Question: 1981 Paint

[rkortge]

I just bought a 1981 in Yellow. The car is all original with 27,000 original miles. The car sat in a garage with windows for a long period of time where the sun would shine in and hit the car the paint discolored. Is there enough paint or is it even possible to cut and buff the paint to bring the entire car back to its color? When the car is outside it actually looks fine in most cases but under artificial light is is very noticeable. I am not looking for a show car appearance as the car is strictly for fun and will be driven. I would, however, like the paint to look good in all conditions.
Thanks Rich

 

[bill81vette]

1st Welcome to CAC!!!!
enjoy!!!
I don't see why you can't buff it out.
I would recommend Adams products and polishes for your vette....
its what I use.

 

[Paublo]

Welcome to CAC !
The paint should buff out and coast a lot less then has a paint redo. A product that I know about is 3m finesse-it, use a waffle pad and

and take your time or ask some one that you get product from. Paint has gotten so expensive now a days.

Again welcome aboard and good luck.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Be aware that Bowling Green manufactured cars used BC/CC paint whereas St. Louis cars used lacquer. Best find out where your car was built to determine the best way to restore the paint.

 

[rkortge]

Thanks for the info. I just wasn't sure how much paint was there to begin with. Has anyone ever done a vinyl wrap? Not sure its for me but it looks interesting and much cheaper than a new paint job. Im new to the site and am sure its been talked about before and varies greatly but what can a guy expect to pay for a middle of the road paint job? Keeping stock color, no body work, ect? Again thanks for the replys.
Rich

 

[bill81vette]

you are looking at about 10 grand to have your vette repainted..
your best bet is as mentioned in previous posts...
to determine if your vette is a st Louis built car the letter following the "B" in the vin should be an 'S'
if it is a '5' then it is a bowling green built car

 

[Tom Bryant]

Welcome to the CAC

I'd find someone who is very proficient with a buffer. If it's a Bowling Green car you don't want to cut through the clear. It would look worse than it does now. If it's a St. Louis car the lacquer paint is very thin. They didn't waste paint on these cars at St Louis and often primer can be seen showing through along the bottom. These guys didn't like to bend over either. I think I would try hand polishing it first to see if it can be improved before getting more aggressive.

Tom

 

[rkortge]

St. Louis car. Thanks for all the info.
Rich

 

[6880 Mike]

...St. Louis car...

St. Louis factory paint was acrylic lacquer with no clear coat. My advice would be to take the car to an automotive paint shop and let them evaluate what you have. The last thing you want to do is to further damage the finish.