'78 in the paint shop.......

[BarryK]

Hi all

well, a lot of you may remember that back in March, April, and May I was fixing up the '78 L82 car I had gotten than it turns out I had to sell it.
Unfortunately, it's still for sale so I decided to get her painted since the existing original paint was really so bad. I had a number of people interested in the car but I'm well aware that they and others were hestitating simply because no one wants to pay high dollars for a car and still need to worry about getting it painted.
It's a reasonable concern that i recognise especially since most decent paint jobs on a Vette will run $6K-$8k.
There is a local painter whose work that I've seen on a number of cars, including a fellow Corvette Club members '78 that this painter did in Black with gold ghost flames. That paint job is spectacular!
He quoted me a price to paint my car that was WAY, WAY, WAY too good to pass up considering the quality i've seen in his work. Beside the low price he also said that if I want to help out with some labor such as helping on disassembly, stripping, sanding, reassembly, etc that he would take some of the price down even lower.

So....... last Tuesday I dropped the car off at his shop and we actually started on it on Friday with the disassembly. By today the car was mostly stripped of paint. We still need to strip the rubber bumpers and the T-tops but the actual chemical stripping is done.
The hood is not only stripped but also completely sanded and ready for primer.
Another day or two and the body will be finished with the stripping and the sanding and also ready for primer.
The good news is that the body is as I suspected - basically a perfect, no-hit body that's in great condition. Even the painter commented that it's going to be a pleasure to paint this car since he doesn't need to do a thing at all to the body in terms of repairs. He did find one or two very small areas that look like they were worked on but looking at them and the fiberglass repair done on it we both suspect this was actually a factory "repair" on the panel

Here are the pictures as of about 2pm this afternoon. Considering we didn't start disaseembly until about 1pm last Friday and we have had a holiday inbetween, this guy works fast!

Unfortunately all next week nothing will be done though as he will be on vacation.

http://69.253.166.197/page1/page127/...2/page182.html

when she is done with the new paint i'll take her to Corvettes at Carlisle in Aug and put her in the Car Corral for sale

[82ColEd]

I wish you luck with the next round of selling, Barry.


-Stefan

[ChuckG]

Looks good, Barry. Are you going single stage urethane or BC/CC?

BTW, I'm picking up my 63 tonight. Dropped it off at the painters on Saturday for some touch up....

These were a couple of scratches within the door jambs, that were present when I picked up the car 1 1/2 years ago.

Just now getting around to doing it. Chuck

[67HEAVEN]

Good luck on the sale, Barry. If it's reasonable, maybe I'll buy it in Carlisle.

[BarryK]

thank Chuck.......... well, not sure about look good as most cars look like crap in this condition!
We are going with BC/CC. I was really considering single stage since of course the original laquer was single stage and i'm trying to keep the car as close to original as possible but it's a metallic paint so everyone and their brother recommended I go with BC/CC so that's what we are doing rather than enamel and lacquer just isn't even worth considering for this purpose.

BTw, I know what you mean about getting around to getting the paint issues fixed. There is one spot on my passenger front fender that's been there since i got my car from the painter last summer that he still needs to repair. Was hoping to get it done by Carlisle but not sure that's going to happen so will probably just wait until winter.

[BarryK]

Originally Posted by 67HEAVEN

Good luck on the sale, Barry. If it's reasonable, maybe I'll buy it in Carlisle.

Bob, stop by and see it in the car corral at carlisle!
i'm not sure it will be "reasonable" enough for you but hey, you never know
I never figured you for a late model C3 guy though......

I don't plan on selling her cheap - she a true under 10,000 mile car, documented back to the first owner with a lot of options and with the new paint will be in completely excellent condition so I plan on holding out for top dollar on her.
i'm going to have her flatbedded to Carlisle as I don't want to put any extra miles on her if at all possible. right now sitting at the paint shop she has 9,801 miles and if I drove her to Carlisle it would flip over 10,000 which I do NOT want to happen so I'll splurge for the expense of a flatbed to get her there. Besides, with the price of gas now it's probably not that much more to flarbed it

[C3 4ME]

Barry, Ill be looking for it in the car corral area, as I'll be interested to see in person all the work you've posted about the car. My black 79 L-82 will be on the opposite end of the fairgrounds in the fun display.

Pete

[BarryK]

sure Pete, stop on by!

[BarryK]

well, we are in primer!
I stopped by yesterday to check on the '78 and when I got there they were masking off the car to spray the primer coat. I hung around to watch the masking off of the car and the final wipedown than to see the car get sprayed with primer.
She looks good in primer and nice to see her in a nice uniform color again

The painter thinks the car will be done by the end of next week.
After having the '65 in the paintshop for 10 months, this car only taking a month to do (including the painter being on vacation a week out of that) is making my head spin.
Of course it helps a lot that even after stripping the car required obsolutely none, zero, zip, nada, big goose egg, not a bit, of bodywork.

Here the pics as of 4pm yesterday:
http://69.253.166.197/page1/page127/...4/page184.html

[Evolution1980]

Is that just their stripping/primer area? Or does that also serve as their 'paint booth'? Old Skool...

[BarryK]

no, unlike the guy that did my '65 this guy doesn't have a downdraft paint booth.
it made me hesitate at first before giving him the job BUT I've seen his work on other vettes and the end results on those cars was nothing less than INCREDIBLE.
A guy in my vette club had his '78 done also by this painter - he had the car done in black with gold ghost flames and it has to be one of the absolute best black paintjobs I've ever seen on any car ever and we all know how ANY flaw shows up in black paint.

I would prefer having it painted in a true paint booth but I decide to let the results of his work on other cars speak for themselves. Paint booth or not his results look great and that's the bottom line for me.

[Evolution1980]

Originally Posted by BarryK

Paint booth or not his results look great and that's the bottom line for me.

True that. Best paint booth in the world won't make up for poor skills.

[BarryK]

that's why I'M not attempting to paint it myself!

[gmjunkie]

Originally Posted by Evolution1980

True that. Best paint booth in the world won't make up for poor skills.

I paint in a 40x40 air conditioned Pole Barn, and I have no problems!!!!!!! Except the neighbor burning Plastic bottles!!