new paint job a little dull

[bhermes]

I assume that the clay process is not real aggressive or do I need to be concerned about removing paint?  Obviously if this is primarily orange peel then something will need to be removed.

Otherwise I will go for this over the weekend.

Thanks.

[rcb280z]

Clay bar is only going to "clean" the paint surface. It wont remove orange peel. I use it to clean mine on occasions. There is some serious orange peel in your paint. Like mentioned above you should take it to reputable body and paint shop for further advise. 

[bhermes]

Before I go any further I just want to thank everyone for their input on this issue. 

I am going to at least let someone that knows more than me, real paint shop, look at this and give me some advice.

Prior to getting it painted I did go to the local reputable shop and they quoted me $8000.  I purchased the car for $2000 and have repaired about $1500 worth of items.  It was hard to justify $8k.  I also would like to get new wheels and tires.  One day I will bit the bullet.

Thanks.

[rcb280z]

1 hour ago, bhermes said:

 It was hard to justify $8k.  I also would like to get new wheels and tires.  One day I will bit the bullet.

I have to agree with you. I would only consider an $8000 paint job if I was going to enter it in car shows. It has really gotten expensive. Shouldn't cost no where near that to fix, hopefully.

I remember when I had mine painted. $1200 with color change, color sand and buff. But that was nearly 20 years ago.

[Patcon]

Unfortunately paint work can be really expensive., especially if you live in a small community with limited choices. $8k is high for paint but having it fixed will probably not be cheap either. If you figure it could take someone 40 hours or more to sand the car down, fix any blemishes, prime, mask, tack it and respray at $40-50 an hour plus materials. It starts to add up. I don't want to be negative but I don't want you to be shocked either. If you can find a shop that will work with you and walk you through a lot of the prep work you could do a lot of it your self and try to save some cash.

You can wash the car, degrease it with wax and grease remover and wet sand it with a good sanding block to whatever the shop wants and let them check it, prep it and spray it. The lion's share of the work is the sanding not the painting