Painting car on Frame...

[1KULC7]

Need some help. I have a decent paint job, but on the very front and back have some serious paint blisters. Also on the side have one paint blister, and between the drivers door and rear window I have some serious paint fade. Well I brought the car into the shop and the painter told me its going to take a lot to blend the paint regarding these blisters. So we agreed to do the front first to see how bad it is. He told me that blister are very had to determine the amount of work until you start sanding. Sometimes blisters extend much longer then what they appear on the top.

So this leads me to beleive it just might cost a little more to get the entire car painted. My questions are:

Can you do a decent on frame paint job?

Can you paint on top of older paint and get good results?

Do you need to strip all the paint?

Please provide advice....I really did not plan to get entire car painted...finally any idea on the price????

THANKS

 

[WayneC]

Paint blisters are usually the result of poor surface preparation by the last painter. It will only get worse over time. I would advise you to repaint the car, with a guarranty for at least 2 or 3 years against recurrence. This means the car has to be taken down at least to the original undercoat, and probably to fiberglass, for a thorough cleaning. It will also be a slow process, so be prepared to leave the car with the painter a month or two.

Cost will be a function of the quality you want, the condition of the underlying fiberglass (it may require some repairs), and the painter's rates. Be prepared to pay an absolute minimum of $3500, and probably more like $6k. You will incur additional costs for new weatherstripping and for removing & replacing the windshield.

Have the work done by someone very experienced in painting fiberglass, hopefully recommended by other Corvette owners. Most painters prefer to paint the car on the frame rather than off... the only real issue is that they won't be able to do a thorough painting of the engine compartment with the engine and wiring in place.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Can you do a decent on frame paint job?

Yes you definatly can frame on or off does not matter.A quaility prep job does and a quality shop does make a difference


Can you paint on top of older paint and get good results?

Its done constantly the top layer of paint is only as good as the lower level of paint.If it was just faded then there probably no problem going over it,but if its blisterd,crazed flakeing peeling.I just would not recomend it

Do you need to strip all the paint?

read what I have said above to answer this question.

Please provide advice....I really did not plan to get entire car painted...finally any idea on the price???? All I have to say is when you go for a repaint it always becomes a restoration because what looks fine now when you repaint you start to say "ya know I should replace these emblems while I have them off" "Ya know I should really replate these bumpers while I have them off" So when it comes to a repaint the paint is not the only cost's

been there too many times

Lastly any body having there car painted it does not take month to do the job.It takes weeks max.useally the delay is when the shops only work on your car 2 hours a week in-between other jobs.I have restored lots of cars and any time it goes to the paint shop I make arrangements for the car to be started then finished NO STOPPING if my car was in a shop and progress was not maid dailey I would bring it to a shop who want to do the job correct and get the car in and out.
Think about this I often wonder why people allow ther cars to sit untouched for weeks at a time in a shop.May bee I am lucky with the shop I have been dealing with because he wants the car out of his shop as bad as I want to get it back.Again this is a shop who has done alot of cars for me and I dont give a penny untill I pick up the car and its been that way since he painted the first car for me.

Good Luck

 

[paintdaddy]

couldnt have said it better myself!On average Id say it will take a shop 3-4 months and 6-8k for an overall paint job.Painting the body on the frame is not bad it just takes more prepping(taping and covering things.And yes you will definitly want to replace all light lenses,chrome and emblems.
If you decide to go with an over all strip and paint ,I would also suggest finding a shop that specializes in older cars and long term projects.Typical body shops and collision shops make their money from insurance work and dont estimate large jobs well and end up underestimating .Then they realize they arent making their estimate and end up throwing the car back together to get it out the door.Just my 2 cents

 

[80vette_ca]

I would not leave my car in the body shop for a month or two that is way too long, when I got mine painted the cost was around $4000 and it was done by a corvette specialist where I live, It only took him a week to get everything done, They got it in painted it and then I believe they somehow baked the paint on because he said I could wax it right away. True I didn't have any blistering or any real serious fading but I could not stand being without my car for a month or two while some painter took his sweet time. I would expect longer in you case just because they will probably strip the paint, but a month is too long, IMO. Good luck to you though.

 

[paintdaddy]

I dont want to start an arguement but its not a case of a painter taking his sweet time.80vett,in your case Im sure the painter didnt remove any of the body panels,didnt strip anything,didnt block sand anything and didnt replace anything.Thats the easy way,not necessarily the best but the easiest.

 

[80vette_ca]

Maybe I was just lucky enough to get my painter at the right time of the year because he worked his a$$ off to get it done for me, I know he didn't go and remove all the body panels but then agan he didn't need to, I think it's more a matter of when you get it done and how busy the shop is at the time, the shop i went to isn't very busy because the average joe doesn't go there, so if you found a good shop and got it in at the right time and maybe you sweet talk the owner a bit you should have your car back in no time. On the other hand if it's their busy time you can wait for a long time. For example a friend had some minor dents in his sidekick and it took the shop he went to, 2 months to get it back to him and it still look bad. I consider myself lucky because I know others that have goon to the same place as me and have been waiting forever. So I think it has to do with the talent of the shop and luck of the draw. EBVette i think in your case it would be wise to get the paint stripped and just start from scratch if you're forking out the money make it so you hopefully don't have to do it agan for a while down the road.

 

[1KULC7]

Thank all of you for the advise. The shop is Stingrays who specializes in Corvettes. It does do a lot of collision, but has brand new state of the art bake booth and knows how to prep a car. My concern is the cost I am hoping not to exceed 7K. that is for the hole car. I will kep you informed; any more advice?

 

[80vette_ca]

Make sure you do it the way you want, if you don't like something then change it or don't do it. Don't regret it because you'll be kickin yourself later for not getting it done right. It's only Money it grows on trees so spend it.

 

[Dinger09]

EBVette - Where is Stingrays? I'm not familiar with the shop. My recommendation to you is to get in touch with Chuck Berge in the Haymarket area. First class shop and one of the best NCRS judges in the area, maybe the U.S.

http://home.comcast.net/~chuckberge/Home.html

 

[1KULC7]

Stingrays is in Purcelleville, VA and has been restoring and painting Corvettes for over 25 years. I have used them in the past for both Vettes and Camaros and they have done a good job. I have met Chuck and he is a great guy. but this shop is almost next door and I know everyone there; and feel confident they will do me right. So far Charlie, the owner, has been a straight shooter and has not done me bad. I will keep you posted. I am just trying find out how much it will cost to do a frame on paint job. still need this info...

 

[Mac]

I am just trying find out how much it will cost to do a frame on paint job. still need this info...

There are a number of variables which make it difficult to give you a meaningful estimate. Maaco will paint your car for $400 but do you want that? If you want a meaningful estimate, you need to decide what you want. Here's a list of questions which is not exhaustive; just the first few things that came to mind. I'm sure a guy like paintdaddy can add a dozen more questions.

What type of preparation do you want? (paint stripped versus sanding only)
Are there any damages which need to be repaired? (stress cracks etc.)
What kind of primer do you want? (standard versus epoxy)
What kind of paint do you want? (lacquer or BC/CC or others)
What type of finish are you seeking? (show quality versus driver)
What level of participation do you want? (can you remove & reinstall parts)
What level of detail do you want? (do you want door jams repainted)

The answer for each of these questions can makes hundreds of dollars of difference in an estimate. Even if you answer all of these questions, there is a possibility that the price might go up if hidden damage is found during the preparation. Some shops simply refuse to give "firm" estimates or deliberately overestimate to address possibly of hidden damage.

Generally, shops which are familiar with Corvettes will not guarentee their work unless they strip the old paint. There's just too many chances for things to go wrong because fibreglass isn't as "stable" for paint as metal.

 

[PTighe]

I just finished stripping the paint myself off the '67, saves a few bucks, still need to take down some of the bondo though. My last paint job on my '57 took the painter 12 weeks to finish, but it was perfect, like the picture on the wall!!!