Repainting a Fiberglass Cobra?

[LudicrousSpeed]

Originally Posted by 62Cobra

I love the "full Race Trim" look! When I'm at a cobra event I admit, I get a little tired of looking at one more shiny blue 427 with an old guy at the wheel. It adds dimension to a car to see one thats been enjoyed and raced.

I gotta agree, especially after seeing those pics of the FIA. I also agree with the old farts comment. Being still quite young and excessively attractive, I'm trying to buck that trend.

Gentlemen, thanks for all the good info. Looks like a repaint is more trouble than its worth. Its just gonna be hard passing up a nice car because I cant stand the color. Poor me.

[David Kirkham]

Originally Posted by 62Cobra

I love the "full Race Trim" look!

Told you it was one of my FAVORITE pics!

David

[Clois Harlan]

Gotta love that patina! To me every pit tells a story. I wish I had left mine alone last year with all of it's patina and battle scars. I will just have to make more.

Clois

[Ron61]

David,

Those are great pictures. Thanks for posting them. That front looks more like mine did than almost any I have seen around here. Although as I said, I did touch up some of the larger chips in the white, you could still see where they were. Heck I even had a ding in the side pipe on the drivers side where a wheel weight from a car in front of me came loose and hit it. I was just happy it stayed low and never hit me.

Ron

[RedEsprit]

What a great FIA. The paint looks "perfect" to me.

Regarding the original thread, repainting the ERA with a high quality job "made for the street" really shouldn't cost more than about $4,000-$5,000 IF the current paint was applied properly, adhering, etc. Many shops will not warranty their re-paint job without virtually stripping the old and re-sealing, however, since it is impossible to know how well the old was applied and when you see your new paint "lifting" due to the prior job's poor application, it can really ruin your day. All things considered, the new paint may well turn out smoother than the old simply due to the added material and additional block sanding. What Bill says is gospel...this is an area where you absolutely get what you pay for. My additional comment is, in many cases, you don't get what you pay for. Ask to see some of the painter's work before plunking down the bucks.

ACs are much easier to do a color change on than a Corvette or most other cars simple because their is no painting in the engine compartment, door jambs, etc. After removing the hood, doors, decklid, windscreen, etc these are very, easy cars to shoot. I initially painted my ERA for street/track use with lacquer and have put about 4,000 fun miles on the car. Cost was about $1,000 in materials. It has some flaws now (lacquer is soft) due to some high speed bumps but in general is still of "good" quality. I'm adding an aluminum hood, doors and decklid and will be repainting the car with a a bit of a more of a "show quality" job when that's complete (with lacquer that is simply more color sanding, masking, and hand polishing) and probably will spend another $1,000 in materials. Investing $15,000 in paint on a car that (1) is going to be driven on the street and/or track and... (2) you are unlikely to be able to recoup the cost of a high-end paint job upon sale (just like you, a new buyer probably won't like your color), just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.