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Choosing a color

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I'm at a different point in my life. When I was 18 I repainted a toyota celica to a different color. It was a lot of effort to get the jambs and hood, and hatch and etc. I regretted because the car little bits of the old color would peep out at me and remind me of how hard I had worked, but it still didn't look finished. Of course it didn't hurt the resell value because I ran the car into the ground during college.
 
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Keenan - another thought: Putting a $200 "spray can" paint job on your car will ensure you become the next owner's DFPO! Because after your friends razz you over the summer about your crappy looking car, you'll definitely sell it - for parts car price - as quickly as you can!& when you bring it to MG 2006 & serious MG lovers slam it, you won't even want to take it home!

If you spent $200 having it professionally detailed, you'd have a better end product!

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OK... usually I agree with you but... (and god help me for actually defending Keenan)

#1 if "serious MG lovers slam it at MG2006 then that would be my first reason for not wanting to be around people like that... Somewhere in all this hobby it seems to have been lost that these are CARS and CARS are for DRIVING... not painting as pretty as possible and dusting them off once a month.... Heck Tony! even YOU have been heard to utter "so what- it's an MG - they made THOUSANDS of them"

#2 Yes, there is a right way to do it. We're also talking about a person without a lot of money. Many of us used to be there and 30 years ago many of you would have done the same thing. They seem to be rather well-connected in their little town and if they have some buddy with a paint-shop that can put a decent paint job on it for just the cost of supplies then why the heck not.

That being said I think that it WOULD be a good idea to stick with the original color so that stuff like the door jams and the engine bay won't look funny. But in the end, it is your car (and it is JUST a car) so do what you want.

Now... from a completely different practical angle, think about this... You just got it running. You have had it for about a year and been able to drive it less than two months total. Do you really want to take it out of commission for yet another couple of months? No matter what your body guy is saying, a 2 week job will turn into 2 months at least. Crap just happens. Think about it long and hard. You'd probably be happier with a really good detailing and a summers worth of good driving memories before you head off to the Army or College or whatever. Park it in dad's garage while you're away and save the restore for 10 years down the line.
 
Wow my last message barely made sense. I have a splitting headache. I think I could do better drunk.

I was trying to say... it is a lot of work to change the color and later you will probably not be happy with the results.
 
Keenan

You need to do some serious thinking and some serious talking with your dad. His offer to pay to repaint your car is a very generous gift but you need to find out what or if you already know what the limit of this gift actually is.

Also you need to start looking at the costs of repainting a car beyond just the paint and the labor. Things like the side chrome strips that will need to be replaced. Little odds and ends that will pop up can easily end up costing in the 100's.

Take a good look at the car. Try to figure out what it really needs. If your interior is shot spend the money that your would have spent on paint on redoing the interior. It will add to the value of the car and will make life much more enjoyable.

If you’re going to leave for college in August you might want to think about spending the money on making the car as reliable as possible. I'm sure I will get some boo's and hisses here from the purists for saying this but look into possible changing your carb to a Webber and making sure your ignition is in top shape can go a long way to making the car enjoyable and reliable for the time your away from home. Take a good look at the other systems in the car and bring them into the best condition possible. Taking your time and working through the electrical system cleaning connectors won’t cost much other than time and will improve the reliability. Working on your car outside if it’s even permitted or finding a mechanic who understands how a British car works and more importantly how a zs carb works can be quite hard.

Another option to look at is to set up a B savings account. Have your dad deposit the money in a savings account and over the next 4 years add 20 or 30 dollars or what ever you can afford a month to it. By the time you’re finished with college you should have more than enough to have a great paint job done and you will enjoy it that much more.

Also take a look at the link in my sig and you can get a pretty good idea of what your in for to do a paint job properly minus most of the interior gutting.
 
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#1 if "serious MG lovers slam it at MG2006 then that would be my first reason for not wanting to be around people like that...

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.....& they're one of the reasons I won't be going to MG2006 (& haven't gone to but 1 in the past) - I've found for the most part everybody in the hobby is super - except for the guys who usually show up at 200-whatever....folks like us who just have fun with our cars are often snubbed by them...I don't want that to be Kenan's intro to the MG community...because many of those folks aren't memebers of the community even though they "trailer up" in an MG.....

&, yep, they are 'just MG's'...but you wouldn't abuse a mongrel pup you picked up off the side of the road, would you? There's no limit to the things we can do to our cars, IMHO...so long as it isn't done to one of the rare ones (like my MGC GT Automatic trans car), whack/paint/modify away - just do it right!
 
I'm gonna go out on a limb here... I've had my car for a little over 2 years now, and the paint on it is horrible. It was a cheap DPO job that was done without even removing the windscreen. I too am on a very limiting budget. I've chosen though to put my money in the stuff that'll keep the car on the road and in good running order (or almost barely in good running order). I'm sure that after you drive the car a few more weeks/months, you'll find more issues that need fixed besides what has been done so far... Re-talk with dad. I liked the idea of a B savings account (and ONLY to be used periodically for B parts and repairs and such - not for gas or lunch, or flowers for Liz - or the cool new stereo amp, etc).

I bought my car NOT RUNNING for $700. I Immediately put about $1000 worth of NEW parts in it to get it running... In 2 years - (about once every 2-3 months it needs something to keep it safely driving) - I've put another $500-700 into parts to keep it sortof roadworthy... And I've driven the car in conditions that I would not allow anyone else to drive it - just for safety's sake (almost no brakes for example).

I'm saying that something on your car is gonna want that $200 (worth of parts) just as soon as it's spent on something else for looks. I'm still driving mine also, on horrible seats, no carpet, and missing the door panels (at the moment. Also it needs a new top, a new top frame (mine's twisted), some minor body work, and a paintjob... But I prefer to spend my money keeping it running.

Just my 2¢ worth.

And don't get upset by everyone's opinion. Remember, you asked, and they are just opinions. One thing I've learned - Any one given person is going to do what they want to do anyway. But you have lot's of good advise here... All of it, including the stuff that goes against the other stuff.

Also, Just me... But I'd keep it yellow! Get's way more looks (even if it's not perfect paint) than any neutral color!
 
Yeah, Keeny - & you have a nice car....remember when I offered to give you your money for it?
 
Yep, You said "I'll double your money right now"... And I still think about it sometimes. You're first on the list if'n I ever decide to sell her, Tony.
 
agree with Kenny. I picked my car up for $750. It ran, but it didn't drive. I had to put a new clutch flex line and slave cylinder on the car to make it drive able. After that I've been investing a couple hundred bucks every few months to bring things up to where they should be or to keep it going. My car was a citron color originally, had a DPO paint it white somewhere in the car history. CHEAP paint job that makes me cringe everytime I open the bonnet to work on the engine....
 
Only way to correct cheap paint job is strip, strip, strip!
 
Mine was painted the original color, but was in a front-end accident at some point, and all the fenders and the hood, and the trunklid were all replaced at some point. So, the places where the cheap paint is now peeling off (bad prep - the new panels were not sanded good enough), there is black primer/sealer - which comes on the replacement panels). And the black spots (theres a huge one on the hood where the yellow peeled back from me washing the car at one of those power-washer car-wash places /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif) make me cringe evertime I drive the car... But even with that... The car is on the road. And I've driven it more than any of the cars in my current car collection because the money I've put into keeping it running has made it the most reliable of my cars.
 
Mine's my only car, and I have to keep it running. My car has also been in an accident. However, whoever did the repairs used a used fender from a blue MGB. If I were to guess, the fender came from a pre-BL badge car. I can see the area where the BL badge was on the driver's side front wing, but not on the passenger side.
 
&, as you've learned when you pull up at my place, nobody says a thing about the paint - they're excited that you just drove all the way from tuscaloosa on the interstate with no problems!

Who was the '70's TV detective who drove a beater that was almost a NASCAR under the hood?
 
dunno the answer to that one Tony...

as for pealing paint, the paint is pealing on my car too. Mostly in "unseen" areas, like the door jams, trunk seal area, hood seal area.... but then again, these areas aren't really "unseen" either. Because if they were I wouldn't know the paint was pealing there.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 
I agree with all of you about putting a bad paint job ahead of other things, but I think if I read right, that his friend is a painter with experience. I hope...
My car wont see a fleck of paint for awhile, because I am only going to do it after its good and ready. Maybe if Im lucky next year.

Newkie

P.S. And yes, keep it original, the car will thank you for it.
 
And... I managed to avoid the interstate for all but about 10 miles through Birmingham... Thank god for old maintained state highways that nobody drives on anymore! I drove backroads that I know all the way to bessemer, got in the interstate, to go through birmingham and avoid the red lights every block, then got onto AL HWY 231/79 in Tarrant, drove that all the way to Huntsville. It's a really nice road! And I took the top down at Wal-mart in Bessemer. I was filthy dirty when I got home! 300 miles of road dirt! And got caught in a traffic jam on the way back through Birmingham on the way home. Gawd, it was hot! That was a really fun all-day trip though! Nothing like a 350 mile top down trip at 45 mph (the wheel bearings or front end alignment was making the car shake badly above that) in nice weather, within 2 weeks of getting your car running, to test it out! hehehehehehe /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif!
 
My point, Kenny - nobody cares what it looks like so long as it makes the trip

At the New Orleans show, one car had primer spots & was missing the outside driver door handle...but nobody noticed - they were looking in the engine compartment!
 
and... do you want to scratch up a new paint job while trying to do repairs on your car. I was glad that I got the bulk of the mechanicals in order before shooting the paint. It is alot easier if you are not worried about scratching the paint.
 
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