Paint Job
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore MD
Thanks for all your advise. My Vette was a product of an insurance scam. The pervious own said it was keyed by his daughter. EVERY panel was keyed!
So right from the start I know it would be more expensive than normal. I have very little experience with fiber glass, (worked with it a little bit on my boat) How hard is it to do the prep work? What is all involved with it? I would seriously consider doing these steps.
So right from the start I know it would be more expensive than normal. I have very little experience with fiber glass, (worked with it a little bit on my boat) How hard is it to do the prep work? What is all involved with it? I would seriously consider doing these steps.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 2,460
Likes: 352
From: Madison Alabama
Just food for thought here...obtion B - sell your car and add the $5K - $6K you're going to spend on paint to buy a Corvette in better condition. This of course assumes you haven't spent a ton of $$$ on restoring your current car.
I did this back in 2002 ~ 2004. Sold a high mileage '82 that needed paint. I was quoted $7K for the paint job by two shops in this area. I can do most mech work on the car but know up front I don't have the patiance to paint a car. The car's interior was near perfect and I had recently rebuilt the tranny. But with over 150K miles on the car I needed to rebuild the motor, rear end, rear wheel bearings, suspension, on and on and on...you know the drill.
Long story short - sold the car for $7,500 and bought a near identical car (after a 6 month search) for $14,000. The "new" car, in and out, is an easy 8.5 to 9 and had less than 22K miles on her. If I'd had the old one painted I'd still have that long list of things to fix/restore...
Below is a comparision of the condition of the paint on the hood from the old and new car.
Here's a shot of the cars at the Plant. They are the same color, the old one (on the right) was made before digital cameras. Turns out the cars were produced about a month apart!
I did this back in 2002 ~ 2004. Sold a high mileage '82 that needed paint. I was quoted $7K for the paint job by two shops in this area. I can do most mech work on the car but know up front I don't have the patiance to paint a car. The car's interior was near perfect and I had recently rebuilt the tranny. But with over 150K miles on the car I needed to rebuild the motor, rear end, rear wheel bearings, suspension, on and on and on...you know the drill.
Long story short - sold the car for $7,500 and bought a near identical car (after a 6 month search) for $14,000. The "new" car, in and out, is an easy 8.5 to 9 and had less than 22K miles on her. If I'd had the old one painted I'd still have that long list of things to fix/restore...
Below is a comparision of the condition of the paint on the hood from the old and new car.
Here's a shot of the cars at the Plant. They are the same color, the old one (on the right) was made before digital cameras. Turns out the cars were produced about a month apart!
Last edited by 2TONE82; Jan 29, 2007 at 08:43 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,295
Likes: 30
From: one night in Bangkok you are never lonely
Just food for thought here...obtion B - sell your car and add the $5K - $6K you're going to spend on paint to buy a Corvette in better condition. This of course assumes you haven't spent a ton of $$$ on restoring your current car.
I did this back in 2002 ~ 2004. Sold a high mileage '82 that needed paint. I was quoted $7K for the paint job by two shops in this area. I can do most mech work on the car but know up front I don't have the patiance to paint a car. The car's interior was near perfect and I had recently rebuilt the tranny. But with over 150K miles on the car I needed to rebuild the motor, rear end, rear wheel bearings, suspension, on and on and on...you know the drill.
Long story short - sold the car for $7,500 and bought a near identical car (after a 6 month search) for $14,000. The "new" car, in and out, is an easy 8.5 to 9 and had less than 22K miles on her. If I'd had the old one painted I'd still have that long list of things to fix/restore...
Below is a comparision of the condition of the paint on the hood from the old and new car.
Here's a shot of the cars at the Plant. They are the same color, the old one (on the right) was made before digital cameras. Turns out the cars were produced about a month apart!
I did this back in 2002 ~ 2004. Sold a high mileage '82 that needed paint. I was quoted $7K for the paint job by two shops in this area. I can do most mech work on the car but know up front I don't have the patiance to paint a car. The car's interior was near perfect and I had recently rebuilt the tranny. But with over 150K miles on the car I needed to rebuild the motor, rear end, rear wheel bearings, suspension, on and on and on...you know the drill.
Long story short - sold the car for $7,500 and bought a near identical car (after a 6 month search) for $14,000. The "new" car, in and out, is an easy 8.5 to 9 and had less than 22K miles on her. If I'd had the old one painted I'd still have that long list of things to fix/restore...
Below is a comparision of the condition of the paint on the hood from the old and new car.
Here's a shot of the cars at the Plant. They are the same color, the old one (on the right) was made before digital cameras. Turns out the cars were produced about a month apart!
Now thats using your head
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore MD
That's a heck of an idea. I may have to look into that. I have a good bit of work in mine already, plus I've been restoring mine custom. I just had all the interior done with ostrich skin and leather.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 395
Likes: 0
From: Orange massachusettes
You could do all the prep work yourself and then pay/hire someone with experience to check your work and spray the material.
It took me about 40-50 hrs to get the old paint off the car, that's scraping and sanding over several weekends... I worked slow - professionals would be quicker but I'd still expect 20-30 hrs at $100/hr
That's $3000
It took me about 40-50 hrs to get the old paint off the car, that's scraping and sanding over several weekends... I worked slow - professionals would be quicker but I'd still expect 20-30 hrs at $100/hr
That's $3000
Could be a great way to get a real nice paint job fo a LOT less!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,231
Likes: 7
From: Fort Pierce Florida
I agree with those that said at least do the prep yourself. Use a heat gun and scraper to peel all paint off, and then scrub the body down with scotch brite plastic pads and laquer thinner. Took me about 40 hours to do mine and I didn't mess around. I'm doing a little more before I turn mine over to the bodyshop for rest of the bodywork and paint.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore MD
Post pics of your interior. I'd love to see that!
I agree with those that said at least do the prep yourself. Use a heat gun and scraper to peel all paint off, and then scrub the body down with scotch brite plastic pads and laquer thinner. Took me about 40 hours to do mine and I didn't mess around. I'm doing a little more before I turn mine over to the bodyshop for rest of the bodywork and paint.
I agree with those that said at least do the prep yourself. Use a heat gun and scraper to peel all paint off, and then scrub the body down with scotch brite plastic pads and laquer thinner. Took me about 40 hours to do mine and I didn't mess around. I'm doing a little more before I turn mine over to the bodyshop for rest of the bodywork and paint.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski