GTV6 85 - Duco resto

[Bufa]

Hi all

My first post to the forum.  I have owned a red '85 GTV6 for the past three years - a pure pleasure to drive, however, as it has been parked outside for much of its life, the duco and the black trims around the doors and windows have deteriorated.

I now want to partly restore / rejuvinate the exterior so it looks as good as it drives.

The good news is there is nearly no visible rust.  The bad news is the reputable paint shop down the road has said that the only real solution is a bare metal respray (+$10k!?) as the current layer of paint is too thin to paint on top of.

Has anyone got any recommendations of GTV sympathetic panel beaters and/or suggestions on how to touch up the black trim (including what paint to use?).

Cheers

Bufa

[VeeSix]

Hello Bufa
Unfortunatly 95% of panel shops are just rip offs these days, it is very hard to find a decent one who will charge you a fair price, they are just too used to ripping off the insurance companies and living a high life and they can not deal with a fair price from a non insurance job, if you have a air compressor and gun a full decent respray will cost you about $400 - $500 for materials if you were to do it yourself, 10k, you could get a pretty mint GTV6 for that price, it would be better to purchase another GTV6 for that price and keep yours for spare parts, sounds crazy but that today is reality, if you are really after a panel shop re-spray you will have to shop around alot and try to get to know a panel shop owner and even then he will still not give you a realistc fair price.
Thankyou VeeSix

[Andrew156]

$10K to repaint sounds excessive but to claim 95% of panel shops are rip offs is a bold statement. Panel shops are businesses that pay wages, insurance, super, rent, light and power, waste disposal levies, equipment leases...etc...etc...etc...etc like any business.

I'm not a panel beater but believe that many will charge a fair price for a fair job. Because you are not employing a beater regularly you lose touch with what it actually costs to do the job. The same whinge is generally leveled at most tradies and professions unfortunately.

Anyway now that I got that off my chest, any type of resto work on older cars that are not experiencing capital gain is over-capitalising pure and simple. As car enthusiasts we don't understand that term, so if you think it's worth the $10K or somewhere in the vicinity, do it.

[Simon Aarons]

Paul Rankin -  Rankins Restorations in Bayswater - 9729 0622

Has worked on my GTV and many many others. Always top quality work. ( I had the black trims re-done about 4 years ago, still look great today)

[Bufa]

Thanks all.  I don't think I have the space, tools, time or capabilities to do it myself so will get some advice / quote from Paul Rankin.

Also understand the economics / time / paint required for a panel beater to do a bare metal respray on any car means that it will not be cheap.

I agree that one must expect to invest in owning a GTV6 classic to achieve the pleasurable rewards of the drive and engine sound (especially at >4,000 rpms!),  rather than expecting to re-coup all investment on any sale (not the reason for buying).

I would also like to ask about any tricks on non-working speedos and any optimal batteries for GTV6's.

Cheers

Bufa

[Craig C]

Is it the odo as well as the speedo, ie is it just the needle?

My tacho wasn't working because the sun had warped the needle and it was touching the plastic window.  I nipped a few mm off the end and it wroked perefectly after that.

[Bufa]

Sorry fot the tardy reply.  It is the odo as well as the speedo, so do not think it is just the sun.

Giancarlo from mmpursang has taken it out, cleaned around it, and still cannot get it to work and thus recommends getting a second hand one.