new paint job

[30modelA]

here in little rock we have a pretty good vo tech collage that has a paint and body program. i was thinking about letting them repaint my tudor. has anyone ever had a paint job from anything like that? its free for the labor you just provide materials. the students are under full supervision. what do yall think, it couldnt be any worse job than the last yahoo did?

[bogdonj]

I'd say go for it...... I would if I could!

[Logan]

If youre paint job is rough now, they cant really mess it up more. And if the teachers smart, he'll only let the experienced painters paint the top side. And let the beginners paint the bottom.

[2manycars]

Here in Connecticut, the tech schools have qualified, experienced teachers who worked in the body shops before becoming teachers. The results are very good. I have seen the work they do, as a friend of mine is one of the teachers at Ellis tech. I would not hesitate to have work done there, if your schools are as good as they are here.

[Mitch]

I spent 6 months undoing the hack job that our local vocational school did on the coupe my Father had them try. Of course there was some body and panel replacement that should have been performed, but they just used filler, and spot welded some junk galvenized sheets in.

My project goal is complete restoration. So if body work is not a major issue, and you may have a much better crew and instructor than my Father encountered, you may be OK.

Best wishes.

[30modelA]

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Originally Posted by Mitch

I spent 6 months undoing the hack job that our local vocational school did on the coupe my Father had them try. Of course there was some body and panel replacement that should have been performed, but they just used filler, and spot welded some junk galvenized sheets in.

My project goal is complete restoration. So if body work is not a major issue, and you may have a much better crew and instructor than my Father encountered, you may be OK.

Best wishes.

thanks alot for the info, my A if fully restored and straight as an arrow, its ashame who painted it didnt know what the hell they were doin.

[30modelA]

Originally Posted by Logan

If youre paint job is rough now, they cant really mess it up more. And if the teachers smart, he'll only let the experienced painters paint the top side. And let the beginners paint the bottom.

haha i like that

[BCCHOPIT]

They should do great they don't know how to cut corners yet.

[1931 flamingo]

Go for it. The price is right, and a great experience for them.
Paul in CT

[Ross/Kzoo]

I think that it would depend what you're starting with. I also wouldn't expect a $7,000 paint job and be ready for a few disappointments. With that in mind--Go for it.

[richard crow]

go look at at the last car they painted before it leaves there shop.

[desotoguy]

Your comment, "my A if fully restored and straight as an arrow". You are not going to be satisfied with voc school work. Save up your money, and get a professional paint job.

[Mike V. Florida]

I'd do it if all that was needed was paint.

[Aerocraft]

I had a 544 Volvo painted that way and was very happy with the results. It was red as well which shows all flaws. Gar Williams

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I think you have received some excellent advice above and while I don't know what your expectations are, maybe let's talk this through a bit. Most accreditated Tech schools have a classroom / lab ratio of their time that is mandated by the State. Realistically, how much time and physical labor will they spending on your project?


For example, if there is going to be 4 students working on your project during a 2 hour lab, on the outside it would seem like you would get 8 hours of production time spent on your car but in reality, kids are probably each going to spend 15 minutes getting the project out and ready to be worked on at the beginning of the lab, ...and 30 minutes cleaning up their mess at the end of the lab, --and at least 15 minutes of texting/talking/horseplaying during that lab. That gives about 1 hour of "learning time" for them to actually work on your project. In the perfect world, that would be be 4 collective hours of labor per lab. How many days per week is the lab? How many weeks during the semester before the project goes from being 'cool', --to a project that is viewed as a 'pain' in those student's eyes??


If the entire project from start to finish were alotted 300 hours, I am of the opinion that a very large percentage of students, (and probably a large percentage of instructors too) do not have the desire, nor ability/stamina to stick with a project for that length of time. So if their lab time is two days per week, that gets about 8 hours a week of work from non-skilled workers. I probably should also add that students/kids are infatuated with power tools, ...and the manual labor in the necessary tasks such as hand sanding (which a quality paint job requires!) are not found to interest them whatsoever. Therefore whatever they can get accomplished (-good or bad) with a power sander is what will happen, and if the length of time the project is still holding interest with the students and instructor(s) will likely determine the quality of the project.

Now let me also offer that production materials and paint materials are very expensive these days. So if the labor is free yet the kids waste a lot of materials (because they ain't payin' for it!), it could easily cost you over $1,000 for P&M. In my thinking, you may be able to get an Earl Schieb or MAACO quality of paint job for less time, -less money, ...and it may actually turn out to be better quality. (I can't believe I am implying that an Earl Schieb or MAACO could be better quality than something else!! ) None-the-less, I said all of the above to offer another perspective for you to think through before you decide what is best for you.

.


.

[Dave72dt]

Originally Posted by BCCHOPIT

They should do great they don't know how to cut corners yet.

Problem here is the tech schools for the most part teach production body work, not classics, complete with all the time-saving, good enough techniques the instructor used when in the business.

[PetesPonies]

Having been a teacher and teaching auto before I retired . . I say look at the vehicles being worked on now and see one or two that are done. That's the only way you will know for sure. Every teacher, every shop and every kid is different.

[30modelA]

thanks guys, alot of good advice here so far. im going to do some more investigating befor i jump into it. do yall think its possible to get a nice paint job for about 2k?

[Craig Lewis]

I hope you consider Brent's advice carefully because that man's advice comes straight from the bodyshop floor. I can tell, having worked in the trade, that Brent has a pretty good grip on the reality of restoring a car and the real costs involved.

A few things I could add if you're still open to different perspectives...
As much as I want youngsters to learn about preserving & caring for old cars, I would want to be certain the supervisor has actual restoration qualifications and not just someone who went to school to learn how to teach.
Then there's the question if he can control all them kids as they pound away at your car? What if it gets damaged at the shop? Parts can go missing. Will you be OK if the odd original bolt gets lost? Is it OK if the undercarriage gets overspray all over? Have you seen what happens to glass when bodyshops run an airsander into it? Or welding & grinding splatter pitting of the glass? I have seen DOZENS of windows damaged at bodyshops.
Make sure whatever shop you end up chosing, to bring along clean heavy blankets to protect the interior.
Are you going to specify an experienced painter will at least do the final paint job? Or will you be OK with a certain amount of runs, sags & dirt nubs in the paint? If they completely mess up and need more paint, can you guess where the money's coming from?
We must keep in mind these kids are learning....

Have you asked your broker if they will insure the car while in the care & custody of the school system?
If the car is unfinished at the end of the semester, can you be certain the next group of children will know how to assemble it? Will the same teacher be there?

Quite frankly the thought of taking such a chance with any classic is out of the question in my mind. I wouldn't do it and I believe the car deserves better treatment.

If you take it to an individual person for a paint job at least he can answer to what has been done.
My best advice to get your car painted comes down to two points.

1) talk with people who have actually had a classic car repainted in your area, look at their paintjobs, then try and find someone local who does the caliber of work you desire.

2) if you find someone you trust, get a detailed estimate, establish a firm finishing date and above all else
....give them a Bare Minimum of money up front.
It's enough that they have your car...don't get caught in the classic bodyshop trap of "he has almost all the money and the car is only 25% done" or "now he's starting on someone else's car & mine's pushed into the corner"
Bodywork can be a dirty, dusty & discouraging job and if the only incentive your man has is a nice chunk of change....well that could be the best thing for all parties...
Good luck!

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

When I was in the ninth grade----nearly 60 years ago, my shop teacher put his
Model A pick up in the shop for prep and paint. It was an after hours project, also on
saturdays as well. We didn't get extra credit for the job but we got lots of perks, including lunches on Saturdays, and trips to industrial art shows-----and a trip to a
body shop where we learned the fine art of painting. We all had different skill levels, and only the best got to use the paint sprayer on the truck. The rest of us practiced our paint skills on a couple of junkyard fenders and a hood. The truck, painted in black came out looking really good. I highly recommend the concept of a tech school
painting your car----as long as you are not going for a fine point car. Also, don't go in with the idea that you expect the car back in a couple of days. Remember, the kids are there to learn, and the instructor needs time to go over things with the class.

Jack