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.

1Push a body man and you get a "shit" job
2 Use Sikkens or Glasurit two step (base coat clear coat) only. The Australians say that PPG stands for "piss poor gloss"
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
4. Remove everything on the exterior of the car or you will get a less than nice job
5. Push a body man and you get a "shit" job. Let him take his time and do nothing but go by and check on the progress

Ingredients wise the paints may be the same but it's also the quality of the parts that make the whole that much better.

Yes, i agree give the guy time if you would like it right, it is ok to not go to bare metal if your paint is nice though, going to bare metel can create a whole new kind of problem as it requires more special prep plus an epoxy that takes time to cure or at least a etch/wash primer, plus you would need to redo whatever filler is already on the car, 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 or areas that you break through layers of paint making sure to cover a wider area with each coat. Let that cure for a couple nights so it can shrink a little, then block your primer and wetsand it, if you plan to spray sealer on the whole car you can wetsand all the paint flat, or we like to use a DA sander with 800 grit 3m paper, make sure you scuff all your edges thouroghly with grey scotchbrite as edges are both the most often forgoten places and the places paint is most likly to peel.

Depending on the color you are going with sisle stage may be fine but base/clear is always better, you can buff clear forever(as long as your carefull haha) where as single stage will oxidize over time and will reach a point of no return. As far as the brand ppg is great, not as good as glasuruit but whatever, as a general rule dont skimp on clear as it is waht you will always see but on cheap jobs at my shop we have had good luck with mipa clear, check if you have a disributer. If it is a solid color go with cheap base, if a metallic, dont skimp

good luck man and have fun buffing

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.



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.



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.

PPG is fine. I have no experience with the " Shopline " But I would avoid it like the plaugue. Cheap paint is cheap paint for a reason, I don't care what it smells like.
Ever taken a whiff of an ugly girl at bar ?? She usually smells pretty damn good Know what I mean ?


PPG won't take a full gallon to cover a 914. 2 quarts should be plenty IF I remember it being a 2:1 mix. Once mixed 2 quarts becomes 3 or even 4 if it is a 1:1 mix the car, single stage will be quiker ( a bit ) and chaper but will require more work in the long run to maintain.

Rick probably has more experience with differing product lines than I do. I have pretty much always used the same brand. I have used PPG though and wouldn't hasitate to use it again. Sikkens on the other hand

I was told that you can not get some of the early colors in Glasurit 2 step base coat clear coat. Tangerine/Blood Orange 018 being one of them.

018 is the paint code for Glasurit Blood Orange. Paint number 23 on the door jamb.

I agree with Scotty (above). $300 a gallon sounds expensive, but you're not painting a house. A single gallon is going to be more than enough.

As for going to the metal during your prep stage, IIRC there is no reason you cannot apply the paint over a well prepped shell, regardless if it is base metal or previous paint. My understanding is that you need to apply a sealer prior to applying the new paint. This will ensure no bleed-in occurs.

Now that I've said it, you must understand that I am not a paint expert. I am expecting others here to either confirm or completely blow my comments out of the water.