[TR] Painting a car

[Dave Connitt]

Hi Mike,
I have wrestled with this problem too. I found a alternative that is working
for me that you might want to consider. I was at a local car show last
summer and one of the things I was investigating was where everyone had
their cars painted. It seemed that the typical paint job with moderate
bodywork was in the $4,000 - $5,000 dollar range. I was beginning to think I
would never finish my TR4A restoration with those kinds of costs. I had
painted a couple of cars using the old type of lacquer paints that you could
buy up till about the mid 80's or so. They were great. Easy to apply and
they would flash over dry to the touch in seconds so there was no dirt in
the paint. With the new base coat - clear coat paint systems used today come
the new hazards of much more toxic chemicals than I ever used.
The last guy I talked to at the show had a beautiful red 1967 Mustang and
when I asked him who painted it, is said, "I did". When I asked him how, one
thing led to another and it turned out that our local adult education school
system offers several courses in auto body and he chose the Saturday morning
class. While they offer several versions of a career type class, they also
offer a weekend class for people who want to learn how to repair their own
car body damage and paint it. They have all the equipment from very nice D/A
sanders, to body hammers and dollies, MIG welders, AND a very modern paint
booth! You can learn to do whatever you want using their equipement so you
can save your money for and overdrive or what ever..
They encourage students to bring in something they want to fix or they can
buy a new fender for $30.00 and repair it instead. The cost for the class is
$170.00 per semester for 7 Saturdays. Since I am considered a "senior" I get
it for 50% off so I am taking two classes back to back on Saturdays.
I encourage you to check around your area to see if there are any similar
classes offered! This is a great opportunity to get your car painted and
learn something too.
I have a website for my car and there is a section on the class which shows
my progress on my first fender if you want to check it out but please look
in your area for this as it is a great opportunity.
http://home.fuse.net/davestr4a

Go to "Check my Progress" and click on the first link.

Good luck!
Dave Connitt
'67 TR4A