Folks, this is a Corvette. The art and science of prepping and painting fiberglass is so far beyond what a franchise shop can do there's just no way they're going to get it right. It'd be a disaster of epic proportions.

 

I'll say ... here in Australia, my falcon coupe $18,000.00 in paint and panel, my mates $25k, my car had far less work in it, just the matt black-out cost $1800.00

 

It really depends on what you're starting with. Most of these older cars have been hit at least once, and it seems usually in the front. The repairs that are done can cause problems down the road if they aren't done properly. What's your car look like now? What kind of paint problems do you have that has you wanting to get it painted? billa and the others are right who point out that fiberglass/SMC is a different animal to paint. The guys are also correct who say it's all in the prep. It's not a matter of pounding our a fender and skiming some bondo in it to fix these cars. If the shop you choose doesn't have good experience with corvettes, I'd keep looking.

Oh, and here's how I know for sure. I'm in the middle of prepping mine. I knew it'd been hit in the front, I could see the tell tails. How bad the repairs were, I didn't know till I got down to them...

Here's after I got the paint off:



And here's what was under the bondo:







I also found the cushion behind the bumper and the bar it mounts to damaged...



This thing's actually broken in four places:


A $2200 paint job would have most likely painted over the paint that was on the car, and these issues would have eventually come through again. You'll get what you pay for...so I've pulled it apart, and I'm fixing mine...

 

Good paint is ALL about prep - and prep on 'glass, even GOOD 'glass - is a ton of work and takes some real know-how. I've been through a few C3 paint jobs with friends, and it really takes someone that knows what gelcoat is, how to sand/strip the right way and getting all the chemistry right. It's just not a mainstream skillset.

I've also seen way too many horror stories with pinholes, cracks and other major flaws coming through expen$ive paintjobs that were done by shops that were good paint shops...but not 'Vette paint shops.

 

YES! many years ago (10?) we took an 88 sierra there. they simply sprayed red right over the last apint job! i'm quite sure there was no primer used, because it eventually chipped and flaked off exposing the previous paint job with no primer stuck to the back of the chips. pathetic!
oh yeah and their masking job was bad too. i don't know how much was spent on that paint job, but i have since learned to do paint and body myself!

 

The car is in very good shape, not hit. But urethane front and rear bumpers have some cracking. Going to install the new bumpers myself. The hood has a few small bubbles in on the right side, and the body has a few scratches in the paint but that's all. I was thinking of fixing the scratches and do a repaint, but now not sure. Just don't have that kind of money. Here in New York I don't think any Maaco has experience with Corvette's. Was told that they would prep the car then paint. I know that means leave the old paint on and paint over.

 

The bubbles make me wonder what's under the paint causing them. Are you sure the car hasn't been hit? You're (or know) the original owner?

 

Does anyone have a paint / prep success story to share here?!? Over the last 7 months I have done a complete body off restoration on my 80 and have turned every bolt, replaced every rivet, stripped and painted every piece, restored every mechanical bit. I'm scared S**tless to start on my body work because everyone spells out disaster in the making if you're not already a pro at this.

Is it really that difficult to strip a Vette and get it ready for paint if you simply take your time and do your homework? My body is just sitting on the dolly looking at me and begging to be cared for like the rest of the car, but I need someone to tell me it's going to be OK! I've been watching others like Birdsmith and Rogman, as they go through this process and have learned a great deal on this site. Is it just not realistic to expect a good end product by a DIY'er noob when it comes to the body work on these cars?

 

gbarmore
many members (myself included-i've done three) have successfully preped and painted their cars. it's not rocket science, just a lot of work. there have been dozens of posts on stripping, repairing, blocking and painting. after you spray two or more coats of epoxy and sand and repair the many defects that are exposed by the epoxy (yes, the smooth epoxy reveals tiny defects that you missed), you'll have the confidence to shoot the color and clear.
some guys go on about how 'special' fiberglass is to paint. i think it's all bs. once you have a clean glass body and sprayed epoxy, the color coat does't know if it's on steel or glass. i think trouble rears it's head when guys take short-cuts and blame the materials. just my opinion.

 

I could see spending $6k-$8k on a paint job for a really expensive vette. But if you are in my boat, with an '80 that may be worth $10K-$12K optimistically in todays financial environment, that sort of money on paint makes no sense at all. I am following this thread with interest as sooner or later I'll need to figure out what I am going to do get some new paint on mine.

 

No, it's not difficult - but you hit the nail on the head: you have to do your homework. It will take 10x longer than you think it should for the prep work, and you need to use the right, compatible products. The actual painting process isn't really unique - it's the prep.

Where things go sideways quickly is when a) there's damage or flaws that gets uncovered as the paint goes away and b) when someone gets over-enthusiastic during paint removal. Anyone noting that 'glass isn't unique in these aspects should probably post pics of their completed projects, up close, and with a few years on the paint

Finally, there's paint...and then there's paint. If you've got a daily driver that you want decent paint on, then go for it. If you're expecting show-quality work then best to go to a shop. This isn't any different than anything else. I've done some nice paint work over the years...and I've done some hacks. I painted a friend's pickup "on the cheap", and it looks great from about 10' back and there are no flaws...and it's held up perfectly. But the closer you get the more you see the lack of anything more than basic prep work. PERFECT paint over a wavy panel will still be...wavy.

 

You know, your absolutely right. There is no rush to paint the car, it looks awesome as it is. I think I'll take the time to learn before I spend. I ordered Eckert fiberglass repair DVD's. Does anyone have any suggestions on fiberglass repair books or other DVDs? On an off note, what are the temperatures that fiberglass repair work can be done? Thanks

 

I had my car painted at Maaco for $3800 for their top end paint. I'd done most of the prep work. I ended up in court after they took my car for a joy ride and wrecked the power steering and left the car outside in the rain. The national office is not help what so ever.

 

Eckler's used to have a great set of manuals...that was my reference for the work I did.

 

a wavy panel is a wavy panel-be it glass or steel.

 

Painting these cars ain't cheap; there's no way around it. That's why the best advice I ever got was, "Start with the best car you can afford" and "Get the car you want." A cheap Corvette is very expensive, restoring one is for rich folk. I'm easily 50K into a 25K car.

 

Your point? That steel and 'glass are exactly the same - same techniques, same materials, etc.?

Let me know how a little hammer and dolly or torch work goes on your C3

 

my point is this-if a panel isn't smooth and straight it doesn't matter what it's made from.
also, some members that have never held a paint gun make comments here that scare people sh*tless about even trying to paint their car. it's only paint. and it can always be sanded and resprayed. i had to respray my first car due to a poor result. but at $100 a gallon, it was still many thousands of dollars less than taking it to a shop. is it a $50,000 show car? hell no, it's a rebuilt ebay wreck driver with a very good coat of paint. and there's been many, many members that have posted with excellent results on their garage paint jobs.
instead of criticizing or chastising members that are contemplating a garage paint job, more effort should be directed toward honest instruction.

 

Kind of obvious, don't you think? And has nothing - nothing - to do with my post, which was that prep is everything, and that the process is different for 'glass.

I think the guidance here is just fine based on each poster's experience and expertise...and I've held a paint gun many times, thanks Am I not in fact saying exactly what you noted above?

You disagree with some of the comments and you've stated that - doesn't make you "right"...and doesn't make them (or me) "wrong". Accept that there are different experiences and so different guidance. No one's telling anyone not to do it - they're setting realistic expectations...and that has real value even if you disagree. No one here has criticized or chastised anyone as far as I can see...

Agree to disagree - and the OP can take any path they want based on what's posted.

 

Of all the things you can do to your Corvette painting it is perhaps the one item that is most subject to opinion, because there are many ways of removing paint and many types/ brands of paint out there to use. there are a lot of guys on this forum that have completely gone through this process numerous times; some amateurs and a few professionals as well.

As many have already mentioned, MAACO can do a decent job of laying down paint- their facilities and equipment are just as good as anybody else's, but they specialize in production work so if you go there you're gonna get a production paint job that won't be near as good as when the car left the factory. It will look a lot better than it does now, and being a C3 it will also turn heads, but if you really want a proper, quality paint finish that will last as long as you own the car you are going to have to strip the entire car down to bare glass and start from scratch.

I lived with a half-decent scuff-n-shoot on my C3 for 10 years (women had propositioned me just from being seen in it!!) but I wasn't happy with it because I knew it was a half-assed job. Looked decent, just not as good as I wanted it to. So I stripped the paint off. I'm married, got a kid in college, work at a normal job 50 hours a week, don't get nearly the time to work on the car that I'd like to get, etc.,etc., and it has taken me one full year to get the car from where it was to stripped and realistically it's gonna be another month before I truly have it ready for paint.

What I'm saying is that if you're not the kind of guy that finishes what he starts then embarking on a full-on, completely-strip-my-Vette paint job will definitely NOT be for you. However, if spending $2200 on a Corvette paint job seems to you like a lot of money you may have bought the wrong car to begin with. I DO know this- if you have between $1000-$1500 to spend, some garage space, and a year's worth of energy, you can put a paint finish on your C3 that will rival anything that a professional shop can do for north of $10,000. Will it increase the value of your car by that much? Not even. But you will have gained the experience and satisfaction of having completed a long-winded and difficult task along with a couple paint guns that you can use many times over. If you're faint of heart, best move on...