markyerger

a few questions.

I acquired a 71 coupe, which was recently (within 1 year) painted its original Steel Cities Grey.

Here is what was told to me from the previous owner.

A "good old boy" does bodywork down in the sticks. He needs cash. He gave me a good deal on painting the Vette.
1 week after he painted it, the previous owner was driving the car and the paint separated, essentially ripped back, due to the wind from driving. Peeling off.

The "good old boy" states that he had to use a 'different primer' than what he should have used, due to the fact of where we live.
Supposedly it would be illegal for him to buy and apply the correct primer.

Plus, he also thinks that maybe the glass had some kind of solvent or grease / gas so embedded into it.

"Good old boy" strips and redoes the car again.

OK, I have really no idea if the preceding story / chain of events is BS or not.
I am just repeating what was told to me.

Circumstances happen and the car is now mine about 4 months after the 2nd job.

Within 6 months of me owning the car, the paint is bubbling and separating.


Now to present day.
2 years ownership of the Vette and I have fixed numerous little quirky things on it.
U joints
clips on the rods that are in the doors
electrical ghosts

now its time to repaint it CORRECTLY and move on to my next project.

--now, is this old primer / new primer thing BS or not??
How much $ can I look forward to spending (ballpark) on a proper strip, correct primer , and a good paint job?

I'm in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Ask any questions, if there are any.

Dt86

It sounds like the glass is contaminated. The car needs to be stripped down and the bad spots ground out otherwise nothing will stick to it. The professionals on here will give you more detailed information and advice. Best of luck with your project.

929nitro

Problem is you don't know what the "good old boy" did. There could be contamination there or it could be it just was not prepped properly. Is the paint and primer bubbling up or is the paint separating from the primer he put down? Did he clean all the wax and grease of before starting and before spraying? Did he take it to bare fiberglass or just scuff and shoot on top of the original paint and if so how many layers are on there? My first guess, and it is only a guess, is just plain poor workmanship from the "good old boy". Good luck and have a knowledgeable painter familiar with corvettes look at it.

DUB

I will wait until you respond to 929nitro's questions.

Giving you a ball park guesstimate...and the car being sight un-seen is really hard to do. I can throw numbers out here ...that honestly...will be pointless.

What works best is getting quotes and asking if they seem fine or not.

And possibly..if possible...posting very good photos of this damage.

BECAUSE...if you brought your car by my shop and I could see the bubbles...I would tell you that "I do not know what it will take to fix it."...and you would say something like... "But you are the Corvette expert."...and I would reply..."Maybe so...but I am not Superman and can see through the paint and what is causing the problem."

It could require panel replacement...and then again...it may not. Because I have had Corvettes that required new panels due to the body was contaminated.

DUB

markyerger

I have no idea what the good old boy did. or what he used.

I am leaning towards taking it to a good shop, possibly two, to get opinions.

Would contaminated fiberglass be noticeable to the eye?
I would feel like a dumbazz if I get a shop to strip it, redo it, only to have it bubble back up, and then realizing I will need panel replacements.

I understand that a good opinion is really hard to give over the internet, even with pics


thanks for the replys

Dt86

If you could post some pictures of the peeling and bubbling that would help a lot.

DUB

Can you find out????

Wise choice. It is start

YES...it can many times be seen due to the difference in color of the body material changing so drastically. IF possible..you look at the underside of the damaged area.

For example.....if your bubbles are coming up on the hood...where the under structure is bonded to the outer skin of the hood...in the area you can not see...I would bet the hood would need to be replaced due to water was used at one time or another and got into this air cavity....and this water can not get all the way out...and when it gets hot or in the past when it got hot the water sucked up into the fibers of the panel.


YOU NEED TO ANSWER 929nitro's first question in the post....it is VERY important

"Is the paint and primer bubbling up or is the paint separating from the primer he put down?"

IF you know you are going to paint it...and if the bubbles are rather large...I would ask you if I could cut at one of them so I could see if the paint is coming off the primer or if the primer and paint is coming off the body. If the bubbles are like zits...i would then cut at a 'zit' and see what is going on.

100%.

DUB

markyerger

markyerger

and







not the best pics.

porchdog

my guess by the pics is when you cut the bubble off you will find some of that red lacquer putty. yes there are still painters who refuse to accept the fact that you can not use that junk any more . from the pics it looks to be in areas where some filler work was done.
and since it is in the sail panel it could be excessive paint thickness but i lean to crappy prep and inferior products .