Changing original paint color - Bad idea?

[240znz]

Heh guys, I am in the process of stripping my car back to bare metal and starting again with a different colour.

Yes the process is expensive but what you have after it is all done is a fab car that YOU KNOW HAS BEEN THROUGH THE WRINGER in terms of doing it right.

As for the colour, here in New Zealand every new vehicle has its colour recorded on the national register held by the government department. Right or wrong, anyone can simply write down the rego number (license plate #), pop down to the post office, cough up some ID and $3.50 and you'll get a history of the car, including VIN, colour, current owner and his or her address. So when you come to purchase a car, you can check that it is "what the seller says it is" over the phone by asking them to confirm the VIN and colour back to you. Good eh!

My 240 has been recorded as having the colour red. It is not red but a weird shade of burgandy of some sorts. I have not been able to find any Datsun reference to it (the paint code sticker on the rad has been painted over when the rad was re-cored). In pulling this car to bits it is obvious that it has never been re-sprayed. So I'm guessing that the bloke who did the original paper work was either lazy, colour blind or was hung over. The colour isn't bad but I believe that red is the fastest colour. So I'll be going for Holden HSV red which for all you NZ and AU guys that is the evil red that all the clubsports are painted in these days...yum yum yum.

So if you do it right, pick a nice colour that isn't too out there, take plenty of pictures to prove that the car was taken back to bare metal and also show all the repairs on photos, then I feel that you'll be in good shape to recoup some of the massive dollars that you would have spent getting there in the first place.

[billcapp]

240znz just made the point about the paint code sticker on the radiator frame; to be fully restored that sticker should remain as part of the car which of course indicates the color. I suppose one could have a counterfiet new one made for their new color.

I hear the comments about a new paint job not including the engine compartment, door jambs, etc. not being done on a repaint. I chose not to repaint only the engine compartment with the reasoning that some day the car would go back to the original color and it may be good to keep the original for a color match. Afterall, under the hood isn't exposed to the sun. The other reason of course was the cost at the time to strip to repaint the engine compartment. I actually believe in doing it right and it was a tough decision.

I still have the original paint code sticker on the radiator support. Check my gallery....

And I don't think that the white engine compartment looks all that bad. I don't enter shows, so what does it matter?

[Mr Camouflage]

Question for the group...

Assuming all things equal, how much would it affect the "value" of a Z if one was to change the paint color from the original brown to a different color such as red, silver orange?

In other words, let's say there were 2 240Z's side by side and both were totally restored. One was the original brown color and the other was previously brown but was professionally repainted red, silver or orange, how much more would one expect the brown one to sell for? Does it matter?

Mike

Does it matter to you? Thats where you will find your answer. Who care what anyone else thinks.

But if you think of it in terms of an investment, doesnt matter what color it is, you will always spend more restoring, than you can sell it for.....restoration, rego insurance etc etc etc.