[albireo]

I've decided to have the stripes painted on my 06 Vista Blue GT. I would like to have someone do a good job and have no ideas where to go or about how much I should expect to pay. I live in a large city where there are countless auto painting places - it seems like I could easily go to the wrong place...
I'd like white stripes up the front bumper, up the hood, on the roof, down the back, and down the rear bumper. I'd also like a stripe on each lower door. While they are at it I'd like to get a coat of clear over the whole car too.
How do I know that I've found a good painting outfit?
What kind of paint do I ask for?
About how much should I expect to pay (I don't want to get gouged!)
I'd appreciate any help here!
Thanks,
Joe

[killamuh50]

really depends on where you go its hard to really give a estimate. Really your paying for the hours of labor involved. The paint to paint 2 white stripes, you could probably get away with using a quart. Reduce that to sprayable paint you have a 1/2 gallon. Then basically all they would do is mask out everything with 1/4 fine line time the everything else would be covered. Thing about reclearing the car they would have to reclear the entire car anyway. think about it you put 2 racing stripes down the middle of the car they would most likely sand down that area when they paint the white stripes on it, that level of the paint will be higher then the blue paint on the car. So either way they would have to sand the blue down so they could clear it all at once cause if they just paint the stripes on the car then clear it you will feel a hump when you run your hand over the blue onto the white stripes because the paint will be actually higher then the blue since you added the white.

So if i was doing it heres what i would do take like 800 to 1000 grit, wet sand the entire car down. You have to sand the blue too cause when you reclear thats how it sticks. If you dont sand it you could just peal the clear off.

Ok the entire blue of the car is wetsanded down, really all your doing is wetsanding the clear down. then mask it out lay out the stripes how ever you wanted them say a inch apart or 2 whatever how wide you wanted them. Paint the white stripes on then just tear the masking paper that i covered the blue with to keep from getting white overspray all over the blue. One the white stripes are layed on the blue i would just reclear the car at once. So then your stripes will look stock like it was on the car when you got it. So then when you run your hand across from the blue to the white all you would feel is the clear no hump at all.

Go get a estimate and see what they say. You might want to look into get a decal of stripes much easier to put on but then your putting that on your paint if you think about that so i woulnt do that if i was you. Also if you get white stripes get them to do it in like a 3 stage fashion where there is a blue pearl over the white stripes it probably woulnt look bad so it would look white until the sun light hit it then you would see a blue haze over top of the white in the sunlight since the pearl reflects. they have many different pearls white, gold, blue, purple, etc. Its all really what you want. Go get a estimate on doing it then come post a price they gave you ill tell you the truth if they are trying to ream you or not. I woulnt doubt someone would say $1000 cause they see you rolling in there with that new mustang and probably figures if you can afford that new mustang you can afford to lay out some money for some lemans stripes. Good luck