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88 paint question

M

mt_789

Guest
I am looking at buying an 88 that seems to be in great shape other than the paint is less than perfect on the passenger door, and the front right below the crest/logo. Any suggestions on whether or not the bad spots can be fixed and "blended" to match the rest of the car, or would the whole car have to be painted? Any idea on cost (ballpark estimate?) It is the smokey metallic grey color.
 
Paint

Probably a lot of differing opinions on this, but I have seen many matching jobs where you could not tell they had been done. I think the main thing is you have to know of someone that has a lot of experience, and not just any paint shop. A new complete paint job could run 2 - 3,000, so expect to pay at least a few hundred if you want a perfect job.
 
Thanks Bob, I have found a few places that say they will blend the paint, and one place specializes in vettes, but no one will give even a ball park estimate without looking at the car, which I do not have unless I decide to buy it. If it is $1k or less to fix the bad paint then the car would be a great deal, otherwise I might spend more than the car is worth...

The yellow paint sure looks to be holding up nicely!
 
I agree with Bob. There are several factors to consider. Is it the original paint that is going bad, or have these areas been spotted in the past and something has gone wrong? Plus, the color of that car is likely to fade in the sun. If you "spot" fresh paint in the bad areas then re-clear coat the whole panel, the new paint will be a darker richer shade than the rest of the car. It the car has been repainted already, and there are problems, then you may be dealing with a much more drastic situation that may require stripping the whole car to get rid of whatever is causing the paint to not adhere.

I would say if you are prepared to spend as much as $3,500 then there is no doubt that car can be returned to a "show room" look. However, if it has been garage kept with minimal to no fading, you may be able to have it spotted then cleared on the damaged panels for $500 or less. Also, it this is stock paint, what you are seeing may be getting ready to happen everywhere. In other words, you run the risk of spotting it in every six months somewhere different. Thus, it makes the most sense to strip and paint the whole car.
 

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