Cobra4B

I'm tired of looking at my car with 4 shades of yellow, a black hood, and countless rock chips. I want to paint it velocity yellow and do a proper clear bra this time.

I bought my car in April of '03 (almost 5 years now) and it was a pristine car w/ 11k on it. HPDEs, stupid drivers, body shops not being able to match the color, and be getting new parts have gotten me to where I am now.

VIR this weekend is my last HPDE of the season... I want to tear the car down and have it painted. I should be able to get it done for under $3000 as I will take the car apart, trailer the car over, and then bring the body panels to the shop. I will re-assemble the car myself.

The waxer inside me who drives this car to work, to car hangouts, and on road trips wants a nice car again.

The HPDE junkie inside me says tha pays for a 2 years of HPDEs and don't bother.

What would you do?

In a perfect world I'd have a gutted track car and a nice vert, but I'm 26 w/ a mortgage and a GF who's wanting to get married one day

Carolina C4 Racer

In a perfect world I would have a 26 yr old girlfriend that paid the mortgage & DIDN'T want to get married.

Don't paint the car. If you do paint it, then quit trackin it & don't change colors.
Thats my opinion.

Cobra4B

^ That's my dilema.... it's not a full time track car... it's a do everything car.

If I paint it (which I'm leaning towards) I'd get clear bra on the nose, first 1' of the hood, lower secion of doors, complete rockers, behind wheels, and the side mirrors.

My roomate just got a brand new '08 in VY and it makes me really want fresh paint. I love vy, makes my car look like a school bus.





I recently got new centers for my CCWs but have to paint them black, so parden the beater wheels.

sothpaw2

No. Not if I was paying a pro to do it. If I was doing all the labor myself--yes. I bet the paint will cost you $6k. That's alot of money and it will get messed up again. I don't like the clear bra look.

Cobra4B

^ Paint won't cost that much at all.... esp If I pull the car apart myself.

Z06cool

I will probably re-paint when I get ready to sell the car and return it to somewhat stock. It's a 2004 and have had 2+ years of DE stuff with all the chips/scuffs that come with it. I only street drive it on occasion -- maybe 15% of the time.

Lawdogg

I would repaint it now and do the Venture Shield wrap you described. Car will look new and stay that way. As a do everything Vette, you and the car deserve to look good.

Cobra4B

Sounds like you get me If it was a track car or mostly a track car I wouldn't care.... but it's not. The car is less fun off track now because it's really no fun to look at or wash/wax.

ryan0

im going in for the $400 earl shieb special next month.

i'll let you know.

mines track only though.

Cobra4B

^ It will be ****.... but fine for a track car. I used to be an adjuster for GEICO... I've been in and around many body shops. Good luck w/ it.

MungoZ06

I think you answered your question, Brian ...
You want to enjoy the car 24/7 and track it occasionally. If you paint it you won't be tempted to buy another "street" car near term.
There will be a time in your life, hopefully not too far ahead, when you will be able to have the best of both ... until then, you'll have to deal with a series of compromises based on priorities ... and right now there are "external influences" constraining your choices ...

Cobra4B

^ Yeah... I guess I have answered my own question.... just trying to justify it. Shoot it'll give me a fall/winter project

WNeal

Funny you brought this up cuz I just went through Exactly the same thing with my 06 Coup.

Serious "off" at Putnam park through their "so called rounded off river rock" in turn one.

Right side paint on car was all messed up. Enough that I just could not stand leaving it that way.

This is the pic at the track after the damage




None of the white stuff you see washed off, it was ALL paint damage.
Front of car was messed up but not nearly as bad and a small amount on the left side.

I had one estimate of $5,500.00


I am going to continue to track my car and simply was not going to pay that kinda money.
Here is what I did,

I may be banned from all Corvette sites BUT,

I took it to none other than Maaco.
$1,000.00 and they painted the entire car.

Yes, it is a Maaco job and you can tell if you are next to the car and looking, BUT they did a fairly nice job, better than I expected for $1,000.00


This is from Putnam on 10-5-07

The right side looks just as good.



If you are serious about continuing to track your car, you can do well with Maaco.
If you want a show car, spend the $$

But IMHO, you can't have both, at least in the same car.




If you decide on Maaco or similar, PM me and I can expand on my experience
Bill



*************************************
Edit

Here is a pic of the entire right side of the car after the damage



Right side after paint job

jtkeller

I've got 3M clera bra and I track my car, probably a dozen AX events and several HPDE's a year. Yes, the clear bra helps a lot, but I've had rocks tear through it and leave a nice little gouge in the bra and have had to "trim" it up. Around the rockers and wheel lips the bra has helped a lot, but after 6 AX's it's all beat to hell and I don't forsee it lasting more than 2 seasons of racing. Yes, replacing it isn't as bad as a paint job, but it won't protect everything and you'll still get scratches. Also, I usually apply painters tape/shelf paper over the clear bra in some of the greater wear areas.

NV MY C5

Get the car painted and use Armorcoat behind the wheels and on the nose. That should keep it looking nice!

http://armorcoat.armorauto.com/

Cobra4B

WNeal.... awesome A paint job is mostly in the prep work. That turned out great.

Most body shops will over estimate a C5 or C6 as they're used to spraying a unibody car which requires more work to do it right. The vettes panes just unscrew and are easy to work with.

My father has been keeping his Z16 very nice by simply applying contact paper to the lower parts of the car each event... you just peel it off and it's all better!

I figure I'll ge thte clear bra to protect against normal street BS and cover the areas w/ contact paper so I can just peel it off after an event.

Chips don't bother me... seriously... it's the multi-colored car that does. I just want a fresh coat so that it's all one color.

My car was hit 2 weeks after I got it in '03... a guy merged into me from the left side on the highway... he was fully at fault. My left door was fixed, left rocker fixed, and left 1/4 panel replaced.

When I picked up my car it was too light... so they kept it and rushed it... then when I got it it matched in the sun, but not under flourescent lights. The second go around they didn't pull the door appart so my door jamb was the lighter shade and the rocker has a tape line now... oh and a paint run all down the lip of the rocker where it transistions from the outer visible part to the door jamb area. Also, my door handle is a lighter shade, there's a tape line around my Z06 scoop, and a run in my 1/4 panel... all very subtle but something I as an insurance adjuster could/can easily see. Also, the paint has not help up loke the oem paint on the right side... I have beat up paint on the right lower parts, but almost no paint on the left lower parts. The shop basically told me to go away after that and I didn't want to spend the money to chase paint issues around the car.

Next... I put a tigershark front on it and told by buddy at the shop to panel paint it... no blend... so that is a shade off. Lastly. I finally found my DRM hood ... and that's black.

So... now that I have all the panels I want I'm comfortable spraying the car... knowing that I wanted the TS facia and a new hood I didn't want to spray the car and risk paint match issues after getting new parts.

So that's the issues.... paint chips don't bug me... paint match does.

Cobra4B

Ohhhh.... very cool... only issue is the lines it leaves. With clear bra the subtle line is there but I alway sknow I can remove it. It'd be a great addition to the rocker panels in full, the nose of the car, and the side mirrors.

John Shiels

Would this bother you?

http://shielsmasonry.com/nosechips2.jpg

It is even worst now. The orange paint on my car turned WHITE from the sun at 200 per qt.

Cobra4B

^ Chipping that bad means it wasn't prepped properly.

Carolina C4 Racer

That looks good to me! It adds character.
IMO If you want a race car & a show car then you need (2) cars.