--- Mark McDonald <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> It's already turning out to be an adventure.
Yep. I've discoved that in recent years, trying to
get even the simplest bit of work done on one of my
Imperials invariably turns into an adventure. Having
a car repainted is DEFINITELY a challenging task.
More comments below . . .
> For example, the 3rd fellow I called said: "Our
> average restoration runs
> $15,000 to $50,000." I wasn't sure if I had
Frankly, I don't know of any Imperials that are worth
$50K. The only exception would be some of the
1931-1933 models. But for the average, run of the
mill '55 to '75 or '81-'83 Imperial, even $15K is the
high end of the price range. Convertibles in
excellent condition can bring $20K plus, but they're
fairly rare. Anyway, my point here is that putting
$15K into a "paint" job for a car that is worth at
most $5K to $7K is counterintuitive.
> 1. Chryslers are more prone to rust than other
> vehicles.
Bull. This myth has been around since the '50s, and
it just ain't so. I've seen way to many GM and Ford
products with holes in the floors to ever believe that
Mopars are somehow more prone to rust.
> 2. If I have rust underneath the car, the car is
> unsafe
Even more bull. A unitized Imperial has some pretty
strong steel rails holding it together. By the time
these things rust through, the body would have already
turned to dust.
> 3. Basecoat/clearcoat is the only way to go because
> A) it lasts longer,
> B) it's easier to maintain, and C) it's cheaper.
Actually, the correct answer to this one is D) it's
easier for the body shop to do shoddy work and make it
look decent. Basecoat/clearcoat is more forgiving.
However, it doesn't look right on Imperials. Kerry
and I painted my '71 Imperial in the original midnight
blue metallic acrylic enamel. Using acrylic enamel,
especially in a metallic, demanded a good bit more
detail and finish work, but the paint looks right.
Basecoat/clearcoat makes an older car look too
plasticky (not a real word, but the best way I can
describe it). I'll guarantee you that a good paintjob
in acrylic enamel, especially with a urethane
hardener, will outlast a basecoat/clearcoat job any
day. After all, look how many older Imperials still
wear decent to great looking original paint, while
there are lots of '80s and '90s cars with big chunks
o' clearcoat missing.
> 4. No one will warranty their paintwork if it goes
> on over someone else's paint.
The particular guy you talked to might have this
policy, but I doubt that every shop around does.
> 5. The minimum amount of time I'm looking at is six
> months to a year to do my car.
Kerry and I painted my '71 in six days. Working on
the car was pretty much ALL we did for those six days,
but we did it. This included removing all trim,
replacing/patching some serious rust areas, taking
some areas down to bare metal, priming the car with
two coats of epoxy primer, painting with three coats
of acrylic enamel with urethane hardener, and then
putting it all back together. Six days.
I wouldn't recommend that anyone make a habit out of
this. LOL! Kerry and I worked our tails off. And
the car is not a 100 point show car (not what I would
ever want anyway). But it DOES look damn good from
five feet away. In fact, it looks pretty damn good
from a foot away. So six months to a year sounds a
bit long to me.
I do have one positive suggestion, and this applies to
anyone looking for a good shop to do work on their
car. Find a local car club and get to know some of
the members. Local car club folks may not know what
an Imperial is, and they may not care -- but they WILL
know which shops in town do good work. They will also
know where the old guys are who work out of their
homes and garages, who typically do really GOOD work.
A local hotrod club, or even a Ford or GM group, can
sure point you in the right direction for some good
work. Think about how much some of these folks like
to show off their good paint jobs -- I bet they know
who does good paint work!
Best luck!
Elijah
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