Advice/Progress Thread, update on pg4, 5/26/10 Options

[captb]

Hey guys, if you have restoration experience i could really use your help.

The paint job and all the dents finally put me in the position to sell the 6g. problem was i couldnt find a car that can match the 6g's "feel" if you know what i mean. Since having a shop repair her is so expensive, i figured ill tackle restoring her on my own. After watching alot of youtube videos and reading how-to's on restoration, im confident enough to try it, but still have a few questions and would appreciate your opinions.

(1) money and quality wise would you recommend i do a maaco job or tackle painting on my own(either rent a booth or enclosed tent)?

(2) are there any considerations/advice for using bondo or other recommended products on non-metal surfaces such as the bumper and sideskirts? will the flexibility of the bumper be a problem?

(3) Im pretty much gonna sand/bondo the entire car and am considering a bodykit. If i were to get a cheap one off ebay, will getting the thing to fit be the same as sanding and bondoing the thing, or will i need to do some fiberglass work? Id love the gt-four look, have any recommendations on where to get bodykits for cheap?

(4) I am also having problems with rust below both doors. Rust cant be seen from the outside, but looking from the inside, it is definitely a problem. Would u recommend i restore it myself by cutting and welding or just replace the door entirely?

(5) When i do paint it, would you recommend i remove different parts; hood, trunk, doors? also, would it be worth my while to remove things like the lining and windshields? id figure sanding and bondoing would be nicer with the linings removed.

(6) Any videos and/or websites would you recommend i check out before i start. most of the videos i watched seemed to be from the 80's. any videos with more modern techniques? or has restoration been pretty much ageless.

This is alot of info and questions but i would appreciate any input on 1, 2, or all of my questions.

Thanks,
-Joel

This post has been edited by captb: May 28, 2010 - 10:13 PM

[CastrolCelica]

1. Do you like my car? If so, you'll like Maaco's work IF, and I'm really making sure you hear that... IF it's a good shop. There are 3 Maaco's in the Columbus area and I'd only send you to one if you lived here. Visit them, and feel them out. If they take you in the back to show you their work, that's a good sign. If the guys who work there get their cars done there, like mine did, that's a VERY good sign.

However, like they say, "we can do just as good of a paint job as anyone else, but we also do $200 jobs". IE: The $200 job with no primer or body work will look like crud and last for about as long as $200 should last. My job included the best prep package they had and the best single stage enamel paint (what the car had on from factory) along with an integrated clear coat, and that's why my car looks so good. It also cost over $750, but it's still cheap for the quality.

I know a lot of people say "oh no, Maaco!" and insist on going to a "real" shop. But these guys can do just as good of a job if you pay them enough money to. Also, I did all my own body work (door ding fillings and surface rust repair) which saved me a lot of money. The only body work they did was to repair my nearly fully cracked in half spoiler and it looks brand spankin' new without a crease to show.



PS: By "I did my own prep work" I don't just mean door dings. Taking off the trim, spoiler, rubber, mirrors, ect is VITAL to getting a good job. I didn't take off my door handles or back and front windshield trim because it was hard as plastic and wasn't going to flex, but everything else that flexed was removed. It's a pain in the ass but it saved me their fee of $500 to do this and I have a paint job that lasts now. Basically, anything that can flex and make paint to crack, REMOVE.