Mike Murphy

You know what they say: the truth about these cars is that it is usually cheaper to buy one in good condition than to "upgrade" an existing one.

Daniel Dudley

If you read the December Excellence, the article about the ebay SC will describe the pitfalls of a cheap paint job. I have seen good Maaco jobs, some as nice as a 3K job. I think it is horses for courses. I have n old track car that was obviously not the best paint job, but buffed out it now causes people to gasp, and I had a starry eyed youth park me next to the Ferraris at Lime Rock last year.

It isn't always about how much you spend.

LaughaC

Paint quality on my cars has been determined by three factors:
1. The prep must be done by meticulous professionals.
2. The skill (and motivation) of the painter holding the spray gun. You can't just trust the name of a shop or a manager.
3. The quality of paint itself. This requires careful research.

Price never made a difference, but it usually took me months of research to find a painter I trusted. Once I found a way to motivate him, I sometimes had to help him find a good prep crew. Bodywork and paintwork are two separate skill sets.

Selecting the proper paint has also taken time, and I made a bad choice more than once. If you don't find a paint mentor on this board, you may want to make some friends at top quality restoration shop.

Remember that painting is the single most expensive process when building new cars. There are no shortcuts or the manufacturers would use them.

CDILL

Before you do a horrible thing like taking your Porsche to Maaco to have there qualified professionals respray it you should consider having a detailer look at the quality of the paint that is already there it is always the possibility of having the oxidization buffed out making the car look close to new then all you need to do is maintain the finish with a little wax here and there and that would cost signifigantly less just a thought

codyfr

I dont know if the paint is at all rescueable... if I take a rag an run it ober the orange paint, the rag turns orange.

LaughaC

Good point! If the question is just the depth of the oxidation, then you might be in better shape than expected.

I would hire a detailer who is willing to keep rubbing (within reason). He might find a good layer under there worth revealing. Today's polishing chemicals can work wonders and some even make big promises. It certainly wouldn't hurt to let them try.

Jay H

CDILL and LaughaC have some very good points. I would definitely take it to a pro detailer and get their opinion before repainting.

Here's my '84 coupe before I bought it. The first owner let it sit outside for 3-5 years after he lost interest for some reason.





Here's she is now with just some serious detailing with 3M products and wax. The car looks even better know since this photo was taken in summer.



Porsche paint is very robust and it sure sounds like you have single stage paint which you can buff out to good results. I won't win any car shows with my brown car, but it looks good enough for a driver and still is wearing it's original paint on about 70% of the body. That's worth something to me.

Good Luck!

Jay
90 964
84 3.2

marcandkimmie

OK...my 86 has 247,500 miles on it and no amount of wet sanding, buffing, polishing and waxing ever got to good paint. Previous owner let it sit in the hot Florida sun all the time. So I desperately need a paint job, but I plan to add some carbon fiber panels soon because I have seriously lightened the car and will change some panels for even more lightness.

...but I was embarrased by the faded nasty flat "pink" look of the car and I wasn't going to paint it until all the panels are replaced. So I did a BAD thing and it turned out rather well for a short term fix.

I we sanded the car, buffed it and then clearcoated the sanded paint myself and buffed the clear coat. Damn if it didn't actually look pretty good. From a few feet away, it actually looks really good. I did this in the summer and it still looks good. Worst thing is I used Dupli-Color clear coat from cans.

Yes..I have really stuck my neck out here boys I know I'll get a lot of criticism, but the car actually looks good and I learned a lot about prepping a car so when I replace the panels I can do a quality prep and get a quality paint job!

I'm flinching...okay let me have it. I can take it.

marcandkimmie

Oh yeah....and in a pinch did anyone know that Rustoleum "Safety Red" industrial paint is an exact match to Guards Red?

................. really it is.

LaughaC

Wow, that's some good info with as many Guards red cars out there in need of ducktails and whaletails.

codyfr

Does this look savagable?

Jay H

cody,

Is that rust on the hood or just dirt/debris?

If that paint still has some depth to it, there could be a decent shine there with a fair amount of work. If the paint is too thin, then it's time for a repaint.

A good detailer would essentially have to take the layer of paint off that is oxidized and see how it shines up with applications of polish. Again, your car probably won't get invited to a Pebble Beach concours anymore, but if you just want a decent driver, I'd try cleaning that paint up and maybe have only the hood and roof resprayed if the paint is shot in those areas, you value originality and have a limited budget.

LaughaC

I've seen worse paint come back to life and it won't hurt to try.

codyfr

Yeah, the hood is dirty. I gave it a superficial cleaning a couple weeks back, but that pic is about a year old.

I'll ask around for good detailers to see about restoring the paint.

Daniel Dudley

My dad and I hand polished a truck that looked worse than that until it looked like new. Get some hand compound and do a 4 inch patch. I think the guys are right. You could have a real sleeper there.