flaviaman
True Classic
Or how I developed a greater appreciation for Maaco and Earl Scheib...
I am reasonably conversant at working on the mechanical bits of an automobile but know next to nothing about paint and bodywork. Historically I have either written a check if body/paintwork was necessary or driven cars that could be confused for Urban Assault Vehicles. I once had an Alfa 1750 Berlina (be still my beating heart...) which was a fabulous auto however the lower portion of the body was so rusty I wrapped it in duct tape....the silver tape was a stunnIng contrast the the Verde Muchio (Moss Green) paint.
About a year ago I bought a 1969 124 Spider out of Florida sight unseen, I live in Oregon. The car was effectively a one owner vehicle, the owner had passed on and I purchased it from a broker via Facebook. The broker clearly knew nothing about cars but told me if had been repainted in the late 1980’s and was never completely reassembled, this was confirmed by the late owner’s daughter. Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a good body restoration, when the car arrived the condition lived up to, or rather down, to my limited expectations. There was considerable foreign matter in the paint, the engine hood had been damaged during the 30 plus years of storage. A JC Whitney mirror was fitted to the LH door, a hole was in the RH fender for an antenna, the rear lower valance did not match the paint on the rear of the car. The rocker panels were adorned with hideous aftermarket mouldings.
But worst of all was that the doors did not latch properly. I dismissed this early on while tinkering with other bits, I detest working on doors, but finally realized they were later doors with federally mandated side impact beams. Along with the beams Fiat changed the position of the latch slightly and hence the issue. The prior owner, or rather his shop, drilled extra holes in the latch panel in an attempt to make the doors latch properly, alas they failed.
I located an early set of doors, they appear to have changed mid 1972. Armed with information from the www, not to mention Gill’s inspiring post about refinishing his 600, I decided to attempt to repaint the car. I believe whenever one starts a project it is wise to have expectations set, mine are:
1: Original color, in this case Fiat code 241 - Giallo Colorado
2: paint exterior as well as engine compartment, door jambs and trunk
3: have the car look as stock as possible and original finishes...I.e. bolts market with Fiat and replated with the correct finish.
4: a nicely finished chassis, I really dislike overspray
5: strip to bare metal
6: paint quality / finish better than Maaco(!!!) - Driver Quality, nothing more
7: a budget of $2,000 USD and a considerable amount of “Sweat equity”
8: completion date of Spring 2021
My apologies for being so verbose. I am about one month into this project and finally gathered enough courage to post about it..it could be a colossal failure, the house may explode from lacquer thinner fumes, my Significant Other may disembowel your scribe for overspray in the garage, no doubt what few brain cells I have remaining will be deminished. Feel free to comment and offer suggestions....much of this I am “winging”.
I will post a few photos and updates every week or so. Thank you for you indulgence....
I am reasonably conversant at working on the mechanical bits of an automobile but know next to nothing about paint and bodywork. Historically I have either written a check if body/paintwork was necessary or driven cars that could be confused for Urban Assault Vehicles. I once had an Alfa 1750 Berlina (be still my beating heart...) which was a fabulous auto however the lower portion of the body was so rusty I wrapped it in duct tape....the silver tape was a stunnIng contrast the the Verde Muchio (Moss Green) paint.
About a year ago I bought a 1969 124 Spider out of Florida sight unseen, I live in Oregon. The car was effectively a one owner vehicle, the owner had passed on and I purchased it from a broker via Facebook. The broker clearly knew nothing about cars but told me if had been repainted in the late 1980’s and was never completely reassembled, this was confirmed by the late owner’s daughter. Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a good body restoration, when the car arrived the condition lived up to, or rather down, to my limited expectations. There was considerable foreign matter in the paint, the engine hood had been damaged during the 30 plus years of storage. A JC Whitney mirror was fitted to the LH door, a hole was in the RH fender for an antenna, the rear lower valance did not match the paint on the rear of the car. The rocker panels were adorned with hideous aftermarket mouldings.
But worst of all was that the doors did not latch properly. I dismissed this early on while tinkering with other bits, I detest working on doors, but finally realized they were later doors with federally mandated side impact beams. Along with the beams Fiat changed the position of the latch slightly and hence the issue. The prior owner, or rather his shop, drilled extra holes in the latch panel in an attempt to make the doors latch properly, alas they failed.
I located an early set of doors, they appear to have changed mid 1972. Armed with information from the www, not to mention Gill’s inspiring post about refinishing his 600, I decided to attempt to repaint the car. I believe whenever one starts a project it is wise to have expectations set, mine are:
1: Original color, in this case Fiat code 241 - Giallo Colorado
2: paint exterior as well as engine compartment, door jambs and trunk
3: have the car look as stock as possible and original finishes...I.e. bolts market with Fiat and replated with the correct finish.
4: a nicely finished chassis, I really dislike overspray
5: strip to bare metal
6: paint quality / finish better than Maaco(!!!) - Driver Quality, nothing more
7: a budget of $2,000 USD and a considerable amount of “Sweat equity”
8: completion date of Spring 2021
My apologies for being so verbose. I am about one month into this project and finally gathered enough courage to post about it..it could be a colossal failure, the house may explode from lacquer thinner fumes, my Significant Other may disembowel your scribe for overspray in the garage, no doubt what few brain cells I have remaining will be deminished. Feel free to comment and offer suggestions....much of this I am “winging”.
I will post a few photos and updates every week or so. Thank you for you indulgence....