Repainting/bodyshop advice needed!!
 

I realize this might technically fall under the Detailing forum, the exposure and responses are obviously greater here.

In about 3 weeks I will be getting my 126 completely repainted. Can't wait!! However, I am having some difficulty selecting a bodyshop to do it. I don't know what to look for. I am also not sure how picky I should be about what paint they use. I have been to two bodyshops and they both look like nice places. One uses PPG, the other DuPont. Will it matter which paint goes on my car? Should I find a shop that uses OEM Glasurit??

I want nothing short of a first rate paint job. I will absolutely not settle for a we-need-to-get-this-one-out-of-the-way paint job. If anyone has any advice on choosing a bodyshop or which paint to use, it will be greatly appreciated.

Anyone?

Ask any MB/Porsche concours competitors (or MB shop managers) in your area who they'd have do their cars.

The quality of prep is where most of the cost is, and it doesn't matter which paint you use if the shop screws up in prep.

M D Nugent

Is correct- preparation, the work before the painting is 95% of a good paint job. Ask to see their work. Receive in writing exactly what you are going to receive for your money.

Remember, anyone can paint a car. There if is a great difference between what is promised and what is received, you have the wrong shop.

No plastic or fillers only metal. Ask them if they lead? That is what the factory used to use.

BTW, the best results are when you do not change the color of the car.

Keep us posted,

Haasman

bodyshop
 

Haasman can you explain theleading process,thanks

Sure, instead of plastic filler, the old world way is to fill in rough and uneven spots with hot molten lead. Lead is soft and mallable and can be worked easily.

Right after I wrote that I began to wonder if this can even be done anymore? This might simply not be allowed anymore because of the horrible environmental hazards of lead.

Most bodyshops today use plastic fillers to quickly and evenly fill in particular low spots on a car body. If over used, they can pop off. If improperly applied or not covered completely, they are known to absorb moisture and accelerate rusting.

Haasman

I have done quiet a bit of painting ,though I can't match MB factory Quality, high quality base clear is much eaiser to get a pro job than the older style paints at least for me.
ask to look at much of there finished work as you can,find out how long they have been in business.Remember that 126's have alum. hoods and trunks that take a different prep,it's pretty much all in prep. A real super good job using very good paint and little or no body work will cost 25 hundred to 4 thousand or more for near show quality........
William Rogers......

Nobody uses lead anymore. Why? It's exceptionally difficult to do and is a big health hazard. The newer fillers are far better than lead, which had problems with paint sticking to it by the way if not properly cleaned and acid washed first (the process involves lots of beeswax on the wooden paddles used to push around the soft lead). Polyester fillers do not absorb water and do not shrink after curing which was one of the reasons plastic fillers got a bad rep years ago. Sanding scratches would show up days later under the fresh paint. The proper use of modern fillers is easy. Get rid of the rust. Acid wash the metal to leave a phosphate coating. Prime with epoxy primer. THEN apply the filler in thin coats and do not try to do more than fill small imperfections with it (metal working skills required) and sand. Prime again with a high build poyester primer. Sand. Apply a sealer. Paint. Seal new metal and welding from behind.
Quick-buck artists tend to skip several of the above steps, particularly the very first one. They will use filler over rusted sections rather than replacing metal. I had one of my cars done years ago and within a year the rust came back in exactly the same places. I took the car back and made them do those spots over. I was impressed when it only took them a day to do. Years later I replaced those panels completely and decided to grind down to see their work. Guess what? No new metal. They had just dented the rust and troweled on the filler. I have done all the prep on several of my own cars over the years since and never had rust return in the spots I worked on. It isn't difficult to do right, just very time-consuming and expensive. The last car I did completely cost me over $1000.00 just for the products I applied.
I agree fully with the people who suggest looking at the previous work of a shop. Talk to people who have had a variety of work done, not just insurance work. It's a rare shop that does rust work at all these days, as it just doesn't pay the bills. Friends of mine who specialized in restoration work just went out of business because nobody was willing to pay what proper rust prep and paint prep costs in time to do. $4000.00 if no rust work is involved isn't high at all for a good job. Best of luck.

A take no prisioners, first rate job should cost in the neighborhood of 8 to 10 grand,,, if it doesn't need any body work. I believe you said show quality and our shop wouldn't do it for any less. There is a LOT involved to get the results you desire. That car must be disassembled completely just like it was when the factory painted it. If any mouldings or clips or winshield are brittle and break in the process,,, you bought them also. :)