Well I saw this in last Thursday's 6/10/10 LA Times, but the site was down, then saw the paper today & found it online FYI -

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stea...9410,full.story

Talk about the ultimate strip to metal & repaint resto!
... & hey, we're all helping to pay for it, so enjoy!

wow...$60 mil is crazy but imagine having to go over every square inch checking for hairline scratches or nicks in the paint!

... and imagine blasting the old paint & primer off acres of alloy skin with wheat chaff!

I think I'll have them check my paint job - NOT!!!!

If it wasn't govt contract it could probably be done for 2 million.

Did they do the longs?

At $60mm a pop, I'd hope so!

Yeah, but then Charlie it would've been $2mm bid, & another $60mm in change orders!

... ohhhh, you wanted paint AND primer on that!!??

yeah man my cuz works on that thing,.....Hes was in Burbank for long time and then
move out to Palmdale.I know he got the job because they never planed on putting hubcaps on it ...hes Mexican

Hey man I don't doubt it - when I lived in San Diego in the 60's & up through the 80's, all the hot rodders took their cars down to TJ for the hand rubbed 15-20-30 layer lacquer paint jobs cuz they did the best work anywhere down there!
... don't know if it's still the same today?

Wonder if you could get that paint for your Porsche? Maybe not so pretty, but invisible to radar is cool.

They just spilled the beans on how foreign governments can make their airspace stealth proof.




Anyone else picturing fleets of shopping carts on balloons?

TJ has turned into no mans land since the cartel came to town

In 1980 I actually repainted mine as in the avatar to that dark grey Anthracite Metallic as a "pavement cammo" color, but that was pre-radar absorbing paints!

Between the color change from the Copper metallic & acquiring an early Escort radar detector, my point count dropped from 1-2 away from suspension to Zero in 3 years, & I didn't change my driving habits! Before that all I had to do was "look funny" & I got a ticket!

... & I can do some funny looks!

Dang!!!! I was expecting a funny pic! Wuzzup!!??

No shit man! No way today!

As a kid in the 60's living in UC we'd go down there every week or two for Dad & boys to get haircuts, Mom & sisters to go to beautician & shop at butcher & veggies/fruits place, then we'd all have a big dinner at La Especial on Ave. de la Revelucion.

I was Uni '70, how about you Sean - HS in SD?

I was around when a SR-71 was flown to it's retirement display.

It was roped off and guarded until the paint was blasted off.
The "paint" was vacuumed up and bagged under guard ! Then
transported out.

Well then, I guess we won't get a paint match at the local auto paint store for our 914's!!

In addition to the Smithsonian's SR-71, there's also one in Seattle at the Boeing museum with the piggy-back drone on it.

We used to see the SR-71's at every airshow at Miramar & El Toro during the 80's & 90's - under guard of course, then later it's been the 117 & B-2 flyovers. I was a kid in the 60's living under Miramar's approach, & we neighborhood boys favorite scavenger hunt was to go out to the crash sites after the SP/MP cleared off & hunt for aircraft parts!