For anyone in the Dallas/FW area. I am looking repaint my 108. I could use a few recommendations. I am looking strip everything off and do a total reconditioning.
Thanks

Are you sure about boning the car down to bare metal? Strikes me you're talkin about stripping a dozen coats baked-on protective lacquer nearly 1/8" thick and then applying what for paint?

DIY, I'd recommend pulling and taping off chrome fiddly bits and bumpers. Use gentle adhesive painters tape. And hand sand existing paint with varying grades from 180-250# An easy job kinda like waxing. Then wash off dust with acetone and rags. And shoot it with primer spray cans. Sandable or body filler primer depending on what you're dealing with. Excellent primers at auto parts stores today. Then you can lightly sand it again with fine stuff like 220-250# and look it over to bondo door dings, etc.

Finally at the end of all this prep work, scout somebody to professionally spray the finish coat. Probly ask for duPont 2 part lacquer, enamel, the best paint you can find or whatever the spray guy recommends. Am planning to do the same thing with my motorcycle soon.

That 280SEL is one helluva car you're workin with, none better.

I agree with Dog about most of his advice, but many Painters I know are resistant to the idea of spraying the topcoat over an unkown (to them) primer base.

Preparation is everything in a paint job, and if the prep is not done correctly, the final coat can be significantly affected.

Nothing at all bad about the trim removal, and intial scuff up, but talk to your painter of choice and make sure youre both on the same page before doing (too) much of the work.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

First things first,

1. Is your car a flat colour or metallic?
2. What colour is it?
3. Are you looking to change the colour?
4. Is there any rust?
5. Is there any dings?
6. Are you planning on removing the chrome, glass etc?

If you have a light, solid colour and are not planning a colour change, you can find paint shops that will do it as a reasonable cost as all they have to do is paint over a good straight surface with very little prep work.

If bodywork is required and your getting them to do the stripping. Or if you want a colour change, then it could get really expensive as time is money and doing bodywork takes a lot of time.

I'm in DFW (and own a W108). If you could answer the above questions then I may be able to give you a better answer.

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With best regards

Al

It looks to me to be a flat color but it was about twenty years ago(not very good job). I don't trust it.
Silver is the color and I want to stay with it. It does not have to be factory original but I want to improve the quality and color.
The only rust was in one side of the trunk wheel well, which I fixed. There were also couple of very small spots of rust which I also scraped and painted with a paint pen(three places).
There are only two dings which are on the left fender and the hood has a slight bend.
I have to replace all of the rubber seals because of the poor second paint job which left over spray on every piece of rubber. Also there are two leaks in the front windshield seals. I want to replace the headliner and I was told that the rear window needs to be removed to to this.
I believe that if I remove all of the chrome(some needs to be repaired or replaced), bumpers and glass I will get a superior paint job. I was thinking of removing the chrome myself to save a little money.
I would like to get a least three quotes.
Am I missing anything?
Twin Oak Chef

Check out the Maaco on Harry Hines BLVD. You should see some of their cars outside. They recently done a W114 coupe and it looked really good.

They use Sherwin Williams Dimension paint which I have used before when painting my cars and it's good paint. A Base coat / clear coat paint job runs for about $900 there.

I've been to other Maaco's and have not been impressed. These guys however seem to know what they are doing.

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With best regards

Al