JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

I know I know, not the best paint job. But I got it from my parents for Christmas.

What would you recommend me prepping it with? I know that they do it for you but I don't trust them to do it right.

Also I have a fiberglass hood any special treatment for it?

Justin89Formy

iTrader: (26)

you're going to get rid of those cool flames and awesome face?

Camrs89

My friend is one of their head painters around here. He used to own his own custom paint shop before the economy took a crap so he found work there. He is going to paint my 91 at work. They actually do a good job when you have the right painter there and the prep work is done and all they have to do is spray it. The same guy painted my 72 GTO before he got a job there and I trust him to do an even better job with my 91.

Camrs89

As far as the hood, just sand it up to 320 grit starting with like 150 grit and make sure there are no pinholes in the fiberglass, no waves and all the imperfections are out.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

wet sand everything, making sure all there are no edges. remember that imperfections come up when something is glossy that you never see when it's flat and dull.

Also, make sure if you use any primer on it, it's compatible with the kind of paint they will be using at maaco

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

IIRC he hit something and f-ed up the front end

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Yes I did do that but I'm getting my white 91 painted not the 89 vert. Vert still has some work to do.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Alright so wet sand the whole thing and dry sand the hood from 150 to 320?

Any ideas on grit for wet sanding the actual body? What about the grfx, cone and rear bumper? Same idea?

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Please help! I'm trying to get it in tomorrow!

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Well if you dont plan on doing any body work to it then you could just go ahead and use a scuff pad on the entire car, making sure that there is No gloss after you get done.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Also i would make sure to prep solve the ENITIRE car, they may do it but it would be safe to make sure that every spot is covered so there isnt any fish eye or excess of dirt in it.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

I'm not very good with body but i can manage.
Any type of scuff pad you would recommend?
What do you mean prop solve?

Thanks for your help it is greatly appreciated!

Davidgou

iTrader: (2)

Excuse my ignorance but, what is so bad about Maaco paint jobs?

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

You get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong they have nice paint job offers but the one I got cost me 299 dollars. Thats their second offer. Their first is spray and go, no prep, clean etc.

Mine includes prep, but they are just looking to get it done and out. Won't take nearly as much time on prep as I would.

The paint is only as good as the prep.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

i think maaco's upper end paint jobs get a bad rap, but their $200 paint jobs look like $200 jobs.
I think you can get a nice job if you are willing to do the prep work yourself. remove moldings, tape off anything you don't want paint to get on, give them a near perfect surface to paint on, and you'll get a decent paint job.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

-I believe the Red scuff bad is the one you want to use, oreillys has em they come in red and gray.
-Prep Solvent is a spray that you put on the car that removes grease and wax(oreillys has it, its made by dupont), if you use armoral on your car, such as on ur tires make sure u prep solve the crap out of the sides because armoral is sylicone based and it soaks in and will Ruin your paint(fish eyes). Even if you dont its a good idea to prep solve it really good incase there is road oil or bugs and such.

If you are going to do some body work like filler then it is going need to be primed over. I assume you know how to put filler on, such as goin down to the metal and feathering the paint out then applying filler, i doubt u will need that much filler so start sanding on the filler with 80 and then end with 180. Anything you touch with those will need to be primed. You prime over 180 and paint over 320. So after priming you can either sand with 320 and then it will be ready to paint, any spot that you put filler on do not prep solve, it will soak into the filler.

Any more questions, Ill be willing to help.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

You will want to prep solve where you take the moldings off, that double sided tape leaves a prrty nasty residue. Oh and the moldings on the side of the car have a lil metal wire in em to keep it shape so try not to bend it as much as possible. And if you are going to tape it off Make sure you back tape, just putting tape on there will give u a hard line and i dont think u want that.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Alright so, what sand paper should I start with? I know to finish at 320.

Do you recommend using paper sandpaper of sanding blocks?

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Are you talking about for filler? Filler does not stick to paint so you should get down to metal, I actually used a grinder to get into the dents and then went back with a DA sander with 80 grit to start feathering. When u go to sand filler use a block, and hand block it to make sure its straight run over it with your hand to find in low spots or high spots. If its high knock it down with a pick hammer or something equivalent just to where its a low spot then fill over it.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

No I'm talking in general. Overall the body is straight except for the bumper, which is getting straightened out tomorrow.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Well the thing is they arnt primin the car correct? I would just go ahead and use 320. You dont really want to take the risk of gettin sand scratches in ur paint. You can block or DA it, because ur body is already straight and u arnt sanding down to far DA would be a lot quicker. Thats why I was saying u could scuff, but i think the stick on sand paper is cheaper. Scuff pads do last a long time though.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Not they are not going to prime.
Whats DA mean?
What do you mean the "stick on sandpaper"?

58mark

iTrader: (3)

DA means Dual Action, as in a Dual Action sander

Go over the car with your fingers, if you feel any roughness, paint edges from old clear coat, it will leave a NASTY line and peel when you put new paint over the top of that, 100%, all the time

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Yah he answerd it "dual action" or also know as an orbital sander. Your going to want to make sure that the entire car is smooth after you get done like what he said. If you can find a place to rent or know someone who has one then thats what you'll want to do, they can be pretty pricy depending on the kind. Also be aware that if you are gettin an air powerd one that you have the compressor that will have enough power to get it to go. (small portable ones will kinda work but not to well).

There are a couple kinds of DA sand paper. Hook-it and Stick-it "stick on". Hook-it is a bit more expensive and has velcro on the back of it while stick-it has a kind of adhesive back to it so it will stick to the DA pad. Stick-it is cheaper and would problay be your best choice, just make sure that the DA pad is also stick-it otherwise it wont work. If you by somechance go thru to metal make sure to prime it, the primer in a can would do the job just fine.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Alright, thanks for your help guys! Turns out Maaco can't take my car till monday so I guess I'm playing the waiting game.

I went out to autozone and bought a wax and tar remover (I'm assuming thats close to what you were talking about). I bought red scuff pads (It said metal, felt like an abrasive sponge so I figured thats what you are talking about) and 320 wet/dry sandpaper.

Black_Knight

My thoughts on Maaco paint jobs:

I've had the Maaco jobs on a couple of my cars. If you do the prep work yourself the paint job will come out looking pretty good. At a distance it always will but in my experience there are a few things wrong with their paint work. You get a fair amount of orange peel and the occasional run in the paint which they can't be bothered to do anything about. The real kicker is that the paint job usually doesn't last. In 3 to 5 years you'll be repainting the car again. I'd only use Maaco as a quick fix to make a daily driver look decent when the original or the current paint job is really bad.

Both of my 1987 Trans-AMs have had a Maaco paint job on them. Among the problems I have is that the paint split in two areas last time it got cold. So the paint job is very fragile. According to the original owner the car was painted about 5 years ago and was mostly garage kept. The car was driven though as the front bumper cover is literally peppered with white spots from rock chips. The paint was probably applied in a single coat, possibly two and that's it given the thickness of what I've seen. Fortunately this is mostly confined to the bumper cover. Don't get me wrong the car still looks good for the most part, but once you start going over everything with a fine tooth comb, it's a pretty mediocre paint job. The other car which I sold had tons of orange peel and a few runs in the paint. This was especially bad around the spoiler area. The paint job had zero flexibility to it. Touching the rear bumper cover caused the paint to fall off the car.

There is a reason why good paint jobs can cost several thousand dollars. You get what you pay for. With that said there are some ways to improve your Maaco experience.

As for the prep work I've heard of the Maaco guys just spraying the cars and covering marker lamps, door sweeps, mirror glass, and getting massive overspray on the windshield and rear glass. I've even heard of them over spraying on the tires and rims. Maaco often uses drunken monkeys to paint their cars. (They work for less than immigrants do. ) So you have to make sure that the car is prepped adequately to ensure that things are as easy as possible for them. I'd sand the entire car down to the original primer. Do any body work that needs to be done. I'd then wash the car thoroughly removing all the paint residue and dirt that accumulated on the vehicle during prep. Next I'd load the car onto an auto trailer. I'd then remove all the side markers and mask off everything that I didn't want painted. I'd even mask off the wheel wells. This includes covering the tires and rims. I'd cover them in such a way as to allow the car to roll without tearing up the masking job. I'd cover the car with a new car cover then trailer the car to the location for spraying. Unload it close to the spray booth and let them go at it.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

can you remove the headlights and turn signals before you go, and the taillights once you get there?

Will Maaco spray things like a spoiler seperatly, or does everything have to be on the car?

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Another suggestion for you is, get a tack rag. As soon as they go to put it in the booth tack it all off. I dont know if they will do it or not, but this will keep dirt out. After you get the car back you may want to wet sand the entire car and buff it to get that really good shine, but be very careful not to go through the clear.

Black_Knight

Both my Maaco paint jobs were done by the previous owners of my 1987 Trans-AMs. I never went through their process myself. As for the head lights you want them to paint the outer parts of them. So on those I'd mask off everything under neath the lid. The tail lights you could pull out very quickly yourself so long as the rear cargo plastics aren't in the car. I'd take all the wiring and throw plastic bags on it so they didn't paint that. As for spraying things separately I'm sure they would, but I can't say they would for certain. I'd ask them about that before turning the car over to them. If you do want that stuff painted separately and off the car then you will no doubt have to remove it yourself.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

If anything that will give you more time to make sure u have everything scuffed and prepped correctly, Ive never dealt with maaco personally so im not sure if they will tape the car off for you. Are you going to drive the car there or trailor it? If you are driving it or using an open trailor id go ahead and prep solve and tack it when u get there as well, that way you minimize the risk of flaws.

It sounds like you got the right stuff, but if you wet sand after they paint the car you are going to want to use somewhere around 1500 grit(really fine)

kevmann

Well there are lots of good suggestions on here. WHat I like to do is use 400 grit wet/dry paper. I get a plastic cup and fill it with hot soapy water(dish soap) Then I fold a full piece in half and then in half again. Keep the paper nice and wet by dipping it in the cup frequently. Another trick I use is find some cheap paint laying around and use it for spots where you applied filler or where you want to see if there are any waves. Then paint that spot with the cheap paint. It will be shiny and you will see your high and low spots. Next sand that off. Your high spots will sand quicker and the low spots will still have some visible paint. then fill the low spots reapeating the process until you get it right. The cheap paint will help you see what is hard to see with just a dull finish or with dull primer. Remember, the prep is what makes the paint job. Of course quality of paint is important but even the best paint in the world will look like crap if the prep work is bad.

Kevin

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Well rereading the description of my paint job, it is a durability plus catalyzed enamel. Aka no clear coat?
Does the above change my prep at all?
Should I still wet sand with 1500 grit after I get it back then buff?
I decided that I am taking the brake lights, parking lights and side markers off.

Black_Knight

Pulling the markers out doesn't change anything. It just means that the final product will look better.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

I reordered what I said. haha

Well rereading the description of my paint job, it is a durability plus catalyzed enamel. Aka no clear coat.... idk?
Does the above change my prep at all?
Should I still wet sand with 1500 grit after I get it back then buff?
I decided that I am taking the brake lights, parking lights and side markers off.

Black_Knight

I'm not an expert on that part, so I don't know. All I know how to do is prep cars for paint, not paint them.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

well because there is no clear you dont have the risk of going through it, I would still buff the car though to get a more glossy shine and get rid of any orange peel.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Kevman had a good idea that slipped my mind, using a guide coat, you can just use spray paint for the guide coat instead of using an actual auto paint. But because u arent doing any body work on it, it isnt really neccarsy to use it. That is mainly to make sure the body is straight and that there is no high or low spots. I just got done doing a guide coat on my car after I did filler work and primed it. But since you arent going that far it isnt needed

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Alright, well since Maaco can't take my car today I decided to fix the front end right. I went ahead and bought a new Headlight mount Header Panel.

Does anyone know of any kits,etc. for all necessary screws, fastners and bolts?

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

I received the headlight assembly today. And wow! for 30 bucks shipped I am impressed. It's plastic so it weighs less than the fiberglass. Came with all the hardware I needed. Very pleased.
Heres the link for those who are interested.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Justin89Formy

iTrader: (26)

sweet they have pieces for an 83 camaro with a 1.0L 3 cylinder!

Blown 346

iTrader: (12)

Goodluck with the car. Post up pictures when you get it back.


People give Maaco itself a bad name. The people that work there are the ones who do the work and who get lazy. There prep is what makes the paint job.

The Maaco here, does great work, has good employees who knwo what they are doing and do it right. Even tho they dont remove panels, they do tape off and do a good job blending.

There is a guy who had his S10 completly painted from black to a Custom Green apple color. I guess Maaco started doing custom colors months ago.

I was impressed with the truck and asked who painted it... he said Maaco. I laughed and said no really who painted it. Maaco did the enitre, and did a fantastic job. He only paid $3,500 for the entire truck to get done including the engine bay. I will try to find some pictures of the truck and post them.


Here is his Cardomain.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3205380/6

Black_Knight

Like any place, you will have good employees and bad employees. Typically the workmanship and quality of Maaco paint jobs aren't remotely up to par with reputable and professional paint and body shops. However, that doesn't mean that from time to time and by chance that Maaco doesn't occasionally employ quality talent. Fortunately, or unfortunately, (depending on who you ask) such talent rarely stays in the service of large chain places like that for very long.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Hey how did the paint job turn out? Got any pics of it yet?

Davidgou

iTrader: (2)

Hey JTNKTZ, any pics yet? I'd love to see how it turned out.

Bullydawg

iTrader: (7)

I want to see how it turned out as well...

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

For $299 it sounds like you are getting the Enamel paint job.

I can tell you this. PAY for the $200 prep package. if you don't they will NOT cover any defects intheir work, or any warranty towards the gloss of the paint.

I paid $800 for mine. I did ALL the prep for mine but they still screwed it up. They hit the car with a DA on 320grit got a bunch of dirt stuck in the PONTIAC lettering on the bumper and painted over it.

I did all the bodywork, sanded the car with a 180grit on a DA, followed by wetsanding the car with 400grit. We also removed all the GFX and had them sprayed seperately. Basically all they had to do when then received the car was wash it down, tac rag it, and spray it. but they still screwed that up.

Don't get me wrong the car looks a ton better than it did. And most people will never spot the defects, but they are there and they **** me off.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Just an update, I have been working a lot lately and just been able to take the car in. The guys over there seem nice. The guy told me that I need to resend the fiberglass hood then prime it. So that is what I am doing tomorrow and hopefully getting it in thursday...

Also, I got the presidential with value prep...
Total came to be 324.99.

JTNKTZ

iTrader: (10)

Pictures can be found here:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...ml#post4415561

89rser

it looks pretty good but i have a question.....what is that red strip on the front bumper?.....it stands out like a sore thumb...

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Its not on the car in other pictures, so it must be something that got stuck on the roadways.