1970 Chevelle Paint job

[xraab]

I am currently looking into purchasing a 1970 Chevelle from a friend. The current paint job is good, but it is not quite my style. It is painted black with pink flames starting in the front and running down both sides. Is it possible to simple have the color of the flames changed or painted over, or should I just go ahead and get the whole car repainted. My budget is tight as well.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by xraab

pink flames .

Welcome to the forum.

It may well be possible to paint only those panels that were flamed black to match the rest of the black paint. One probably does not have to paint the entire car.

Fortunately, a true black color tends to be very easy to match. The paint type and paint system should be matched. Depending on the quality and sophistication of the job, the materials involved may be pretty cheap, or fairly expensive.

The problem here is the quality of the painter's technique. Black is extremely unforgiving of painting errors and textures, such as runs or orange peel. The newly-painted panels might end up matching in color, but be an obvious mis-match in texture.

Therefore, it is very difficult to get a flawless, completely smooth, texture-free black finish just by spraying alone. Some hand rubbing/polishing/sanding is required to get this. Therefore, if your car's original black paint looks flawless, some extra effort and expense may be required to achieve this.

Unfortunately, matching any slight 'orange peel' effect may be almost as difficult.

I would suggest shop around some local body shops for prices. If possible, ask to see examples of their work, in black or other dark finishes.

It may be possible to repaint the flames a different color. One might consider a 'ghosted flame' effect, where the flames are just a slightly different shade than the rest of the car, and only become apparent when the light catches the paint job in a certain way. I think this might be cheaper than having traditional flames painted on.