how much paint would i need to repaint my 92 brougham? i have the canvas/false convertible top so its technically the bottom half? and is it possible to chance the top to the smooth vinyl like most broughams??

I repainted my car with about 20 cans of spraypaint. Touchups, extra coats near the wheels, then clear coating was about 15 cans.

Warning; your hands will be very tired after this; although your trigger finger for the can will be ripped.

Uh Oh! Better get Maaco!

I will share some insight into this sort of work. I don't know what your experience is, or maybe it will help someone else.

A couple of things to think about:

If you paint your car like this at home, it will probably turn out looking like a home paint job. You don't have access to quality factory paints and primers, painting booths, and other essentials to do a really good job.

First, find yourself an open-enclosed space like a large garage with the door open and good ventilation, a temperature between 75 and 85 degrees, low humidity, no rain, and very little wind.

You will need to strip your car of all body panels, insignias, trim, chrome, door handles, moldings, lights, wheels/tires, bumpers, and everything else or plan to do an excellent job taping them off. Also separate any plastic or fiberglass panels. They will have to be painted separately and re-applied. Nothing says crappy home paint job like tires and bumpers with paint overspray. Also take care of any rust or serious dents before painting.

You will need painter's tape (masking tape leaves marks) and heavy duty paper to cover windows, the vinyl top, and such.

If you do not have one already, an automotive-strength power sander is a must, unless you want to get fine-grained sandpaper and do it all by hand. These power sanders do not come cheap, but could possibly be purchased second-hand.

Now that the car is taped, covered, and sanded (and if you rip off your vinyl top it will have to be sanded even more), you are ready for priming. Clean all the silicates from the sanding off with lacquer paint thinner. These silicates will RUIN your paint. This will have to be done to the whole car to be painted - cleaned with the lacquer applied to a cheesecloth. Do this for your other painted body panels separately as well.

By now your car will look like a rough version of what you had before. But only wait long enough for all the lacquer to dry. Do not wait days, or dust will settle on the surface and will carry more silicates with it, and you will have to clean the whole thing again.

Now for priming - apply an even coat of primer to seal the surface from any bare metal you might have. Wait a few days for this to dry - a week would be best depending on how much humidity there is. If you don't wait long enough, there will be lifting. Do this to all body panels at the same time. Keep the car as protected as possible from the elements during this period. You might have to clean the surface again with cheesecloth before painting.

Now you're ready to paint. I would say 15-20 cans. Do this evenly and slowly. It won't look like factory new, but it should be pretty good. If you have done right, the paint should go on smoothly. Again, wait several days in protected environment for it all to harden to the surface of the car.

If you are satisfied, and don't have to do touch-up or paintwork, you are ready to re-attach everything and go. Now also - unless you go with a color very much like the original, the door jambs, and under trunk and hood will not be painted the new color. That is a dead giveaway of a cheap re-paint. Also, you will lose your striping, which can be re-applied with a special kit.

A 92 Brougham without a vinyl roof will look odd. You will have to strip the roof and sand the adhesive off the entire surface and prep for the painting. You will also have to get new molding strips to replace the rear window on the back doors. These are designed to match the carriage roof.

Keep your face masked at all times and don't let ANTHING touch the paint when it is wet. Good luck. I'd take it to a P&B shop, but that is me. I have experience with this stuff.

thanks for the intructions......and dont get me wrong ...if i ever decide to paint a carmyself...ill do it just like u said but id never paint my 92 brougham myself! i love the car and am looking to get it done right...im taking to one of my frends frends body shop...if i buy the paint myself for a cheaper price than wat they can get....ill save that much more money along with the low price they will charge me...they paint good....and i wasnt gonna take off the canvas top roof on my car and leave it bare...i just wanted to change the canvas(cloth) type roof to a full smooth vinyl roof...how much would changing it cost?

"If you paint your car like this at home, it will probably turn out looking like a home paint job. You don't have access to quality factory paints and primers, painting booths, and other essentials to do a really good job."

Bah! With my 3 hour taping job and 2 week spray can regiment my car looks better than Maaco! :tongue2:

It shouldn't cost more than $500 for the new replacement top. And match the body color as best you can. I would recommend getting factory paints from Cadillac or a body shop that uses such paints, or goes direct from the paint manufacturers that also service General Motors. And if they put on a pin-stripe that matches your interior color, the car will be show-quality!

500 is not bad at all....but its not technacally a replacement top...its actualy converting it from the "false convertible"/canvas top to the very common vinyl top without those ribs on the roof like the false convertible. The people i will have paint my car is really good...they will charge me like around 700 or so for the entire job....they sand down all the rust and do great prep work and make sure everything is prepped first....wat if i get a black that is not the exact black i had already? is it bad? my pinstripe in gray and my lower body molding is gray...but my interior is black....im assuming my pinstrip should be gray as well...i want to make my paint a little more of a metalic color also. so around how many quarts or gallons would i need to get the car painted fully?

Sounds good. All the Broughams of 1990-1992 left the factory with a vinyl top, unless someone ordered a canvas roof separately. I also prefer the vinyl roof, and if taken care of, it seems to last longer.

I honestly have never seen a paint and body shop that makes you buy the paint separately. That is usually included in the package, especially if they do all the prep work as you describe. It would be like buying a new car and the dealer telling you that you have to go and buy your own engine in order to drive it home. I just don't get it. Most paint and body shops don't use paints from retail auto shops and such that is really more touch-up than good quality body paint. I would say 15-20 cans, larger cans that is, but it is hard to say. What does the painter recommend? Also depends if he is going to prime it.

It is up to you as to what color you want. The best paint jobs seem to match as closely as possible what is inside the door jambs and under the trunk lid, etc. If a P&B shop wishes to match the original color, they usually match according to these "protected" areas. The better the match, the more "original" it seems. I think most of the originals that were black had a red pinstripe, but I could be wrong. Some had grey lower panels and some had black.

The shop im going to doesnt make me buy the paint seperately.....i just figured if i cud find body paint for cheaper than what they offer....i could save that much more money.

the ones with black lowers had tan interiors...the ones with black interior had gray interior....

The shop im going to doesnt make me buy the paint seperately.....i just figured if i cud find body paint for cheaper than what they offer....i could save that much more money.

the ones with black lowers had tan interiors...the ones with black interior had gray interior....

Let them get the paint. They'll know how much they need and what they like to use. If you want it to be the original colour they'll get the paint code off the sticker on the trunklid.

I've never seen a black Brougham with a tan interior. But I did look at a black one that had black door bottoms and a grey interior. I think the door bottom colour depended on how the person ordered the car.

uve never seen the black on tan? theres like 2 of those in my town....but ive never seen gray guts on a black exterior and black moldings...must look hot! i wish my caddy had the astro roof! i might also eventually get that done but instead of putting it in the front...im gonna put it in the back for the rear passengers to use ;-) how much would that run?

I would not recommend cutting the top of an original. If it was an astroroof and it was over the rear seat, where would it slide? Forward I guess, but that would really reduce your current headroom. Or would it just pop up and look silly? If you put in a standard astroroof, you would have to cut into the roof, which would mean a new vinyl top, headliner, wiring, supports, seals, motor, etc. I couldn't pin down a cost, maybe someone else could, but I would say more expense than it is worth.

You are planning some major work here with painting, astroroof, new top, etc. These cars are at very reasonable prices right now. You might figure the cost of all of this work and compare it with the cost to buy another Fleetwood Brougham that already has the features you are after, and sell your current car. Also estimate the cost of all of the work you put into the car and decide if you will ever get that much out of the car if you sell it someday. Just a thought - I have thrown too much money at some of the cars I had in the past.

You can get aftermarket sunroofs that open up outside of the car and you can get ones that also slide into the roof like the factory ones do. If you really want to get one start looking up places in the phone book or ask glass shops or the dealer if they know who can put one in. I don't think they have to replace the vinyl roof to put one in but even if they did you said you have the cloth roof that you want to change anyway. Whoever puts it in will have to deal with the wiring and the headliner and all that other stuff.

I wouldn't get one myself. I don't like them enough to want to put one in and I don't know how often they mess up the headliner but when a friend of mine got one put in it looked terrible after. I always bug him that he wrecked the car doing it.

Holy smokes. Looks like you are trying to do some serious mods in a cheap fashon. If you are not loaded with dough, i wouldn't do any of that stuff. I good paint job should cost more than $700....i got quoted that once for a scuff and squirt on a POS toyota truck i had. If you want an astro roof ( by the way i had one on my old '87 Brougham and it kicked ass....i miss it) just buy another car. You'll save money and it will be a perfect factory GM job. There's my opinion, i realize you can do whatever you want though.

Thanks guys...these are just plans i have for the summer. right now im working for the dough but i should be able to def take care of the paint job in the summer the sun roof thing might be next years project....However...the paint is act5ually a proffesional job done by guys i kno with over 20 years of experience. Im gettin it done for arouun 700+/- because i kno the guys very well and itll be a "on the side" job they are gonna do for me. they are hokin me up thats y its cheap, not because its a backyard paint job with spray paint.

for the sunroof, i want to get a astro roof setup from a brougham which had the option and take it out of that one then transplant it onto my roof. but instead of puting it in the front for the driver and passenger...ill put the sunroof in reverse and put it in the back so that it opens into the roof and slides towards the front. i know it wont be cheap but i plan on keeping my car forever cuz i consider myself the youngest cadillac (mainly broughams) fanatic here....im only 17 and have a 92. i used to have a 87 wen i was 16 but some POS stole it one night so while other kids are driving ricers and other stupid hondas and crap im driving in a classy luxury car!

:-D and it feels good!

I am glad to hear young people liking Cadillacs, especially the older cars. I myself have liked Cadillacs all of my life. But sometimes, I see young people around here take what was a nice Cadillac, put on some horrible neon paint-job, some low-rider wheels, and call it a cruiser. I know that people can express themselves however they want and modify their cars to their own liking, but I can't help but mourn the destruction of a once-great luxury car. The older Cadillacs have a nice style in and of themselves, and don't need tacky modification.

In your case, I can understand wanting to do so much work to your car to make it "yours." A good paint job and vinyl roof can be a great addition, and will add to the car's value and pride of ownership.

But I can't understand why you would spend so much money to cut into a roof and put in a backwards-sliding sunroof. If you are unhappy with the result, you will not be able to reverse the operation and go back to hardtop. Even if you try to hide it under a vinyl top, the roof will be altered for good. And I can't see how this would in any way increase the value of the car. I think the idea of another Cadillac with the sunroof is not bad, if you feel you must have a sunroof. I once had a car with a sunroof and felt really excited to get it, but then over the years found I never opened it, except to occasionally fix the seals. Well, these are my ramblings, it is up to you now. Good luck with your project.

thats cool believe me, I love cadillacs and always will. I actually made a promise that i would own nothing but cadillacs for the rest of my life...no joke!

The reason i want to put a sunroof in the back is because if you think about it, why dont they come stock with sunroofs in the back...the brougham is actually one of those luxury cars ud rather be driven in...so who ever im driving inmy back, i want them to feel comfy and have everything in reach like a nice big sunroof. It actually IMO is a pretty good idea but like u said, i truely am worried about cutting into my roof because if something goes wrong, u cant reverse the opperation. but this is not something im dieing to have, just something id like to consider thinking of doing.

so you guys dont think having a rear sunroof is a good idea at all? even if it was factory installed?

Have you ever considered a Fleetwood 75? Cadillac used to build these on the Fleetwood Brougham platform and were a sort of limousine or executive car. It was longer than a regular Fleetwood, and had two jump seats behind the driver, along with a bench seat in the back. The seats were a rich Medici velour in black or dark blue. Of course, there was loads of legroom back there much like a limousine. Not to mention panel controls for all sorts of things near the back seat (just as in a limousine).

These cars are very luxurious, and are great for making people feel comfortable while driving them around in the back seat. I think some of these cars actually came with a sunroof for the back seat passengers as an option. I remember these cars quite well, and they can be found for sale from time to time. Sometimes they have been owned by a funeral home and can be had for not too much cash. Just something to consider.

pplease be lieve me wen i say this.....i plan on buying the finest of cadillacs: broughams, eldorados, devilles, coupes and im not talking bout the newest either i love the old caddys! i dont mind the new ones but i really love the old ones cuz they are true luxury! classy with a statment especially when you a young gun like me rolling in a older caddy....im rolling in a 92 trpl black brougham and used to roll in a 87 black on red leather brougham till it got stolen...im gonna do more research on the 75...if i find one and have enough$ saved ill buy it if i find one i like and just store it till i get time and money to revive it bace to its original condition.