painting my 63...

Dougroy · Post by **Dougroy** » Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:32 pm

I just picked up a 63 convertible in "original" condition... it really has to have a paint job. I'd like to keep the cost down on this as I think i am just going to flip the car. Best advice on how to remove the old paint? There are some surface rust spots and a few paint bubbles but nothing too serious. I'm not changing the colour and the engine compartment and door sills are really quite good so I am hoping I can just get the exterior done and not have to remove a ton of stuff.

redbow · Post by **redbow** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 9:15 am

If your just going to flip it and don't want to spend a bunch. And I really hate to suggest this. Then MAACO for $399 sounds like a plan.

Burke

Dougroy · Post by **Dougroy** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 10:15 am

I wanna flip it not ruin it...

Alan H. Tast · Post by **Alan H. Tast** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 2:43 pm

Then sell as-is to someone who will be willing to put the time and labor into it. I personally would rather start with something needing work than to have someone do something half-way only to strip it down and start over.

Wklink · Post by **Wklink** » Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:33 pm

I have to agree. A proper media blast and repaint, even without any major redos of the engine compartment or door jambs will still cost between 4-6 grand if you do it right. I paid seven a few years ago and that was with me taking off all of the trim, bumpers and doing a lot of the masking. Granted mine was a 'better than base' paintjob but a mediocre paint job won't get close to back what you pay for it. These cars aren't worth that much.

novanutcase · Post by **novanutcase** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 2:20 am

Wklink wrote:I have to agree. A proper media blast and repaint, even without any major redos of the engine compartment or door jambs will still cost between 4-6 grand if you do it right. I paid seven a few years ago and that was with me taking off all of the trim, bumpers and doing a lot of the masking. Granted mine was a 'better than base' paintjob but a mediocre paint job won't get close to back what you pay for it. These cars aren't worth that much.

WOW! I paid $2,500 for the paint job on the car in the sig below.

John

Dougroy · Post by **Dougroy** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 9:49 am

Thanks...

I spent some time going through the vehicle and realized I may have more here then I anticipated. The engine and tranny have both been rebuilt and are pristine. The entire convertible mechanism is brand new. I topped up the fluid and it worked perfectly right away. The only really bad parts besides the paint are the seats and door panels. I think even most of the dash was replaced. So maybe I won't flip it. It was never my fav year of tbird but this one could be really really nice.

Question: It has a trim code of 82... which according to a decoder I looked at means it has a Crinkle Leather Bolster - Lt. Blue D/L and Vachette Leather Insert - Lt. Blue Met. but looking at the "parts" websites I can't find replacements that match?

tbird · Post by **tbird** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 11:43 pm

Check with Original Auto Interiors and see if Tom has the correct grained leather or can get it not cheap but you will get a good job.

Dougroy · Post by **Dougroy** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 8:12 am

Thanks...

Anyone had success with restoring the leather? There are no rips in it. Just pretty badly worn

Wklink · Post by **Wklink** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 4:22 pm

novanutcase wrote:
Wklink wrote:I have to agree. A proper media blast and repaint, even without any major redos of the engine compartment or door jambs will still cost between 4-6 grand if you do it right. I paid seven a few years ago and that was with me taking off all of the trim, bumpers and doing a lot of the masking. Granted mine was a 'better than base' paintjob but a mediocre paint job won't get close to back what you pay for it. These cars aren't worth that much.
WOW! I paid $2,500 for the paint job on the car in the sig below.

John

Did you have it media blasted beforehand?

Mine was media blasted prior to the work being done.

You can get it cheaper sometimes but expect to find things when you get it done.

novanutcase · Post by **novanutcase** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 8:48 pm

No, I didn't media blast it. The car was rust free so no need to take it down to the metal. I had it skim coated and then blocked straight. The paint was a single stage system which may also be why it was as inexpensive as it was.

John

edpol · Post by **edpol** » Sat Sep 12, 2015 2:11 am

I got prices for leather interiors from SMC and Original Auto interiors 2 or 3 years ago, for $1800. Their samples had the correct grain. The other outlets were $1200, but the grain of the vachette isn't the same as original.
John's paint job was a while ago, and a similar job would probably now cost $3500-$4000 - price of paint has jumped significantly higher in a short amount of time, even the cheaper single stage urethanes.
Single stage is definitely less expensive, but recommended for solid colors only. That is, unless you could find a painter with adequate skills to paint metallic using single stage paint. Most painters I know were taught not to use single stage for metallic and pearls, and use the more forgiving basecoat/clearcoat for those paints. A lot of them also stay with bc/cc for solid colors as well. There are still some old school painters who can spray anything, but they are a dying breed. You'll also need a painter who can match the jambs and engine compartment. Shops that have their own mixing systems will get the job done faster.
Since you have rust spots, assume it's at least 3 times worse than it looks. You may get away with just sanding the whole car and repairing the rusted spots; skim coat, prime, sand flat, paint. But be prepared for bubbling paint to become disintegrated steel when sanding.
To do the job right, all trim, bumpers, door handles etc. must be removed. If you remove everything, sand, and make repairs yourself, you could save a lot of cash. If you get to bare metal in spots, use rattlecan primer to temporarily prevent rust. Also prime any filler to seal it. Bare filler that absorbs moisture, or accidently gotten wet, has to be removed and redone before painting. From there, the preppers will do what's necessary before going to the painter.
BTW, not all Maaco's are the same. Some have very good preppers and painters. The trick is to go to a few of them to find which does the best work.
Ask if any of their customers enter cars in local shows.

RAVEN · Post by **RAVEN** » Sat Sep 12, 2015 7:05 pm

ATTN ALL: I am in process of redoing my convert. I am breaking car down to basic body. Motor out, interior out, trunk emptied, soft top removed, all trim removed. Have done some shopping around, and all who I have talked to, will not quote until seeing car. This means moving a rolling bare body to their shops, or a no see guess of price. The number to do has been in the .............wait for it.................. 10k to 15k price. This is block sand, puddy and et al. to paint the car. PLus they will book car into production in 8 to 12 months, they are that busy.
Add to this a price of 2k to replate front bumper, and 1k to replate interior pieces, and on and on and on.
Add to this checking motor for possible faults, which should or do not exist. Plus tranny and brakes and, again on and on and on.
The big question is when do you stop and how much you want to pay.
Just thought I would add my 2 cents, and pennies DO NOT EXIST IN CANADA ANYMORE!

edpol · Post by **edpol** » Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:11 pm

RAVEN wrote:ATTN ALL: I am in process of redoing my convert. I am breaking car down to basic body. Motor out, interior out, trunk emptied, soft top removed, all trim removed. Have done some shopping around, and all who I have talked to, will not quote until seeing car. This means moving a rolling bare body to their shops, or a no see guess of price. The number to do has been in the .............wait for it.................. 10k to 15k price. This is block sand, puddy and et al. to paint the car. PLus they will book car into production in 8 to 12 months, they are that busy.
Add to this a price of 2k to replate front bumper, and 1k to replate interior pieces, and on and on and on.
Add to this checking motor for possible faults, which should or do not exist. Plus tranny and brakes and, again on and on and on.
The big question is when do you stop and how much you want to pay.
Just thought I would add my 2 cents, and pennies DO NOT EXIST IN CANADA ANYMORE!

$10k-15k is realistic for sight unseen. Depending on how bad the rust turns out to be, it could go higher, depending on the shop. Then again, it will be significantly less if the jambs, trunk, interior and engine bay aren't included in any of the work.
Most the shops I know of that charge that much use ultra-premium products: PPG Deltron, BASF Glasurit, etc. Materials alone, including sandpaper, fillers, compounds etc., could come to well over $2000. Some use less expensive, but still premium brands, at an average cost of $1200-1500 for materials.
However, if you ask around, you'll probably find someone working from home, who will do the job for a lot less. There are a lot of up and coming companies that produce quality paint for way less than the premium brands, and a lot of the guys working from home use them.
For instance, I sanded and recleared a car about 10 years ago with a now discontinued Kirker product. IIRC, it was about $60 for a gallon of clear, a quart of reducer, and a quart of hardener. The car was sold 2 or 3 years ago, but it had a mirror shine at that time. The difference between the Kirker and premium clears, is user-friendliness.

ICON 1956 · Post by **ICON 1956** » Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:45 pm

Back in January of this year I was on a mission to find a 1961 T Bird, After finding my dream car through Gateway Classic cars I came across this beauty. Becoming a member of this forum I have learned a lot and found how lucky I'm to find this beautiful car and found out a little history about her. When I purchased the car there came a photo album on a total tear down and how she was put back together. Reading this post tells me that I was very fortunate to find this beauty and how this car was restored back. Here are some pictures I want to share with members.

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