[Stereolab42]

So my 68 GTO was repainted in its original Solar Red sometime in the past ten years (with base/clearcoat). A good job overall but there are some flaws in the passenger rear quarter panel near the trunk lid. They are confined to the area in my photo, with the exception of a few similar flaws about 6 inches away on the same panel towards the right. Wanting to fix this, I've asked around and this is what I've been told:

1. Two body shops that specialize in classic cars have told me that attempting to repaint just that area and blend it in won't result in a satisfactory job. Instead they say the entire panel needs to be redone, and of course that single panel on a GTO coupe is half the car. One of the shops say there will be some improvement with just a good polish and wax.

2. A mobile paint-repair dude who has a good reputation tells me he can do a blend. However I'm a bit skeptical. He's just going to order the paint, come out to my garage for a morning, and wham-blam? I know the car was repainted in the original code but isn't some work to match the paint necessary?

So. At this point I'm leaning away from the mobile dude since if he screws up I'm basically forced into a $4k paint job (for the whole panel, and maybe even the trunk lid too if he blends into that). Advice?

 

[PontiacJim]

So my 68 GTO was repainted in its original Solar Red sometime in the past ten years (with base/clearcoat). A good job overall but there are some flaws in the passenger rear quarter panel near the trunk lid. They are confined to the area in my photo, with the exception of a few similar flaws about 6 inches away on the same panel towards the right. Wanting to fix this, I've asked around and this is what I've been told:

1. Two body shops that specialize in classic cars have told me that attempting to repaint just that area and blend it in won't result in a satisfactory job. Instead they say the entire panel needs to be redone, and of course that single panel on a GTO coupe is half the car. One of the shops say there will be some improvement with just a good polish and wax.

2. A mobile paint-repair dude who has a good reputation tells me he can do a blend. However I'm a bit skeptical. He's just going to order the paint, come out to my garage for a morning, and wham-blam? I know the car was repainted in the original code but isn't some work to match the paint necessary?

So. At this point I'm leaning away from the mobile dude since if he screws up I'm basically forced into a $4k paint job (for the whole panel, and maybe even the trunk lid too if he blends into that). Advice?

Red is tough color to match - just like silver/grey. Being 10 years old, you would need to add a can of "fade" at just the right amount. Problem is, they don't sell a can of "fade." :nonod:

So you can certainly try the blend which may come out OK - some guys are indeed that good. If not, I would not be disappointed and then I might shoot the quarter to make it match, but it may or may not match the rest of the car. So the next step would be to repaint the entire side masking off at the upper edge/body lines to make a break. That way you would see the side as its color, tops of the fender/hood as its color, and top of quarter/trunk as its color - each being seen as a "full" panel of red that matches as opposed to a single panel that does not match the adjacent panels.

This is my opinion with what limited painting I have done in my past using enamel paint, not the current base/clear coats. Red was a tough color to match. Others will chime in and also give you suggestions which may be much better. :thumbsup:

 

[cij911]

Your logic is flawed IMHO....A good mobile guy could easily fix that and if you're not happy then you can always take it to the body shop and have them paint the entire panel.....With the mobile guy, I'm guessing it will take 4 - 5 hours and ~$500 and you should be very happy.

In terms of matching the color, they will start with the code and then should use a color machine to get the precise mix. If done properly, you'd be hard pressed to find it...

 

[Stereolab42]

Your logic is flawed IMHO....A good mobile guy could easily fix that and if you're not happy then you can always take it to the body shop and have them paint the entire panel.....With the mobile guy, I'm guessing it will take 4 - 5 hours and ~$500 and you should be very happy.

In terms of matching the color, they will start with the code and then should use a color machine to get the precise mix. If done properly, you'd be hard pressed to find it...

Hmm.... well if so that's very good news. It still bothers me though that the two body shops absolutely insist it cannot be blended. One argument is that they are saying that just to drum up business for themselves (an expensive panel repaint). Or maybe they have no experience with blending, but that seems hard to believe since it appears to be a very common skill learned by paint professionals in the industry. Or they know something the mobile guy doesn't. The bottom line is I hate having multiple sources, all of whom are highly reviewed and respected, giving me differing opinions.

 

[cij911]

Hmm.... well if so that's very good news. It still bothers me though that the two body shops absolutely insist it cannot be blended. One argument is that they are saying that just to drum up business for themselves (an expensive panel repaint). Or maybe they have no experience with blending, but that seems hard to believe since it appears to be a very common skill learned by paint professionals in the industry. Or they know something the mobile guy doesn't. The bottom line is I hate having multiple sources, all of whom are highly reviewed and respected, giving me differing opinions.

Well I'd be happy to show you a 56' Bel Air that has had touch ups.....most enthusiasts (90%) would never be able to tell and 99% of normal people would have no idea. The trick is matching the color and given you are in the Bay Area, there are plenty of paint shops that can make the color perfect and then the mobile painter does the prep work and sprays, then clears, then comes back in a week or so and polishes....

 

[Shake-N-Bake]

Is that defect in the base or the clear? If it's in the clear then you might be able to wet sand and buff it out. Unusual to see something like that in the base....would have been very noticeable when painting the car and would likely have been corrected prior to shooting the clear.



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[Stereolab42]

Is that defect in the base or the clear? If it's in the clear then you might be able to wet sand and buff it out. Unusual to see something like that in the base....would have been very noticeable when painting the car and would likely have been corrected prior to shooting the clear.



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Definitely in the base... "restoration" by the PO was in many ways a hack job. You should see the bumper (which I'm getting refinished for $1500 in a few weeks).

 

[Shake-N-Bake]

Definitely in the base... "restoration" by the PO was in many ways a hack job. You should see the bumper (which I'm getting refinished for $1500 in a few weeks).

Front bumper? Might as well have them repair the paint on the quarter panel at the same time.

Really hard to avoid "scope creep" when making paint repairs. I usually end up reshooting complete panels because it ends up being about the same amount of work for me. I have paid others to make spot repairs on my daily driver and it worked out okay. I am much more picky on my classic cars though....

Good luck whatever you decide.

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[1966tempest]

So my 68 GTO was repainted in its original Solar Red sometime in the past ten years (with base/clearcoat). A good job overall but there are some flaws in the passenger rear quarter panel near the trunk lid. They are confined to the area in my photo, with the exception of a few similar flaws about 6 inches away on the same panel towards the right. Wanting to fix this, I've asked around and this is what I've been told:

1. Two body shops that specialize in classic cars have told me that attempting to repaint just that area and blend it in won't result in a satisfactory job. Instead they say the entire panel needs to be redone, and of course that single panel on a GTO coupe is half the car. One of the shops say there will be some improvement with just a good polish and wax.

2. A mobile paint-repair dude who has a good reputation tells me he can do a blend. However I'm a bit skeptical. He's just going to order the paint, come out to my garage for a morning, and wham-blam? I know the car was repainted in the original code but isn't some work to match the paint necessary?

So. At this point I'm leaning away from the mobile dude since if he screws up I'm basically forced into a $4k paint job (for the whole panel, and maybe even the trunk lid too if he blends into that). Advice?

It's 10 year old paint, but it's not left out on the elements, that's a plus.. your car is a solid color, not metallic or pearl I will assume.. I personally I would not think I would have a problem doing a blend on that... you need to find a confident painter! Your asking a business, they need to cover them self, and you need to make it worth there while, there's more money in doing a blend as they suggest, don't get me wrong most every shop will tell you that, so trying to find a shop that's willing to do it without going over board will be tough... the guy that will come to your house.. about the guy that will come to your house, if he is not using high quality guns, and using two, one for base and one for clear, then he does not take what he his doing serious..then and walk away..
.
.

 

[BearGFR]

The two challenges will be matching the color and also hiding the 'boundary' between the old paint (clear) and the new. I was out on the Southern Polyurethanes web site the other day looking around, and noticed that they've added a 'blending solvent' to their product line. That's what it's for --- softening and reflowing the 'edges' of a repaint repair in order to make the edge disappear. I've not used it and have no direct experience with it, but I might try it myself --- I've got a chipped leading edge in one spot on the passenger side door from where I reinstalled that fender and didn't get the gap quite right before I opened the door -- doh! I was going to suggest trying to wet sand it out myself but if the problem is in the base then that won't help. One thing you might try, and I know before I say this that it's a 'hack' and not optimal - but if you can find a red touch up pen that's close enough in color, you could dab it onto those spots and mostly hide them at all but very close distances. You'll know they're still there but 99% of the public won't ever notice.

Bear

 

[Stereolab42]

So I hired the mobile guy after all... didn't think it was possible but he did a flawless job. Came out in a van full of paint equipment. He immediately matched and painted and blended the area with base/clear. Came back in a week to cut and polish and damn did it turn out good. Kirk The Painter if you live in the SF area. He's basically the only guy I can find who does this, at least the only one who advertises.

 

[1968gto421]

That's great news, glad it worked out for you so good.

 

[666bbl]

So for the DIY types reading this, here's a few tips based on over 40 years in the game.

1) "wet" the white areas in the clear with wax n grease remover. If they go away that's your issue, no color needed, if not it's definiately in the base as well.

2) when looking to blend new materials like nearly all clear coat systems, sanding out to really fine grit like in days past doesn't work. Best to go no more than 800. This will give the
new material a strong mechanical bond.
3) opaque reds are among the toughest to blend but there's some "cheats" one can do to lessen the angst. Dilute your color blend coat with clear base. Make it transparent so the
existing color shows through the repair area. This makes any mis-match disappear before the clear is applied.
4) the clear used for a blend has to be made up from whatever clear your using. This involves a lot of reduction (75-100%) and a patient steady hand. It wants to run really easy so
TAKE YOUR TIME. Also be sure to cover the entire sanded area but use less as you advance those coats.
5) when it's time to sand/polish you want to give it a 1st sanding and then walk away. This opens the top layers and allows for a full cure where hardness is the key to a successful
blend.

A good habit to be in is make test panels. Another good habit is to check color outdoors whenever possible. No matter how good the lighting is in the shop it never has the full spectrum of light provided by sunlight. You also want to check it in shadowed outdoor conditions. On metallics the "flop" is really important. Also, reducing metallics is tricky at best. too much will "wash" the poly (flake) and create silver specs that aren't in the existing color. PPG and other pro suppliers offer a product called "flop adjuster" for mixing. Good luck, and don't fear the blend. It can be a very rewarding experience as noted in the original poster's experience.

 

[tjs72goat]

Dilute your color blend coat with clear base.

Is this clear base just that, a clear base or do you mean clearcoat mixed in with the color base?