I finally came across a 69 chevelle that I want to purchase. The previous owner had the car for 10 years, chipping away at it. It has had all new body panels installed on it, along with rust free doors. The car is currently in primer with all trim removed, "ready for paint".

Paint shop says $1500 for a BC/CC paint job, taking into consideration that the car has been primed and little prep work is required.

What questions should I be asking the paint shop so that I am not disappointed with the result? I dont know what kind of primer was used, will the shop be able to tell? Should the primer be stripped off and something else used? I am willing to pay more $$ now to get it done right, but I dont feel like I know what needs to be done.

aNY Paint primer recommendations? Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

The way I see it do you KNOW what is really under that primer?? Primer can hide alot of body sins. If the car was ready for paint why didnt the owner go ahead and finish the car if its ready for paint??
You really KNOW that rust free doors were installed or all new panels, or were they just bondo'd over to cover the rust?

If you are willing to spend more now and have it right, then I highly suggest you strip it to see whats over that primer.
Maybe not the news you wanted to hear, but if I was going to dump off a POS the way I would do it is prime it and say it ready for paint!!

Have a talk with your shop(s) see what they think, most will say if you what it right start from metal...Eric

P.S the primer choice should depend on the final paint product applied. If the shop is spraying standox then use standox primer, or Dupont primer, basically use the same product line from start to finish.

I'd go over the body THOUROUGHLY! Check everything, inside and out. True about possible hiding bondo areas and flaws that could bleed through your paint. It's not hard to get paranoid here, trust me I know graemlins/hurray.gif maybe pick an area that looks ify and sand it down and see whats under it? A little spot couldnt hurt, then just spray it back if all is good. Lots of people sell cars that are "ready for paint" some not really ready, and some people just out of money or time, or new projects. Where is the car from?

Originally posted by pnutkemist:
I'd go over the body THOUROUGHLY! Check everything, inside and out. True about possible hiding bondo areas and flaws that could bleed through your paint. It's not hard to get paranoid here, trust me I know graemlins/hurray.gif maybe pick an area that looks ify and sand it down and see whats under it? A little spot couldnt hurt, then just spray it back if all is good. Lots of people sell cars that are "ready for paint" some not really ready, and some people just out of money or time, or new projects. Where is the car from?

Thanks for the replies and suggestions..I was kinda paranoid already, now I really am! The car was built in Baltimore, currently in northern virginia. The owner planned on finishing the car, but is sick and has to sell. All the mechanical work that has been done looks great, the car runs great and drives great, the interior is all new..everything appears to have been done by someone who cares, so that is what is making me want to go through with it. From what I was told the doors came from a donor car in california.

pictures speak a thousand words, most people take photos of the project while working on it, maybe ask for some photos. Ask what kind of primer was used, if it's laquer primer I'd definately recomend striping the car. Look inside the panels for evidence of patchwork. Are the jambs painted? What kind of paint?

well i got a bit more info, although I am still waiting for more. Not sure what primer was used, but it was done by a body shop, not by the previous owner in his garage, which made me feel a bit better. Took a better look with magnets at every conceivable "bondo" point..and found nothing but metal. The body shop i want to use to paint the car will be using enamel I believe, whatever goes with the paint selection (manufacturer, probably PPG)

How long has it been sitting in primer? Has it been indoors or outdoors all this time? You have to be careful because moisture will go right through that primer because you don't have any paint or sealer on it and sitting in weather or even in a garage over there where it's super humid can be just as bad as sitting the stripped body out in the rain. Find out, because you will want to sand her down again and make sure there's no rust that will eat through your paint job down the road. Another good tip for other parts of the car that may be rusted, is to use POR-15. Do a search online, cause they have a site and have kits for pretty much everything and that stuff works wonders and they guarantee to cure rust for good. I would say spend the extra money to sand her down and do it from scratch. If you're going to spend the money on getting a paint job then make sure it's going to last without flaw. Better to be safe then sorry and I promise you'll sleep better at night.