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As a life-long mechanic, I can appreciate the reluctance of professional painters to paint over someone else's prep job. Nobody sees a mechanic's work unless they look under the car or under the hood or tear an engine or transmission down. Nobody can tell if it's good or shoddy work. But the outside of a car is the first and only thing most people see. And a classic car gets looked at hard. So never mind the signed clauses, etc. If a pro like Mike or DUB painted over a wavy body, and the car made the rounds, people would ask who did the paint? And even if it's your own fault for doing crappy prep work UNDER the paint (which now shows like a neon sign) you can say: "Oh....DUB painted it". I can totally understand why a pro would run away from any pre-prepped car that he didn't prep himself. Or see prepped. You never know what's under that primer!
Yes..I guess I am a glutton for punishment by trying to help people out at times. Heck it happens here on the forum from time to t me and I am not spraying any paint.
But I have come to realize that they MUST at least get it to the point that I can stomach putting paint on it....if it is on a car that is not going around track getting immediately banged up. Because lets face it....a race car can have a sticker slapped on it to hide a problem.
It's always a good idea to buy an original paint car to start with. Then you don't have examples like above (that got deleted). Sometimes, you can even shine them up to a respectable level and save all this grief and agony.
Also remember, you can polish a turd but you still have a turd. A sound body is the best Corvette feature there is when buying one.
The car is mostly all original paint. Slight stress crack damage to the tail light panel bonding strip between the rear bumpers. A few small chips in the paint in various places. A few this spots. Nobody has ever pointed any of these out to me since I bought it in 2001. They just say, "pretty car".
Why would I want to spend almost as much as I paid for the car to have it repainted? Or even half a much, or.....................
Come to think of it, I haven't spent a nickel on repairs on the car in the time I've owned it either. I did build the engine (which it didn't need) to replace the 300 hp that was in it. But that was part of the purchase plan.
Well at least we have some insight as to why painting your vintage Corvette is so costly these days.
We have found out that for a variety of reasons an OEM or "driver quality" paint job is not possible for the vintage Corvettte community, these jobs are only available for other makes of cars due to many things including the painters reputation. Owners of Corvettes that need paint work have only one option and that is a full boat custom linoleum/glazed ham job that makes your Vette look nothing like it originally did.
We also know that only the finest of ingredients can be used because..well because all that other stuff that is used on other cars every day is garbage.
We've also found out that there is little in the way of trying to save a couple of bucks for instance by doing some of the grunt labor like stripping your car because most painters won't touch a car they don't do everything to. Scratch that idea or any other.
Now we have a little better idea as to why the Corvette community only has one way to get their cars painted. Painters apparently DEMAND that you get a custom paint job or they won't do your car, hence the $15/$20k quotes that have become common here where I live.
The other options are to do it yourself or do Maaco because we/Maaco have no reputation to uphold or care about. To some here (fortunately not many) it is also a reflection on you as a person. Meaning that if you don't throw in for the full boat custom job you are less of a person or slovenly or some such thing. lol This last opinion is held by some of the more..how should I say..perfect among us whose stuff doesn't stink.
It's always a good idea to buy an original paint car to start with. Then you don't have examples like above. Sometimes, you can even shine them up to a respectable level and save all this grief and agony.
Also remember, you can polish a turd but you still have a turd. A sound body is the best Corvette feature there is when buying one.
The car is mostly all original paint. Slight stress crack damage to the tail light panel bonding strip between the rear bumpers. A few small chips in the paint in various places. A few this spots. Nobody has ever pointed any of these out to me since I bought it in 2001. They just say, "pretty car".
Why would I want to spend almost as much as I paid for the car to have it repainted? Or even half a much, or.....................
Come to think of it, I haven't spent a nickel on repairs on the car in the time I've owned it either. I did build the engine (which it didn't need) to replace the 300 hp that was in it. But that was part of the purchase plan.
Buy wisely when you buy.
Great looking car, but to some here it reflects poorly on the owner and doesn't meet their idea of what a better or less slovenly person would own. lol You know the my stuff doesn't stink crowd.
Last edited by Bowlerdude; 06-10-2018 at 01:47 PM.
Apparently there are only two ways to paint a Corvette.
Either you spend a lot of $$$ to have it block sanded to perfection (AND THOSE WHO DO THAT KIND OF WORK DESERVE EVERY PENNY THEY GET FOR THEIR LABOR) or you leave the panels as they came from the factory with some waviness and imperfections - which no reputable painter will touch.
If you choose the later you are accused of cheesy shoot and scoot poor quality paint jobs.
Why is there no middle ground?
Some of us are happy to have our cars look as they did when they came from the factory. We neither need nor want a mirror finish multi coat jewel like finish that looks like it is 10 feet deep and you could swim in it.
I guess such quality and perfection would just be wasted on me. I am perfectly fine with that. I certainly don’t suffer from an inferiority complex due to someone else’s more costly paint job.
Great looking car, but to some here it reflects poorly on the owner and doesn't meet their idea of what a better or less slovenly person would own. lol You know the my stuff doesn't stink crowd.
Thanks, yes, I've been told by a couple of posters in this thread just exactly what you describe, on this forum, in other paint related threads! Implying they wouldn't be caught dead in a car no more presentable than mine is.
That the prices on my last two repaints weren't possible, or they were garbage, I was lying, they were done when prices were cheap, cheap materials, blah, blah, blah and more blah!
Don't you just love some (no all by any means) of these "real Corvette guys"?
Apparently there are only two ways to paint a Corvette.
Either you spend a lot of $$$ to have it block sanded to perfection (AND THOSE WHO DO THAT KIND OF WORK DESERVE EVERY PENNY THEY GET FOR THEIR LABOR) or you leave the panels as they came from the factory with some waviness and imperfections - which no reputable painter will touch.
If you choose the later you are accused of cheesy shoot and scoot poor quality paint jobs.
Why is there no middle ground?
Some of us are happy to have our cars look as they did when they came from the factory. We neither need nor want a mirror finish multi coat jewel like finish that looks like it is 10 feet deep and you could swim in it.
I guess such quality and perfection would just be wasted on me. I am perfectly fine with that. I certainly don’t suffer from an inferiority complex due to someone else’s more costly paint job.
I completely agree that painters that spend all that time and effort should be compensated fairly for their custom work but it's not for everyone and your point about there being no middle ground is my complaint also.
Like you, I prefer that my car appear original as it did when new. I just don't like the over-restored look that is becoming more common. I also understand that people like that look..it's just not for me.
The problem is that an original type paint job is becoming as extinct as the dodo bird and the reasons (at least to me) are dubious.
I wonder if these high dollar over restored paint jobs that look like a glazed ham are just a ego booster. as how many people at a car show or anyone else can tell that someone spent weeks cutting and buffing the dozens of layers of paint someone put on the car. it certainty wont make the car drive any better then a car that has a cheaper paint job. but then again are the cars with these high dollar paint jobs even driven? It all comes down if you want to please your self or please people that don't own the car
Funny how this entire thread is dealing with people ego's and what the feel is acceptable. Those that paint the cars and those that own them. No matter how you slice it. By the end of the day we have to live with ourselves.
I can say from experience once again. People may not be so bold to walk up to person and point out flaws in the body and paint. But I can tell you that when several of them have gotten together and start to talk. The subject HAS been mentioned on how that someone's car looks when they are not a part of that conversation.
Originally Posted by MikeM
Oh, and I do full well understand the position some painters take when their work is to be in view of the public. But not all painters are like that.
FINALLY some one who has put it in perspective.
And this is what we have here. Painters who care about how things look and those painters who may care more or less than those painters who care how things look.
I am glad to know that I know I fall into that scenario somewhere....obviously.
For whatever it is worth Mike...you car does look really good with original paint.
Because like I tell people who come into my shop and start looking at some of the Corvettes and their overall condition. And start to find problems with them. I would tell them that if the owner gave them the keys ...that they would not take them and the car out for drive....in a heart beat.
I didn't mention that the red car above, when you look at it, you can see every panel reinforcement, and every bonding strip through the paint along with the familiar waves and buckles that develop over time.
A number of "real Corvette guys" have complimented that, that's what they like to see in an old car.
There is actually lots middle ground on this subject. In the past, most did not speak up on this forum subject, unlike in this thread where it seems many came out of the woodwork to post their middle ground preferences.
I don't recall anyone posting that they would except a crappy paint job for any amount of money.
Yes..I guess I am a glutton for punishment by trying to help people out at times. Heck it happens here on the forum from time to t me and I am not spraying any paint.
But I have come to realize that they MUST at least get it to the point that I can stomach putting paint on it....if it is on a car that is not going around track getting immediately banged up. Because lets face it....a race car can have a sticker slapped on it to hide a problem.
DUB
Hey Dub,
Let me assure you that your help is very useful to the people here and is definitely appreciated!
My posts here in this thread are not a reflection on you or Mike personally. My opinions are based on my frustration a few years ago in getting my car painted the way I wanted it done. It infuriated me when I was told that I didn't know what I really wanted. lol
I understand that you are into doing custom paint work that takes not only time and effort but skill also. A custom, perfectly straight, mirror like over-restored job that cost 40% of what the car was worth wasn't what I was after.
In 1985 I paid $1000 out the door for strip to bare metal, and repaint on my 1979 Ferrari. No body work needed. The painter even R&Rd the bumpers and tail lights etc and window felts, but not the windshield or back glass. a single stage metallic urethane with a couple coats of clear. No body work required.
Yes, there were 3-4 small fish eyes in the paint. Yes, it is as wavy as the factory paint/body work was, no more, no less. No i didn't spend $5000-$6000 like everybody else wanted to paint it in 1985.
Yes, i still have the car. The paint has 100's of small rock chips on the very front end (most easily touched up so you can't see them from 8-10 feet), esp the lower valance from driving 40K miles on L.A. OC area freeways for several years.
I could have paid $5K to paint a car I would be afraid to drive, or I would have a $5K paint job with 100s of small rock chips in it just like now, but i would be $4K (plus ROI on that $4k) poorer with a "perfect" but chipped up paint job.
The imperfect 'driver quality" paint job was perfect for my use.
The pic below was taken a couple years ago.
There are lots in between Earl Schieb special, and Perfect.
i am sorry . the painters in this thread can talk to their blue in the face but your never gonna sell me on the idea that it take months to make a corvette body perfectly straight , months ?
its just like the reference someone made to the price of hamburgers in a trendy restaurant in manhattan . why do these burgers cost many times more then similar burgers .
because they found some people with deep pockets to pay the price .
no other reason . does a 38.00 hamburger taste any better then a 20.00 hamburger , not in my experience and i have tried them both . often the more expensive burger is not even as good just presented in a way to make you think your getting something you cant get for less money .
I wonder if these high dollar over restored paint jobs that look like a glazed ham are just a ego booster. as how many people at a car show or anyone else can tell that someone spent weeks cutting and buffing the dozens of layers of paint someone put on the car. it certainty wont make the car drive any better then a car that has a cheaper paint job. but then again are the cars with these high dollar paint jobs even driven? It all comes down if you want to please your self or please people that don't own the car
This is my over restored glazed ham ego boosting 66/67 GTO clone from a Tempest. Every time I drive it people talk to me about the paint. Not painting experts but just people that don't really know what was involved in getting it to this point. The guys that do know what it takes just say man there's a lot of hours getting this body this slick. I can assure you you won't find a ripple anywhere on it and there's a lot of IT. I always get asked if I will sell it and how much. One guy in particular in Panama City Fl has tried to buy it 2 years running and I live 500 miles away. People definitely notice quality paint work. A close friend of mine painted this and he will tell anyone this is his best paint job. I said 66/67 because the car is a 66 but I cut the back 18 inches off of it and changed it to 67 tail lights. I don't care if anybody likes the fact that I did this or not, I did it to suit me. I'll never sell it or my 61 so they are done to my taste and standards. I have to do my 61 to at least the level of this because everyone around expects it to match or exceed the goat. I drive this car, 4 trips to Cruising the Coast, 2 to the Emerald Coast Cruise, and many other closer shows. I drive it every week. Hundreds have commented on it and I've never heard the first person say wow what an over restored glazed ham pos.
06-10-2018, 11:58 AM
