Painted Delorean

[Unsavoury]

II know. Not a good start. But as you lot are in the know I was wondering how easy it is to take a painted Delorean back to just steel? I've seen a reasonably priced one but it's red (and seemingly been for sale forever) and I was wondering if it's cheap enough that I can bring it back to greatness or if I should give it a wide birth

[Dan Willis]

I've done it, as have a few others. It depends - like most things. If the body is straight, it's a job, but doable. If the body panels are damaged, you may need replacements or the magic hands of Chris N. Without knowing one way or the other, it's a gamble.

I'd err on leaving it painted, personally. They are rare, and there's nothing wrong if it's been done correctly.

[Unsavoury]

(29 May 2017, 14:04)Dan Willis Wrote: I've done it, as have a few others. It depends - like most things. If the body is straight, it's a job, but doable. If the body panels are damaged, you may need replacements or the magic hands of Chris N. Without knowing one way or the other, it's a gamble.

I'd err on leaving it painted, personally. They are rare, and there's nothing wrong if it's been done correctly.

When you say you've done it do you mean you personally? How did you do that or did you get a professional to do it? 

I'm only looking because of budget, it looks like it's considerably cheaper to buy a painted one than a "proper" one

[Dan Willis]

(29 May 2017, 17:42)Unsavoury Wrote:

(29 May 2017, 14:04)Dan Willis Wrote: I've done it, as have a few others. It depends - like most things. If the body is straight, it's a job, but doable. If the body panels are damaged, you may need replacements or the magic hands of Chris N. Without knowing one way or the other, it's a gamble.

I'd err on leaving it painted, personally. They are rare, and there's nothing wrong if it's been done correctly.

When you say you've done it do you mean you personally? How did you do that or did you get a professional to do it? 

I'm only looking because of budget, it looks like it's considerably cheaper to buy a painted one than a "proper" one

I did part of it, some of it was acid dipped, then the damage (one side had clearly been side-swiped) was then repaired by Chris. This was a long time ago so pricing is no longer relevant. If you have the time, chemicals, space and cover, you can do it yourself - but again, you really do need to know what's underneath first, or be prepared at least for some extensive repairs/replacements.

I used Nitromors on the panels - the paint peeled right off where it wasn't 2 inches deep in filling

[Dangermouse]

An alternative is soda blasting. This isn't me, but by all accounts is pretty straightforward

[Chris P]

The dust must get everywhere! I'd use a better face mask as well!

[Dangermouse]

Dust or chemicals - pick your literal poison

[OllieWilks]

Don't rush to buy a painted one if you don't really want a painted one. It won't be right for you and you might struggle to sell it on or end up spending a lot of money to get it to a standard that you want.