Full car respray? Price? Recommendations on where to go?

[BahnStormer]

Just interested in how much this is likely to set me back?

Mine's got a badly chipped bonnet, a few chips on top of the roll bar that look like they're going to rust and a key mark down the side (two panels), so it's more than just the bonnet and I figure easier to colour match if I get it all done at ones.... might even go for Sable

Overall just thinking that I need to do this before it actually starts to rust!

Also open to suggestions where: I'd prefer SE England, but I'm okay for a bit of a road trip.

[Carolyn]

Three grand.

[Craigjm]

It will be somewhere between 3-10k. 3k for a basic blow over and 10k for a full on bare metal.

Try Keith at painting classic cars

[McMr2]

Just interested in how much this is likely to set me back?

Mine's got a badly chipped bonnet, a few chips on top of the roll bar that look like they're going to rust and a key mark down the side (two panels), so it's more than just the bonnet and I figure easier to colour match if I get it all done at ones.... might even go for Sable

Overall just thinking that I need to do this before it actually starts to rust!

Also open to suggestions where: I'd prefer SE England, but I'm okay for a bit of a road trip.

If it's localised damage wouldn't a decent body shop be able to correct it? Or find clean panels from another car that maybe just need a polish?

[shnazzle]

I was quoted 4k, panels on car, including wheels and blasting calipers, refurb and spray.
But that was a "quick" job. He said he'd sand it but not down to metal

[Pete McCue]

Unless you're very attached to your particular car it sounds like it would be cheaper to find a decent low mileage replacement, swap all your goodies over and sell the rest?

[BahnStormer]

The chips that are looking the worst are above the windscreen... so it's more than just a case of swapping over a bonnet panel and front wings

I was considering a complete replacement, but this one is still serving me very well and really has never put a foot wrong other than an aircon that really needs replacing... so it might have been worth investing in, to stop the chips from turning into serious rust.... but with 120k miles and no earlier service history, I bought it as a stop-gap place to keep the mods.... and I was half expecting to swap it out after a year or two.... and seven years later it is still going strong.

Thanks for the feedback folks. Need to think about it.

[Carolyn]

Why not just use a fine artist's brush, touch in any spots likely to rust and live with the fact that she's got a few years on her and has acquired the 'patina' commesurate with her classic status?

[fawtytoo]

Mine has plenty of white spots all over it's red paintwork, but it's never bothered me that much. It doesn't need to be in showroom condition to be a head turner. Many older, rarer cars than ours aren't in that good nick either paintwork wise if you look close enough at them.

I just watched an episode of "The Grand Tour" where May drives Neil Armstrong's Corvette Stingray. What a beautiful car! But look at the close ups of the paintwork. The current owner kept it that way on purpose because it adds authenticity.

[BahnStormer]

"patina" is fine.... that adds character and shows that it gets DRIVEN.... a garage queen my car is not - it's a dirty little track rat with my 3rd best set of wheels (flaking like crazy) and winter tyres, so I can still rag it down country lanes.

It's when they start to turn to rust is when I worry and start threads like this.

[tomato]

Unless your keeping the car until you kick the bucket would just get the parts you want tidied up from a decent paint shop or take to a decent detailing shop which fix paint corrections before polishing it up etc. The results from good ones are amazing and you can always ppf the bits that chip, although ppf not cheap either!