Hello from Alabama all! First off I wanted to say thank you all for the information and posts over the years. I have found a lot of helpful posts and insight from you guys and just wanted to acknowledge that. BLUF: Potential source identified for all over paint at a reasonable cost, read below.
My family has had a Bone Stock, 1989 K5 for almost 15 years in perfect mechanical condition, (even the A/C still works), the body however is a different story. I have watched the near perfect gloss white paint fade with time and is at a critical point with surface rust starting on the hood and roof. For over a year now I have been searching for someone to take on an all over paint job with bids coming in at $10k plus even if they would accept me as a client. It appears the auto body industry has been driven by the "quick turn" insurance claims and most shops live by a "quick nickel" rather than a "slow dime"..
Most stories would end here with another neglected truck that will never be revived to its formal glory but one evening at my dad's house he told a story that changed everything. He spoke about growing up on a farm in North Alabama and working on the old tractors. Once a motor was worn out they would enlist the help of the local Tech school to get it rebuilt. Even though they had students basically learning a new craft on his farm equipment, the instructors would supervise closely and the work was of very good quality once returned. Remarkable!
Fast forward: Last Friday I drove the old girl up to meet with my county's local tech school and students. Because it was a solid truck that didn’t need major metal work they agreed to take the project on after I removed some trim pieces, bumpers, and such. The price quoted was (I believe) for materials only and very VERY reasonable. Tomorrow I will be dropping it off and we will see what develops!
Note: When discussing the details (and trying to sell them on accepting my truck) I offered to pay any and all materials and urged them to use very high quality paint. I also attempted to sweeten the deal by saying I no pending timeline for completion, three months or a year, anything would be acceptable.
Because you all have been so good in keeping me informed and the blazer mechanically strong, I wanted to share a potential avenue for your Blazer (or other Classic car) to receive some TLC from a potentially unknown source.
After all is said and done I will post all the details about price, timeline, and quality with pictures. Cheers!
DH
