[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by AkCamaro

I just spent $13,500 cash for labor plus $3200 credit card for paint and materials to get my 73 TA painted. It took around nine months. I delivered it disassembled and stripped of paint and I took it home disassembled and painted. My guy replaced the trunk pan, tail panel, drivers side front floor, and a bit work metal replacement to the lower front quarters and inners. He also did extensive body work to the fenders, doors, quarters, hood. He put a lot of hours into the nose and urethane/fiberglass components to save and use all the OEM stuff. I didn’t end up using any aftermarket flares or lower front valence because my guy was able to repair them all.
My body guy/painter is very particular, and I got back a car that’s pretty much perfect. So I’m pretty happy. It was supposed to take three months, but it ended up being a bigger job then we first expected, and my guy wasn’t willing to half ass anything.
I would guess that he has 250 hours into my car. I paid the shop as work was completed, about $1-2,000 a month. I bought materials as they were needed.
Now I just gotta remember how to put the car back together.

Is the clear ...cut and buffed ??

[Heybuck]

AkCamaro,

Your car looks great in the pictures and yes, I like the colour.

BUT, tell me why the door strikers were left on and painted? That just looks half assed to me. First time the door locks on the striker - scratches and chips. Those strikers should be cad plated, removed for paint and replaced after paint.
What's so hard about that??

[Dens71TA]

Originally Posted by Heybuck

BUT, tell me why the door strikers were left on and painted?

That is how they were built at the factory. Door striker and latch mechanism and on early cars even the window regulator and tracks were installed before the body shell hit the ELPO primer bath tank. Everything should have body color on it for a correct restoration.

[Heybuck]

Originally Posted by Dens71TA

That is how they were built at the factory. Door striker and latch mechanism and on early cars even the window regulator and tracks were installed before the body shell hit the ELPO primer bath tank. Everything should have body color on it for a correct restoration.

OK, thanks for that. I'm always willing to learn and admit if I'm wrong.
Ian

[TAKerry]

Originally Posted by Heybuck

OK, thanks for that. I'm always willing to learn and admit if I'm wrong.
Ian

Factory correct to paint, but I agree with you, I think they look better unpainted, the paint is going to be chipped off anyway!

[AkCamaro]

Originally Posted by Heybuck

AkCamaro,

Your car looks great in the pictures and yes, I like the colour.

BUT, tell me why the door strikers were left on and painted? That just looks half assed to me. First time the door locks on the striker - scratches and chips. Those strikers should be cad plated, removed for paint and replaced after paint.
What's so hard about that??

We talked about removing them, and I researched and as best I could find them were left on originally, like TAkerry stated, and I kinda wanted to leave them in anyway so I can get my doors lined up easy. So once I found that it seems they were painted at the factory it was enough to convince me to leave them on and paint them.

[TAKerry]

Originally Posted by AkCamaro

We talked about removing them, and I researched and as best I could find them were left on originally, like TAkerry stated, and I kinda wanted to leave them in anyway so I can get my doors lined up easy. So once I found that it seems they were painted at the factory it was enough to convince me to leave them on and paint them.

I took them off and did a slight polish on my 77, I recently left them in place and painted them on the 79 I am restoring now.

[AkCamaro]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

Is the clear ...cut and buffed ??

No. It was a little, actually, but they are going to go over the entire car after it’s assembled. Hopefully I’ll drive it over at the end of summer and they will cut and buff it, then I’ll put the decals on after obviously.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by AkCamaro

No. It was a little, actually, but they are going to go over the entire car after it’s assembled. Hopefully I’ll drive it over at the end of summer and they will cut and buff it, then I’ll put the decals on after obviously.

There’s another 60-80 hours.....if you want that “Shave My Face “ finish.......just saying.