Hi,

I've got an 84 Fiero that I (read wife) want to get repainted. Maaco says that I should go with a single coat polyurethane with sealer, and that they'll do it for $600.

I asked the guy about base coat/clear coat urethane ( which they also offer), but he said that I didn't really need it. The car is red with a few black accents.

My other option is to go to a private painter for considerably more (2500). That's nearly as much as I paid for it, and I doubt that I could get it back.
(It's in reasonable shape, but the interior has some spots, and the electrics are a little touchy. Not to mention that Fieros don't seem to be all that popular -- especially the I4.)

So, how good is a single coat polyurethane? I don't want to buy crap, but I won't be taking it to shows or anything like that. Probably just occasional errands and cruises when the weather is decent.

Thanks,

hj

 

Fiero paint job....instantly this comes to mind:

A 1962 Ford Falcon Recieve A Budget Paint Job - Hot Rod Magazine

A lot of work though.

What is their warranty on the $600 job?

 

They have something about a 4 year shine guarantee -- I really didn't look into it.

The shop has a good BBB rating, and the guy seemed to know what he was talking about. I just wondered if anybody here has any opinions on this type of paint process.

As for the article, I think that CarCraft did something similar. I'm not going to try it - a wise man knows his limitations

Thanks,

hj

 

The poly was what the car would have had originally. The good is that it is lower cost, and they are putting sealer on it, better. The CC/BC give a bit more shine maybe, but the clear is more likely to flake off in the future, if continually exposed to the sun. Some claim the CC/BC is superior to the old poly, but how many cars do you see with the poly peeling off? Not nearly as many as with clear failure. Just my opinion.

 

$600 sounds a little steep for a smaller Fiero sized car. Have you gotten any other quotes? If it were mine i'd probably go with the bc/cc. My truck was painted by po with no cc and after 10yrs in the blistering Oklahoma heat and cruel freezing winters the paint is dulled cracking and flaking off the metal. I'm in the process of metal patch panel repairs and will be repainting it myself before the end of summer. If you went with the bc/cc, maybe you could wetsand the cc to get the orange peel out and make it show car worthy.?....

 

I just priced out paint for my T/A today, and single stage is around $300-400, and BC/CC runs about $5-600 for just supplies... That is including primer though, and you can actually get clear to put on the single stage as well. Check out Eastwood Company for the ideas of what can be used and costs, their price is on par with my local supplier.