Topic: Paint job
in Forum: C3 Body
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Former Member
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West Bend, WI - USA
Joined: 3/18/2010
Posts: 46
Vette(s): 1985 silver coupe & 1975 red coupe
Please help! I have a 1975 Vette that really needs a paint job. Have any of you guys had any dealings with Maaco? I've never used them for anything and don't know anything about them. Any info you can give me about this would be great. Thanks, Darrell
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Former Member
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Phoenix, AZ - USA
Joined: 6/12/2011
Posts: 139
Vette(s): 1982 corvette crossfire production numer C5101985. Color is silver and claret. All original numbers match. slight mods to crossfire for better efficiancy and power balanced and added fuel pressure assembly between throttle bodies,
my dad had a macco job done on his Mercedes, they painted his tires, seals, glass lots of uneven areas.
I wouldnt take anything to them after seeing his car, but this was several years back, they may do a decent job... but
Lifetime MemberLemon Grove, CA - USA
Joined: 10/17/2007
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1982 C3 Collectors Edition 44000 miles, sat in the sun most of its life, My wife purchased it for me for Father's Day in 2007 from her girlfriend that had it for 19 years. It is on the road again. I'm retired but it is now my daily driver.
I have seen some good and bad jobs. It really depends on what you are paying for. The problem with the big name shops is they have some really cheap paint specials and you will get exactly what you pay for on those.
On the other hand the corvette I currently own prior to me owning it got a $1500 dollar paint job (that was about 15 years ago). They sprayed over the dust on the inside of the mirrors the bonding of the paint is not good etc.
So my recommendation would be check with a local corvette club. Tell them what you are looking for. I assume you are looking at a daily driver paint job.
I would take everything off of the car that I could prior to it being painted or make sure that they have written down exactly what they will remove and what they will mask. I'm big on removing everything rather than masking things off. I would also go down and take a close look at some of their completed work.
That all said I have gotten bad paint jobs from good shops and have gotten good paint jobs form cheap shops.
I know this is not much help but. But the key is look at what they have done. Take a look at cars that are ready for painting and see if any are over or under masked. If they do not want you to look at their preparation walk away. By the way GM put on some good paint but crappy paint jobs on our cars in the first place.
The local Maaco shop is pretty good. One of the owners is a Corvette enthusiast. He owns a '76 and it is SWEET.
He bid $6,200 on mine including fixing some minor cracks and the ubiquitous rivet bumps on the front. This includes removing all of the hardware, urethane paint, cut and buff... all of it. They do very, very good work IF you pay for the top of the line work.
However... they did a job for me on a 1989 Volvo. It cost me $500 and I was stunned at the high quality of the work. It was so good that the local repair shop that works on my BMW is going to use them to paint their shop cars.
Maaco is a franchise. It ALL depends on the owner.
Lifetime MemberLemon Grove, CA - USA
Joined: 10/17/2007
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1982 C3 Collectors Edition 44000 miles, sat in the sun most of its life, My wife purchased it for me for Father's Day in 2007 from her girlfriend that had it for 19 years. It is on the road again. I'm retired but it is now my daily driver.
Those "ubiquitous rivet bumps on the front" you need to drill down to the rivets and stop the rust or those bumps will come back. Those bumps are most likely caused by rusting rivets.
At least that is what Steve told me. Steve restores or parts out C3 for a living and has done that for going on 20 years.
You're right. The bumps are caused by corrosion in those danged rivets. (Which Chevy did away with in 1973!) So yes, they need to be dealt with or they will rise from the dead.
The new paint looks is only part of the consideration...............How does it look 10 yrs or more down the line?
My '69 was painted in 1999 and it looks remarkable. Now use, storage etc also contributes to how the paint will look and last.
I don't believe in over paying but I do believe in you get what you pay for after you do your due-diligence.
In a perfect world your best friend or your neighbor would be a master painter and a case of beer plus the cost of paint and materials would cover it.
Good Luck and God Bless
rick
God Bless, rick
'75 Steel Blue Stingray Coupe
'75 Hot Red L82 Stingray Convertible
in Forum: C3 Body
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