Just had her painted-thought I would share

[hos280]

1977 280E

was metallic light blue - now is metallic silver!

Paint shop -Maaco - (be careful here, I spent sveral trips and got to know the shooters on a first name basis before letting them do it-prepped and sanded the car myself. Basically if you use maaco, pick a good one and do the prep work yourself)

Price $325 (with 1/2 price coupon for Supreme service on polyurethane paint, this paint is a one stage, but a clear finish settles on top giving a clear coat look, but it is not as good as a two stage clear coat system)

WHY?- the top, hood and trunk were completely discolored. apparantly light metallic blue is a difficult paint to mix, (similar to those grey t-shirts that are never all cotton). the paint fades easily. You can see the top on the rear before shot in the snow.

Pictures using webshots.com (thanks for the info on pics)

http://community.webshots.com/album/306128096BYCTLw

[WANT '71 280SEL]

Do you know where I could get some coupons? I want to have my car painted this summer at MAACO. What did you do to strip it? (sand? chemicals?)

Thanks
David

[WANT '71 280SEL]

one more question, was there any surface rustt, etc. that you took care of before the paint? If so, waht did you do?

Thanks
David

[hos280]

I used a vibrating sander to remove any rust, luckily there was not too must, but try and find every small spot. I did bondo where there were small dings and dents, following all the rules of bonding. I primed the rust cleaned spots immediaetly after removing rust. I sanded the primer after as well. I sanded the car with 420 grit, then 1000 grit and finished with 1500. I didn't worry about the sections that had real smooth paint, just hit it lightly with the 1500 grit. Once I had sanded, I wiped it down with acetone. I wouldn;t use any type of cleaner, becasue they can leave residues. a real clean solvent will help clean the surface and evaoprate any residues, isopropanol will work too.

I removed every piece of rubber and molding I could. bumpers included. I sprayed the jambs with some paint Maaco gave me ahead of time. Of course you will need a spray gun, air compressor or pay Maaco 50$ per jamb to do it.

To get a coupon I did a search within 1-2 hrs near my home of maaco franchises. there were about 6 within 2 hrs. 2 had specials, where you could print a half price coupon for the supreme service. these are limited deals, but resurface about every other month. you could call around and see if they plan on it.


Another thing, go see the place first. it should be fenced in, the guys should be straight forward. talk to them, get to know them, ask to see some of their supreme work. The supreme uses a polyurethane paint, which is much more durable than enamel. it works well with metallics, almost looks like a clear coat. if you get a strange feeling from the place or the people, then just leave. go to another one until you can tell the guys have good work ethics.

They will ask if you want to have the roof and trunk stripped to the metal, I opted for no, and sanded them myself until it was very smooth. that is up to you.

so it can be done at Maaco with good results, but it does take some prep time and some getting to know them.

good luck.

[j9fd3s]

that looks great!

[DieselBone]

Originally Posted by hos280

I used a vibrating sander to remove any rust, luckily there was not too must, but try and find every small spot. I did bondo where there were small dings and dents, following all the rules of bonding. I primed the rust cleaned spots immediaetly after removing rust. I sanded the primer after as well. I sanded the car with 420 grit, then 1000 grit and finished with 1500. I didn't worry about the sections that had real smooth paint, just hit it lightly with the 1500 grit. Once I had sanded, I wiped it down with acetone. I wouldn;t use any type of cleaner, becasue they can leave residues. a real clean solvent will help clean the surface and evaoprate any residues, isopropanol will work too.

I removed every piece of rubber and molding I could. bumpers included. I sprayed the jambs with some paint Maaco gave me ahead of time. Of course you will need a spray gun, air compressor or pay Maaco 50$ per jamb to do it.

To get a coupon I did a search within 1-2 hrs near my home of maaco franchises. there were about 6 within 2 hrs. 2 had specials, where you could print a half price coupon for the supreme service. these are limited deals, but resurface about every other month. you could call around and see if they plan on it.


Another thing, go see the place first. it should be fenced in, the guys should be straight forward. talk to them, get to know them, ask to see some of their supreme work. The supreme uses a polyurethane paint, which is much more durable than enamel. it works well with metallics, almost looks like a clear coat. if you get a strange feeling from the place or the people, then just leave. go to another one until you can tell the guys have good work ethics.

They will ask if you want to have the roof and trunk stripped to the metal, I opted for no, and sanded them myself until it was very smooth. that is up to you.

so it can be done at Maaco with good results, but it does take some prep time and some getting to know them.

good luck.

That is some GREAT advice!!!! Thanks so much for sharing that with us. I always hear people bad mouthing maaco, but maybe now I might trust them. I do like to paint myself though, it is fun, but takes time, not to mention a cool head.

BTW, the car looks great, I love that color!

[hos280]

Bruce gave me very similar advice before proceeding. His car came out similar and gave me enough confidence to give Maaco a shot.

It is all in the prep work as with any paint job.

If you need help learning how to remove bumpers and rubber just email me. It is quit easy. I did not remove those chrome interfaces between the roof and the rear quarter panel, maaco taped it and did a really good job. I could n't get those off with out breaking them. I left the window molding on too for the same reason, they are easy to tape and came out nice.

I have checked the car carefully and there are no fish eyes. I think this is due to having a surface that is contamination free (no oils) and the polyurethane metallic paint, which I think is less susceptable to surfactant disturbances.


are there any mistakes...of course, but they are small in number (2) and hidden in spots you don't look.

[Tomguy]

That's pretty damn nice for the price - And the silver looks pretty damn close to stock 180 Silver. That's nice to know!