I'm getting my car painted this spring/summer. Aside from getting Ronal Firehawk wheels and a SS hood, I want the car to look 'like new'. Here is what I have thought of so far:

Replace Turn Lamps
Replace Fog Lights
Replace Grill
Replace Emblems
Replace Weatherstripping
Repaint Black Trim

I plan on doing all of this myself (except for emblems and weather stripping). What do you guys think? Doug

 

Whatever you need. Turn signals make a nice difference when new.

 

Front and back bumpers too... I hear that they don't sand and repaint all to well. Front turn signals are a must, as well as weather stripping... those are the things I changed to achieve the new car look.

 

L98IROCZ89, did you replace the weatherstripping yourself or have someone else do it? Doug

 

How are your door handles and wiper arms? Sometimes those fade. Also, you may want to repaint the rear hatch trim.

 

Yeah... the wiper arms are faded too. Does anyone know how to get those off? I can't figure it out. Doug

 

a pry bar and a little umpffff, will get her up... hehe... its just a press fit on.

 

I tried to remove them on my RS before I sold it, but had no luck. I was told theres a small tab at the base you just pull out, then lift the arm off, but mine were stuck.

 

Wipers are NOT just a pressure fit! There's a tab on the bottom that you have to pull on, then they'll lift right off.

 

OOPS, heh... Maybe thats why they came off so hard. I never got back to putting any on due to abandoning that project car (85).



(Are you sure? I could swear I don't remember seeing anything like a tab on the ones on my 85 SC. They just came right up w/ the bar... I'd look but the cars 2 hrs away.)

 

On all 4 of my thirdgens there's a tab on the bottom side of the wiper that sits in the grove below the gears on the shaft. You need to pull the tab then lift up on the wipers. If not, you're going to f*ck up the tab.

 

Instead of replacing your grille, you could just repaint it (that is, if you don't want a different style grille). I'm doing that on my IROC and it's looking real good... I used glossy black interior/exterior paint and clear coat along with some primer. Try to find other parts of your car that might look good repainted -- on my '86, I repainted the third brake light cover black (it's on the outside of the hatch). Remember, it's the little things that add to the overall appearance of your vehicle.

 

thats cool... guess i ruined that wiper

 

blue86iroc, how did the repainted grille compare to the black around the headlights? I would paint it, but I want to keep those two the same 'color'. Doug

 

Well, all I have on the grille so far is the primer but I have already painted my plastic hood louvers the same way that I'm doing the grille -- the louvers look awesome compared to the way they used to look ... very glossy. When I wash my car, I use something called "Black Chrome" on the black headlight pockets (don't know if they still make it anymore; my bottle is like 15 years old). It makes the pockets nice and shiny until the next wash... they compliment the glossy louvers very well (and the grille too once I finish it up).

 

are you wanting it to look good or better than it came off the floor?

why can't you do the weatherstripping an emblems yourself? they are the easiest of everything your describing; possibly the most expensive, at least gm weather stripping anyway; but definately makes a difference.

unless your grill is cracked, why would you replace it? just paint it to whatever you want; make sure to paint the headlight pockets the same to match (if you go black). personally, i prefer the stock black, most repaint with a glossy black an it brings way to much attention to the grill and the headlights. but, it's your choice.

besides the foglights and turn lamps, there is also the headlights, marker lights, parking lights, basically every piece of plastic on the outside.

emblems all around, from the front facia to the rear bumper; unless your good enough to remove them an restore them.

biggest thing is the little details......make sure your engine bay matches, your door jambs are painted, etc. you want to tear down the car as much as possible; remove the hood, the trunk, ground effects, etc. the more the better........

don't forget to take out the interior an anything else that could get ruined or stop paint from covering an area.

there's more to it than just tape an spray; you basically want to disassemble the whole car (with in reason) and replace all parts that are warn or not fit (like your weather stripping or plastic lights.)

it is definately costly; but well worth it when your done. good luck.

 

Believe me, I would much rather paint the grille - but I want it to match the black around the headlights. Thats why I was going to buy one.

I wasn't sure about the weatherstripping - if you don't get that right you can get leaks and noises at high speeds. SO, is it easy to do?

The embelems are something that I figured I would buy and have the dealer install them. It wouldn't take that long, and I would know they would stay on.

I plan on doing all that I can myself - taking everything off, painting the black areas, replacing most of the parts.

Just replaced the headlights - and most everything else is in good shape.

Doug

 

you are going to paint the headlight pockets right? then why wouldn't it match the grill once painted as well?

as far as the emblems, why would you have a dealer install them? are they painting the car? emblems are easy, you just stick them on.

weather stripping is a sinch; they just pop in place in their designated areas. the ones i wouldn't recommend would be the windshield glass and the top door trim, other than that the actuall door trim and the like is simple.

only noises that could be heard if done wrong would be through the windows if the sides are adjusted properly, if you hear air comming through your windshield you better pull over before it caves in.

 

No.. I dont plan on painting the head light pockets - they werent painted from the factoy and I want to keep them that way.

Yes, the dealer will be painting my car - they painted my '88 iroc and it came out great. I just figured that any 'extra' work, such as emblems and weatherstripping would not be that much extra once they have the car apart.

The only weatherstripping that I plan to replace is the door trim - thats why I didn't want to screw it up.

 

Don't forget the wheel wells!! Spray em black.

 

Buy new doorlock cylinders (painted ones chip easily), side view mirror seals, the seal that goes between the door and the window (i can't remember what it's called. Don't bother spraying the wheel wells black, just undercoat them.

The wiper arm and trunk frame are also good ones. Don't forget the antenna it probably silver on the front side as well.