The respray thread!

[Informer]

Ok, I am starting my rebirth program on my GTR. Its a 91 model and is basically stock. My car is gunmetal and it has a number of scratches around it. In fact, its fairly obvious if you look up close and if you're next to me in traffic (its kind of embarrassing). The car runs great and deserves a makeover.

I'm thinking of respraying the car in either gunmetal or black, so here are my questions :

1. Is it cheaper to respray in the original colour or is the cost the same for any colour? How much would it cost me in Japan?

2. If you have resprayed your car, how was the finishing? I'm assuming very good since they charge you a premium here for any car work. Is the place that did your car recommended and where is it?

3. I will be taking the car back with me to Australia, do you think I should wait and get it done there? Advantage to this is that it may be cheaper and I may still be getting stone chips and door dings until I send it back. Disadvantage to this is I'm worried about certain scratched areas rusting if I wait.

4. Gunmetal looks great but I think black makes the car look like something else. I want to put black wheels on them. Would the gunmetal/black mags look ok? or how about an all black GTR?

Rebirthing is fun. I rebirthed a TE71 Trueno back in Australia, respray for that car was really cheap and the body was still in fairly good condition (probably the same as my car before the respray). Many of the parts could be found on other Toyotas so it was pretty easy. I hope to get a 240z one day and rebirth that but they are so expensive here (no idea why).

It would be great if I could meet some of you guys in the Chiba or Tokyo area. I'll also be interested in taking part in any future meets. Would like to hear from others personally about GTRs and stuff. I love driving but still trying to find my way around even in my area!

Onegai Shimasu.

[Rezz]

Mate I just got 60% of my car resprayed at JAM Body Service and I highly recommend them. They're in Nishinomiya in Hyogo though, so not much use to you I guess. Here are a few pics:

Everything bar the roof, bonnet, front guards and front/rear bumper were resprayed. There was quite a bit of rust around the rear wheelarches and on the passenger side rear "c" pillar, but that wasn't a problem for JAM... I let the result speak for itself:

I was gobsmacked at their quality. They went over and above my expectation, even respraying the rear taillight surrounds free of charge. Now the scary part... it cost me 230,000 yen! Yes, I thought about it, and in the end decided it was worth it beecause the mechanicals of the car are actually quite good, beating Evo_Lee's Lancer Evo 5 up to 120km/h on standard boost...

I think just from the "experience" point of view, you should get your car resprayed in Japan at a place thats got a good reputation. The good Japanese body repairers are just so thorough with their work, you'll be satisfied for sure.

[funkymonkey]

ouch 230000Y? in that case I'd say wait till you get back to australia, it'll be cheaper, and you'll have a clean car once its landed. Thing I've noticed about japanese workshops is that parts are cheap, but labour costs an arm and a leg.

[4door_Sleeper]

Ahhhhh run away ..

I saw BOG in the first photo.

A good workshop will metal finish the car and wont use ANY spray putty (BOG) or high fill primer. They should be able get it near pergect with hammers and dollies, then lead wipe it and file it down ready for painting.

I agree that this sort of quality costs more, but the result is a painted surface that will outlast the factory original.

[Informer]

Thanks mate. I would say for sure that most shops here place quality above all. Just wondering how much you would have to pay through the nose for it.

The job they did on your car looks fab. Is that a factory colour or a custom one?

The shop where I got my car offered to do my car for about 300,000 yen, which I think is a bit much though I like the people there. A friend of my in Yokohama got his 300zx painted from grey to bayside blue for 100,000 yen! Mainly because he is friends with the shop owners :-)

[Rezz]

Ahhhhh run away ..

I saw BOG in the first photo.

A good workshop will metal finish the car and wont use ANY spray putty

You trying to make me feel bad?

[dnb]

dont worry man.his shop just tells him its file finished and when he leaves they bog it anyway!

there is nothing wrong with bog if its done properly.

[lwells]

I would wait till you get it back to Australia. The wharfies are not all that careful when moving cars in Australia (don't know about Japan), and it would be nasty to spend all that money and then have to get the car touched up once back in Australia.

LW.

[Rezz]

I would wait till you get it back to Australia. The wharfies are not all that careful when moving cars in Australia (don't know about Japan), and it would be nasty to spend all that money and then have to get the car touched up once back in Australia.

LW.

Good point

[funkymonkey]

Cars have a tendancy to get hit by things on the ship if you use roll on roll off as well. My R32 got 2 small tiny pin dents, and my ceffy came down with a bent windscreen wiper thanks to the boys at customs trying to open my bonnet while the wiper was up.

As for bog, its as good as regular primer, so in cases where panels have to be smoothed out from pin dents and dings, its fine. as long as you don't go using it to repair major structural damage (read drift damage) its just as good as panel beating. Usually you won't be able to tell the difference anyways.

[4door_Sleeper]

Rezz - I'm not trying to make you feel bad. (98% of workshops use bog)

dbn - my workshop did a major respray on my car and didnt use any bog/high fill (or on any other cars they repair). They take photos of every stage of the strip and repair, and I paid them lots of visits. VERY few shops in Australia will do this, its too time consuming (read costly) and isnt taught as a skill to the level required any more in trade school.

bog will never be as good as metal finishing, but if done in moderation it shouldnt cause you too much trouble. Bog will cause problems with shrinkage (both its own and the paint applie on top of it) add this to the shrinkage problems already associated with moddern 2 pak paints and it multiplies the problem.

[dnb]

true. do you have some pics of the work man? id love to see it as it is quite an urban myth

. i always hear about it but have never seen it;)

[DCD]

Wow Rezz! That is an amazing job! Your car looks new! I think you got a good deal there, at least you know your got money worth. How long did they work on it? How is the color matching with the rest of the original color? How many clear coats?

Your car is looking sweet! Hope I can get to see it in the future...you Osaka boys should get your asses up here! Meet at Tsukuba or Motegi for a track day or something...

[4door_Sleeper]

There isn’t much to see (on the photos)

These pics show areas that have been repaired. The left front corner had been repaired previously (in Japan) but we didn’t realise this until they started stripping it. There were many marks on the front guard once the paint was removed both from the original accident and from the dent pulling performed during the repair.

The right rear had a shallow dent and didn’t quite marry up to the taillights.

The shinny areas on the pics are the finished panel. (ie only metal)

** Sorry about the quality of the photos, the scanner isn't working so I took a digital photo of the prints.

[Guest two.06l]

Rezz - I'm not trying to make you feel bad. (98% of workshops use bog

What planet do you live on! You will find that lead wiping is a old practice. Filler is used in all cars from factory and any workshop that tells you its not used is kidding themselves. Modern technology is here to be used (filler). Rip your fuel injection off and go back to a carby!

[GTRSRULE!!!]

What planet do you live on! You will find that lead wiping is a old practice. Filler is used in all cars from factory and any workshop that tells you its not used is kidding themselves. Modern technology is here to be used (filler). Rip your fuel injection off and go back to a carby!

lol

[4door_Sleeper]

What planet do you live on! You will find that lead wiping is a old practice. Filler is used in all cars from factory and any workshop that tells you its not used is kidding themselves. Modern technology is here to be used (filler). Rip your fuel injection off and go back to a carby!

two.06l - guess you believe any crap they sell you.

Lead wiping is still a better way to do the job, people use bog because its quick and cheep not because of the quality of its finish. (Unless you now of some new product that won't shrink, and bonds to metal as strong as metal)

Quality companies (where price isnt as much of a consideration) still lead wipe ie Rolls Royce, Daimler etc.

[Rezz]

Lead wiping is still a better way to do the job...

...Quality companies (where price isnt as much of a consideration) still lead wipe ie Rolls Royce, Daimler etc.

Oooo kaaaay... Price *was* a consideration in my case, so I'm still wondering what your point is? My car cost less than yours thats for sure...

[Informer]

OK guys,

I think 4doorsleeper has a point, if you want to go all out for a quality finish, do what he's done and I believe it. Stripping everything off is the best way to apply paint the way it is suppose to be done (by professionals of course). Its going to cost you money but if you had a Ferrari would you use a cheap method of respray or their way? I think it would be their way otherwise it would never be the same.

I'm more familiar with Rezz's way, it is more affordable and with the technology used today, the finishing should be satisfactory. To the untrained eye, both methods probably looks exactly the same, but down the line after many years, one of them is going to give way to aging and the usual wear and tear (though not for a long long long time).

Well I'm going for black, and I believe it is the easiest colour to spray/respray.

I may take up someone's suggestion of doing it when the car goes to Australia, sounds like a decent idea. Meanwhile went to Super Autobacs to check out the TE37s....ooooo expensive :-)

[Rezz]

Informer, Bayside Blue or "Nismo LM Blue" would look sweet, but I also think the Balck car with the black wheels would look tough... definately tougher than wine red with black wheels