Posted by T.L. (IP: 158.252.163.156) on July 15, 1999 at 23:16:46:
In Reply to: needs advice & encouragement , hee hee posted by Lori D. on July 15, 1999 at 23:02:52:
Unfortunately Lori, there is no "cheap way out" when it comes to body-work & paint. It is best left to people with lots of experience and the RIGHT tools. One thing that can save you some money is to remove all the body trim yourself so that the body shop doesn't have to charge you to do it. Remove all chrome (bumpers, door handles,trim, etc.)It's gonna cost me $2000 to paint my car and that's WITH a discount (my friend owns the body shop). Remember: you GET what you PAY FOR...
: Hi, I'm the Lori w/the white 77 maverick..I would love to fix my car up to the way it looked before the 2 accidents I was in. The body shop told me that it would cost me at least $3000 to restore it, which, of course I do not have...At the same time I have a mechanic friend who said he knows someone who can paint it for like $500, which probably would be a crap job. I really don't want to let it go another season without getting it painted. I don't know if it's better to do some things myself now or wait until I have some extra and pay a professional to do it. I would like to do it myself, but I don't know the first thing about fixing cars and/or their restoration..Some input would be great. I'm sorry if I sound like a dork, but I would love to take care of my car and get it looking great again. Thanks in advance for the advice!