[Christopher Cervi]

I feel like I have dug myself in a hole... I wanted to do all of the bodywork and basically get to the point of spraying color/clear, and then have a shop do the painting from there. I am working out of a pretty dirty garage and know that I will end up with dust/bugs/orange peel in my paint if I try myself.
The shops in my area that I have spoken to so far say they will not paint something someone else has done the bodywork on as it will ultimately reflect on them...
Anyone know of a place in NC that would be willing to take care of this for me?

 

[blm]

If you have the skills and the equipment you can build a temporary paint bokth within you garage out of 2x4s and visqueen. A neighbor of mine (he has the skills) painted his Chevelle outdokrs in his driveway and his paint is beautiful.

 

[bobm67]

I had painting done at Certified Collision in Monroe NC. They did a great paint job on my 67. They also did work on some friends cars also. They have a separate shop for older cars. 980-245-4770 is the number I dealt with Glen.

 

[BlueSS454]

No reputable shop is going to paint over your body work/prep. You are left with taking it to Maaco if that's what you want. I've been asked several times to do that and that's something I won't touch with a 10 foot pole.

 

[68ssconv]

Where in NC are you?

 

[Christopher Cervi]

Where in NC are you?

Greenville

 

[1970 GMuscle]

No reputable shop is going to paint over your body work/prep. You are left with taking it to Maaco if that's what you want. I've been asked several times to do that and that's something I won't touch with a 10 foot pole.

You can check maaco because some do Resto work. I’ve seen some nice paint jobs.
All depends what you’re looking for.
Go interview them if one is local.
Can’t hurt to check.

 

[Christopher Cervi]

You can check maaco because some do Resto work. I’ve seen some nice paint jobs.
All depends what you’re looking for.
Go interview them if one is local.
Can’t hurt to check.

I have seen a lot of negative reviews online about MAACO, but I have also heard that a quick cut and buff after their work usually comes out fine.

I plan on driving it a lot so Im not expecting a show finish, but I still dont want it to look awful.

 

[Pete 67]

I have seen a lot of negative reviews online about MAACO, but I have also heard that a quick cut and buff after their work usually comes out fine.

I plan on driving it a lot so Im not expecting a show finish, but I still dont want it to look awful.

Nothing wrong with your plan...I just accomplished exactly this with my wagon. I hate painting, plus I'm not set up for it in my garage with my undersized compressor/ air filtration system. So I do all my own body work & brought it to a guy I found a few years ago through a buddy. He basically paints bumpers all day in a giant downdraft booth at one of the larger auto auctions here in Vegas. He knows my work is solid & he likes spraying old cars to break up his daily routine when he can squeeze them in.

Just get the word out to all your car buddies that you need a painter. If you're a member of a car club, ask around. Maybe someone knows a guy who sprays cars in his spare time, etc.

 

[68ssconv]

Have you looked in to renting a mobile spray booth?

Carcoon Workstation - Portable Paint Booth

workstation.carcoonamerica.com

 

[68ssconv]

I have one made by Mobile Portable Paint Booths - Mobile Environmental Solutions
they don't rent them.
it works great.

 

[BlueSS454]

You can check maaco because some do Resto work. I’ve seen some nice paint jobs.
All depends what you’re looking for.
Go interview them if one is local.
Can’t hurt to check.

I don’t need to as I own a resto shop and do body/paint work. I’m giving you a restoration shop owners perspective.

 

[1970 GMuscle]

I don’t need to as I own a resto shop and do body/paint work. I’m giving you a restoration shop owners perspective.

The guy wants to do his own body work and jams and get it painted.
I just brought up he can speak to a shop like a maaco. Some do old cars body repair and paint and will work with you.
So maybe he wants a nice driver. It sounds like it to me.
Why don’t you offer to paint his car as a fellow member here and charge accordingly.
As a mechanics perspective.

 

[1970 GMuscle]

I have seen a lot of negative reviews online about MAACO, but I have also heard that a quick cut and buff after their work usually comes out fine.

I plan on driving it a lot so Im not expecting a show finish, but I still dont want it to look awful.

Here in New York near me a maaco does a lot of paint and body work on older cars.
I’ve seen some nice results. A friend uses them often and I see them when he is done building nice street cars.
They are independently owned. So each shop things their own way. Some may be interested in working with you, some may not.
Look up the local one near you and check their website.
That’s all man. Trying to help you reach your goal and enjoy your car your building.
I don’t know where you are located but hope you find the right person to do a nice job.

 

[1970 GMuscle]

No reputable shop is going to paint over your body work/prep. You are left with taking it to Maaco if that's what you want. I've been asked several times to do that and that's something I won't touch with a 10 foot pole.

So what is your shop?
Asking for a friend.
You missed my point . For the guy wants a driver. You own a Resto shop and say you won’t touch it.
There has to be more options.

 

[Blackhawk]

I have seen a lot of negative reviews online about MAACO, but I have also heard that a quick cut and buff after their work usually comes out fine.

I plan on driving it a lot so Im not expecting a show finish, but I still dont want it to look awful.

It depends on the location, as they're franchises. One MAACO might have a horrible painter, and the next location might have a great painter. There's also Abra.

 

[BlueSS454]

So what is your shop?
Asking for a friend.
You missed my point . For the guy wants a driver. You own a Resto shop and say you won’t touch it.
There has to be more options.

I didn’t miss any point. Most people don’t understand how things work.
I had this very conversation with a friend of mine that owns a regular production body shop just yesterday. He will only shoot paint on cars outside his shop prepped by me and one other person that owns a restoration business. We have a mutual understanding of each other’s expectations and work. The 3 of us work very well together.
Here’s how this type of situation always goes down...
Who painted your car?
XYZ body shop. The car owner conveniently forgets to mention that he did a less than adequate job on the body work because he has zero experience in the industry and no clue how this procedure should be done. The side of the car looks like the Atlantic Ocean and XYZ shop painted over it and now has that mark of their name on a $hit job. The car is our business card. Then what if the paint job fails because the bodywork sucks and isn’t done right. Are you willing to get into that fight with a customer? I’m not.
Most people that attempt this think you just mix up some filler on cardboard, slap it on the car, and sand it. It doesn’t work that way.
Here’s your 2 options...pony up the money to have it done once and done right.
Or, do an novice job and have maaco shoot it because they are the only ones that will and be unhappy.
Either way, no one with a good reputation will willingly do this.

 

[Pete 67]

I didn’t miss any point. Most people don’t understand how things work.
I had this very conversation with a friend of mine that owns a regular production body shop just yesterday. He will only shoot paint on cars outside his shop prepped by me and one other person that owns a restoration business. We have a mutual understanding of each other’s expectations and work. The 3 of us work very well together.
Here’s how this type of situation always goes down...
Who painted your car?
XYZ body shop. The car owner conveniently forgets to mention that he did a less than adequate job on the body work because he has zero experience in the industry and no clue how this procedure should be done. The side of the car looks like the Atlantic Ocean and XYZ shop painted over it and now has that mark of their name on a $hit job. The car is our business card. Then what if the paint job fails because the bodywork sucks and isn’t done right. Are you willing to get into that fight with a customer? I’m not.
Most people that attempt this think you just mix up some filler on cardboard, slap it on the car, and sand it. It doesn’t work that way.
Here’s your 2 options...pony up the money to have it done once and done right.
Or, do an novice job and have maaco shoot it because they are the only ones that will and be unhappy.
Either way, no one with a good reputation will willingly do this.

I agree with EVERYTHING you say except you left out a 3rd option. Not everyone does novice work in their garages. There are situations where guys like myself who do professional quality bodywork in their garages, who either despise painting & aren't set up correctly to spray a complete car. I completely understand why the majority of shops would refuse to take on a job like this...which is why my suggestion was to find someone through a car club or word of mouth who would be willing to spray his car.

Before you opened your "official" shop, you were basically doing the same thing with some of your projects. If I remember correctly, you had Dave Birdwell spray the gold '70 vert.

And honestly, Maaco could be a decent option for him if they're using quality materials & his prep is solid. Maybe he could find one that's willing to use higher quality paint than they normally do...or even let him supply his own.

 

[BlueSS454]

I agree with EVERYTHING you say except you left out a 3rd option. Not everyone does novice work in their garages. There are situations where guys like myself who do professional quality bodywork in their garages, who either despise painting & aren't set up correctly to spray a complete car. I completely understand why the majority of shops would refuse to take on a job like this...which is why my suggestion was to find someone through a car club or word of mouth who would be willing to spray his car.

Before you opened your "official" shop, you were basically doing the same thing with some of your projects. If I remember correctly, you had Dave Birdwell spray the gold '70 vert.

And honestly, Maaco could be a decent option for him if they're using quality materials & his prep is solid. Maybe he could find one that's willing to use higher quality paint than they normally do...or even let him supply his own.

That is correct, Dave did shoot my convertible. I could have and would have done it myself but he made the offer and I accepted it as he is a much more seasoned painter than I am plus it helps to have someone more experienced with you when you are trying to attain a certain level.
The reason I have cars sprayed at my buddies collision shop now is not due to lack of skill on my part, it is due to cost effectiveness and conditions at my shop. I have a spray room, but not a booth. For the level of work I'm doing now, it makes sense and the arrangement I have with him works. Also keep in mind, Dave and I have known each other for quite a while and we talked quite a bit off these forums so I had some coaching on what to do and what not to do in addition to what I learned when I took classes on auto collision repair and paint in the mid 2000s. The other thing is, I can't get the materials for what a production shop can get them for. In the end, it's a cheaper and better quality job (because of spray room conditions) than I can yield out of my own shop.
What I will also say is, when I was doing side work out of my home garage, I refused several jobs from people who wanted their car painted over their bodywork. There is just no way to know what is under it unless you strip it. Who knows is whoever just slung mud over rust or old lacquer paint. Was the metal prepped right for bodywork. There are just too many variables to trust something like that.
Those 2 body/paint jobs I did here at home, I took the car to a friends farm almost 2 hours away and painted them there in his spray room. I would be willing to bet anyone body guy that is good would want to start from scratch. Remember, it's their name on it. Painting over inexperienced work is a good way to turn a good reputation bad.

 

[Pete 67]

That is correct, Dave did shoot my convertible. I could have and would have done it myself but he made the offer and I accepted it as he is a much more seasoned painter than I am plus it helps to have someone more experienced with you when you are trying to attain a certain level.
The reason I have cars sprayed at my buddies collision shop now is not due to lack of skill on my part, it is due to cost effectiveness and conditions at my shop. I have a spray room, but not a booth. For the level of work I'm doing now, it makes sense and the arrangement I have with him works. Also keep in mind, Dave and I have known each other for quite a while and we talked quite a bit off these forums so I had some coaching on what to do and what not to do in addition to what I learned when I took classes on auto collision repair and paint in the mid 2000s. The other thing is, I can't get the materials for what a production shop can get them for. In the end, it's a cheaper and better quality job (because of spray room conditions) than I can yield out of my own shop.
What I will also say is, when I was doing side work out of my home garage, I refused several jobs from people who wanted their car painted over their bodywork. There is just no way to know what is under it unless you strip it. Who knows is whoever just slung mud over rust or old lacquer paint. Was the metal prepped right for bodywork. There are just too many variables to trust something like that.
Those 2 body/paint jobs I did here at home, I took the car to a friends farm almost 2 hours away and painted them there in his spray room. I would be willing to bet anyone body guy that is good would want to start from scratch. Remember, it's their name on it. Painting over inexperienced work is a good way to turn a good reputation bad.

Again I agree with all of this, but for situations like you & I where we do quality work, & just need a painter, there are options. Not a ton of them, but they are out there. It's much better than overpaying someone to do bodywork or have a car stuck in paint jail for years.