Steve;
I've always felt that if you have a unique car, you
should be proud to show it off, regardless of
condition. In other words, if you go to a show and
you're the only '59 Imperial there, then you have the
BEST one there. The only time that doesn't work is at
a Concours d'Elegance where you would only expect to
find the best of the best.
I think when you pay top dollar at a good shop for good
workmanship and good materials (which are mighty
expensive these days) you should be able to enjoy a
beautiful result for many more years than the cheap job.
Having said that, I've seen recently some very decent
results from a MAACO shop here in Phoenix. Mostly,
MAACO jobs I've seen at best are about as good as the
original factory paintwork. One I've seen is VERY
good. I don't know how much he paid, but I'm sure there
were upcharges from even their top price job. I think
it was something less than $2000.00 including bodywork.
I believe the key is to find a MAACO that has an
interest in the older cars and has a painter who is
really good.
Even if you go with a basic paint job for $500 or less,
if it means you enjoy your car more and take her to nice
places (or shows) then go for it. We can all go back
and spend the big bucks some years down the road when
our Imperials are finally recognized to be as valuable
as we all know they are. In the meantime, we can all
enjoy showing up to events, even many Mopar events, with
something no one else has.
Cheers,
Roger
with more project cars than I can count on both hands....
------------------------------------------------
Get the award winning ISP, AT&T WorldNet Service
http://download.att.net/webtag
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network