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I'm trying to decide what (if anything) to do with the paint on my '79 SA with 24000 miles. sat outside for many years, clearcoat de-laminating, a few small dings, surface rust spots, bubbling in the lower left corner of the hood, etc nothing major, but I would like to preserve it (the value) of the car as much as i can. will painting it be the best option? or is it worth more in original condition?
I think most would agree our cars are currently worth their most in original (vs. modified) condition overall. Assessing the effects on value of nice, new paint vs. old, original, worn paint is much more subjective and personal from one person to the next.
Would fresh paint complete the car, or would the exterior then stand out from the condition of the interior or other areas of the car? Many times improving one area of a vehicle can drive you to wanting to polish up other, adjoining areas or components. New badging comes to mind when talking new paint, ect...How far are you willing to go on the car overall and how long do you think you want to own it? The longer you keep it, the more likely your investment won't be lost.
I'd do what makes you happy and not worry about what the next owner might think. Might want to consider a sympathetic re conditioning of the existing paint before a full on re-paint. Talk to someone about what they can accomplish and how much. Maybe let them do the hood or fender first, before the whole thing to see the results.
Have you thought about spay wrap? You can keep the original paint and still have it look new. It would last a number of years if it's garaged. If it's gonna sit outside, that would not work.
You can peal it off down the road. It's substantially less than a paint job.
I feel ad though original paint would definitely be more worth more to a collector than a respray. However, I would personally want to enjoy the car and if I were in your shoes, knowing there's rust, I would do a proper paint job with new emblems. The car will look new once again and you will feel great driving it! In this case, I think it would only add to the car's value.
I'd do what makes you happy and not worry about what the next owner might think.
I agree with this. Yes, sometimes cars can be seen as investments, but they're also meant to be enjoyed while you own them. I deviated from OEM paint when i resprayed my car, knowing that's a big knock in resale, but ultimately i wanted to enjoy the car while i own it and not worry so much about when it comes time to sell it. I don't think you can go wrong in either way with this car. The patina looks really cool, but a fresh respray in the factory color will really liven it up.
Yes, an original factory paint job will have the most value. If it's in show quality shape. The specimen's above days have eclipsed that opportunity. I am a bit biased, but I "saved" an '80 that had a crap red overspray covering the original blue paint. The paint job I got was of a good quality paint and everything was painted. Engine bay, door jams... the whole bit. I also know there is no rust and I have images documenting what was done and the condition of the car during the process. The issue is a low quality paint job is worse than a classic pantina. A quality paint job is subjectly better than faded paint. We all agree that flawless factory is the gold standard, even if the professional respray is higher quality than OEM.
The only reason I could not get behind a proper restoration is if the car in question has some form of heritage to it. Or if it is one of thirty hand built cars from a prestige brand.
The slippery slope is the big picture restoration process. What are the seats like? (RacingBeat upholstery)what condition is the dash? (justdashes.com) There is no reproductions of the door cards, and I am not a fan of the aluminum sheet for the door. Restoration is a bit of DYI as we do not have the support other cars have.
Did you buy this as an investment, or do you intend to drive it? No where in your post did you mention anything about the mechanical condition of your 79 RX7, whether or not it runs, what shape are the engine, fuel system, brakes, transmission, suspension, electrical etc., .. And if it's been outside in IL for a "number of years" I would venture to say there is more rust than just the lower left corner of the hood on this car. I would be more concerned about the mechanical aspects than the appearance at this point, but it all depends on what you plans for this car are.
08-21-22, 08:41 PM
