Well, here's another look at it. I'm a professional automobile restorer and painter. My restorations consistently take national first places. My prices will also be near the top of any survey. That's because the cost of quality materials will be around $2,000.oo and the labor to strip, prep, paint and polish, alone, not including major bodywork can be around 300+ hours, depending on how perfect the customer needs the job. Now I'm offering "the way it is" information here and trying to make friends, not enemies. A car can be painted by MAACO or anyone who can mask and spray two cars a day. If it is not thoroughly super cleaned and thoroughly abrased, there is little promise that anything sprayed over the existing substrate will adhere. And the existing substrate, if not perfectly stable, will still fail under the best material. To get a perfect job without any chance of future failure, all necessary cautions and procedures must be exercised. Then all labor necessary for a flawless, wave and dent free surface must be performed. Volumes have been written and lifetimes of study and practice have been expended and made available for our use and application. In any kind of competition, local or national, it's always nice to know how you measure up, and second place, for many, is not an option. So, I guess what I'm saying is that there is a wide range of viable options available, and generally, you get what you pay for, IF you do your homework, as you are doing. You don't, and shouldn't, need a top prize winner to enjoy your Model A. Some years ago I wrote an article in The Restorer about doing urethane paint jobs yourself that will help quickly bring you up to speed on the subject. There is a way to look it up online, but I don't know how. JH
www.olympic-speedsters.com