Peter Zaborski wrote:
> I would really appreciate any tips on painting from those who
> have been there.
Peter,
I, like you, are looking around for a "non-concourse" paint
job to restore my red '74 TR6 to its original Carmine. I've pounded
the pavement getting quotes (from 4 shops here in San Diego), etc,
so here are my (brief) findings to date:
1) A good quality "back to the metal" but not frame-off paint
job will set you back $2-$3K. This assumes that only a minimal
amount of bodywork needs to be done (ie straightening, filling,
etc). Bodywork can escalate these prices considerably, perhaps
even doubling the price.
2) Preparation is everything! Painting is simple and cheap!
A concourse paint job involves many layers of paint with sanding
between coats. This is expensive! For a driver, stick with
a simple single coat over a very-well prepared surface, it will
probably outlast our old cars with correct care.
3) If you strip parts off the car yourself, then have it painted
and bolt the stuff back on, that is a big saving. The price of the
above job will possibly drop to $1500 (again, assuming minimal body
work). How many parts to remove? Keep going until you are sick
of it!
4) Stripping the paint to bare metal is done with
aircraft-industry-quality chemical paint stripper. The cost of
the stripper is about $100, and a paint shop will spend 10 hours.
If you do this yourself, there is a saving of perhaps another $600.
One plan is to have a "stripping party" ;) Invite your mates
around for beer and pizza, paint the stripper on, let it do its
stuff then scrape it off. Once its stripped, then you will see
how much bodywork it needs. Do it in a well-ventilated place too!
I've been told sanding is a no-go except for a inexpensive
paint-over-paint jobs; any problems with the underneath paint will
eventually come through the new paint. There is also a trick here
to mask off some areas prior to stripping, usually the gutters
around the hood and bonnet.
5) At this stage, we are looking at a hi-quality paint job for
less than $1K. This is usually a "2-pack" job, with a coat
of clear over the paint. Then you have to CAREFULLY retrim the
car! Depending upon your endurance and threshold of pain,
this may be your last $1000 paint job. To me, it is worth trying
at least once.
6) And a final warning; many folk are afraid to drive their newly
recoated cars, and spend more time in the garage than they did
before. This is poor showing, so you have to resist your
nervousness and drive it more!
I look forward to hearing of the REAL experiences of others on the
list.
Shane Ingate "wannabee painted" in San Diego
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