Have to Decide - Complete Refinish or Touch Up?

[M.D. Holloway]

For years now I have been wanting to strip the Targa down and give her a face lift. Of course that means pulling the engine and removing all hardware as well as the glass et al. It would be work but it would also be fun.

The whole reason I got the car was for our Son and I to work on it together. It isn't going any place so we have plenty of time. I figuer when he is in his early teens he will have the attention span to actually get something out of it rather than it being a total daddy thing. So in the mean time I was thinking of just correcting a few of the hot spots and saving the redo for when we can rally tackle it together.

It has a few surface rust spots - not big, maybe the size of a pea. I counted around 10 of these through out the car. The Targa bar pad needs to be fixed and she needs new mats. All toll, I could dress her up and get her to look pretty darn swank for under 2K and really not a bunch of time. A total ground up make over would take over 6K and many many hours.

So - help push me over the fence. To one side or the other.

A) Grind out the spots, fill and refinish in that for ever forgiving Grand Prix White - get her some new rugs and fix the Targa bar

or

B) Leave it alone and wait till you can commit to a full restoration and do it right.

(BTW - if I do go with choice A now, I can still do choice B later!)

[Seahawk]

Mike,

My son is 13 and a really good kid. He pulls his load on the farm and has a good attention span to keep up with the often repetitive work. He also knows how to drive the small tractors and aerates and mows for me.

All that said, he didn't pay much attention below the age of 11 to tasks that didn't involve him doing something 90% of the time...working on cars can become way too slow for kids. The message we as fathers want to impart can get lost when we're reading the manual.

So, wait until the inner gearhead is nourished by oil changes, valve adjustments and routine stuff.

BTW, I'm thinking your son is a really good kid as well.

All the best, Mike.

Edit: Save the redo for when the bubbas can rally tackle it together.

[hpservertech]

I would go with the complete make over. If time isn't that big of a deal, why not?

Only problem I could see though is listening to the SO complain about garage space (like I hear from mine every single day)

[Porsche-O-Phile]

+1.

Do it right.

I'm in the same dilemma with my '74. For now I'm just fixing all the little neglected items and getting her back to 100% mechanical condition, but it kills me to know that once that's all done, I'm going to have to strip her all down and wait for several months for paint/body to be done.

I'm hoping the wait is worth it though. I'm sure it will be.

[HardDrive]

I would do a touch up, but thats just me. White is an easy blend for a touch up painter (assuming the white is not aged badly).

But if your up for the huge time and mess commitment of a full repaint, go nuts.

[WI wide body]

I guess that it all depends on how good you want it to look when you're done and how long you want it to last. A "touch-up" is virtually a guarantee that it will be temporary.

I've had a bunch of older 911's and always resisted the urge to do a partial touch-up. I watched as friends would get into the touch-up thing and pretty soon they were throwing good money after bad.

There are usually lot's of other cosmetic stuff such as the light covers, reflectors, rubber mouldings, trim pieces, interior items such as the dash,seats, or the door pockets that are much more easy to deal with and with a better chance of ending up looking good. Unless you really have the right equipment and skill that it takes most body work can be a bear.

I personally have always stuck with wrenching and let the major body work be done by the pros.

[wrecktech]

If the spots are small grind off the worst of the rust. Then take a folded paper towel and tape it over the spot like a pocket. Wet it down with muriatic acid and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Then wash it down with water and baking soda and then water again. Blow off all the remaining moisture and you are ready to use a filler.

[stomachmonkey]

Mike,

Got my tools.

When so we start?

Scott

[livi]

Feel her up - ups sorry - TOUCH her up so you can stand looking at her until such a time as you son is good and ready to dig in. Then do the full restoration together.

[M.D. Holloway]

Markus - I like the way you think. The upside is that it would not take much - white is a very forgiving color.

Scott, one of these days we have to get together! Everyweek end seems to be crazy.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Markus - I like the way you think. The upside is that it would not take much - white is a very forgiving color.

Actually white is a very hard paint to match as there are so many variations of white. On the other hand, white is a good color for hiding mediocre body work.

[911Rob]

Lube,
I struggled with this too with my 74,
I put in the new motor, brakes, suspension, wheels, etc.
But the body work wasn't a priority as I was waiting for the day when I'd do it up right.
Well, a million rock chips later....

anyway, I got the touch up work done by a local body guy.
You know the rest of the story....... shoulda done it long ago!

I'm with Livi, get the touchups done; be happy.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Markus - I like the way you think. The upside is that it would not take much - white is a very forgiving color.

Scott, one of these days we have to get together! Everyweek end seems to be crazy.

Yeah, I spent it with an f'd up back and an old root canal that went south. Good meds though.

Went up to Dental Depot. Place is kinda cool.

All the latest tech.

[tcar]

[QUOTE=Kurt V;3778441]Actually white is a very hard paint to match as there are so many variations of white. QUOTE]

Not Grand Prix white. Gallon of white, 5 drops of black, 5 drops of blue...

Yours son could also end up like mine, car is just an appliance to get from point A to point B. Doesn't care about color, make, anything. Drives over medians, lost a couple hubcaps and never noticed or cared.

[M.D. Holloway]

He is all about tracking it when he is old enough - if thats the case, the body is most lively the last thing to worry about!