripping the paint to the metal and also painting the trunk and engine 
compartment.  So then it made perfect sense to pull the engine and transmission.

I found someone locally who had painted British cars and got a price. It was 
$1,850 for base coat, clear coat.  This price included $250 to make sure the 
frame was straight and about $70 for a 4 wheel alignment.

The doors, fenders, hood, trunk and windshield were removed and I used aircraft 
quality paint stripper to remove the exterior paint. I primed with a good 
quality self-etching primer.  I sanded the trunk and engine compartment and 
painted both when the car returned last week. I am just starting to put it back 
together and have a few things to do to the engine (thrust washers, rear seal) 
and transmission (front seal, new front gaskets and rear OD seal) before I drop 
in the engine.

I am very pleased with the result and even though I did not do a body-off paint 
job, I still got a quality job that looks like a body-off.  Plus I contributed 
by doing the trunk and engine compartment that I can always point to with pride 
and yet I got a first class two stage paint job on the rest of the car.  I went 
back with the same color (Pimento) but I will have to say that the new paint 
color has more red in it than the old color appeared to have.  Actually I am 
more pleased with it than the original.

Good luck.
John Shewmake
'74 TR6
Chattanooga, TN

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