Howdy all,

I bought a original, family car 65 Fairlane a few months back. My goal is to get her back on the road and have her be a nice grocery go getter.

To date, my body and paint experience has been functional: get rid of the rust, and paint it well enough it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

The car is black, and I want to either keep her black or an age appropriate color. I 'll be painting it in panels because a garage or booth is not an option. I'm not going to spend a ton of money on a car that well done might sell in the teen.

So, given my limitations, would you change the color? Would you go Maaco? Or what? Keep in mind this is, for me, a learning experience.

 

I would not go to Macco, I have been there twice with different outcomes. First was a 1995 Dodge half ton with the bad primer so if you washed it the paint would come off on chunks. They did a decent job and the truck still looked good when I traded it. My current F-150 2004 Heritage I went to the same shop and told them to cut out the rust areas on bed and weld in new metal. About four years later the bed was trash including places that they had fixed.
This last spring I decided to fix the truck, needed bed, all four door bottoms, inner and outer rocker panels on both sides, cab corners and front bumper. I had never done any body work or painting but have done a fair amount of welding. Got a rust free bed and started on it, looks pretty good to me even though I was just starting to learn. I am doing it all outside so weather became a factor and I ended up just shooting the cab with primer and one coat of color so not as good as the bed. I still have to do the door bottoms and rocker panels and corners next spring so will repaint the cab again then.
If you stand back ten feet and look it looks pretty good and I know what I did wrong on the not so good parts. Still looks better than big rusty holes in it. Truck was that dark grey and I didn't figure I would be able to match it so changed color. It is now Massey Furgeson grey in Rusteolum, paint not rattle cans. Good luck, Jim.

 

For me, having never done any body work but building my first hot rod, I am doing the work myself. Partly cost factor as labour adds up fast and partly so I can learn. I joined an auto body forum and that has been very helpful as well. Go for it yourself. What is the worst thing that could happen, you mess it up so bad its ugly. Its paint and bondo, you sand down/strip the panel and do it again. You will learn something. As for colour, that is up to you, depends on what you want when done. Black is the hardest colour to look good as it shows everything. But you would only have to paint the outside, not door jambs, inside truck lid, etc.

 

As for learning that would be a good place to start but what tools do you have to work with?
If you dont have a air compressor and it needs to be of fare size to use sanders & paint with.
I can tell you a 30 gallon Craftsman was just barely enough to paint with.

So up to spraying primer & paint you can sue electric tools / sanders.
A small compressor for priming might be ok.

As said black will show all the bad work but you would not need to paint the jambs.
I have used Macco but all they did was the painting, I did all the body work, everything was stripped off the cars that could be so less taping on their part and they were all repainted the same color.
Did not go for the cheap job, think middle of the job and they all came out good.
Each Macco is different so check their work before you have them do yours.

Then again there is nothing like saying you did all the work, yes even the painting, with pictures showing it as some did not believe I did on my truck a 4 year cab off frame rebuild.
Dave ----

 

Learning to paint is a lot of fun. iI this is going to be your hobby you should learn how to do body work. A decent compressor 60 gallon 80 gallon will do the job and they're not that expensive. As for painting another car black I would rather not . All the cars I've painted in the last 40 years have been red. Like you I started out from scratch painted all the cars in my driveway. There are a lot of good YouTube videos that help you out and practice we'll make perfect. Good luck with your project

This is my anti-graffiti 55 Chevy. The clear coat is New York City subway anti-graffiti paint, painted in my driveway