is there any articles online that any of u might know of that includes a lot of detail and pics that i can read before i send my car for new paint? im completely ignorant when it comes to any type of body work, so i'd like to read up on what its involved b/c the more i look at pics of new paint jobs i get more and more eager to get it over and done with. first i said i was thinkin maaco then i changed my mind and now im thinkin maaco again. i just want the thing to look nice and shiny again like it once was. im getting very eager.

TIA

 

Maaco = bad idea. They just paint over your original everything and the paint peels quickly. 10hrs body work is nothing, there's probably 10hrs of sanding after each coat of paint. Not to mention they won't do in your door jams. Your probably looking at $3k for a shop to do it.

 

im off work tomorrow so ima be going around getting different estimates. no way im spending that much with this car being a daily driver. 500 for something that lasts 2 years i'd be happy with. i dont even trust myself driving around this town with all the stupid *** drivers.

 

Your car looks great, don't see any rust or oxidation anywhere, I'm guessing you've just accumulated more than a few rock chips and stuff over the years? If you're thinking of preping it yourself, then there's really not a whole lot more to actually painting it yourself.

95% of your time will be spent preping, as long as you've got a compressor and a nice gun, you can do the last 5% much better than maaco ever could for the same amount of money. Once prepped, the whole process of primering, basecoating, and clearcoating can be done in a day. You could even do it ouside on a nice enough day, though a masked off garage would really be what you need.

I wish I still had all the links I saved from when I was painting my car. I simply did a lot of googling on automotive refinishing and autobody repair. A good book on the subject would probably be nice to have as well, but I was too cheap for that, so I can't recommend any.

Now, I might be jumping the gun of course, I don't even know if you have a garage. But for around the same price as that 2 year maaco paint job, you can have a nice urethane job done at home that'll last you much longer. So if that's an option for you, definately consider it.

 

wwwweeeelllll.....lol um, if you're willing to spend $500, why not go an extra 300 or so? I'm not sure what it's like as far as prices up there, but down here in Hawaii, you can get a pretty good single stage coat of paint from a reputable shop. Besides, you'll probably be getting a single stage for that $500 from maaco, so you might as well get a single stage that looks good for a little more, right?

 

tru tru

doing it myself is just not an option right now. i feel all the books in the world wont give me enough confidence to do it myself. i was just interested in learning the basics. no garage available and painting a car to me is just one of those things that if ur not comfortable with, u better take it to a pro (reminds me of when i tried to tint my windows w/o success). ill do a search online and see what i can find.

bnoble - the car USED to look nice. but those pics are old. i'd sat at least 2 years old. there is more fade, cracks, chips, and a nice reminder on the front bumper that i shouldnt be a nice guy and let other people drive my car. so yea its driving me up the wall seeing it like this when i think of what it once used to look like.

 

I was in the same position man. Just give it a shot. I had no experience at all with body work, but I gave it a try. I just read the boards 24/7 then jumped in. Its not that hard at all. Once I was all done I took the car down to Maaco to get it sprayed. The manager down there even offered me a job lol. Paint job turned out great.

 

search no further than this very site, and JeffW's Project Reurrection thread...(really mods, this should be a sticky by now... )

 

Beg, borrow, or steal a compressor and a good spray gun. Go to the junkyard. Find a beat up hood/fender (off of any car). Prep and paint it. All it takes is a little practice. Then see if you're comfortable with painting, and maybe save a few hundred dollars.

Also, don't paint it outside. Ever wax your car and then have a bird crap on it two minutes later? Imagine bird crap in wet paint. Find a garage, or buy one of those big tents for driveways.

 

i read thru some of it. way too involved. i am not motivated b/c it just doesnt interest me. i rather do auto mechanics than deal with auto body. i dont have the space/tools/motivation to steal the tools/knowledge so off to maaco most likely. i'll just take off everything that i dont want painted and hope for the best. as long as it looks even the slightest bit better than now, i'll be happy. im thinkin of going with either the least expensive package or the next one (not the $1100 package that i got quoted before). thanx everyone for the help.

 

i am a painter in a bodyshop and i would say spend the money and get it done right. but if you are short on cash i would say prep the car your self and then get macco to do it. i had 2 thirdgens done this way before i got involved in autobody and never had problem with there paint. what maccos problem is they rush cars through prep to get them painted. remember paint is like building a house, its only as good as its foundation. if you cant prep a car your self try and take it to tech school or even a high school and get it prepped. they will probabley do it for free just buy them some pizza. then take it to macco.

 

...not really third gen..buuut......ever see thye show "TRUCKS!" ? I believe that "Projectr crazy Horse" was done by a school.....turned out pretty nice if I may say so.....but of course it's on TV but i imagine it looked as good in person

Anyway...Pizza vs. several hundred might be worth it