So here is my beloved car...6 weeks of repairs, and it needs 2 more weeks to complete.
I really did a number on her. although the frame was straight, just about everything else needed to be replaced. due to cosmetic damage. The total repair cost is up to $20,000 in repairs, and I have a stack of parts invoices totalling $6000 that he hasnt even added into the mix.

The good news is that this shop is doing AMAZING quality work. They are slow...but I dont really care at this point becuase the guy knows exactly what he is doing. He is really taking the time to make the car perfect...even better than new. And I appreciate that a lot!

Notice the laser pointer hanging devices on the frame. These use those to insure the frame is straight, and that the suspension geometery is perfect and undamaged. I thought that was pretty neat. He's going to give me a printout of all the numbers.

 

this looks terrible....

 

This side doesnt look too bad.

 

shiny new Tein Flex Coilover.

 

That poor car!

 

New body kit...old body kit.

 

this is the new quarter panel....

 

The new rear skirt/truck floor already attached to the car.

 

Anyone wanna buy a set of Volk GT-C's...just a bit of rash when my GF parked the car....I swear...its hardely noticable.

 

Whewww...looks like they know what the're doing alright. But holy crap, I never would have guessed the repair expenditure would be that high from looking at the initial damage. Two months is a long time, but not rushing is a good thing. I'm glad you decided to fix that beast...and Bini2 as well. Good luck to both of you guys with your engine build ups.

 

Been there before myself... Usuallly the best shops are the slowest. Looks like they are making good progress.
I figured your car would be totaled but I guess since there was no frame damage it wasnt.
Are they painting the whole car?

 

As GQ's car is black, it is not necessary to repaint the whole car. You don't have to worry about a color match. That is the great thing about adding body kits to black cars, you always get the perfect color match..

Black is Black...

 

That is the same frame rack I have. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but I don't think two more weeks is going to be enough time. I honestly think you should plan on another month. It doesn't look like they are taking any shortcuts, looks good. What color are you changing to, I mean while you are at it, might as well right.

 

That could not be further from the truth!
Black is one of the hardest colors to match!! (that and white pearl)

I owed a paint shop for 5 years, and have painted cars for 10, so I am very familar.

Looks good gq, and on the topic of paint, if they are not going to paint the whole car, try to get them to.
And insist on wetsand and buff after.
Nothing gets a flatter (no orange peel or dirt) and shine, like a good wetsand and buff

The factory orange peel on my z drives me crazy. I so badly want to reshoot it, and wetsand and buff!

And joenismo right, I would expect even longer then they are telling you.

 

OK, I wont get my hopes up....after speaking to them, I have a very HIGH level on confidence they are doing a great job. So i wont rush them.


Regarding the paint, yes, they are painting the entire car...per my request (except for the roof...which isnt necessariy since there was no orange peel on my roof). The only parts that werent originally going to be painted were the passenger door and front fender.

And the guy doing the work on my car is the body shop manager...and he is metacilous...and knows that I have very high standards. He also said he will personally prep and shoot the car himself. And they will color sand the whole damn thing...finally NO more orange peel! I honestly think it will come out looking better than new.

 

I agree some blacks such as Black Pearl and Black Mettalic are two of the hardest colors to match, but the Z comes in neither color. In cars Carbon Black is the only paint pigment used to create black.

At the factory the paint, is put in large storage vats and agitated constantly. Lets say they are able to paint 50 cars from one vat of paint. Due to each pigments specific gravity some will settle faster to the bottom than others. This settling will cause the 1st car to likely have more mettalic in the paint if a mettalic color, or appear a darker shade than the 50th car painted. I have a Silverstone and I have compared it to others and I have seen some darker than mine and some lighter.

Now of course on black the clear coat is whats important. A poor job on shooting the clear will make the car look terrible. Clear adds the gloss and depth to the car, and black will show any shortcomings in the application of the clear. Not enough clear and it will look dull, too much and it will have too much gloss. A good shop should get the clear just right.

 

Not to be rude but I don't think you have owned or painted at a bodyshop like both ACP and I. Black is one of the hardest colors to match and it has nothing to do with what you are describing. I actually find the black metalics fairly easy to match, but the solid blacks are sometimes extremely difficult. You see black is never just black: Fords have green, yellow in their black; Chevrolet has yellow, white and red; Hondas have blue pearl, violet pearl, gold pearl; etc. Not to mention there are usually two shades of black; one greyer and one browner, with both having different side tones also. In the shade all of these colors will look the same, but when the sun hits them it can create completely different shades.

 

What I have heard is that colours at the end of the spectrum - balck and white are hard to match - as more room for variation exists - colours i.e. red, blue, green are not easy per se, but they tend to correlate in a narrower band of the spectrum....

 

You are 100% correct about black.. My last vehicle (02 Avalanche) was broken into and needed the drivers door painted. 3 days after I picked it up from the bodyshop the door looked a different shade than the rest of the truck, kinda gray. The bodyshop got it right the second time around.

 

I started working at my family's bodyshop when I was age 12. As you must know the majority of Bodyshops are family owned and run. I swept, sorted parts, and ran a DA preping cars. I did this every summer till I graduated highschool. My 1st car was a Datsun 510 that I prepped and painted myself when I was 16. Recently, my family's shop celebrated it's 50th year since my grandfather started it. The shop has now been passed down to my father and 2 uncles. I look forward to being the 3rd generation.

Yes, you are correct.. there are green blacks, gray blacks, blue blacks, brown blacks etc. I am not talking abut Fords, GM's, etc.. What I am talking about is "Pure Black", the Nissan Super Black(KH3) is a pure black.