Looking at a 1931 Restored Victoria

[Ed in Maine]

I am considering a very nice Brewster Green/Black 1931 Victoria. There always has to be an issue and in this case there are about a dozen paint blisters on the back drivers side. The car was restored in 2010 and I am guessing that it was painted with acrylic enamel/clear coat. It is very glossy and pretty except for this area. It looks like there was condensate in the air when sprayed and it is lifting the paint. The blisters range in diameter from 1/4 in. to 1/8 in.


My questions:

1. How to you recover from this kind of defect? Individual blister removal, touchup and color sand back?
2. Can you strip just this area and repaint hoping to get a good match? Paint codes are not available and I would have to match electronically.
3. Would I have to repaint the whole back of the car?
4. Todays paints are urthane based. Can the urthane paints be sprayed over acrylic enamel after preparing the surface with 600 paper?

5. Any idea on how much it would cost to do the rear of the car (to the doors, between the belt lines, green only)?


Thank you for your comments and opinions. Ed

[Bob Bidonde]

My guess is the cost of repainting the panel door to door by a professional will be $1000. A professional will want to take the panel down to bare metal otherwise he will not guarantee his work.


A better bet is you do the prep work and find somebody in your local Model "A" club to do the paint spraying.



Get a paint sample at least a square inch in area. Then have your local paint dealer match the color. If repainting the entire panel, the paint does not need to be the same as is already on the car.



My 190A is painted with DuPont's Nason single stage urethane. This paint looks fabulous right out of the gun, so it does not need color sanding. Personally, I am not a fan of clear coat because it complicates touch-up, and the Model "A" is very prone to chips and scratches.


You need to be sure that the wood sills, wood header and upper wood body rails in the car are structurally sound. Also, if you buy the car, join the International Victoria Association.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

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Originally Posted by Ed in Maine

I am considering a very nice Brewster Green/Black 1931 Victoria. There always has to be an issue and in this case there are about a dozen paint blisters on the back drivers side. The car was restored in 2010 and I am guessing that it was painted with acrylic enamel/clear coat. It is very glossy and pretty except for this area. It looks like there was condensate in the air when sprayed and it is lifting the paint. The blisters range in diameter from 1/4 in. to 1/8 in.


My questions:

1. How to you recover from this kind of defect? Individual blister removal, touchup and color sand back?
2. Can you strip just this area and repaint hoping to get a good match? Paint codes are not available and I would have to match electronically.
3. Would I have to repaint the whole back of the car?
4. Todays paints are urthane based. Can the urthane paints be sprayed over acrylic enamel after preparing the surface with 600 paper?

5. Any idea on how much it would cost to do the rear of the car (to the doors, between the belt lines, green only)?


Thank you for your comments and opinions. Ed

You ask a lot of questions that each can be difficult to answer.


To begin with, these blisters may be a result of rust forming under the paint. It could be primers that were incorrectly cross-linked, -or it could be one or more of several other issues. Without seeing it, it is only a guess.


Yes, most paints can be matched however if it is BC/CC and without knowing the manufacturer, then it is unlikely you can get a blendable match without some strong effort (i.e.: $$)


If it is BC/CC, then Yes, you will likely need to paint from a break-line, ...which likely is the door jambs.


Depending on how strong/old the acrylic enamel is, it is possible but on the other hand, if it was uncatalyzed enamel or if the painter is unsure of the substrates, you probably won't get a painter willing to stake his reputation on the present paint.


If you find yourself needing to strip the rear panel and quarters, then building a good base followed by topcoat, you are likely looking at $5k-$10k for paint, materials, and labor. The price swing will be affected by location.


Just a FYI, the day of the basic $3k paint job is gone. Labor and material prices have risen to the point where nice (-not show but nice) paint jobs on muscle-type cars are now being quoted at $15k-$20k for everything. When you start adding up all of the painted sheetmetal areas on a Model-A, a Fordor or steel-back 190A has more painted surface area than some muscle cars. Owners of high-end classics like Packard, Pierce, etc. are hearing quotes of $25k. A few weeks ago I spoke with a gentleman that received a quote to strip his Cord Beverly and repaint it to CCCA level expectation and he was told to budget between $25k and $30k for paintwork.