repaint exterior

[habsfanusa]

I would be grateful for any suggestions and thoughts (and warnings) on repainting the exterior.
My car is a red 1994. It has never been repainted nor accidented (i'm the original owner). The paint is actually in good shape both b/c the car is babied and also b/c Ford apparently took fit-and-finish on the SHO seriously(at least on mine!) back then. Also - the car is stored in the winter.

A new paint job would make my SHO a stunning creation. I'm investing in new carpeting, and the seats and pretty well everything else are in incredibly good condition. (Amazing what compulsive use of reflective sunshades will do in protecting from UV damage.) I have put some money into the car otherwise too this year - so my approach is kinda 'in for a dime, in for a dollar'.
Having said that, I am aware that I might need to win the lottery to repaint this the way I would like to - so if anyone wants to buy my 2007 Ducati Monster... (actually I'm serious).
(I think readers of this Forum know the passion that is driving this.)

Bottom line: I really want to reproduce the original gorgeous clear coat red - really want to make it look new.

Thoughts - as specific (I'm in southeast Michigan) or general as you wish - would be great !
Thank you.

 

[Art5]

Cut quater panels out and throw them out first and rocker panels too!

 

[sperold]

There are a lot of people on this forum that are "detailers" and they will have some advice on how to optimize the finish that you have.
I would not paint a car that is good looking already, as you run the risk of ending up with something worse than what you have.
Perhaps you could simply freshen-up the clear-coat to give it more luster, but you will need advice on that topic.
I would work with what you have, and go the clay-bar route, or take it to a professional detailer that has been in business long enough to have a track record.
Original paint has some cache in this hobby.

 

[mrecoolgar]

You'll be sorry...
I've seen more than one repaint ruin a car.
Be satisfied with what you have.
As sperold said, try a good detail.

 

[zblackbeast]

If there are any swirls etc id say take it to a detailer, see what they say with a 2000+ grit wet sand and quality buff.

It restored my aged, scratched paint quite well. Now I need to do the rest of the car.

 

[jelloslug]

I would definitely go for a good detail and paint correction over a repaint. You will spend no less that $5000 for a paint job that can be considered "OEM quality"

 

[93rev2sev]

...or 5000 hours...

 

[RonPorter]

Back in '96, I had my '89 redone in base+clearcoat, and it was a $3K job (no color change). Flash forward to a coupla months ago. My nephew has the original family-owned '88 Fiero GT. Clearcoat is about dead. He got estimates, which varied all over the map, but the best ones, to do the job RIGHT, were in the $6.0 - $6.5K range. And this is keeping the same color. Add another grand or two if you chnage the color.

If the clearcoat isn't bad, it can be cleared up. Actually, the same stuff I use on my clearcoat cars I also used yesterday on my original '89 non-clearcoat paint to remove the oxidation. It's Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover (mildest compound they have), applied with a random orbital. Here's a coupla pics of the trunk lid (done), and the RR quarter (not done). I had clay-barred it first. If your clearcoat just has swirls and is dull, this could do it.

 

[tommyturbo]

I agree with the others, if the paint is as good as you say, then why not try the detail route first. I've been looking at painting my Shelby Z (needs some minor body work and clear is coming off) and quotes are like $5-8K.

 

[SHO_OFF]

As stated many times already, have a great detail done to it, and possibly a wet sand done. Might run $250-300 for a detail, but definitely a better deal than $6-7k. The other issue with repainting is the cost of products. I am great friends with the guys that repainted my Eclipse 6yrs ago. They said that every 4 months, the cost of products goes up 25%…

 

[habsfanusa]

great advice

great advice - thank you all !

 

[SHOtime2511]

If you are able and willing to do the prep work yourself you can save a good amount off $5-6K number.