Widebody conversion pre painted?
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 10,399
Likes: 26
From: Austin Texas
You'll have lots more trouble getting a pre-painted panel to match. To get an undetectable paint match on a replacement panel requires blending/feathering to adjacent panels and a new clear coat. Much of a paint match is the texture and it's nearly impossible to duplicate worn texture with new.
All paint weathers/changes differently. A car that sits in the sun all day will appear to have a different color than one painted the same color the same day on the same paint line out of the same paint batch.
All paint weathers/changes differently. A car that sits in the sun all day will appear to have a different color than one painted the same color the same day on the same paint line out of the same paint batch.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 401
Likes: 1
From: flowery branch ga.
color match
I was told I'd have to have mine painted on the car so they could blend into doors and hood to get a match that wouldn't stand out. They were wrong, I had a painter match it perfectly off the gas cap door. He hit the color and texture right on. I'd post photos but this form won't let me.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
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
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,659
Likes: 828
From: FORT LAUDERDALE FL
I was told I'd have to have mine painted on the car so they could blend into doors and hood to get a match that wouldn't stand out. They were wrong, I had a painter match it perfectly off the gas cap door. He hit the color and texture right on. I'd post photos but this form won't let me.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: edmonton alberta
if you find the right painter there is NO NEED to blend or touch unrelated panels. the paint can be matched - most shops/people don't was to mess with doing it or (in most cases) don't have the computer equipment to match it. i have seen a perfect blue match on Joe G's conversion. i mean PERFECT match on a DD five year old car.
...thats why i went with victory red, i have about 6 alternates sprayed out for this color, and have used them all for a near perfect match on different cars, but for my car i still tinted the color to get a great match...
Keep in mind that even black is NOT black, gm code 8555 has all sorts of variations, I match 5 or 6 colors a day, insurance companies pay to blend colors on collision repairs because they have to, they would love to paint without blending, but know it is unrealistic, in the time spent matching a color, you can blend adjascent panels and have an invisible repair.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: edmonton alberta
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,634
Likes: 190
From: Austin TX
Hook 'EmI will throw in a thought tho. I cant speak from experience because I havent done a wide body conversion but it would almost seem more cost effective to get them unpainted and just have the whole car repainted when you do convert. The only parts that have to be repainted are the doors, hood, top and mirrors. However, if they are having to blend the colors, they will have to repaint the front and rear of each door (to blend with front and rear fenders) which is probably half the door (so why not just get the rest a new paint job). They will also have to repaint the front of the hood wear it goes into the bumper (so why not have the whole thing repainted). Yes, this will up the cost, but what is the extra $$ for a new paint job. This will also allow them to repair any chips you may have anywhere else.
***forgot to mention the trunk, which would probably have to be repainted any way because it touches the panels and the back section which is part of the wide body.***
Like I said, havent done the wide body, but this is just a little food for thought. Maybe some of those who have done the conversions will chime in and be able to correct me.
Last edited by schizcat; Sep 23, 2010 at 08:31 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 11,367
Likes: 211
From: Edgewood Washington
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
My $.02/experience.
Depends largely on the color you're trying to match and the skill/care level of the painter/shop.
I did not need to have the paint blended into the adjacent panels, but I did budget for it.
But, VR is a fairly easy paint to match. As others have stated, there are 'difficult' colors to deal with.
Bottom line, OP- forget pre-painted body panels, get a good local shop.
Post up on your regional Forum for what is usually very good advice form your neighbors who already have the experience you need.
Good Luck.
Depends largely on the color you're trying to match and the skill/care level of the painter/shop.
I did not need to have the paint blended into the adjacent panels, but I did budget for it.
But, VR is a fairly easy paint to match. As others have stated, there are 'difficult' colors to deal with.
Bottom line, OP- forget pre-painted body panels, get a good local shop.
Post up on your regional Forum for what is usually very good advice form your neighbors who already have the experience you need.
Good Luck.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 401
Likes: 1
From: flowery branch ga.
The problem with conversions are they have to be painted by someone. There for color matching is the issue. The factory codes aren't even correct. I had a to have special paint mixed to match the factory color to keep from blending into the other panels. The final match depends on the paint manufacture, primer, base coat, and clear coat. If you all look close at your cars you'll find your front and rear bumpers don't match the rest of your car because they'er made of different material.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
From: VA
thanks guys for the suggestions and info, it would be on a brand new car with only 20 miles on it so wouldnt have to match to a faded paint job, and the color is velocity yellow, is yellow one of the harder colors to match?
Pro
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 624
Likes: 1
From: Olathe KS
Even the factory fascias often dont quite match the rest of the body so new prepainted panels are very unlikely to match.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: edmonton alberta
I would get the parts painted locally, not pre ordered, talk to a few good body shops, if you were in edmonton I would get you to come see me, and I work on a good spray out of the color for you, you can check it around the car that way and decide if it is good, and we could most likely do a butt match...someone where you are should be able to do the same.
Yellow isn't as bad as metallic/pearl colors atleast, but can be hard to get perfect...check the face and side tones...how the color looks head on and from different angles...this is where color matches can go bad...good luck, I wanna wide body mine too, victory red is my color, and I can take as long as I like to match so I wouldn't be blending for color, just to freshen the rest of the car..
