71 Twister up for adoption

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Ken71Twister

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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Mar 26, 2011
Messages
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Location
Valparaiso, FL
I bought my 71 Twister when I was 19 and it has remained a part of my family. However - I just got a $31K estimate for a “paint job”. Also - I may be losing my covered parking spot soon and I don’t want to go back to storing my car under a cover. The engine is running well but I have a long list of things that need repair or replacement (tires, instrument cluster, insulation, etc). I have the original sales receipt and stamp sheet to show that components are original. Is a 1 owner car in need of restoration worth any more than the other project cars out there? Please advise.

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wow 31k to paint the car? thats more along the lines to restore the car. .nice car tho
 
I bought my 71 Twister when I was 19 and it has remained a part of my family. However - I just got a $31K estimate for a “paint job”. Also - I may be losing my covered parking spot soon and I don’t want to go back to storing my car under a cover. The engine is running well but I have a long list of things that need repair or replacement (tires, instrument cluster, insulation, etc). I have the original sales receipt and stamp sheet to show that components are original. Is a 1 owner car in need of restoration worth any more than the other project cars out there? Please advise.

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Looks like a nice one. One owner cars have more value if they are in nice shape. (looks like your's is) Remember before you or anyone else paints that, they are only original once.
 
225 or 318?

Auto or manual?

Looks pretty nice.
 
From the photo you posted, the last thing I’d do is paint it. Let that car own it history and the patina the years has given it. That looks like a sweet ride.
 
The car is a 318 with 3 speed manual. The original paint option was gone in 1990 when I had it repainted. I had it repainted again in 2012. Don’t know why but the paint job is failing and it needs to be stripped and repainted before it rusts. Sad…it looks great from a distance but clearly needing paint when up close.
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The car is a 318 with 3 speed manual. The original paint option was gone in 1990 when I had it repainted. I had it repainted again in 2012. Don’t know why but the paint job is failing and it needs to be stripped and repainted before it rusts. Sad…it looks great from a distance but clearly needing paint when up close.View attachment 1715788264
Hearing that, I would say it would be worth a good $15,000
 
I would get another estimate on the paint on the car.
31K is probably around 25K too much to paint that car.
 
I just went through this on my 73 Satellite.

It had one repaint when I bought it but the paint and primer both developed hairline cracks all the way to the metal.

About every three months, surface rust would start at the cracks and grow into patches.

Cutting compound could knock it back down, but the rust would come back in one or more places in three months.

For almost 3 years I shopped around for a body shop.

Most quoted 5-6,000 dollars to start and most wanted to do base/clear, which I didn't want.

I finally found a place that does driver quality flips of classic cars.

They used my paint and charged $2000.

This was after I painted the engine bay myself and removed the chrome and bumpers.

It's not perfect, but it fixed the seeping rust issue.
 
Your car looks like it has disk brakes.
 
I would get another estimate on the paint on the car.
31K is probably around 25K too much to paint that car.
I live in the FL panhandle and now have 3 estimates and they have all been high. In fact - one place said they wouldn’t give me an estimate until they stripped it down to bare metal. The $31K estimate that I got this week had caveats saying it could go higher. At least the last estimate included new gaskets and new bumpers.
 
Keep looking.

I must have talked to 25 shops and half a dozen one man operations.

I found another private individual I was going to go with for 3K but it was an hour drive one way and It would have been a pain to dolly it.

The place I ended up using was only 5 miles away, so I drove it with the tail lights bolted to makeshift brackets and 80% taped up except the lens. Finished taping them when I got there.

It does sound like you are getting prices for full or partial restorations.

Sure doesn't look like that car needs restored.

What sucks really bad is that my brother in law is a killer amateur painter.

I offered him the same 3K and he wouldn't do it. :(
 
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Beautiful car you have. Keep looking for a shop that wont quote you a Barret Jackson muscle car paint job. They saw a Duster and immediately went with show car costs. Bullshit! It's a paint job. You know what is under the paint so those guys that say they wont quote till its at steel might be surprised. Sounds to me like you have found a bunch of body shops to avoid.
 
Yep, everyone (even my own BIL) assumed there would be LOTS of body work.

I even pointed out exactly where there was about an eighth cup on each side at the quarter to rocker joint and said "that doesn't need to be messed with, leave it alone", and that's all the body work that car has ever had.

It needed about 8 shopping cart dings filled. I marked them with grease paint and pointed them out.

The shop I used got all but one, and you have to look at exactly the right angle to see it.

They also got some runs. Two of which they fixed after I took it back, and two more I fixed.
 
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The car is a 318 with 3 speed manual. The original paint option was gone in 1990 when I had it repainted. I had it repainted again in 2012. Don’t know why but the paint job is failing and it needs to be stripped and repainted before it rusts. Sad…it looks great from a distance but clearly needing paint when up close.View attachment 1715788264
Well, from what a few friends have done with their vw's, I would try and paint it myself. Daunting I know, but ppg sells kits to make an e-z up or garage into a temporary paint booth. just my two dimes but I think a good wet sand with 1500 then 2000 and clear over the top would fix a lot of the things wrong with the paint. (again, i am no expert but I helped my friend paint his ragtop bug and after a light clear and color sanding, the crappy old paint really popped.)

but what do I know.... my car looks like this.:lol:
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Bring it to a good Macco and be done with it, otherwise be prepared to pay.......I paid $ 90.00 for a quart of the paint the guy used on my car.....Now figure all the other materials. A legit registered in business licensed shop will cost you no matter were you live in this country..... After the shop owner pays his bills all his overhead what does he pocket? Plus add in any benefits he has
No decent shop will do a paint job on questionable body work or a car that the panels aren't straight.
They want to prime block spray and sand....
Ive been down this road a hundred times over the last 35 plus years of side work, guys want to buy material usual the wrong stuff, tack it, everything is wrong and want me to weld up there garbage lousy fit ups and have me put my name on it.... No and thank God I'm nearly retired and dont deal with this anymore.
Body and paint is no different
It doesn't matter what trade a guy is involved with....Its the guys name and reputation....
If you could find a guy who is reliable and good and works out of a unregistered shop like a garage out back, that may be your only viable option.
 
Wait until the market settles down most body and paint shops are short handed while some aren't even quoting do to lack of help.
 
Too bad you are not closer to WV, a guy I went to school with painted my Duster for 6K.
I had about 90% of the body work done, he fixed some dents in the roof, trimmed the doors and trunk lid.
He had it done, before he promised, for what the estimate was. He did a nice job.
I can paint, but had to use my garage to fix my kids daily driver, and paint the kids car.

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Too bad you are not closer to WV, a guy I went to school with painted my Duster for 6K.
I had about 90% of the body work done, he fixed some dents in the roof, trimmed the doors and trunk lid.
He had it done, before he promised, for what the estimate was. He did a nice job.
I can paint, but had to use my garage to fix my kids daily driver, and paint the kids car.

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You car looks good. I had a similar deal in 2012 … backyard job by a guy who painted professionally during the day. I was quite happy with the job he did. Something went wrong however and the paint on my hood started to bubble in just a few months. Over the next 10 years…small places the size of a piece of sand started showing up in several areas. My belief is that something (maybe moisture in the paint or primer) went wrong and a fix is going to require going down to bare metal. My current paint is still nice an shiny but there’s an issue at the primer level.
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I can’t help but wonder if the problem wasn’t caused by the fact that I kept it under a car cover that was moist underneath much of the time. I went thru at least 3 different covers and each did the same thing. The trees in my yard drop a lot of junk and a cover is a necessity. I now have it under a cheap carport-like cover from Harbor Freight - wish I’d had one 10 years ago.
 
I think people loose focus a bit. Who cares if the paint isnt perfect. Are you having fun with your car. That’s what matters. Take her out, put some miles on it and enjoy. I’ve had plenty of old cars. My last Chevelle was too nice. I barely drove it. The four door dart? Take it everywhere. It’s crusty but it’s fun.
You have a long history with that car. You will regret selling it. Just enjoy it as is
 
I can’t help but wonder if the problem wasn’t caused by the fact that I kept it under a car cover that was moist underneath much of the time. I went thru at least 3 different covers and each did the same thing. The trees in my yard drop a lot of junk and a cover is a necessity. I now have it under a cheap carport-like cover from Harbor Freight - wish I’d had one 10 years ago.
Car covers will destroy paint, they will actually bake the paint.
I put a custom fitted cover on my wife's CJ one winter, a beautiful 25 year old paint job destroyed, never again.
 
Im from PA. for ALOT cheaper than that you could send it up to me make sure its straight, paint it, wet sand it, buff it & put all new stripes on
 
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