Bare metal respray questions - educate me please

[SCWDP911]

OK, I have been wondering about something for a while. Is it always necessary to do a complete bare metal respray when painting a car, let alone a Porshe. I can see it easier if the idea is to do a color change, but if you are going back with same color, is it really necessary for the bare metal? Along these lines, if you did not have to do the full bare metal job, how much is this saving me. Is the prep work the main portion of the cost of a good paint job?

Thanks

[onboost]

Wow.. in short, that's a way open ended question with many variables based solely on what you're working with.

Some of those factors could be overall condition of paint.. rust, dings or dents, scratches etc..
Previous body work or accident damage?
Original paint? Re-paint?.. if so what type, brand, condition etc..

Either way, to get the best results overall you will need to remove all the rubber trim and lights etc.. I like to remove the rubber around the glass as well but not everybody does so.

The biggest difference will be labor hours and of course materials. It takes less hours and less material to just scuff-sand, seal, and paint. (sandpaper, sealer/primer and paint system).

Full strip to metal much more involved, more paper of various grits, more more sealer, primer and guide coat stages, to get to paint stage, more labor. Oh, and of course if there is body work or other things that get uncovered they will have to be addressed.

Not a full answer but hope you get the idea... a lot depends on the car, and what you're looking for as a finished product.

[Lazarro]

Unless the original paint is cracked or checked or your car has been repainted a few times (excessive thickness) there is no need to strip a car to bare metal to paint it. It's much better to us the factory paint as a base.

Lazarro

[962porsche]

at 10 mills you should start to think about striping at 14 mills it needs to be strip . on average its the OE finish and one repaint with complete reprime base clear .