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Hello all,
I have a 1981 corvette that I'm looking to repaint. It is beige rights now, which as far as I can tell is the original color, and I want to make it Autumn Red. I was talking with a friend who owns a paint shop a few days ago, and he gave me some information. He said that I just have to sand with 400 grit through the paint, and stop once I get to the original primer. He then recommended to spray over the existing primer with polyester featherfill/Slicksand, which would fill in any body imperfections and seal out the original layer of primer. Finally, I would shoot the basecoat/clearcoat on top of the feather fill/slicksand and be done. He says that he has done this with numerous cars before. What do you all think? Does his method check out? I've heard others recommend just using a high build urethane primer. And the car will be a daily driver, I'm not looking for Bloomington Gold quality, but something that is quality and will last. I like the concept of not having to get down through the original primer and all the way to the SMC....is that even a possibility? Thanks
Maybe if you have no visible 'spider web cracks', stress fractures or bonding strip lines then your approach would be fine for a driver. Most cars that age with original paint that I've seen, all had to go down to the SMC to fix the above mentioned issues. Good luck.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
I had a "St Louis" 81 a few years back. The original paint was cracked. It was a 10 footer - closer inspection made her look like the surface of a dry lake bed The mom and pop operation I used sanded her smooth and then painted her with base/clear in the original black. I'm not sure if they sealed it first but it looked nice for several years thereafter.
Sorry for the rotten pic but this was before I had a digital camera and the only photo I have left is a bit nasty. This was just before I sold her at the Mecum auction in Bloomington, IL. The car was made into a convertible and attracted a lot of attention back in the day.
Here is a link to the first in a series of Youtube videos. The guy lives in Iowa and painted his 91 coupe in his workshop. Some nice tips here.
Thanks everybody for the info and responses....thanks for the video link corvetteronw! I have never dealt with slicksand before, does it act as both a primer and sealant? Can I just sand it a bit and straighten everything out, and then spray the basecoat/clearcoat? Seems like a pretty good deal...
Painting 1981 Corvette
The mom and pop operation I used sanded her smooth and then painted her with base/clear in the original black. I'm not sure if they sealed it first but it looked nice for several years thereafter.
