Garrett:
Just my two cents and only because I'm having a body-off experience right
now...
You can do the stripping and a lot of the prepping yourself as I am doing, or
send it off to a shop. If you do it yourself, you'll probably make mistakes,
learn from them and get over it. If someone else does the work, they too might
make mistakes, the only difference is, you'll be paying for their on-the-job
training. It's up to you.
Hell, I've owned this car since 1977. I like it, but I'm not expecting the
thing to make me money if I restore it 'just right'. The body-off was not even
planned--it just happened to make doing some things on the chassis a lot
easier. I come home from work and go out to the garage and get dirty and sore
and cold (yes, the garage floor does get cold in California!) but I'm enjoying
myself greatly. I already know more about the beast than I did back in the 70s
when I used it as a daily driver.
My only advice would be: owning a roadster is a hobby. I raised Irish Setters
for years. I made a lot of mistakes with them, too, but I sure loved having
those dogs around and don't regret a minute--or a penny--I spent on them.
Have fun!
Paul
67 1600
garrett klassen wrote:
> List,
>
> OK, here goes. I'm thinking of repainting the roadster this spring. She's
> in pretty good shape, fullly restored (clock works), appraised and running
> every summer weekend. But there's a lot of bondo from the PO, and rust
> bubbles are starting to form here and there. What put me over the top was a
> careless mechanic who opened the door too far (no retainers - anybody got
> some?) and took a huge ding of paint out of the door down to the bare
> metal.
>
> My question is... umm, should I? What am I in for? Budget is never a
> non-issue, but I want it done right. I know prep is everything. I'm worried
> that even a reputable shop can do more damage to the delicate bits without
> ever thinking, or not meaning to.
>
> Anybody have any advice on how to go about this admittedly exploratory
> surgery?
>
> garrett
> 67.5 1600, SPL311-15241
> Toronto, Canada
>
> ***
>
> everything old is new again...
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