[kobeck]

I was considering doing a Maaco paint job. Actually I went to Maaco to get a quote on some minor body work, there is a tiny spot of rust on one of the front quarter panels, a couple a small dents/creases. The drivers mirror neds replacing(i have the new part) and the rear bumper fillers need to be installed and painted(i have the parts) so I figured maybe $800.00 max in body work, the guy at Maaco tells me the paint on my car is "dead" and that he would never be able to blend the repaired spots to match etc etc.....So he has me spending like $2500.00 to paint the car and do the body work. But the more I look at this car the more I like the original paint thats on there. Yea its a bit worn in a few spots, but overall its very good. This car was from the original owner, a 90 year man, she has 62k miles and was garage kept since new. Ibet with some compounding and simonizing she will shine. She runs excellent , Please take a look at the pictures and tell me what you would do if it were your car.

 

[caddieboy]

Gorgeous car!!! I don't believe I've seen one quite like it. Details!

As for what to do, see if you can find a second opinion or someone who could do the small areas.

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hello!

It's a neat car! It looks like it does not have a vinyl top? If so, that is pretty unique in my opinion! As for painting the car, $2500 sounds like a ton to put into a car since the value of the paint job may equal the whole value of the car. I would paint it if the whole car were nice enough and if I liked it well enough to keep it and not worry that I poured a whole ton of $$$ into it. I have a 1981 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe that has decent paint yet it could be better. I'm tempted to paint it but realize that once you start dumping money into a car that it is hard to stop because the nice paint will bring to light some other problem on the car that is not as nice as the shiny new paint. By the time you finish a project of fixing up an old car you may as well have found a nice original that is all around nice and just drive and enjoy! You're on the teeter-totter. Let us know what happens!

Dave

 

[kobeck]

yes there is no vinyl top, its the original metal. You are right, the car is prob worth about $2500 so it does not pay to paint her, besides I am not sure it really needs a paint job. I dont know exactly why, but I love this big boat!

 

[BluEyes]

I would leave the paint alone for the time being. Looks great in the pics.
Do something about that rust though. That low down on the fender, slightly mismatched paint won't be as noticed, so I'd go to a paint store or auto parts store and get the closest match or get a custom-matched spraycan.

 

[Bro-Ham]

If you're looking for paint that matches that is inexpensive I have used this company and the product is great:

www.paintscratch.com

That may be a way to trim some of the cost.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[kobeck]

If you're looking for paint that matches that is inexpensive I have used this company and the product is great:
www.paintscratch.com
That may be a way to trim some of the cost.
Good luck!
Dave

Wow Dave thanks! It looks like a good site, I will at least order the paint so these guys who do the repair will have the proper color, lthough I m sure it will be a perfect match on 30 year old paint. I wonder how many cans I need? 2 small lowr 1/4 panels and the rear bumper fillers

 

[Bro-Ham]

You may want to e-mail them and ask how much you would need. I just ordered touch-up paint recently for two of my cars and it matched one car exactly perfect and I have not used the paint on the other. By the way, most body shops can match your color exactly if they have state of the art equipment. Good luck! Dave

 

[Frost]

You know, it is amazing what a bit of compound and a bit of genuine wax can do when combined with a liberal dose of elbow grease - I've seen "dead" paint jump back to life after one of those sessions,,,,,,,just my opinion, but that is what I'd do for the majority of the surface and save your $$$$ for the smaller, bodywork-type stuff.

You might also save a bundle by having them paint the car with acrylic enamel instead of base/clear - better, tougher paint IMHO!

 

[90Brougham350]

Paintscratch is great, the only problem is the gold/tan/champaign colors. I tried to paint a few spots on my doors just above the body molding. It looks like shit now, the color is off, because I couldn't get the exact angle they sprayed it with. I guess tan colors have a real hard time with the metal flake.

 

[Bro-Ham]

Hi,

A friend who owns a body shop confirms the same observation: gold/tan/beige colors are tough to match exactly. I have a gold '81 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe and the color was hard to match from the original specs although a good body person should be able to experiment and make it work. FYI, the #54 Colonial Yellow on my '79 Sedan deVille was a 100% perfect match to my eye from Paintscratch.com! I ordered a red color for my other non-Cad car and it was not as close. Who knows?!

Dave

 

[JAKE91]

Let Iit Be

YOU NEVER GET MONEY BACK OUT OF A CAR.(UNLESS IT'S A COLLECTABLE THAT WAS RESTORED MINT:crybaby:

IF IT WAS ME, NO WAY I'M SPENDING 25 C NOTES FOR BODY AND PAINT WORK. IT LOOKS FINE AS IS. VERY FINE IF I MIGHT ADD.
K, THE ONLY THING I WOULD DO IS RE-UPHOLSTER THE FRONT SEAT.

62 K MILES. THAT LEAD SLED HAS A LONG LIFE AHEAD.:yup:

 

[kobeck]

Re: Let Iit Be

YOU NEVER GET MONEY BACK OUT OF A CAR.(UNLESS IT'S A COLLECTABLE THAT WAS RESTORED MINT:crybaby:

IF IT WAS ME, NO WAY I'M SPENDING 25 C NOTES FOR BODY AND PAINT WORK. IT LOOKS FINE AS IS. VERY FINE IF I MIGHT ADD.
K, THE ONLY THING I WOULD DO IS RE-UPHOLSTER THE FRONT SEAT.

62 K MILES. THAT LEAD SLED HAS A LONG LIFE AHEAD.:yup:

YEs I agree with you guys. I always tend to go overboard on these things and then wind up taking a loss. I really am glad I did not let Maaco talk me into painting the car. She really is in near perfect shape already. I am just going to fix the 2 rust spots, put in the new rear bumper fillers, and have the skirts repaird so that they will stay on. Maybe I can get away with $500.00
I will post pics when I am done. Do yo ureally think the front seat needs new uphosltery? It feels very firm

 

[JAKE91]

YOU ARE RIGHT. I DID NOT LOOK CLOSE ENOUGH.:duck: THE SEATS LOOK FINE.

USE ANY DOUGH FOR THE MECHANICAL STUFF AND THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED. GOOD LUCK, DUDE. POST PICS(I PUT YOUR #2 PIC IN MY ROTATING SCREENSAVER) WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE JOB.:cool2:

 

[davesdeville]

Doesn't look too bad as it is. I'd ask some local car guys for reccomendations of local non-chain paint shops when/if you do decide to paint it...