I'm guessing that whoever had my car re-painted before I had it went cheapo on the paint job, because it's starting to show now...

I've noticed that there was no real prep work done to the body before it was painted. It looks like someone just had a few coats of Winter Blue painted on it, and then threw on the stipes and hood decal. They didn't even dis-assemble the car when it was painted. To top it off, they didn't clear coat over anything. So now I've got some chipping going on along the hood, and rust showing up behind the rear wheels and under the doors.

I know that the body needs to be taken apart and painted correctly, but I'm leaving for school soon and I really can't afford that. Are there any cheaper alternatives to help out, atleast for a year? Maybe just a few clear coats?

This makes me mad [:@]. I really wish I could just give whoever did this a good kick in the ***.

 

same thing is happening to mine.. I think they painted it the right way, I just don't think they got rid of the existing rust on the car... so it's bubbling and chipping up all over. Which is really sad because its a good paint.

 

Sorry to hear about the paint problems. That could be the difference in a 500 buck paint job, and a 5K paint job. Here is what mine looked like during the restoration process. They had to cut out the rust, and replace with new metal.

 

As you have found out you can't really trust anyone as to what was done in the prep stages. I think most of us have either found out the hard way as you have or know someone else who has.

That's why I will usually look past a freshly painted car towards one with very old paint. You can tell there is nothing hiding under the paint.

 

My paint was 30+ years old when I bought Old Yeller, and I saw no evidence of rust bubbles. I used the magnet approach and all. By looking underneath, I saw absolutely zero rust anywhere. But, when I had it restored, they found rust in the typical places such as the bottom front of the doors and the rear quarter panel. I guess what I mean, is that unless you strip the paint off, you won't be able to tell if there is rust or not. So, just spraying a new layer on old paint is just crapping in the wind.

 

I also have bubbles on my 66. There are massive ones by the lower door on each side. Chips are also apperaing all over and i will be forced to sand her down, which isnt good because i like the color.

 

The color is the least of your worries. If you can actually see bubbles, then you have massive rust problems. If you want to keep the car for future use, then either do what I did which was to spend 5 thousand dollars to get it renovated, or do it yourself if you have the tools and the skill to do it. The color is the last thing to go on other than clear coating.

 

Like the guy that had mine before me? Clearcoat is flaking off and he painted OVER the pinstripes.....

 

Yeah...the noticeable rust is in its "bubbly" phase right now. Besides that, just the chipping paint. Im not sure I even want to know what kind of nightmare lies beneath the crappy paint job. The only think that would make me think that there isnt any rust under there is that the floors and underneath the car are absolutely rust free. Actually, when I replaced the carpet, the floor had the factory blue paint still on it. So I may get lucky, when it comes time for me to have it painted correctly.

Would it be helpful if I sanded over the rust bubbles, and just kept the car regularly waxed? I gave it a healthy coat today, hopefully to delay any further problems.

 

No. If you have rust bubbles, then it's time to do it right, and strip that puppy down to bare metal. Cut out the cancer, and replace with new metal. My floor pans were just like yours, because I checked them before I bought the car. And my lower front of the doors didn't show any bubbles, neither did the rear quarter panel. But, when they stripped her, there they were. If yours has rust bubbles already, no matter how much wax you use, it won't help because it is rusting underneath the paint.