#21  
Old 04-24-2020, 02:45 AM
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Sentimental value clouds my thoughts about my rust bucket 69 GTO. Your car looks pretty damn good like some others have said. You have some tough decisions to make. Good luck!

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  #22  
Old 04-24-2020, 07:13 AM
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The price of a paint job in California isn't that much more than the rest of the country, modern paints are expensive and any painter that values his health and reputation for quality will use booths and proper respirators while taking his time with the eye for detail needed and all of that adds to the cost. If you want the shop equivalent of the rattle can or Earl Scheib\Maaco, it will cost a little less but likely be obvious. The only real problem with doing paint and body in California is the guys there are less versed in rust repair and metal work compared to other locations.

If the car is half as nice as the pictures you posted, I wouldn't do a thing to it except enjoy it and freshen up the wear items and maybe fix worn interior pieces like seats. I still have my "first" Lemans (in spirit after a deer wrecked it) from 1999 and I'm super emotionally invested. I sent it to a "quality" shop who disassembled it and painted it and made it look great... but they went out of business 3/4 of the way through reassembly and lost half the unique parts and burnt the tranny in it. I shouldn't have sent it anywhere and should have just enjoyed it. As it is I am roughly $19k lighter in the wallet and finally drove the car for the first time in 7 years last Thursday and I still have a car with no mirrors, wipers, seat belts, or interior\exterior trim pieces and a burnt tranny.

I guess I'm just saying: be careful. You're invested in this car and love it, but if it were me I'd just drive it and enjoy it. If you want a super nice car, get a project beater you aren't that invested in and do that instead while enjoying having the sentimental car in the garage next to it to drive when the resto gets you down (and it will).

  #23  
Old 04-24-2020, 07:38 AM
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Full restoration anywhere is 40Kish. Some are more. Some are less as with anything . Maybe cheaper in the heartland, more in the city. Sometimes you get what you pay for... sometimes you find a good deal. That's life. Also consider that GTO parts are more expensive than some others. Especially if you want original anything!

And what about the engine... you can spend 10K easy on a good rebuild.

What do you do with anything... get 3 or 4 estimates. Then it's your car and your money. DO what YOU want.

  #24  
Old 04-24-2020, 11:27 AM
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oh
and you wont be posing like that on your front bumper after a paint job .....
the chances of cracking the paint on the endura goes sky high often after paint jobs .... and the pressure
of leaning on the top inner edge will often cause spider webbing in the paint ....

Scott T

  #25  
Old 04-24-2020, 11:42 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Thelander View Post
oh
and you wont be posing like that on your front bumper after a paint job .....
the chances of cracking the paint on the endura goes sky high often after paint jobs .... and the pressure
of leaning on the top inner edge will often cause spider webbing in the paint ....

Scott T
Yeah I hear many people say they drive their car way way less after restoration. They just become too afraid to ruin the perfect baby they used to thrash on and enjoy!
That's a problem I don't have .

  #26  
Old 04-24-2020, 12:28 PM
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I should have looked at your photos before commenting. If that's your current condition, invest that cash in something with a high rate of return.

Very nice looking car as a "survivor".

  #27  
Old 04-24-2020, 01:15 PM
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Nice looking car as it sits, I’d do whatever small repairs it needs and leave it be. If the interior is shabby then freshen it up, but seriously shine up the paint in a way that doesn’t remove excess material and enjoy it.

Nice survivor, it has value as a 50+ year old car that’s not seriously deteriorated and not in need of a full restoration.

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  #28  
Old 04-24-2020, 03:29 PM
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X20 leave it as is and drive the hell out of it. Car looks great, maybe put some money into the drivetrain if you're into that. Is that a Warwick Blue car?

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  #29  
Old 04-24-2020, 05:32 PM
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It's your car, only you know what you want. However, a couple things to think about. First, if you spend that much on high level body and paint work, chances are that you'll want to improve other areas as well...interior, engine bay, etc. Before you know it, you're another 10-15k into it. Second, the deeper you get into it, the longer the car will be down. You might be able to find someone to take on the project as a side job, which could be a lot cheaper. But this approach often extends down time and increases the chances that the car doesn't get finished. I have low risk tolerance, so I would gladly pay more for a shop with a good reputation for finishing projects on time and within a set budget.

  #30  
Old 04-24-2020, 09:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MUSLCAH View Post
I think there are some Amish guys in Indiana doing Resto work....Iam serious too.
Your thinking of the 69 GTO from the movie Sex Drive........



Movie got funnier every time I watched it.

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Last edited by 68ragtop; 04-24-2020 at 09:59 PM.
  #31  
Old 04-24-2020, 09:56 PM
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Luiz, can you post some pictures of the flaws the car has? Looks like a dang nice car already in the pics you posted. I know overall pictures can be deceiving. Just curious what kind of work it needs. Cost is most genarically speaking a combination of where its at now & what level you want to bring it to. Most shops that completely disassemble & restore can run 50K & up. Repaints without disassembling too much maybe 20-30K. But heck, if the car means that much to you you look at the money we spend on new vehicles today & you loose 20% of that the first year.

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  #32  
Old 04-25-2020, 12:39 AM
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Now, we've gotten into the topic of a 'full restoration'... The original post stated
Quote:
"Looking to restore the body on my 69 GTO. The body is not in bad shape but does need work to put it into "like new" condition."
For me, nearly $50K sounds steep for that. After looking at the pics, I agree with several here...drive it. I love the way it looks.

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  #33  
Old 04-25-2020, 08:17 AM
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Just going by the pictures posted, the most I'd do is find a GOOD paint shop and just have them touch up the paint. Common back in the day, but I don't know what kind of paint is on the car, how hard it would be to match etc.
If that is original paint ... I wouldn't touch it. I'd consider that outstanding original paint.

  #34  
Old 04-25-2020, 01:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b-man View Post
Nice looking car as it sits, I’d do whatever small repairs it needs and leave it be. If the interior is shabby then freshen it up, but seriously shine up the paint in a way that doesn’t remove excess material and enjoy it.

Nice survivor, it has value as a 50+ year old car that’s not seriously deteriorated and not in need of a full restoration.
They're only original once!

  #35  
Old 04-25-2020, 04:58 PM
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If it's as original as it appears .... I would do nothing but drive it and replace the normal wear parts with the closest to OEM or NOS I could find.

I can almost smell the original from the photos

  #36  
Old 04-29-2020, 11:28 AM
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Thanks everyone for your opinions, most of which I have been tossing around in my head for the last 20 years of the 35 years I have owned it. It has been my Ship of Theseus problem which is one reason I started this thread so I could get help thinking of this in a way I wouldn't regret. The patina vs as new has been a huge struggle for me to decide when it comes to the aesthetic parts. The car isn't bad and there is alot of history in all those dings and scratches. Each one recalls memories of my teenage years when I made them!

So I have been slowly doing a resto-mod on the mechanical parts so it is safe, reliable, and more fun to drive. Already sank $20k into engine rebuild, new transmission, new rims/tires and new suspension system plus a few other minor mechanical items. Drives great now!

And ya, I have half-a-dozen other things I could do instead of spending $45K in body and paint work. After all, the body is not "that bad" as the pictures show. And I can drive it without worrying about every pebble and nick that I accumulate over time!

So during this down-time, I decided to tear out the interior and restore it myself. Which has given me a bitter-sweet feeling of removing history (I lost my virginity in that back seat!) So I think I am going to keep the old interior parts in boxes so there is a physical preservation to my memories. And put off the question on what to do with the exterior. Perhaps once the interior looks as new, then it will make the exterior crave a quality resto job.

  #37  
Old 04-29-2020, 11:38 AM
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I would consider shipping out of state to a shop with a good reputation. Those prices seem way out of hand unless you are talking frame off resto. I had a special edition Trans Am painted about 8 years ago for 5 grand and it was a very nice paint job car had no rust issues just older faded paint.

  #38  
Old 04-29-2020, 11:42 AM
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Having done this for over 40 years like many people here, I have some suggestions:

1. Remove EVERYTHING from the outside and inside of the car yourself. Bag and tag and take pics of everything. You will save $15K doing this yourself, and YOU get to know your car intimately after having owned it all these years.

2. Have you ever seen FantomWorks on TV? If so, you know that no matter what you THINK, once you get into it, you will actually KNOW what you have and what you need.


3. What is your plan for the engine compartment and trunk? If you have to remove the engine, etc., to redo the compartment, that is a whole ‘nother job…requires lots of expertise and equipment and then replacement of stuff that will look bad against a repainted firewall or inner fender, etc. This is a topic all unto itself…

4. Purchase all the parts you might need from AMES or wherever—used parts for things that are not reproduced, etc. AMES has pretty much everything, but I don’t know your specific car, so…


5. STRIP the body yourself. Buy some aircraft stripper—it ain’t cheap but will save you thousands in labor costs. ALSO, you now know what is wrong and right with the metal. Be sure to use the protective gear. This takes a while, but is well worth your time, and once again, you are doing the work yourself, so it means more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxpbQOombv4

6. I suggest this over media blasting as that can deform the metal. HOWEVER, if you have a good blaster in the area who uses the right product and knows what they are doing, you can check that out as well. It is cheaper and faster, but MESSY! You will be vacuuming out media for days...


7. These two things will take you a couple of weeks of work—gotta stay home anyway, right?—and you will actually know what is what.

8. Either tow the car to the body shop or have him come out to see what you have once everyone can actually SEE the metal. An estimate then is much more accurate than what you are doing now.


9. Paint is hella expensive today—plan on at least $2-$3K for materials, including sandpaper, etc. (a pint of paint for my C2 recently was $100.00!) If you are handy, you can do some prelim sanding yourself, but if not, let the experts do it.

10. Once you have a bare car, let the experts take over. At that point, you should be looking at a $15,000 to $20,000 job for an AMAZING paint job if the shop is any good.


11. This assumes you have checked out at least 5 cars they have done at least 3-5 years ago. Fresh paint only looks good if the prep is right and the application is correct.

12. Then, decide what you want. Epoxy primers, sealers, two-stage, water-based (CA—different rules, I would guess) etc. based on what the shop thinks is best and what they are comfortable doing.


13. Get a few estimates, go to car shows and ask who painted the best cars there, etc. LOTS of homework is worth it.

14. Set a time with the shop—no 5-year paint jobs, etc. How many times have you heard about “car was there for 5 years, I paid $50,000, and it is a mess” stories? Pay more, get a good shop. Period. No one does this work cheaply that does it correctly with excellent results. There are NO SHORTCUTS in this.


15. Be ready to replace all the stuff you removed/purchased yourself. Possibly you want the shop to apply emblems, etc., to make sure you don’t mess anything up, but if you are careful, you can do it all yourself. I have many times, and it is kind of fun (after the banged knuckles cursing, of course.)

Cheers!

  #39  
Old 04-29-2020, 12:12 PM
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus
You get the gold star of the day!
Good reading.

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  #40  
Old 04-29-2020, 12:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Luiz View Post
Thanks everyone for your opinions, most of which I have been tossing around in my head for the last 20 years of the 35 years I have owned it. It has been my Ship of Theseus problem which is one reason I started this thread so I could get help thinking of this in a way I wouldn't regret. The patina vs as new has been a huge struggle for me to decide when it comes to the aesthetic parts. The car isn't bad and there is alot of history in all those dings and scratches. Each one recalls memories of my teenage years when I made them!

So I have been slowly doing a resto-mod on the mechanical parts so it is safe, reliable, and more fun to drive. Already sank $20k into engine rebuild, new transmission, new rims/tires and new suspension system plus a few other minor mechanical items. Drives great now!

And ya, I have half-a-dozen other things I could do instead of spending $45K in body and paint work. After all, the body is not "that bad" as the pictures show. And I can drive it without worrying about every pebble and nick that I accumulate over time!

So during this down-time, I decided to tear out the interior and restore it myself. Which has given me a bitter-sweet feeling of removing history (I lost my virginity in that back seat!) So I think I am going to keep the old interior parts in boxes so there is a physical preservation to my memories. And put off the question on what to do with the exterior. Perhaps once the interior looks as new, then it will make the exterior crave a quality resto job.
This gives us a better idea of your situation. Here's my experience for what it's worth. I bought a '68 Firebird 400 convertible for my wife about 7-8 years ago. The condition of the body and paint look to be similar to your car, the interior is original, everything is there and nice, but a little tired/worn. I thought how beautiful the car would be fully restored, and seriously considered it. But I decided to focus on the engine, and all the other systems, so that it's reliable and can be driven safely. I still think about having it redone from time to time, however, we drive that car 10 times as often as we drive our restored GTO. It's so nice not to have to think about chips and dings and scratches, where I can take it, where to park it, or what my kids are going to do in it...they're 16 and 17, and this is the old car they can take out and experience. Long drive down a gravel road to the river to hang with friends, no problem.

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