Long story but I have been tasked with getting a new paint job on a 63 Corvette and need a little advice and paint shop recommendation in the Houston area. I don't have much experience with automotive paint work much less on old fiberglass.

The car is not vintage, no matching numbers, and highly modified etc. so not looking for a perfect Concours paint job. That said I need something better than a Maaco job - just looking for a professional but somewhat affordable job. Body is solid Will just need typical minor corrections before paint.

What are the steps involved with a decent paint job on a fiberglass car and are they different from steel? What questions should I ask a potential shop?

What ballpark cost am I looking at?

Any recommendations for paint shops in Houston area?

Try imperial

Richie Collision
12221 Veterans Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77067
(281) 893-6341

People ship Vettes to this place for the paint jobs. A few magazine covers.

I have not made contact since 2012 when I needed some paint work.

I have heard about Richey Collision as well, they are not likely to be cheap, though aiming for anything approaching affordable on custom paint (that is, not insurance claim) work is going to be tough, especially on a Corvette.

I bought an '81 Corvette project car that needed some minor body work. I dug a little deeper and found that a previous repair used the wrong type of primer and basically couldn't be stripped off the SMC/fiberglass to fix a couple of cracks without getting really involved with specialty media blasting. Sold it to some young soldier stationed at Ft. Hood.

I won't ever buy a Corvette that needs any kind of P&B work.

I too have a 63. It is a convertible. I will not paint because it is a survivor car, but when I argue with my wife (she wants me to paint it) I tell her it would cost at least $10k to do it right. From what I understand it is very labor intensive, the gel coat has to be in good condition and it needs to be stripped down to the gel coat which usually involves bead blasting because sand is too harsh. Soda blasting may work too.

Now to discredit me, I have not quoted any of this, but picked it up from forums etc... good luck and I'd love to see how it turns out and who you use. PM me if you have any other 63 related questions.