RE: painting ... long

["Jeff Greenfield" <alfaguy@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Graham -

There is no easy answer here. I'll try to answer some of your questions, but
they may only raise a whole bunch more.

First, what do I look for in a body shop?

Before deciding on a shop, or looking for a shop, you need to decide what
kind of a paint job that you want. Is this going to be a show car that
requires an absolutely straight and ripple free body and flawless paint?
Something that you just want to look nice or something in between?

In finding evaluating & shops, it is absolutely essential to look at some
finished work by the shop(s) that you are considering. Is the body straight
(any ripples)? Is the paint finish uniform? Any dirt, runs, sags, fisheyes,
etc in it? Is there overspray where there should not be any (any is too
much)? Any tape lines anywhere (again, there should not be any in a 'good'
paint job)?

Again all of these factors go back to what you want and what you are willing
to accept.

Go to some local cruise nights if you can. Look at the paint on some of the
amurican muscle cars and hot rods, talk to the owners about who and where
they were painted and how much the job cost. It does not matter to a body
shop if they are painting a Ford Falcon, GTO (Ferrari or Pontiac), or an
Alfa ... it's all pretty much the same to them.

Second, what should I do to make this an easy process?

Again, decide what you will be happy with before you start, so you will not
be disappointed. Also, expect it to take at least 2 - 3 times (or more)
longer than the shop says it will. If they tell you two weeks, plan on at
least 6.

If you have any modicum of mechanical ability, remove all the trim, bumpers,
lights, etc from the car yourself. Body shops are good at what they do,
paint & body work, but I have yet to find one that is good at disassembly
and reassembly.

Anything that is left on the car will be either 1) painted, 2) masked off
leaving a tape line (I hate tape lines, they are a dead give away that a car
has been painted) 3) removed and not properly replaced, 4) removed and lost,
5) removed and damaged in the process. I hate to make broad generalizations,
and I'm sure somewhere there is a body shop that is good at this, but I have
yet to find one.

Third, any gotchas I should watch out for?

Besides all the stuff that I already mentioned, remember estimates are
exactly that, an estimate. Many times there are things found that require
additional attention such as hidden rust, prior damage that was not repaired
properly and the like. Body work is a bit like archaeology, you can learn a
lot about the history of a car through the process. Most reputable shops,
will keep you apprised of what is going on during the process and will photo
document the job as it progresses.

Also, be sure to define exactly what will be done for the price quoted, for
example do you want the door jambs painted and is this included in the
price?

Another thing to be aware of, a lot of the lower body cladding (and other
bits) are held on with plastic clips, these will in likelihood break on
removal, so you may want to source some of this stuff ahead of time. I
usually try to make a list as I remove stuff, so it will all be on hand when
I start the reassembly.

Fourth, what should I expect to pay for a good job?

Generally you get what you pay for. Also, prices seem to vary across the
country. You can get a car painted for $199.00 or 14,999.00 (or more!) so it
is important to know what you want.

It comes down to what you are willing to spend and what is worth to you and
then trying to find a shop that will do something that you will be happy
with for that price. I'm not going to mention any prices here, as someone
will say you're nuts there is no way you can get a car painted for that, or
more likely, that is way too much I had my car done for this ...

HTH,

Jeff - I'm not a body and paint man, nor do I play one on TV ... but I have
painted a few cars, and sent a lot more out to be done over the years. I
have a '79 spider that is out being done right now, if anyone wants to see
in-progress photos drop me a note off-digest and I'll send some along, or if
there is enough interest I could put them up on the web.


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-alfa@domain.elided [mailto:owner-alfa@domain.elided] On Behalf Of
Spencer, Graham
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2003 9:04 AM
To: 'alfa@domain.elided'
Subject: painting

So it's now time to get the GTV6 painted. I have a few questions for those
of you that have been through this before, and those of you perhaps do your
own body work. First, what do I look for in a body shop? Second, what should
I do to make this an easy process? Third, any gotchas I should watch out
for? Fourth, what should I expect to pay for a good job? And last, if anyone
knows of a good shop in Tampa Bay, drop me a line. Oh, I know these are
subjective/broad questions, but I really don't know enough to ask specifics.

As always TIA!
Graham
85 GTV6
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