factory paint finish older car

[bmyles]

Hey guys I figured i would post this here feel free to move it if its not in the right place. I am looking for some help on a car i looked at a few days ago and figured maybe some of the older members on here could shed some light on it. I looked at a 1978 trans am a few days ago with original paint (apparently) and noticed some dust in the paint ,maybe 6 spots. I could not for the life of me find any other signs the car was painted i.e. tape lines or overspray, the paint looks original with the usual chips and such and looks about right for age of it. The thing thats holding me back from buying the car is the dust in the paint, i plan on painting the car because it looks shabby and its gotten a few dings along the way but i wanted a original paint car so i know what i am buying and theres no hidden surprises. I was wondering if any of our older members can tell me if something like this common in the 70's paint finishes because when i see dirt in paint to me it means it was painted. The guy also has a 2000 mile 1979 t/a that looks like it was frozen in time and i found dirt in its paint as well which is factory paint to. thanks

 

[bmyles]

Nobody ?

 

[dom418]

If his 2000 mile TA has the same paint issues that would be a good comparison. I'm sure there are trans am forums that would be able to help much more. Sometimes you have to go with your gut on those classic cars, if the owner sounds legit, go for it.

 

[Mach1USMC]

Hey guys I figured i would post this here feel free to move it if its not in the right place. I am looking for some help on a car i looked at a few days ago and figured maybe some of the older members on here could shed some light on it. I looked at a 1978 trans am a few days ago with original paint (apparently) and noticed some dust in the paint ,maybe 6 spots. I could not for the life of me find any other signs the car was painted i.e. tape lines or overspray, the paint looks original with the usual chips and such and looks about right for age of it. The thing thats holding me back from buying the car is the dust in the paint, i plan on painting the car because it looks shabby and its gotten a few dings along the way but i wanted a original paint car so i know what i am buying and theres no hidden surprises. I was wondering if any of our older members can tell me if something like this common in the 70's paint finishes because when i see dirt in paint to me it means it was painted. The guy also has a 2000 mile 1979 t/a that looks like it was frozen in time and i found dirt in its paint as well which is factory paint to. thanks

Do you have pics? That would help..... also hit up a detail related site like AutoGeek. Mike Phillips should be able to shed some light on the subject.

 

[bmyles]

No I goofed and did't take any pics , thanks for he link I'll try that

 

[Torch10th]

Painting tech back then was pretty crude at the factory level. In many cases re sprays of that time were world's better then factory paint jobs.

Your best bet to check for possible issues is to go back and take a magnet to the car. Aside from some of the flares on the car and the shaker if it has it, you should have a strong magnetic pull on every panel. If you dont, it's a good sign of heavy filler. It's important to note that even that doesn't prove a respray. It's not uncommon even today to have cars sprayed after transport for issues that occur during transport.

Now with that said, unless that car has been meticulously maintained, I can pretty much guarantee its gonna have issues. Specifically, the tail panel between rear window and trunk, above winshield, rear floors and possible rockers. Those are common areas that rot likes to hide. If you're planning on a respray, I wouldn't worry about dust in the paint.

 

[freakshow12]

Sheesh! My 14 gt 500 AND my 14 f150 have a few specs of crap in the paint! Both ordered and purchased by me. Watched them both come off the truck so it's not uncommon and I'm not losing sleep over it.

Actually, all of the vehicles I have bought new have had little issues like that. My 07 Shelby and my cobra have specs down low on the body too. All cars have it and guys would be lying if they said theirs didn't

 

[65x2]

Its very common to have trash in paint. I see it in new cars everyday. Also resprays from the factory are common. I worked on a commander that had 4 paint jobs from the factory on it. To be positive of paint thickness you need a mil gauge. It measures the thickness of the material on the panel. And you take numerous measurements on the vehicle and you'll be good.

Today's OEM paint jobs are between 4.0-6.0 mils usually. As far as older materials, I never sprayed those so you'd have to do some research.

 

[freakshow12]

Older enamel paint jobs if factory were quite thin 4 mils tops. Not uncommon to see older original cars with paint rubbed through.

 

[bmyles]

Thanks for the help guys , a wealth of information as usual

 

[freakshow12]

A quick way to look on some of these older cars is to look for faint paint ridges in things that would have to be taken off for fresh paint. Many shops would mask things like window trim etc rather than remove. Rear spoilers etc would likely get left on of it's a 3 piece or think fox lx. Check the nose to fender joint. Look under the rockers and under back of quarter panels etc many shops don't cover that from overspray on a re paint. My guess is it's original paint if the rest of the car looks pretty original