After ~15 years without one, the missus decided we could get a 3rd gen Firebird again. This is my 6th, and likely my final. She calls it my 'old man car'.

It's in really great condition but has some faded and chipped paint in places. I'd like to get it completely repainted, at some point in the next few years, with the same/original colors and decals. I would not be doing the work myself. What's a ballpark figure I could expect for the paint and decals? And how hard will it be to source the decals?

 

4k. go on and spend the $700 and get u a wrap-around wing while u at it make it look really good. Nice car Chief.

 

Okay, thanks. Might still be a couple more years out than I had expected. But I knew it wouldn't be cheap. This car has the exact body package, short of not having the scoop on the hood, that I prefer. But I'm biased because my first one was like this.

 

That's a good looking car.

 

Thanks! I feel really lucky to have found it and able to put the money together to buy it. I really do love these cars.

 

The car looks nice in the pictures and maybe the faded spots can be improved a little, if that is the original paint I think I would be pretty happy with it the way it is with a little touch up on the chips.

 

The original photo does a good job of not showing the issues. I figured it'd just be better to do the whole car, especially because it's 2 tone with decals. Here are some of the worst spots.

EDIT: the original owner had the hood and headlights repainted. You can see the blacks don't match.

 

About like my T/A but not quite as bad. When I first got it and telling my buddy about it "decent interior, no rust, needs paint pretty bad". First time I opened the garage and he saw it 20' away he was like "what do you mean it needs paint ? Looks decent to me." Once he walked up to it he just stopped and was like "Oh. I see." LOL

Don't sweat it though, good looking car and once you get the cash lying around to paint, it will look even better.

 

Yep, is nice looking car regardless and will bring you a lot of enjoyment.

 

A good quality factory-color 2-stage repaint will cost somewhere between $2500-$4000, more if there's body work involved (and there's always going to be at least some body work required. And while I haven't specifically done a search for you, I'd expect the decals to be available from any number of aftermarket sources.

The real trick is in finding the right shop to do the work; it'll take some effort on your part to do so. Local car shows are probably the best source of word-of-mouth referrals when searching out a reliable painter.

 

I can hardly wait to put it back on the road in the spring. The original owner had never driven it in the winter/salt and I plan to keep it that way.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little misty eyed when I saw it in person the first time. So few of them around me were so well kept and I had been so long without one. Gives me joy just to see it sit in the garage.

Good advice there, thanks. I had considered, having bought it from the original owner, the idea of taking it to local car shows. But 3rd gen Firebirds, especially with only a 6 in it, don't seem to have the wide appreciation of so many others cars. Even if it was in really good stock condition. But it makes perfect sense that those guys would have some good suggestions for painters.