MAACO paint job follow up and sound proofing quesiton...

[Guest adam_knox]

Went ahead with the MAACO job. Spent probably two days prepping the car (sanding, taking trim off). I did my best to try to smooth out the prior "orange peel" texture from the previous job. Was glad I spent the time.

MAACO did a great job on masking off. I had a few tight areas where I thought there would be over spray, but they kept everything smooth. They only misted the black part of one of my tires and that's it! The total cost was $460, worth every penny. A few minor spots where there is a bubble or too (like tiny soda fizz or something). Not bad at all I must say! So that's the follow up!

BTW-They couldn't find a formula for the 49 Chrys. paint (even with the corresponding Ditzler #... Bummer, new color is a bit bluer and brighter than the original, but it really pops! =)

Now that that's done, I want to recoat the interior of the doors. The old sound proofing stuff was a hard black stuff that crusty and coming off. Instead of buying the spray stuff in a can for like 7 bucks a can, would bathroom caulk be a good substitute? Looking to do it to the rear floor pans as well...

[Mark Shaw]

Way to save some $$. I have used Macco for two of my cars. (One is in the photo)

I suggest you peel off all the old stuff and sound proof your doors with the "spray stuff" you mentioned or use rubberized bed liner coating for a good solid job.

[Guest elmo39]

I'm sorry but i cannot understand how some people , when restoring a car will usualy spend what ever it takes on the mechanicals,wiring,upholstery etc but when (in my opinion) it comes to the most important job (painting,or in other words body protection)they want the cheapest job they can get. it equates to going to walmart and buying the cheapest rain coat and wondering why you get wet when it rains.

[oldcarfudd]

Elmo, I'm at the opposite end of the opinion spectrum. I have only pre'16 cars so I can tour with the Snappers and the HCCA. I buy them to tour, not to show. Yes, I want them to look good, but I want to be able to do 150 miles of hills and curves and be reasonably sure they'll hang together and that the brakes will work. They may not impress a Hershey judge, since they get stone dings on dirt roads and their running gear is often oily, but they sure do look good tooling down a country road.

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ

[R Walling]

I am the owner of auto body shop and many times I have directed persons to he local Maco shop for the type of job that they require.

It started out as a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference, but in reality, you really get your moneys worth from them, as I would probably charge their price in materials alone!

I had sent so many jobs to them that they are now sending me their truck customers.

It pays to speak fairly of your competitors!

When refinishing a car, if you spend, say, $300 for a good-looking 20’ job, you would have to spend $2000 for a good-looking 20” job and $12,000 for a 2” job. Its all in the detail.

[West Peterson]

...and I'd like to add that the quality of the paint job is in the prep work. So, if you've done that and prepared it properly, the MAACO job will probably look pretty darn good. You'll need to block sand it yourself afterward, then buff it out.

Depending on how deep the orange peel is on the paint, you should start out with a minimum of 1000-grit wet/dry sanding. If the orange peel is quite deep, sand with 400 or 600 and get those peeks knocked down, otherwise the fine paper will just "follow" the orange peel into the "divots."

[R Walling]

"If the orange peel is quite deep, sand with 400 or 600"

Be careful of a high metalic paint when doing this, you could take off the color and clear over the flake and you will end up with gray spots where the metalic is exposed to the air.

[Tom M]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The total cost was $460, worth every penny</div></div>Wow great price and it looks like they did a great job.

I just spent $500 the other day for two Gallons of High build, 1 gal of Epoxy and 1 gal of SS Black. This does not include the primers I bought and have went thourgh already.

[West Peterson]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Roger Walling</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> "If the orange peel is quite deep, sand with 400 or 600"

Be careful of a high metalic paint when doing this, you could take off the color and clear over the flake and you will end up with gray spots where the metalic is exposed to the air. </div></div>

Good point. Also, MAACO probably doesn't put on as much paint, so you'll need to be careful about how much you take off.

[Guest adam_knox]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: elmo39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm sorry but i cannot understand how some people , when restoring a car will usually spend what ever it takes on the mechanicals,wiring,upholstery etc but when (in my opinion) it comes to the most important job (painting,or in other words body protection)they want the cheapest job they can get. it equates to going to Walmart and buying the cheapest rain coat and wondering why you get wet when it rains. </div></div>

I find the "cheapest" route works well in many cases. In this instance I only drive the car June, July, Aug. It doesn't really get driven in rain , so a hefty trench coat (high quality paint job) isn't needed, so a cheap raincoat (low cost paint job) will do.

Plus, I'm tight on funds, but in 6 years I do plan on getting a "proper" paint job. But even if I didn't, I would recommend a MAACO paint job for most classic car owners who do some of the prep work themselves.

Only one tip on sound proofing? I was hoping someone would enthusiastically say that smearing bathroom caulk would be a brilliant substitute to buying the expensive spray on stuff!

[Guest imported_MrEarl]

Adam, what exactly did that $460 buy you ie Masking off, what kind of paint, base coat, clear coat etc.

[Mark Shaw]

Like everyone in this hobby, Elmo39 is entitled to his opinion.

I just want to point out that there are many different ways to enjoy this hobby. Some like to win stuff at car shows, some like to drive & tour, and some just like making these older machines run well.

I fall into the latter two categories....

Spending thousands of dollars for perfect paint jobs in not my thing.

[Matt Harwood]

Even a perfect paint job won't stay perfect for long if you drive the car. I plan on spending a big dollar on the Buick's paint since I am going to show/judge it first. However, I'm going to have reservations about putting it on the road afterwards because of it. A $500 paint job that looks 85% as good as a high dollar job is A-1 in my book. Guilt-free driving!

PS: The car looks great!

[Matt Harwood]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: adam_knox</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Only one tip on sound proofing? I was hoping someone would enthusiastically say that smearing bathroom caulk would be a brilliant substitute to buying the expensive spray on stuff! </div></div>

How about DynaMat or something similar? Do a Google search for sound deadening materials and see what comes up. There are a lot of companies with ideas about what to use and in a variety of price ranges.

But there's absolutely no way I'd use bathroom caulk--how are you going to use caulk to do sound deadening, anyway? As seam sealer perhaps--not a good idea, but <span style="font-style: italic">maybe</span>--but not to smear over entire panels for sound deadening. I think its ability to stand up to the heat on the floors and firewall is highly suspect, too. Even silicone will make a mess and probably won't do a very good job of absorbing vibrations anyway.

[Guest adam_knox]

Surface prep was 199.95 with the "Prep Plus" package. Then I did the Ambassador paint job for 229.95. They also charged 15 dollars for Sublet/Env (which I'm guessing is like a Enviromental surcharge).

I got the single coat enamel. For about a hundred and fifty more they could put in a clear coat mix, and the package up from Ambassador had a clear coat put on top.

The folks at MAACO were very honest and said since my paint color was a solid color (non-metallic) I wouldn't need the clear coat since I only use it in summer and nice weather.

I had a about four dings and a slight dent that I had them ignore. It would have been $150 for them to repair them. I could've bondoed them myself if I wanted. They mask off the car, lightly sand, check the areas I did, and paint. They even got under my trunk hinges and reattached them (I have chrome trunk hinges). They left the doors slightly open to get in the jams a bit too, so that was nice.

The guy painting said if I woulda spent about $1500 it would've been fantastic.

If I could do it again I would have filled in my dings, and smoothed out a few out a few spots. But it looks pretty darn good as is.

So depending on the time spent by you, taking off trim, sanding, etc, can make a huge difference. I've included pics to show areas where I didn't prep, where I did, and their job of masking off.

Here's some orange peel that I didn't address as its covered by the rear license plate (notice MAACO did not smooth it with the prep plus package).

Here's a part I did sand and prep. Notice how mirror like it is!

And here's where they masked off (couldn't get the wiped chrome off for the life of me!). Its a bit dusty as I've worked on the car in the garage. But do notice around the air vent and hood edges, as they basically spray over. Also notice there isn't any overspray on the window trim or wiper chrome! (nor is it gunked up around the edges).

So that's that. I tried to take a picture of a "soda fizz" like bubble that they had on the paint, but its small and wouldn't show up on the camera. I have three small spots where that happened. Again, not noticeable on the road or just looking, unless you are polishing your car inch by inch.

[Guest simplyconnected]

My '55 Ford had tons of tar sprayed all over the insides of the doors, pillars, etc. Some of it was falling off in big chunks, but most of it I had to use a propane torch and a scraper to get it off.

Most of the inner panels looked real clean, without a hint of rust after 50 yrs. I'm talking about inner panels, now. In some areas, I primed with a self-etch, then used '25-yr warranty' vinyl calk, smearing in places, and beading in corners. As much as I love silicone sealer, I know enough to keep it far away from the impending new spray paint job.

In some areas, the vinyl calk shrank and formed like an alligator effect. Because I know the steel is well protected, I gave up on the calk idea, and sprayed a good rubberized undercoat over it, rubbing it into a few areas, just to make sure it filled every crack.

Polyurethane works well, but it too is expensive. I guess the bottom line is system compatability. The car is a system of many chemicals and temperatures. OEM's spray sealer after the car is e-coated, then they bake it again before prime, base, and top coat. That's a hard act to follow, because heat 'cures' the sealer before any spray paint is applied.

As much as I hate popping for the rubberized undercoat spray, I think it is the best solution for sound proofing and sealing in all the areas you can't see.

[Guest adam_knox]

Hey thanks for the advice. Love to hear past results of techniques. Looks like I'll be looking for coupons on rubberized undercoating spray!

[Guest AntarcticDave]

We have a Maaco in the area with a reputation for doing great jobs on old cars. I have seen several prize winners come through, and know someone taking a Bentley in (mind you, these are probably roughly $5,000 paint jobs, not $500, but still way below other quotes in town).

Dave

[Guest Bluesky636]

MAACO did the paint on the RED 1964 Galaxie.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/558393245MKLxww

I did all the prep work and body work. Spent about 4 months after work and on weekends. I had no clue what I was doing, so my work has plenty of flaws. The paint has a few flaws also. After 3 years I am getting some small bubbles in areas I did not prepare properly and am trying to touch them up. But given all that, the paint still looks good and is SHINY!

I did their top of the line single stage urethane plus had them paint all the jambs, under hood and trunk. Price was an even $1K.

[Guest elmo39]

First off my comments were not about obtaining a show quality paint job that could be judged at hershey or else where , i have never been into shows ,judging, etc . My cars are like a lot of yours they were bought to drive and enjoyed ( in all weathers). they were about a good paint job to protect your car , i feel qualified to comment on this as car painting is my trade and has been since 1965 although i officialy retired 3 years ago i still paint the occassional old car for freinds in the local car club, but refuse to do cheap jobs as they will not last

[TexRiv_63]

On the soundproofing / caulking, I used to use fibered roofing cement applied with a putty knife to seal seams and repaired areas. Inexpensive, easy to find, and stayed semi-flexible. The area has to be clean or it will not stick. They used to sell a spray-on product called "Body-Shutz" that was a real heavy sound deadener, not sure if it is still out there.

[Matt Harwood]

Don is right: 3M still makes body schutz that you spray over the primer but under the paint. It leaves a texture, so it isn't for show cars, but it really protects the underside of the car and keeps it looking great for years. I don't know if it is a sound-deadener (it is not advertised as such), but it will certainly help.

[Kellys54Special]

I am in the process of purchasing a 1954 2dr Hard top Special, They have removed all the "trim" Chrome and have primered it. It still has the Grille and bumpers on. With my budget, Macco may be the way I have to go.I am looking to make this a driver and not a "show" car. Would you advise removing the Grille and bumbers before I take it to them to paint. The grille looks like it is in very good condition as I have only seen pictures at this point. They have even removed all the head lights/tail lights. I and the fixtures around them.They have already re-done the seats so I am one step ahead there.Am also in need of advise on where to go to get glass. The drivers window and vent glass is cracked and the windshield is fogging slightly. These are going to be early fixes. Also need Headliner and interior door panel advise.

Thanks,

Kelly

[Guest simplyconnected]

How is the window channel and door & trunk seals? I would remove the bumper just to paint the stone guard (valance). How is the chrome on your bumpers? If they are going out for re-chrome you will be taking them off, anyway.

[Guest imported_MrEarl]

Hi Kelly, and welcome to the AACA Forum and congratulations on the "BEAUTIFUL BUY". If you'll scroll on down there is Buick Club of America forum that you will want to visit.

I would definitley recommend removing the bumpers and grille. If you are planning to replace windshield and glass, I'd paint it while the windshield is out also, as there is typically rust hiding between the front of the roof and the chrome. HOWEVER, if the car is just a driver and for cruise/show and the ws is only slightly fogged you will probably decide it doesn't look that bad when you learn the price of a correct one. Are you painting it back the same color? What's your plans for the jambs, interior trunk and under hood.

Hey, you know there is a forum just for us 54 Buick lovers. Would love to have you join us. Just click here 1954Buick.com Hope to see you there.

[Matt Harwood]

If you don't want paint on it, take it off.

They'll mask it, but it'll be imperfect and you'll see the line in many cases. In addition, the paint won't get behind these pieces, so if they move or need adjustment sometime down the road, it'll really show.

[Guest adam_knox]

I was originally going to leave my grill on, thinking it would be too difficult to get off. Now I'm glad I did. It wasn't that bad, although I haven't put them back on yet! So I may be cursing in a few days!

Go ahead with taking off the bumpers too, I'm guessing on a 54 it wouldn't be that difficult either. Its nice to do that because you can get to see the condition of your car that might normally get over looked. I'm now going to POR-15 a few spots that I couldn't normally get to to protect them. Would never have really known their condition without taking the grill off.

One thing to remember is to remove door handles and locks. Mine were easy to get off, plus that's something everyone sees when they use the car. I even took off the rubber grommet around my gas pipe.

Let us know how your car works out! Do take lots of pics!

[Guest simplyconnected]

At the factory, the Paint Department sprays bodies. The body is completely welded. All the other parts are to be bolted on in Final, Trim, and Chassis.

As you take parts off your car for your Maaco job, it will seem easy to remove this or that (and it is). The ultimate, is to simulate a factory paint job, where the body is completely stripped; no glass, no trim, no headliner. If this is practical for you, I totally agree with Matt Harwood:<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Matt Harwood</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you don't want paint on it, take it off.</div></div> The other side of this is, If you want parts painted underneath your trim, take them off. Your paint job will be as good as your prep.

Take lots of pictures. They will help you in the assembly process, and you can look back on them when your job is complete.

Dyed-in-the-wool restorers take the body off the frame. It's called a frame-off restoration, and it mimics the factory process.

You can go from, taking nothing off, to taking the body down to bare. The paint costs the same, either way. The outcome is totally different, depending on how far you strip down.

Nearly all the work restoring old cars, involves cleaning parts and preparing them for re-assembly, whether it's re-paint, re-chrome, or stainless polishing. The more work you do, the better your job will turn out, and the longer your car will remain beautiful.

[Kellys54Special]

Thanks everyone for all the advise! I really do appreciate it since this is my first venture into driving and fixing an old car.

[Guest ZondaC12]

I got fender skirts and a visor for my car this winter and had them painted at a Maaco recently. The visor had several (hail I think) dings in it, mostly on the driver's side and it generally wasn't a perfect surface. This shows. The brackets, however, WERE perfect, as are the skirts because they are actually brand new reproductions....and those items look absolutely gorgeous. Hell the visor almost fits better and the skirts DONT fit because they look too good! Need to beat em up a little so they match the car.

[Guest 4buick7]

I have used MAACO on two cars and the results have been excellent. The first was some years ago on the family station wagon, an '87 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park. The factory paint job was so thin it was down to the primer in spots after only 7 years as a result of frequent waxing ( I should of left it alone). There was a lot of masking and MAACO did an excellent job. They also matched the original color perfectly.

The next car was a '66 Mustang convertible. The car wasn't to be used as a driver but I wanted to enjoy it without having to worry about stone chips on an expensive paint job. I went with their top level polyurethane plus I had it color sanded to take the edge off the extreme shine. The overall results were very good. The paint quality was good and the masking was acceptable but not as good as on the Mercury wagon. The only problem was with the headlight doors. I removed them and told the shop they were in the trunk. They forgot to paint them and had to paint them at a later time. The color was slightly off but hardly noticeable to anyone else but me.

You get what you pay for and the MAACO paint jobs were a good value. However, I plan to do a cosmetic restoration on my '47 Buick woodie and won't be taking it to MAACO. I feel the car warrants a show quality job and therefore I'll belly up to the bar and go with a high quality painter shop. Interestingly, when I picked up the Mustang at MAACO, they were painting a vintage Bentley.

1947 Buick Estate Wagon

[keiser31]

As long as the metal and painting surface is prepped correctly and the finished paint job is buffed correctly, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with a Maaco paint job. You can always talk to the painter and be certain he knows what sort of job you may want. He will usually be extra careful and do what you want if you explain things beforehand. If you prep it all yourself, you usually only have yourself to blame if it turns out poorly. Some of us cannot afford a $5,000.00+ paint job so we work with what we have.

[Guest Aerowagon]

Cool,, You prepped the Body for paint . it looks good.. . at least you know that it has been sanded.. and the Product will stick.. as for the amount of material used.. it would be no different than getting a collision repair done.all that matters is that it covered completely... as for orange peel if any.. they gave it texture , just like the originals.. the tiny pops are called solvent pop.. probably applying the product to fast.. they probably got overwhelmed by the size of the car.. Maaco might be cheap.. you cannot by the products and rent space for that type of money..

[Reatta Man]

One thing to keep in mind with MAACO or any paint shop.

In the case of MAACO, each shop is different. So, look at the shop's finished work. One MAACO shop can have a true artist shooting paint, and another MAACO shop has Moe, Curly and Larry working in the back.

They should be proud and eager to show you some of their finished jobs. If they don't want you to see their finished work and give you some excuse to not let you see their finished cars, RUN and find another shop...

Joe