Let's talk paint... Options

[dbgriffith75]

So I had a guy come look at my '75 today to give me an estimate on painting it. He couldn't give me an estimate on labor as he'd like to see it when it's ready for him- that is, I'm doing all the prep work myself. But we did discuss paints and the different options I have.

He told me what he typically uses is PPG brand paint, which I don't know if that's just a local supplier or nationwide, but he said that their stuff runs about $300/gallon and it's good quality paint. Which I'd hope so at that price. But he was also telling me about this stuff called Shopline (again I'm not sure if it's just local or not) and that if you take a gallon of each and compare them, it looks the same, smells the same, has the same ratio for spraying, etc etc. Basically you can't tell the difference and it's much cheaper at $80/gallon.

I'm just wondering what other options are there? I'm not trying to be a cheap ass about this- I want to put a quality paint job on it. I make a good living, but at the same time money is an object, and I'm doubting I'll be able to afford $300/gallon for paint.

Another factor to consider is time. I'm trying to get the car in running and selling condition by July 1st. He informed me that once he had the car, depending on what I decide to do, it would take 2-3 weeks before he'd have it done. When I told him about my "deadline" so to speak, he mentioned using a single step paint since I'm not taking the whole car down to bare metal. It wouldn't be as much a top quality job, but it would speed up the process and still look good.

So what do you guys think? What would be the best way to go about tackling the paint job? It's the last big obstacle I have before putting the motor back in it and doing the fine tuning to make it roadworthy. Thanks.

[dbgriffith75]

3 Make sure that the body man does the prep and takes the car to bare metal. If YOU do the prep and the paint breaks open there is absolutely no guarantee

Here's a little clarification on that note: I'm going to be taking care of the bulk of the prep work. It's going to save me money and the painter time. On the exterior of the car the worst of the rust is just surface rust, and there's not very much of it at that, which I will be taking down to bare metal to prime. But I don't plan on taking the whole car down to bare metal as it's simply just too time consuming, which is a commodity I'm losing as each day passes. It's also not absolutely necessary. Once I've done the bulk of the prep work, he'll take care of any spots or areas he thinks will need extra attention.

I'm not trying to rush him either. He told me straight that provided the car is basically ready for paint when he gets it, it would only take him 2-3 weeks to finish.

4. Remove everything on the exterior of the car or you will get a less than nice job

I was also going to do this. I'm aware that leaving things such as the chrome trim, door handles, mirrors, etc will add time for taping off and will make it difficult to get into some of the crevices that are difficult to paint.

for a quick but nice job i suggest doing whatever bodywork is neccisary meaning take dents to bare metal bang them out and fill them use a two part primer to cover any filler

Again this is something I planned on doing. But as far as big dents or dings or any existing filler, there aren't any. I've checked the whole car twice over and I've only found one small dent which isn't even noticeable unless you're looking closely. I'm positive there's no existing filler, because if there was it would be showing by now for the simple fact that filler doesn't last forever without proper care, and considering that the car sat for 10 years, unprotected from the elements, if there was any filler it would be obvious.

I'm not completely clueless as to what needs to be done for prep work. This isn't the first car I've restored. I understand that it's a careful process in which everything needs to be done right or the paint isn't gonna matter.

At this point I'm primarily looking for a middle ground on primer/paint/clear coat. Like I say money is an object, and I don't see why there isn't something out there that can give me quality for a decent price. I'll check into the Sikkens and Glasurit and see what I can find. I don't suppose there's a website link you can provide me with?

Thanks again, and I'm still open to suggestion at this point, so any other input will fall on open ears... erm, eyes, I guess. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)