RePaint questions

[ramenth]

5. Unless your planning on shooting for gold at the Nats then no. What I would do though is remove the easy stuff. Headlight bezels, etc. But generally a good shop can get in pretty tight by just taping it.

6. The paint shop should take care of that when they prep the car. Remember they are a body shop and prepping is part of it. If the metal is exposed I'd cover it with something to prevent rust. A dab of grease or even spray can clear coat. It will all get sanded off during the prep anyw.
.

Any paint man worth his salt will do this. One of the reasons I never took in "paint jobs" from customers who insisted on doing his or her own body work. It ruins the reputation. Think about it: I lay down the perfect paint job that exposes every flaw in the customer's "body work." Most people will never admit to the crap work under the paint, they'll lay it on the paint man for not "taking care of it" before he shot the car. Seen it too many times in my career when someone's looking to save a few bucks. Or, even worse, a decent painter trying to make a few quick bucks.

A good paint man will not mask! Even the harder stuff to remove. Taping leaves hard lines that will allow the paint to lift after a while, rather it be single stage, two stage, or three stage. Add to that the mil thickness of primer and you happen to have to pull something like a headlight bezel to pull a headlight and the paint will come with the bezel around the edges. Yes, even for the couple of hours of work to get as much of the trim off as possible on something like a 5th Ave, the painter's reputation is on the line and it's what separates the "good" painter from the "great painter." Yes, the customer will be asked for compensation on this, but you get what you pay for. In times like this, I'll pass on the guy who wants to go cheap in order to keep my reputation where it is, as that reputation will be well compensated by people who want the best, not the "good enough." May sound arrogant, but then again, I've never been accused of being modest, either.

 

[ramenth]

1. What do I do in the mean time to keep it in good shape and prevent rust from taking hold?

Wash and a good wax. Since you have some touch up to do, do it first, nothing fancy, just a bit of paint to fill in the chips. If it's into metal, lay down a touch up of decent primer to get the new touch up to stick. Then wax.

2. Husband wants it to stay stock silver (sigh). Does that mean I should just do the sheet metal and not worry so much about the engine compartment, door jambs, etc?

Husband is a smart man. If you stay factory color, jambs, bottom of hood and decklid, under hood will just need a good detail to look fresh, without having to pay the extra for a repaint on those areas.

3. How do I select a paint pro to do this?

Referrals and an interview process. Sit and talk to the paint guy and see what he or she has to say about the car. Ask to see examples of his or her work, ask to talk to other customers.

4. Do I just tell them use the paint color (radiant silver) from Chrysler 1987?

Yes. A good paint man will have a good jobber, who will be able to match the factory code under (on the data plate, under the hood).

5. Should I go to the trouble to remove all the trim and chrome and bonnet before I send it to be painted?

No. If the painter isn't willing to do this himself, then he's not a good painter.

6. For that matter, do I spot repair any paint problem areas? Is that a can of something that is filler/primer or is this a bondo/hardener issue? I don't have big problem areas just small places where it looks like the paint has chipped due to a rock hit or along the door jamb.

Leave it to the painter. He'll have the skills to feather in areas, the proper materials on hand to take care of these things. Of course, he'll want to be financially compensated for it, but you're paying for his knowledge and his skills to do the job right.

7. What type of budget should I be considering?

After getting the estimates and choosing the painter, that's the budget. A cheap guy will be cheap. An expert, not so much. After that, it's a matter of what you're willing to pay for.

8. How long does it take to paint and cure?

A truly irrelevant question to the conversation, unless you're wanting to paint it yourself. Different paints and hardeners have different cure rates. I can paint a car with a "speed" hardener and it will be cured out in a few hours. A slow rate hardener will take a couple of days. Some single stages can't go into wax for up to a month. Some polyurethanes can go immediately into wax.

9. What do I do after I get it back. Should I be washing and waxing this every week to 10 days or ??

Oh, heeeeeeellllllll no! Wax it when it stops beading water. A good hard wax will last for six months. Washing times will be up to you. If it's dirty and you feel like washing it then wash it. If it's dusty (like sitting for a few months under the carport) then a couple of clean soft towels and a squirt of Final Inspection will dust it off.

This is a lot of questions, but I've been reading so many things about repainting. I don't know what I need to know to ask good questions. I just don't feel like I can swing painting it on my own; but, I know I can invest some elbow grease if it will stretch my budget further to get a good re-paint.

You guys have been so helpful as I learn how to get this ride back in shape. Again, I won't be painting til next year when funds are available.

If you think you can do this on your own, I'll be happy to walk you through it step by step.

 

[Justwondering]

Robert, my brain/pocket book was telling me that keeping it silver was a smarter way to go. But some day, I want a green car.

Thank goodness I don't need to add weekly or monthly washing/waxing to my list of things to do.

I'll just continue the cleanup of any major rust spots and let the rest go til it gets painted.

The pinstripes are partially gone on one side and certainly nothing matches up on the front left fender replacement and the driver door. So I'll have to decide if this hunky boy gets new pinstripes or becomes a nudey cutie.

I certainly appreciate the guidance regarding paint, painters, and process.

When I get beyond the interior trim and headliner, I should have more courage to face the repaint. I'll keep you in the loop.

 

[Dr Lebaron]

The clear lifting has more to do with the thickness than the "quality." The car manufacturers are more interested in saving a few bucks per build to increase profitability than they are having the paint last over time, so they skip on that extra mil.

LOL, the 'cost savings' from the manufacturers is absolutely true.
GM will decide a contract based on .0001 cents per unit.

 

[Jack Meoff]

I have a buddy who used to paint cars at GM.
He said they were the worst paint jobs of anyone.
He said the paint we so thin it would barely cover the car.

 

[ramenth]

I have a buddy who used to paint cars at GM.
He said they were the worst paint jobs of anyone.
He said the paint we so thin it would barely cover the car.

I spent a lot of time in the early part of my career at the local Chevy garage with paint stripper and a DA in my hand, taking cars and trucks back down to bare metal because of those crap paint jobs.

Didn't matter if it was base/clear or single stage, that extra couple of mils cost money and therefore weren't necessary.

My '89 F150 is a good example of what happens when the body guys at the dealership don't know what the hell they're doing when it comes to paint. That truck is rusted in places that shouldn't rust because of bad prep work on bare metal. The morons even bondo'd over the back brackets of the running boards. My plan was to take them off when I first got the truck, but I'd have to dig 1/2 an inch of bondo off the cab corners to do so.