Clear Coat Paint
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 226
Likes: 0
From: Waynesboro PA
Clear Coat Paint
I am debating about purchasing a 1991 Corvette. The owner has stated that the clear coat is coming off and that is the only problem with the exterior. My question is this, how hard would it be to take off the old clear coat and have a new coat applied? What kinda of money am I looking to complete this? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 223
Likes: 5
From: Gaithersburg Md.
The base coat of paint is very thin and I doubt you can remove the clear only. Your looking at a repaint. Others can chime with what that would cost. I'm only a novice.
There are plenty of used C4's out there in good condition. Just keep looking....
Good Luck on the hunt....
There are plenty of used C4's out there in good condition. Just keep looking....
Good Luck on the hunt....
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Unfortunately, it's a very common problem with 80's and early 90's GM vehicles with the clear coat peeling.
I recently purchased an 87 vette and just took it in to get it painted. I'm having it completely stripped and repainted. It's going to cost close to $3K and there isn't much fiberglass to repair other than stone chips.
So it ain't cheap, if you want it to look good again.
I recently purchased an 87 vette and just took it in to get it painted. I'm having it completely stripped and repainted. It's going to cost close to $3K and there isn't much fiberglass to repair other than stone chips.
So it ain't cheap, if you want it to look good again.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,691
Likes: 71
From: Phoenix Arizona
Most C4's you run into are going to either have clear coat problems are have already been repainted. It has more to do with age at this point rather than manufacturing problems. The base coat is very thin (especially compared to the clear coat), so it is hard to sand the clearcoat with out going through the base coat. Sometimes you can just paint the problem areas (usually tops of both bumpers and tops of the quarters), body shops are pretty good with color matches these days.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 917
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte NC
once the clear coat is removed and the base exposed, you cant re-clear it. The biggest reason being clear coat won't bond to the old base like it needs to do to protect it. But their are cosmetic reasons as well.
Base coat has nothing to protect it from UV rays like clear coat does so once it has been exposed it will cause the base to change the color tone. If you wet sand and re-clear it will show up dark spots where the clear was peeling.
Ive attempted this repair a couple of times over the years for customers that like to argue with with me, and each and ever time you could see where the clear coat was peeling.
Painting a corvette costs more then painting other cars. Many will argue that body shops see a corvette coming and charge extra because they believe you can afford it, But the truth is fiberglass requires more work and materials then metal/urethane. Their is also a much higher risk of something going wrong.
You can expect to pay between $2500-$6000 for a base coat/Clear coat paint job from a body shop.
Base coat has nothing to protect it from UV rays like clear coat does so once it has been exposed it will cause the base to change the color tone. If you wet sand and re-clear it will show up dark spots where the clear was peeling.
Ive attempted this repair a couple of times over the years for customers that like to argue with with me, and each and ever time you could see where the clear coat was peeling.
Painting a corvette costs more then painting other cars. Many will argue that body shops see a corvette coming and charge extra because they believe you can afford it, But the truth is fiberglass requires more work and materials then metal/urethane. Their is also a much higher risk of something going wrong.
You can expect to pay between $2500-$6000 for a base coat/Clear coat paint job from a body shop.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Budget in a paint job if youre going to buy the car. THe paint is 20 yrs old so its due for new. Patching paint like that rarely works or like Lush said if you do your results will reflect it.
Guess if youre going to spend money on any paint may as well have it look right rather than shiny but with flaws?
Guess if youre going to spend money on any paint may as well have it look right rather than shiny but with flaws?
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
once the clear coat is removed and the base exposed, you cant re-clear it. The biggest reason being clear coat won't bond to the old base like it needs to do to protect it. But their are cosmetic reasons as well.
Base coat has nothing to protect it from UV rays like clear coat does so once it has been exposed it will cause the base to change the color tone. If you wet sand and re-clear it will show up dark spots where the clear was peeling.
Ive attempted this repair a couple of times over the years for customers that like to argue with with me, and each and ever time you could see where the clear coat was peeling.
Base coat has nothing to protect it from UV rays like clear coat does so once it has been exposed it will cause the base to change the color tone. If you wet sand and re-clear it will show up dark spots where the clear was peeling.
Ive attempted this repair a couple of times over the years for customers that like to argue with with me, and each and ever time you could see where the clear coat was peeling.
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Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,691
Likes: 71
From: Phoenix Arizona
There is no real difference in painting fiberglass than metal. If anything, its easier, less work. The reason shops charge more for vettes is....
a. the perception that vette owners have more money (profit maximization on each customer intervention...Bus 101)
b. unfamiliarty with fiberglass cars (though a lot less of this since many cars have fiberglass and/or urethane panels)
c. The real fact that vette owners are more picky, and their time with the customer is far greater, and the odds of redo's for minor or percieved problems is far greater.
Most corvette you'll find on dealer lots have been touched up or panel painted, and most vette owners have touched up cars and don't realize it.
a. the perception that vette owners have more money (profit maximization on each customer intervention...Bus 101)
b. unfamiliarty with fiberglass cars (though a lot less of this since many cars have fiberglass and/or urethane panels)
c. The real fact that vette owners are more picky, and their time with the customer is far greater, and the odds of redo's for minor or percieved problems is far greater.
Most corvette you'll find on dealer lots have been touched up or panel painted, and most vette owners have touched up cars and don't realize it.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 6
From: Pittsburgh PA
I would add
D- difficulty in disasssembly
To do a job the right way you need to remove bumpers, door handles, glass sweeps ect. My experiance with a few C3 and one C4 is that this is a major PITA compared to say a Chevy Impala.
D- difficulty in disasssembly
To do a job the right way you need to remove bumpers, door handles, glass sweeps ect. My experiance with a few C3 and one C4 is that this is a major PITA compared to say a Chevy Impala.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 5
From: Middle Tennessee
I think that GM has experienced problems/deficiencies with exterior paint quality on the their cars for decades. My first Corvette was a brand new '71 white convertible. I noticed while walking around the Chevy dealer's lot that many of the brand new Corvettes on the lot had been repainted and the cost of the repaint added to the MSRP, but mine had not been repainted and was lower in price. I discovered the reason for all the repaints the first time I washed my Vette. There was no white paint on the front fenders below the engine compartment "vents" behind the front wheels. Apparently, the Vettes that had been repainted had such obvious paint problems from the factory that the dealership just repainted them before putting them on the lot. I have also noticed many, many GM cars of various ages whose clear coat was in poor condition.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Laurel Hill Florida
There is no real difference in painting fiberglass than metal. If anything, its easier, less work. The reason shops charge more for vettes is....
a. the perception that vette owners have more money (profit maximization on each customer intervention...Bus 101)
b. unfamiliarty with fiberglass cars (though a lot less of this since many cars have fiberglass and/or urethane panels)
c. The real fact that vette owners are more picky, and their time with the customer is far greater, and the odds of redo's for minor or percieved problems is far greater.
Most corvette you'll find on dealer lots have been touched up or panel painted, and most vette owners have touched up cars and don't realize it.
a. the perception that vette owners have more money (profit maximization on each customer intervention...Bus 101)
b. unfamiliarty with fiberglass cars (though a lot less of this since many cars have fiberglass and/or urethane panels)
c. The real fact that vette owners are more picky, and their time with the customer is far greater, and the odds of redo's for minor or percieved problems is far greater.
Most corvette you'll find on dealer lots have been touched up or panel painted, and most vette owners have touched up cars and don't realize it.
And, I don't believe it's even possible to just strip clear. Even if the new clear would bond, you're going to get into the base stripping it and screw up the coverage, and especially on a metallic or pearl paint job.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 917
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte NC
[QUOTE=Coondawg;1577288530]I agree with this for the most part, I will only add one thing. In my experience with painting Corvettes, it takes a little more prep to make that fiberglass and primer slick like a metal car. You can plan on priming and blocking at least 2 times, maybe three. It seems to take that much to avoid seeing any ripple of the fiberglass texture, however minor, under the paint. If a metal car's bare metal body is in good shape, many times it can be primed and blocked with one coat of epoxy primer and a high build urethane primer. It's my experience it takes a little more than that on a corvette to not see any "fiberglassness" when inspecting the paint job from all angles. Maybe I'm being too ****, but thats what I've come across. Seal, prime, Block once with 400, re-prime, block with 400 then 800, and you're usually good. Maybe this extra step cost a little more when shops do it.
QUOTE]
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