Painting my '63

[Dan Detweiler]

I'm starting to wrap up my 3 year journey with a body off resto of my 63 coupe. The body sits on the body dolly and the completed chasis is ready to go. Now... I am looking for suggestions on the next step...the body. The paint is original except for the right rear qtr panel that was damaged back in the 80's. The paint is just starting to chip off in that location only. As with most originals the paint is starting to orange peel in some other areas. I have considered just having the bad areas looked at and I have also considered stripping the entire car myself, doing the prep work, and having the entire car re-painted. Am I deminishing the value by having the entire car repainted when it may not need it? If I do have the entire body repainted, am I better off having the body painted while it is still on the dolly to avoid overspray on the chasis, etc.? Last, but not least, any suggestions or recommendations for good body shops around or north of Philadelphia would be appreciated. This car has been in the family since 1964 and I do not want to screw it up. Thanks

[Patrick T.]

Re: Painting my '63

Dan, this is just my 2 cents, and I'm not an expert in this field, but a friend of mine owns a '66 396/425 roadster with the original, no hit paint. It looks good from 10 feet, but once you get up close, you can see that ALL of the paint is spider webbed, and to me it looks like hell. But he likes the car just the way it is; it's a matter of preference and sound judgement.

If this car were mine, after I did a frame off, I wouldn't hesitate to repaint it with a correct, high point enamel paint job. For what it's worth. Patrick

[Rich Dunbar #34015]

Re: Painting my '63

Dan,

Here's two more cents. I just purchased a 63 coupe not too long ago. At the time I was ready to buy I was fortunate enough to have two to chose from that were both the same color. The one I eventually bought had a frame off restoration where the body had been stripped and repainted, and the other had simply been repainted and had many spider webs. The difference between the two was like night and day. If you've come this far I would definitely go for the strip and repaint. It will be well worth it in the long run.

I also happen to be in the Philly area, and would suggest contacting the Corvette Club of Delaware Valley. They have a website at http://www.ccdv.com where you will find the names of some folks to contact regarding shops in the area.

Rich