Paint Problem

[Stephen]

The original paint on the upper portion of the hood on my '75 is deteriorating and cracking. There is now a spot on the hood that is about the size of a baseball where the paint has completely chipped away down to what I believe is white fiberglass. I am slowly restoring the Vette but my funds are limited becase I am a college student. However, I would like to fix this blemish because, apart from small chips, the paint is in decent condition and I cannot afford to have the car completely repainted.

Is it possible for me to tape off this small section of the hood, removed the paint with "Strypease"(spelled incorrectly), prime, and paint it? My Vette is far from NCRS Show Condition but I simply would like a temporary fix because this white spot really looks bad on my Flame Orange Paint.

Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help.

[Joe L.]

Re: Paint Problem

Stephen-----

Yes, you can do essentially what you suggest. I don't think that I'd tape anything off, though. I think that I'd sand down the paint-damaged area, feathering into the good paint. Then prime and paint, also feathering out into the good paint. Have an automotive paint supplier mix you up a small amount of paint, color-matched as close as possible to your existing paint.

This is not going to be a permanent type of repair that's going to win you awards at car shows, but it will look better than what you've got now. What I would suggest when you've got more money to spend on the car is this: if the paint on the car is otherwise very decent, take just the hood down to a professional automotive paint shop experienced with Corvette painting. Then, have them professionally strip and paint the hood using color-matched paint. That will save a LOT of money over having the whole car painted.

[Ol'Geezer]

Re: Paint Problem

Steven--

Be careful with that Flame Orange paint. As I recollect, from some arcane article in Corvette News, Chev changed that color mid-way through the model year. So be sure to computer-match the color, not just use the color code and the paint-shop formulas. The first color was gorgeous; I wasn't so impressed with the replacement color. I never had an orange car; I'm jealous.