by Richard Serra

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: April 17, 2007

Finding the right shop that specializes in restoration takes some research as each are usually working on projects already, and finding one that can get to yours is a stroke of luck, unless of course they aren't worth dealing with.
They are a dime a dozen.
You can do a better job than most do as far as preparation.

Why pay for a complete job when you can do most of the work yourself, and farm off what you can't do.

If your car isn't too bad, say the rocker panels have a few holes here and there, but the car seems relatively solid, you can start by cutting out most of the rusted areas and insert plates behind the holes and rivet in place.
This is so as to be able to fill in with body filler with very little filler.

The riveted areas will have a slight indentation that will allow sanding to a level that meets the rest of the surface. The filler is smoothed over the rivets as well. When sanded down, all looks uniform and this is done with the rest of the holes.

When satisfied with the rest of the bodywork, including filling in small dings etc.
Remove the bumpers and all chrome and accessories. Farm those off to be re-chromed.
Begin on the roof using paint remover taking care to cover the windows, and then finishing up on the decks and move to the sides.

After all paint is removed, smooth out any areas that feel need fine sanding. Spraying a primer is a job one can do as well as this will immediately protect the bare metal and can be a project for sanding down to a glass like smoothness while waiting for the chrome to come back.

Once the car is prepared for the finished paint job, it's a matter of bringing all the chrome and the car to a shop to get shot with the color of your choice.
If a car body is properly prepared, a good paint technician will get a mirror finish for the final look. It's all in the preparation.

Take time to do one small area of the car at a time, this way you don't get overwhelmed and frustrated. Learn to be patient and feel it's a labor of love, and soon it becomes so.

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