Resto advice

[mcvw]

Hi,

Here's a thought...

Our bus is Pastel White over Niagara Blue, and requires little (or almost none) work above the waistline - but a lot of work below and underneath.

Would it be practical (after welding etc) to only paint the bottom half of the bus? I'm not talking show winning finish, but more like an aged/patina type finish so it matches the top half?

Can this type of finish be achieved? Or should we bite the bullet and get the whole bus painted - so it's nice and shiny all over (inside & out)?

Is there any benefit (£ wise) in not doing a "full" respray?

The obvious bonus of a full respray would be we could have a complete colour change. We're not big fans of Niagara Blue (at all!) - and Pastel White all over would be a) factory, and b) subtle.

So... Good idea, or absolutely-fookin-stoopid idea :lol:

Cheers,


Mike

 

[pete nice]

Its down to cash. If you can afford it & have the time, then do all of it...

 

[mcvw]

Time we have (in abundance), cash we don't

I appreciate this is a difficult question to ask, but how much cheaper would a "bottom half" respray (in an aged/patina type style) be, as opposed to a full-respray?

Also, if we had a nice shiny bus wouldn't it look odd if we were to put "used" parts back on i.e. headlight rims, deluxe trim? Or should all new bits be bought?

 

[kempy]

If you decide to only paint the bottom and on a budjet stick to the original colour.

The reason i say this is the engine bay is a tricky area to paint and nothing worse for me that opening up the lid to see a different colour to the rest of the van and stands out a mile.

Thats just me though.

 

[mcvw]

I'm with you 100% on this, as I feel exactly the same way about the inside of the front panel - where the heater outlets etc are. All has to be the same colour else it looks half-done.

Incidentally, our bus is the same white colour inside (cargo area, cab floor etc) which is why we're considering the pastel white all over route.

So... Any ideas on £ difference between full & not-full respray?

 

[Guest]

So... Any ideas on £ difference between full & not-full respray?

hard to nail down a price it all depends on quality, and ive seen a £800 paint job look better and last longer than a £4K paint job .

If you want it good & cheap, make friends with a good automotive sprayer, i find buying them pints at the pub works well to start . You can alway offset the cost with the booze with the money youll save on the spray job

 

[kempy]

It's always going to be cheaper to paint just below the waistline as you dont need to take windows out etc..........

The problem is that you will always get some sort of masking line and the two colours won't 100% match.

One way to hide this fact could be to fit some deluxe trim and paint below where it would fit to take the eye away and get the whole front panel of the van painted up to the roof.

Best to get prices and make sure you talk to people who have used them and see their previous work.

The major cost in painting is the prep work not the top coats.

I had my fingers burnt with the split. I originaly paid a so called VW painter £1800 to do it.

When i got it back i started to spot a lot of things including paint lifting in the gutters and i might as well have thrown the £1800 in the bin as got it redone again.

Mike

 

[mcvw]

All our windows are out, and I think the only things left in the bus are the dash, handbrake mech, steering column, wiring loom/fusebox, headliner (which is pretty grubby) etc.

All sounds like a case for a full respray doesn't it

 

[kempy]

All our windows are out, and I think the only things left in the bus are the dash, handbrake mech, steering column, wiring loom/fusebox, headliner (which is pretty grubby) etc.

All sounds like a case for a full respray doesn't it

If you do the build up after it should keep the price down.

 

[VWAIRCOOLED]

I would concentrate on the welding first,that could swallow up a huge part of your budget,see how much money you have left then go from there.Do you know what parts need welding yet?