Ron R

I'm not really sure of any other way to describe this ... I'm looking at picking up another C3, it's been repainted before and the paint looks good overall except on the doors. The paint is smooth and everything, but the reflection is kind of warped looking at certain angles... maybe someone knows what I'm talking about.

Anyway, just wanted to know if this is something that you think can be fixed by wet sanding or whether the doors would have to be repainted.

Durango_Boy

I know what you're seeing, and on a fiberglass body I would think it was because whoever stripped the car used a DA to sand off the paint layers and wasn't good with it, and probably blocked it with a hard block instead of a soft contour block.

The fix, I would guess, is to repaint the trouble areas and hope you can get it matched after you contour sand it all.

avalonjohn

I think i know what your talking about, and i think it's supposed to look that way.

Theiskell

I would tend to agree with Durango boy it sounds like the doors were not properly blocked out. I would pay close attention to the rest of the paint job you learn how to block sand in auto body 101.

VCuomo

Well, it depends on what you're talking about. If you're talking about the paint looking somewhat "wavy", then that's normal - that's the way Corvettes came from the factory. It costs more to have the panels sanded smooth during a repaint, and some people pay for it and some don't.

Believe it or not, I've been told that the NCRS guys got into big debates about this issue on restored cars, the question being "When judging a restored Corvette, if it was repainted and the panels were sanded 'smooth as glass', should points be taken off since that's not the way the cars were when they came out of the GM factory?".

If that's not what you're talking about, maybe you can take some pictures that show what the issue is.

stingr69

Sounds like finger marks from the sanding operations. They are not coming out without a repaint.

-Mark.

dannyman

Let's have a picture so we can see what you call wobbly.

7T1vette

You can't fix it by working with the paint. The body wasn't smooth before the paint was laid down. If the paint is a solid color, you could have someone fix the surface and re-shoot the area. If it's a metallic color...forget it [without a repaint].

Carl Granquist

Photos would be real nice. We're all guessing here, based on experience, until we see what you're refering to. I have a solid color and I like every curve I see, but I don't notice any wobbles. The flat fields don't have any noticeable ripple.

I do have some slight rivet head "dimples" showing just above both headlights though

Ron R

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. When you look at the reflection of the ground in the doors it's wavy and the further away from the car you are, the more noticeable it is.

So what was the decision made by the NCRS? It just looks "wrong" to me, even though it may be right. My 81 looked exactly the same as the one I'm talking about before it was repainted, but I don't know if that was the original paint job that I painted over or not. My 68 doors are like looking in a mirror from any angle - IMHO that's the way it's supposed to be and anything less than that is an inferior paint job, even if it DID come that way from the factory.

7T1vette

Paint jobs from the factory [in the 70's] didn't look all that good...some with "orange peel", etc....but most weren't "wavy". A "wavy" condition isn't in the paint, it's in the body prep. And new molds don't really have a lot of waves in them. If a factory body was "repaired" during or prior to build, it could have some waves in it; but it's not the usual condition.

gq82

Quote from the 70-72 NCRS Judging Guide.

"Beware of over restoration as cars were not perfect. Some waviness in the panels as well as minor variations in fit and clearance is acceptable"

Original fiberglass panels were wavy....it's one of the things to look for on an original car so what you are seeing might be normal.

dannyman

Tampa has lots of bodyshops. They can tell you what the issue is. They will even tell you if the fault can be wet sanded and buffed out.

avalonjohn

That's was I was talking about........depends on how you want it. Fact: Factory paint jobs back then ususally sucked compared to what you can get today.....if you want factory, stay with the waves, if not, get it redone.

VCuomo

I no longer belong to NCRS, but I believe that they do subtract points for the "smooth as glass" look. But if you don't care about having your car NCRS judged, have the panels sanded flat for that "glass" look next time you have the car painted (that's what I'd do - looks much better than the "wavy" look, IMHO).