Re-Paint vs Value

[WormGod]

Bart, the more you can do for the shop, the better. If you are capable of stripping it down at home and flatbedding it in, it would save you a bit of time and money. I always hated the strip down and rebuild process, that's why we had a few shop helpers/apprentices to do it all. I liked just walking into a spray booth and having a car ready to zap. Lot's a people tend to do this anyways if that have they ability. Just start taking crap off and even feel free to scuff down the paint and fix dents and stuff on your own before you take it in. It's actually pretty fun work and makes for a great project. It will keep cost down, no doubt.

Hard to say what shops to look form. Never dealers and never chains. Go online and check forums for local, recommended shops. I painted before the real "internet" age so we were only ever truly found by word of mouth or the Yellow Pages, heh.

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks, Gary, but what do you think about painting without removing the cladding and glass? Bad idea?

Bart

[MSHardeman]

Bart, I would say that it is a bad idea to just mask the VX and paint it that way only because the masking will create edges that can then chip off. I've never repainted a car myself, and I'm sure a good paint and body shop could do a good job just masking everything off and not creating edges, but if you're going to go through the trouble of repairing and repainting the VX in the first place (and you're going to keep it "forever") then you might as well go all the way and do it right.

[nfpgasmask]

I hear ya, Mark, I'm just worried about removing the cladding and buggering it up. I know there is double stick tape under it all and what not.

Bart

[circmand]

Thanks, Gary, but what do you think about painting without removing the cladding and glass? Bad idea?

Bart

Only if keeping original color. The problem with this method is you leave the original color showing everywhere you cant paint this way. These areas are not highly visible so they do not get damage or fade. So if you stick with OEM color or close the difference is not noticable but if you paint a Proton orange you get a orange vehicle with yellow patches everywhere. This is with good masking and such. With poor masking you get painted molding and other eyesore mistakes. They have methods to adhere the paintnowadays so I wouldnt worry about chipping.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, I'm sticking with factory black so I know "visually" it would probably be ok, but I am more concerned with lines and such.

Bart

[WormGod]

The cladding actually isn't too difficult to remove. Other than the star screws, you only have pretty basic rivets, which you can easily replace with new ones after you drill the originals out. I have had mine off completely before JUST to do a FULL post winter detailing. You'd be surprised at the salt and other gunk that gets in there. The surface under the cladding isn't exactly pleasant and appears as though it would be a sanding/scuffing pain with all of it's contours and ridges.

If you don't take the cladding off, at least pull it away from the body so you can get some overspray to get down in there. That little edge where the cladding meets the body will be a haven for a rough paint edge if you don't.

Windows are a iffy deal. Getting glass out is easy, but back in, a whole different story. At least take a look at the trim and see what you can take off without removing the glass if it's too much. I never actually looked at our windshield design too much so don't know how much of that assembly may be separate, if at all.

[nfpgasmask]

Rivets? Metal rivets or plastic rivets?

Maybe I try removing one piece of the cladding and see wht happens. I've had the front and rear bumpers off, I'm more concerned with the side pieces.

I bet our windows are not too bad. A good glass shop should be able to remove/replace them. But doing that will drive my price up considerably.

Bart