Paint Question

[rmmagow]

83 300D Ugly gold

Actually I like the color, but it's a mess. Wet sanded a portion of the hood w/600 sandpaper thinking I might be able to find some good paint. Went all the way to primer (which looks pretty good) but the paint is shot. My hood, roof, trunk are pretty bad (FL car), scratched looking and shabby. Can I use a power type device to continue removing the paint from the damaged sections? Should I? My plan is to clean up the body as best I can, remove trim and bumpers grill, headlights, tail lights and bring it to Macco for a Q&D paint squirt. The car's OK, but not if I have to put in a lot of bucks. I was thinking to let Macco (or a local painter/body shop) fix the minor dents etc.
Am I better off just letting them do all the work? Is there a big savings on doing some prep work prior to bringing it in? What's a reasonable expense for a fair to middlin' paint job? I'd like to stay under 500 is possible. I'm not expecting to sell the car anytime too soon but I am doing a lot inside right now and it's starting to look pretty good. I'd like to keep it for the next 5 to 8 years as it runs OK and is CHEAP to insure and fix.
Comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.

[psfred]

Maaco doesn't do body work, they just spray paint.

If you do a very good prep job, the Maaco paint job will turn out well, they don't use junk paint.

You will not get factory color, though, you will have to pick one as close as possible from what they offer.

I would sand down to the primer, but not through, if you are going to prep this yourself. Finish with Scotchbrite to give a very smooth, shiny surface (else you risk "telegraphing" sandpaper marks!).

Wear good plastic gloves the ENTIRE time you are working on the car, and wipe down with wax remover immediately before taking it to be painted. Finger oils will cause horrible problems with newer paints -- big spots of crinkle finish!

Peter

[leathermang]

Never let any sandpaper touch the car without a sanding block behind it.... it can be a hard rubber block... or something like a squeegy with some flex...
There is no way anyone in business can really afford the drying time a good paint job requires.... unless you are talking new metal already perfectly straight.... if you have to apply any primer ( either shooting or by hand ) then you need to give that area a couple of weeks to dry BEFORE sanding... because what happens is any area with more depth of primer swells more than the surrounding area... so if you jump in and sand... then when it gives off its acquired carrier it will be LOW....
I have no idea what " a mess" means.... and that might affect advise given on this....
Wax and Silicone Remover = Klix88

[bill murrow]

I'm in the same boat, but I'm going to get someone other than maaco to do the job. As cheap as they are the paint they're using can't be any good. You think your car looks bad now, give it to maaco to paint, wait a couple years and see what it looks like.

Cheers,

Bill