paint and body

[wight92]

I am in the process of getting out all the rust..........but continue to day dream of the day I will get it all painted and pretty again. I am not sure if I should repaint my 1971 all orginal 240z the factory 905 red or change it to a color I would perfer more, maybe a factory silver..... I removed everything inside but the dash in my rust survey. If I choose another color I will have to remove the engine and do the engine compartment also. the engine comparment only needs minor paint touchups now. Not sure what the added cost would be for a painter to pull the engine. Hell, I am not even sure I can afford a good paint job. those of you who have gotton nice paint jobs could you tell me about what I am looking at price wise and maybe help me see the cons of a full color change.. thanks MW

[Arne]

In my experience, painters don't pull engines. You have to pull it. And it will add a fair bit to the cost. If the engine compartment is nice now, I'd stick with 905 red. That is what I will do on mine, even though red isn't my favorite for a 240Z. Would rather have 919 yellow or 918 orange.

But to paraphrase, "We don't go to buy the color we want, but buy the color that's available..."

[Zak's Z]

How are YOU going to feel about leaving the engine in and doing the rest of the car? I pulled my motor and everything else out of my compartment and it was quite a task. Then you have wiring harnesses, brake/fuel lines, etc etc.

I know it would cost extra for a complete color change including engine bay (maybe someone more experienced could chime in), and it would be alot more work for you. But it would look better, and you can get the color you want.

I think I agree with ARNE, stick to the 905 red and clean up the engine bay. I would take a whole day or two and get a toothbrush into every nook and cranny and get all the grease out of everywhere just to see how good it looks clean.

[beandip]

What ever floats your boat. I did a complete color change. But I has some rust issues to deal with by the battery. Surface rust on the frame rail and heavy pitting on the battery support. So if I touched that up the rest would not have looked that good. When I started I intended to keep the orange. However I went ahead and pulled the engine and tranny to change the fly wheel and detail the engine bay. I then found some rust in the cavity of the front fender where the cowl drains. I then ended up with both fenders off. And so on and so on. Bottom line for me is , I want the engine bay the same color as the body. On a 240 Z you can have the engine out and on the floor in 2 hrs. Even less. I look at it this way, in for a Penney in for a pound. I am going to be the one driving and caring for he car , I might as well have it the way I want it. She is a vary bright Yellow , and she doesn't blend in with the crowd. One thing, when the body is all finished and buffed out the old paint will just look old, and you are going to wish you had just taken the next step. Like I said in the beginning , what ever floats your boat. Gary

[dkd021]

Hell, I am not even sure I can afford a good paint job.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I think this is a telling sentence.

I would stick with red. A good paint job, inside & out is expensive. A cheap one may cost less, but it sounds like you're talking about a potential refresh of the whole car. If you're worried about the cost of the paint job now, in the beginning, Murphy's Law is going to come out & visit you during the refurb.

This is just my opinion, but I feel that if you're worried about what the paint job will cost now, you're fighting a steep uphill battle.

[beandip]

dkd021 , You are absolutely right . I am afraid I was speaking from my own experience and I did all my own work with a big help from my friend Escanlon. If you are going to have all the refresh done by others , this is a whole different matter. the cost factor is a large issue. Just the paint and materials alone will run close to $1000.00 , for PPG top quality paint, and sealer and primer ..... Weather striping kit another $250.00+ And the beat goes on and on . Gary

[Arne]

Yup. I figure that the repaint of mine -- exterior and jambs only, no interior or engine compartment -- will end up costing $4000 easy. And that doesn't include the cost of reskinning the roof to get rid of the sunroof, or my time to strip off and reinstall all the glass, weatherstripping and trim.

And my red car is an easy one -- no rust, no prior accidents, no color change, and really nice under the hood.

[kinfish]

Agree with Arne on his cost estimate for a quality job...... and plus some.

Cost will exceed what the 240Z cost when it was purchased brand new from the dealer.

Adding engine compartment and interior will add more bucks.

Old saying: "you get what you pay for"

[SSuspect]

In my case, I am going to do the paint work myself. It has been 12 years since I painted a car, but I went to school (WyoTech) for it back in the 80's. I am going to use the Z as a "refresher"...

Since the engine is coming out anyway (currently, only the block and crank are in the car), I can't find a reason NOT to do it. However, if I were not going to do this myself, it would remain the stock color also!

However, I think that I am going to go with a black basecoat and either an emerald green pearl or blue pearl topcoat. That should be pretty sweet! I will probably want to open an artery by the time I am done, but it should be nice once I finally finish it! :stupid:

wight92 - I am not sure what you are "willing" to do or how far you are willing to go with this, but PLEASE do not settle for a MAACO or Earl Schieb paint job. I am not "assuming" that you will do this, but I have seen a lot of people "settle" for this route and were very disappointed in the long run. Do yourself a favor and save up some extra money and do it correctly. Even if you stay with the stock color, it will be beautiful when it is done!

Tim

[wight92]

Thank you all for your input, I am leaning to the 905 again, I have removed about everthing but the dash and the motor and part of me thinks now the time to make the decision but I still have rust issues to resolve so it will be a while, anyway I guess I will check my budget closer to the when the car is actually ready for paint. I have budgeted about $3000 for the paint and body sounds like I am a little low. I am doing all the work now, but I have no illusion of trying to paint it myself. I am replacing both front fenders and one headlight bucket if any of you have a good lead on those parts. I will not skimp on the paint when I do get to it. I am just taking my time killing rust now. I have two grills to 260 or 280 that I mistakingly got thinking they would fit a 71 if anyone is interested. I already got a new carpet kit, weatherstripping kit, new windshield, valance, turnsignals, hood. My dad rolled it into a bird feeder 15 years ago, doing slight but irritating damage. any way thatnk you for all of your input.