I have a chance to purchase a 1971 conv. w/ 350 at a reasonable price. The only problem is the color. It has been painted bright orange. The original color is War Bonnet Yellow. Could any one give me a ball park price to return the car to the correct color/paint? Thanks. Pat Donahoe 33462.
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Re: 1971 Paint
Think Earl Shieb once said, "any car, any color, $99.95" but that's probably old hat by now. Kidding aside, you're into an area that is DEFINITELY an artform and prices are going to vary significantly with your objective and quality requirements.
Original cars were were shot with lacquer paint. This is getting hard to contract these days due to EPA emissions limitations. Basically, you need to find a major paint facility with certified capture/recovery booth (read that as a $100-250K capital investment) or a very small shop in an out of the way locale where emissions restrictions are weakly enforced. So, if you want 'correct/original' paint laid down, you're in a diminishing return environment for qualified painters.
Next, you've got a car that's currently in a 'paint over paint' state. If you compound this with a third layer/color, the odds it will be durable are slim and none.... This forces you to consider totally gutting the exterior and interior, going back down to the raw glass, doing as required repairs, sealing, primer, and shooting fresh color. Anyway you look at it, this is a labor intensive operation even if you pony your labor to remove and re-install the exterior/interior components.
If you got lucky and found a young painter out to establish a reputation, you MIGHT bring the job home for $5-8K. If you went with one of the proven paint shops with a reputation, you could be looking at $12-16K for the effort. So, much depends on what you want when everything's done. Do you want a factory concours job (correct lacquer vs. modern enamel)? Do you want the job to be durable and undetectable? Are you willing to get involved and share your labor or do you want a turn-key job?
Don't bother answering, because these are rehtorical questions intended to teach by example. As you shop alternatives, be sure to check the painter out by talking to his prior customers. Was the job done right? How were problems (cost, schedule, after paint support) handled?
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