• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Earl Sheib

reallybigshoe

New CEG'er
Joined
Jan 16, 2007
Messages
20
Hello CEG'ers!

I'm working on a 99 SE right now. The car was in a front collision, so I have an excuse to spend some money on styling.

I've chosen the Survivor Body kit (availble all over Ebay), and I'm thinking about paint. I know I'm going with black.

Has anyone taken the plunge and risked Earl Sheib for their paintwork? I've read reviews that tell me I'm going to be having to do all the prepwork, but if I do I will recieve a nice job in the $600 range.

People don't have a problem with their paint, just their lack of prep as far as I've understood. Overspray, taping instead of removing parts, and dust afterwards are the key complaints.

Let me know.
 
somebody i work with got his monte carloe done there he ened up paying 2000 but he told them exactly what he wanted. he did his homework, as far as prep and finish work, paint codes and finish. he got a 3 layer paint with 3 layer clear and orange peel finish which was original on his car. just do your homework and tell them what you want. i have also heard other people being satisfied with their work
Jon
 
You're saying the orange peel was already on his car, right?

Not that they did it.

I think that's what you meant but wanted to make sure...

Know of anything they messed up / the condition of the paint now?
 
yes the peel finish was stock on his car and he wanted to keep that. IMO the paint looked pretty damn good, id have wetsanede it a few more times. no problems that i know of,a nd they went the extra step for him and repainted all his trim peices black.
Jon
 
The only downside I've heard is their prepping can suck. You get what you pay for, so know what you're getting yourself into.
 
Black is the hardest color to paint. It shows every little imperfection. Somehow black and cheap don't sound like a good combination. Make sure you feel comfortable with what they are going to do and with what you need to do.
 
as someone who just got their car painted you need to ask yourself some questions ... mainly what is the main use of the car going to be? as a daily driver I might be inclined to go to Macco (similar to Earl Sheib) and just have them spray the car, but I have a weekend car and hopefully a show car, I want to go to car shows so cheap paint job was out of the question. Next how long will you own this car baring anything out of your contol like an accident? if you plan to have it for a short time an expensive paint job isn't worth it imho, plan to keep it forever like me, then the money is well spent ...

with that being said for my use of my car and my plans with it I spent 4k on the paint, the pictures speak for themselves ... btw there was no wax on the car at the time of these photos ...

DSC03156.JPG


DSC03216.JPG



I almost forgot, 2000Myst just had Macco paint his car, the paint does look really good, it was their high end paint job, but he did all 90% of the prep work himself and dis-assembled the car for them so all they had to do was paint it ....
 
I am completely comfortable with whatever amount of prep is involved. Since I posted my first inquiry I have removed both bumpers, my side panels, the door panels, all lights, rubber, and additional trim.

I've started sanding. I will do my bondo tomorrow afternoon and sand everything to a 300 grit wet dry finish. I'll then let them do the tape and paint.

The cheap + black paint combo does worry me. Does anyone have experience with that?

Could you guys post some pictures of some neat one-color schemes for me to think about? I won't copy anyone, but I'd like some ideas.
 
You might want to go to 400 grit. The buffing they should do wont take out 300 grit marks. If you really want it done right go as far down as wet 1000 grit. Also for the top layer you should use a type of glaze, preferred is dolphin glaze. Gives a nice finish and does not soak up water. Be careful, bondo is like a sponge and soaks up water. If you want anything else just PM me, I and Brapple have both been through this, although he went the more expensive route. My car came out amazing but I did not get a cheap paint job. I did all the prep work and they basically just finished for me, the final stages and sprayed it.
 
paint prep, it is a lot thinner than bondo and goes on very thin. Its used with like 400 or greater and gives a very smooth finish.
 
oh so its like a primer?
Based on what he's saying it's more like a filler. You would use it on your hood and bumper where there's tons of pitting and tiny imperections. Bondo is for somewhat bigger imperfections and can't be sanded down as smooth as a filler.

Primer is more of an adhesive coat that sticks to the car and allows the base coat to stick to something.
 
Based on what he's saying it's more like a filler. You would use it on your hood and bumper where there's tons of pitting and tiny imperections. Bondo is for somewhat bigger imperfections and can't be sanded down as smooth as a filler.

Primer is more of an adhesive coat that sticks to the car and allows the base coat to stick to something.

exactly, thats what i wanted to say thankyou berkel. Its thinner than bondo and thicker than the thickest filler primer. It basically fills the tiny marks left after you use bondo and before you use primer. It gives you a very smooth finish. It sands a lot better with the finer grits than bondo does.

This is a PDF link to what it is, jsut google it http://www.u-pol.com/countries/en/downloads/tds/bagdolhv.pdf
 
Back
Top