paint

[woobie1966]

i need help!!
I have started saving for a new paint job. the only trouble is ...I have no experience with paint/body work. the car is currently chevy red (1970) and rather faded. I would like to re-paint a dark burgundy or candy apple. what is the best paint/clear coat combination. how much should this cost (roughly).
thanks for the input
mike

 

[Alan76]

Base Coat / Clear Coat is the best way to If you are having this
done by a Professional I would suggest you find a Paint and Body Shop that has been is business for a long time ie(Hurt paint and Body since 1973) this way you know you should get a good job because they have been in business for a long time. Any shop that has been around that long has to good work because that kind of business relies on repeat and word of mouth recomendations. as for as price $2500.00 should not be over priced. I have used to own my own shop and was mgr. for local
Chevorlet Dealer before going in to the Liquor Business


Alan

 

[woobie1966]

i have been asking around and have recieved a wide range of prices (2500-5000$$) thanks for the input, now I have a gauge for pricing. would this include prep work (sanding, removal of old paint?) how many layers should I go with?
mike

 

[GS Diva]

i have been asking around and have recieved a wide range of prices (2500-5000$$) thanks for the input, now I have a gauge for pricing. would this include prep work (sanding, removal of old paint?) how many layers should I go with?
mike

The quote(s) you receive should include everything...stripping paint, fixing any seen and unseen cracks, and painting. Make sure it also includes door jambs, etc. At the same time you're repainting, it might be good to replace door handles, emblems, weatherstripping, door sills, etc. You wouldn't necessarily want to replace old emblems, door handles, etc. on a newly painted car.

You can get estimates as high or as low as you want to pay!! Ask for references and then call those references. Ask them how they liked the shop, how the paint has held up, any problems, etc., etc. If you belong to a Corvette club, ask the members for references....that's usually the best place to get the name of a good paint shop!

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Elaine

 

[paintdaddy]

Hey I would suggest taking it to a place that does restoration work or just corvettes.I used to paint just corvettes and Id get anywhere from 5-7k,depending on how much work the owner wanted to do before or after the paint job.7k included everything including new emblems,weatherstripping and light lenses.You wont want to put the old ones on after the paintwork .Another suggestion is to find someone who charges by the hour.It gives them some ease of mind so they dont feel like they have to rush to make the most money for the least amount of time .Ive seen alot of hacked up work that had gotten rushed towards the end of the project.I looked at a camaro the other day that was horrible.The owner said everything went well for the first few months the shop worked on it and then for some reason the hurried up and painted it and slapped it back together in a few days.The shop finally admitted to him that they were running out of "estimated hours".

 

[woobie1966]

hmm, i hadnt considered the emblems, weatherstripping, lenses...etc, i guess htis might be a good time for a case of the "while im at its" and do all this stuff at the same time. after the paint ill only have to finish the interior to have it the way i want it , for now... im sure something will come up
what else would i do with my mortgage money??
how many layers of paint/clearcoat would you recommend?
and how long should it take to strip/ re-paint the vette?
thanks
mike

 

[paintdaddy]

A strip and repaint typically takes about 3-4 months.It sounds like alot but alot goes into it.How many coats is painters preference.The directions say 3 coats of basecoat and 2-3 coats of clear.Some colors dont cover well so 3 coats of basecoat is unreasonable.You just have to spray until its covered and then one or two more after that.I like to buff the snot out of a paint job so I always put 1 more coat than the manufacturer recomends.When you buff a new paint job you have to sand it with a fine grit sandpaper first,usually 1000-2000 grit.During that process 1 coat usually gets sanded off.Thats why I usually add one more during the application.Its also painters preference to use basecoat/clearcoat or just a single stage urethane.I use base clear if its a mettallic paint or if there is some stripes(clear makes it so you cant feel the line on the edge of the stripe.)Theres nothing more frustrating when your painting,for example black basecoat clearcoat,and on the last coat of clear a white speck falls on it.The you gotta repaint the whole panel because of that.Singlestage urethane doesnt have those problems.
Another thing to look for is if you are going to have the car disassembled for the work or not.I dissassemble everything.It makes for a nicer,cleaner looking job.At very least if you dont want the car dissassembled,change out the door bushings.Doing that after the paint job will be very nerve racking.Sorry Im so long winded but I used to do alot of c3s and know them well.This is not a sales pitch.

 

[woobie1966]

no problem , the more i can learn before i start talking seriously to a painter the better off i am. if i walk in and dont have a clue, and the guy is less than scrupulous, i may end up paying more than necessary. if i sound semi intelligent about what is required/involved i will be in a better position to get a fair price.
feel free to give me any more info you happen to think of
it is greatly appreciated. if i go with a urethane, i do not need a clear coat and only one layer of color? is there a down side to urethane? it sems less labor intensive (cheaper)
thanks
mike

 

[paintdaddy]

Single stage urethane is about half the labor of base clear,only on spray day.All the prep work prior to that is the same.On a base clear you can figure the painter is going to walk around the car 7-8 times/coats,with single stage its only 3-4.Remember this is just my preference,the painter you chose may want to use base clear.If he does thats fine too,its just not necessary on a solid color.Mettallics its a must.