Who "restores" we build hot rods and custom cars. \A "restored car" is stone ass stock with no mods and exactly as it would have sat on the dealer's showroom floor with maybe proper and correct accessories that were available the day it was new and those are usually shiny.
I see how the question is vague. I'm a newbie at paint. What does one look for in a high quality paint work? Paint can bubble, fish eyes... Will a high quality paint job have some fish eyes? What do you use to identify high quality paint work? I'm not sure what the standard is.
IMHO, I look for and expect quality work if it's a restoration or a hot rod, I have never had to use a shop that does restorations but having had a accident in the wagon and recent health problems I am looking for a shop that does work that is as good if not a lot better than what I originally did. I visited a few shops around my area that were highly recommended, I found one shop that gladly gave me the grand tour and I got to talk with two customers, these kind of shops are generally backed up for several months. HRP
Quality paint should not have any fish eyes. Go to a car show and look at the high dollar cars displayed inside. You will know high quality paint when you see it. There are varying degrees of quality based on skill, man hours, and budget. Quality paint can be subjective. One mans art is another mans junk. If you're buying a car you can ask for receipt's that document the materials used. That can also be very subjective. The best materials in the hands of less skilled body men or painters may not result in a quality finish yet people with skills and experience can get amazing results with middle of the road materials. The body work is where it's at. Paint is mainly a reflection of what is underneath but still needs to be applied properly and according to the paint vendors data sheets. One look down the side of the car in reflective light will reveal flaws in the body work. Even if everything looks perfect if mechanical and/or chemical adhesion were not achieved the paint wont be long for this world. Hopefully this give you some food for thought.
Wiring, always shows a bad restoration. Splices, bad crimps, wires draped across with no clips, no cable protection.
Go look at some new cars, see how the paint looks....it's smooth, consistent, no imperfections showing. A really high quality restoration paint job will look the same. You won't see any fisheyes, scratches, low spots, bumps, orange peel, color differences between panels, etc. Usually there is a high $$$ cost associated with top quality paint. So a lot of restored cars just don't have it.
Simple answer: Everything. OTOH & IMO, “Restoration” or more specifically “Complete/Full restoration” is and has always been THE most commonly misinterpreted/-understood concept associated with old (i.e. used) cars. Just look up its definition in dictionary and think how many you’ve ever seen to qualify. Also, there’s usually a huge difference between “Restoration quality” & “Show quality” paint job, but like with above reference, majority of people, including most old car enthusiasts, painters or even concours/show judges couldn’t tell the difference if their lives depended on it.
If I am buying someone else’s work and they expect me to pay full nut for their paint and body work, they better have pics of the car in bare metal. And then at each stage of work. No way I’m paying up for a cherry paint job only to have it fall off when the bucket of bondo that’s slathered on under it falls off. To my point: Heard a horrible story about a poor slob that bought a rare mopar ‘bird’ at Barrett only to have the side of it fall off when unloading it from the trailer (in a cold climate). Heartbreaking!
paint in door jambs/hinge areas , paint under rockers ,, and wiring under dash . will tell you if they cared about paint and if its cobbled together right off fabricator john miss you dad
The Jalopy Journal
