Respray VS Wrap - suggestions/recommendations?

Okay so I have spent much time and effort on making my '89 GQ mechanically A1. Time to work on cosmetic side of things. Paint is original and to be honest it can be a little embarrassing at times owning such an old car that has not been properly restored.

I've done some research but all I've found is you get what you pay for when it comes to paint jobs... like everything else in life. I found a cheaper alternative to paint - body wraps. I'm not sure of the pros and cons of either so thought I'd ask everyone's opinions.

If you could recommend any places that will do either wrapping or painting fairly cheap that would be great. I'm looking to do the whole truck black. It is a SWB, has no major dents/dings but there is a small rust patch that will need fixing. It's a truck so it doesn't need to be in showroom condition, any upgrade from the original 24 year old paint would make me happy. Can I get a half decent job done for under $2k?

My sister in law has her car wrapped, cost 3k but hers is flash Harry job with advertising on it and has been done for about four yrs and still looks great!

the problem with wraps is that without paying to dollar for the Swedish made stuff it tears very easily and then ripples and is quite noticeable. my dad and i wrapped out race car in carbon fiber rap and it looks great but every little stone chip shows up and even just taking of ur seat belt and letting it hit the wrap takes nicks out off it. also the cheaper 3m stuff which is what we used only lasts about 3 to 4 years in the nz sun before it fades and looks average . not sure on how well it would hold in aussie either . from the top of my head the 3m stuff has a 2 year sun damage warranty on it.

the upside with wraps is u can do it yourself and still get a great finish but if u wanted a long term great finish ur best to just take the bullet and get a re spray . if u did most of the prep work yourself it wouldn't end up costing u that much

hope that helps

Hey NZ, you should have used a uv stabilised clear laminate. That stops the Sun fading it and stops scratches, chips etc

FanTapstic!

IMO thinking with enough say 2 pac clear you have a few cut and polishes up your sleeve to mantain that
just sprayed feeling/look

yea we put that along the front of the nose cone and around the wheel arches but if u but it over the whole car it ruins the carbon fiber look and adds alot of extra weight to the car and being a race car is kinda important . but yes that is a quick fix to the sun damage

You might be talking about body guard vinyl (fairly thick) I'm talking about proper clear laminate which would be best put onto the vinyl before putting it on the vehicle. A whole card worth wouldn't weigh more than 300-400 grams. But yeah your right, it would wreck the carbon fibre look

FanTapstic!

im due for a full respray, im thinking for a 4wd the wrap will definately get smashed badly