Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

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AlexTheBeaner
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Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

Hey guys,

So I have a topic I'd like to discuss and it's been over my head for a while. Perhaps, just get different opinions and have a conversation. I'm not sure if someone has talked about it but, what is your opinion between a fresh rebuilt car vs an original (with scratches, chipped paint, aged interior ect.)?
For me, personally, I like to have like an original (or at least) as much original as it can. Like if the cruise control doesn't work, who cares? as long the car is running and have sort of a built in attitude and your own persona to the car rather than a complete rebuilt car.

I mean, I love rebuilt cars and see the amount of work put into it. But something about a car letting it age and let the paint take it's course, amazes me. Like you can tell the previous owners actually drove the car and see that the seats are worn out(but not like ripped).
Sort of like a vintage guitar, the sound it emits starts getting unique over time. :-k

Cheers!
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olympia57
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by olympia57 »

Hi Alex
Interesting dilemma
I sometimes wish I was in the original camp as the thought of driving the car with little or no fear of chipping or damaging the paint or bodywork is very appealing.
I am however, happy in the other camp .
I like my cars tidy , presentable and as clean as possible .
As I say , I can appreciate the original approach but only on someone else's vehicle . :roll:
I think it depends on your psyche what concept you adopt .
There is however a huge difference between gentle patina and an air of " I don't really care about that ."
Don
1981 635 series 1
AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

olympia57 wrote:There is however a huge difference between gentle patina and an air of " I don't really care about that ."
Don
Yeah, definitely not that attitude. Like maybe getting hit with the tiny rocks on the road (which is almost impossible to avoid here). Im starting to like the small spots in front of mines, but at the same time I would love a refinish paint job. I might just use the buffer and get as much out as possible from the original paint. :-) cheers
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Da_Hose
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Da_Hose »

I am not made of money, so having a pristine garage queen just doesn't fit my life. I want to DRIVE my cars, so patina is fine with me. My father-in-law has an old 1975 Dodge W200 all-time 4X4 truck that I am working on for him. I am all for changing out anything mechanical, but it just feel wrong to think about painting it. The way I describe it, is that the old truck deserves the honor of looking like it has done all the work it's done for us.

Although, the clear on my M6 is failing and it needs some pretty big sections of bodywork redone. It's my daily driver right now, but I do plan to have a different daily soon, so I can fix all the body issues and re-paint. You better believe that I will still drive the hell out of it, but it won't be my daily driver once I can finally get the old 2002 and Saturn wagon up and going.

Jose
1987 M6 - My dream car
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Pod »

All I'm really interested in is that everything works as it should. Nothing worse than driving/parking a car and worrying about it!
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by bnm »

Pod wrote:All I'm really interested in is that everything works as it should. Nothing worse than driving/parking a car and worrying about it!
+1
AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

Da_Hose wrote: It's my daily driver right now, but I do plan to have a different daily soon, so I can fix all the body issues and re-paint. You better believe that I will still drive the hell out of it, but it won't be my daily driver once I can finally get the old 2002 and Saturn wagon up and going.
What's wrong with your Saturn ? I having issues on mine as well. For some reason the transmission is jumping, they said it was the sensor, but it's worth $600 bucks!
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Da_Hose
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Da_Hose »

A $600 sensor on a Saturn? YIKES!

On our wagon, the timing chain let go at 145K. Not a bad run, but there is WAY more life left in that engine. Apparently timing chains are a weakness on that engine, with some letting go early as 75K. Wish that had happened to ours. It would all have been replaced under warranty and we might have gotten closer to 200K with the improved parts. Although it was burning a lot of oil too, but had great compression. I suppose that in all, it was best to rebuild the head anyway and the chain breaking was the excuse.

I just need some freaking time to put it all back together.

Jose
1987 M6 - My dream car
AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

Da_Hose wrote: Apparently timing chains are a weakness on that engine, with some letting go early as 75K.
Did not knew that, well this one is at 112k at the moment, we got it in it's mid 90k from an uncle. That's what the computer read, but might be wrong, it feels like an engine support, but we swap those already. Who knows, there's a junk yard 40 min away full of saturns. Might pull the sensor from one of them.
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Da_Hose
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Da_Hose »

I did see that the 02 sensor was burned right through, so replaced them for this rebuild.

With the 2002 eco GM engine it isn't a question of if, it's when it will break. If that is what your car has, and at your mileage, I HIGHLY recommend opening up the timing case and replacing that timing chain before it breaks. It can be a pain to rotate it many times until the timing marks line up, but important to do, so you can put the new chain on. I would get two 22mm (IIRC) wrenches, and fabricate a holder for the cams. Then you can pull everything apart with confidence and put on the new pieces.

Jose
1987 M6 - My dream car
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Roku35
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Roku35 »

AlexTheBeaner wrote:
olympia57 wrote:There is however a huge difference between gentle patina and an air of " I don't really care about that ."
Don
Yeah, definitely not that attitude. Like maybe getting hit with the tiny rocks on the road (which is almost impossible to avoid here). Im starting to like the small spots in front of mines, but at the same time I would love a refinish paint job. I might just use the buffer and get as much out as possible from the original paint. :-) cheers

I guess I have the luxury of both camps. I do have an all original model that I have been gentle with in her drive time, and I do need to drive her more. I also have another original model that I really want to paint due to the sun damage on the roof and rear trunk due to the light colored polaris metallic paint. The rest of the car is not perfect, but not bad. I've been dwelling in doing a partial roof top and rear trunk paint OR just give the car a total refresh. Take everything off and get in there and professionally give it a go. I know in the end, I will have a model that will look almost new inside and out. But wonder how I would treat the car if I do go this route. This car has double the miles of my all orginal model, so that has some weight on my decision as well. In the meantime, they get weekend play and sit in my garage for the next great idea.
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Schwartz/Anthracite Buffalo)
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Polaris/Schwartz)
1985 Euro 628CSi (Zobelbraun/Nutria Buffalo) ...Rehomed
2002 540iT Sport 5-Spd (Schwartz/Schwartz)
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AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

Roku35 wrote:I guess I have the luxury of both camps. I do have an all original model that I have been gentle with in her drive time, and I do need to drive her more. I also have another original model that I really want to paint due to the sun damage on the roof and rear trunk due to the light colored polaris metallic paint. The rest of the car is not perfect, but not bad. I've been dwelling in doing a partial roof top and rear trunk paint OR just give the car a total refresh. Take everything off and get in there and professionally give it a go. I know in the end, I will have a model that will look almost new inside and out. But wonder how I would treat the car if I do go this route. This car has double the miles of my all orginal model, so that has some weight on my decision as well. In the meantime, they get weekend play and sit in my garage for the next great idea.
You are lucky to have both sides here. About the paint, is the clear coat peeled off or the actual paint damaged? You could probably save the original paint even if the paint is a little damaged and most of the problem is in clear coat. That's what I've seen with most sixers and other cars and people just paint them again when the problem was just the clear coat. I wish I knew that before my brother painted his car, now it looks weird.

I still need to get mines running, for some reason the car wont turn on, no lights or anything. Brand new battery too. :/
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Roku35
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Roku35 »

AlexTheBeaner wrote: You are lucky to have both sides here. About the paint, is the clear coat peeled off or the actual paint damaged? You could probably save the original paint even if the paint is a little damaged and most of the problem is in clear coat. That's what I've seen with most sixers and other cars and people just paint them again when the problem was just the clear coat. I wish I knew that before my brother painted his car, now it looks weird.

I still need to get mines running, for some reason the car wont turn on, no lights or anything. Brand new battery too. :/
The clear has been damaged by bird poop. Left on the car paint to bake for too long. I had her outside for a few months in the heat of the summer and by the time I got back to her, it was too late. I got a couple Spots on the hood, roof, and back trunk. I had no idea that bird dung was sooooo damaging. Lessoned learned. I really thought the clear coat was stronger than it is. Old school clear coat I guess. Todays clear coats come with lifetime warranty. I totally bombed on this.
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Schwartz/Anthracite Buffalo)
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Polaris/Schwartz)
1985 Euro 628CSi (Zobelbraun/Nutria Buffalo) ...Rehomed
2002 540iT Sport 5-Spd (Schwartz/Schwartz)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawaiisharkfest/sets
AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

Roku35 wrote:
AlexTheBeaner wrote: You are lucky to have both sides here. About the paint, is the clear coat peeled off or the actual paint damaged? You could probably save the original paint even if the paint is a little damaged and most of the problem is in clear coat. That's what I've seen with most sixers and other cars and people just paint them again when the problem was just the clear coat. I wish I knew that before my brother painted his car, now it looks weird.

I still need to get mines running, for some reason the car wont turn on, no lights or anything. Brand new battery too. :/
The clear has been damaged by bird poop. Left on the car paint to bake for too long. I had her outside for a few months in the heat of the summer and by the time I got back to her, it was too late. I got a couple Spots on the hood, roof, and back trunk. I had no idea that bird dung was sooooo damaging. Lessoned learned. I really thought the clear coat was stronger than it is. Old school clear coat I guess. Todays clear coats come with lifetime warranty. I totally bombed on this.
That is so crazy. I'm lucky mine is white, but nothing has started to come off yet. I have to wash it once in a while just to be safe. I don't want to have a car cover on top, it will scratch the paint more. Good luck on her, do you happen to have any pics of both?
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Roku35
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Roku35 »

AlexTheBeaner wrote:
That is so crazy. I'm lucky mine is white, but nothing has started to come off yet. I have to wash it once in a while just to be safe. I don't want to have a car cover on top, it will scratch the paint more. Good luck on her, do you happen to have any pics of both?
If your car has the original Alpine White, Red or Schwartz/Black, it should be single stage paint, so no clear coat on the car. Clear coats used with Metallic Painted cars.

Keep the single-staged paint on the car waxed and clean and should be good to go. I still have the original paint on my 6ers, my Schwartz 6er is still very good, but my Polaris Metallic has some fading on the roof top. sad :(
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Schwartz/Anthracite Buffalo)
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Polaris/Schwartz)
1985 Euro 628CSi (Zobelbraun/Nutria Buffalo) ...Rehomed
2002 540iT Sport 5-Spd (Schwartz/Schwartz)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawaiisharkfest/sets
AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

Roku35 wrote:
AlexTheBeaner wrote:
That is so crazy. I'm lucky mine is white, but nothing has started to come off yet. I have to wash it once in a while just to be safe. I don't want to have a car cover on top, it will scratch the paint more. Good luck on her, do you happen to have any pics of both?
If your car has the original Alpine White, Red or Schwartz/Black, it should be single stage paint, so no clear coat on the car. Clear coats used with Metallic Painted cars.

Keep the single-staged paint on the car waxed and clean and should be good to go. I still have the original paint on my 6ers, my Schwartz 6er is still very good, but my Polaris Metallic has some fading on the roof top. sad :(
That's crazy, I did not knew that. Last time I waxed and polished my 6er was last year, I'm waiting for the rain to stop. It's been going for almost two months now. Not going to complain, we need water here in the central cali.
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by MSGGrunt »

I like my cars as tidy as possible and am not in the category that money is no object keeping my cars well kept. I am in Massachusetts and when looking for particular cars I always search places like the Southwest, Northwest or other areas of the country that don't use salt on the roads in the Winter that way I am already starting off with a more solid car. Well, that is the idea anyway.

I like to keep things original so, no money spent on lower suspension, aftermarket stereo system, turbo system, custom exhaust, etc. I would rather put my hard earned cash into suspension pieces, replacing worn bushings, new sensors when needed, belts, hoses and the essentials, etc... I did splurge for Euro rear headrest for my M6.

One of the biggest things visually I did for my car was strip and redo all the leather interior. This was very labor intensive but, the interior looks so much better and cost very little money. I am about to do the same thing with my Indigo blue interior on my 1990 E30 convertible. I have decided to keep the E30 paint as is. I was contemplating having it fully stripped and repainted because a few chips, a ding here and there (very small) that always draws my attention but, have decided that a professional wet sanding/cutting/buffing/polishing will suffice and I will have a car that I can still say has the original paint, which I guess sort of means something.
AlexTheBeaner
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by AlexTheBeaner »

MSGGrunt wrote:I like my cars as tidy as possible and am not in the category that money is no object keeping my cars well kept. I am in Massachusetts and when looking for particular cars I always search places like the Southwest, Northwest or other areas of the country that don't use salt on the roads in the Winter that way I am already starting off with a more solid car. Well, that is the idea anyway.

I like to keep things original so, no money spent on lower suspension, aftermarket stereo system, turbo system, custom exhaust, etc. I would rather put my hard earned cash into suspension pieces, replacing worn bushings, new sensors when needed, belts, hoses and the essentials, etc... I did splurge for Euro rear headrest for my M6.

One of the biggest things visually I did for my car was strip and redo all the leather interior. This was very labor intensive but, the interior looks so much better and cost very little money. I am about to do the same thing with my Indigo blue interior on my 1990 E30 convertible. I have decided to keep the E30 paint as is. I was contemplating having it fully stripped and repainted because a few chips, a ding here and there (very small) that always draws my attention but, have decided that a professional wet sanding/cutting/buffing/polishing will suffice and I will have a car that I can still say has the original paint, which I guess sort of means something.

That's probably the track that I'm going through. Although I was thinking of redoing my interior I'm actually deciding to get rid of it. I will plan to do a track/daily driver car. My girl actually wants to get an e30 soon, so we are looking around to find a good deal, especially a convertible.
I think buffing will be a smart choice before repainting the car, you will have a more clear answer to what to do with the paint.
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by Roku35 »

AlexTheBeaner wrote: That's probably the track that I'm going through. Although I was thinking of redoing my interior I'm actually deciding to get rid of it. I will plan to do a track/daily driver car. My girl actually wants to get an e30 soon, so we are looking around to find a good deal, especially a convertible.
I think buffing will be a smart choice before repainting the car, you will have a more clear answer to what to do with the paint.
Agreed. Get some good expensive wax layers to protect what you have. If you decide to wet sand and buff-out be careful of any thinning paint areas. When you compound the car, some of the paint will go with it as well. Good luck, I'm sure she will look great when your done.
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Schwartz/Anthracite Buffalo)
1985 Euro 635CSi CR 5-Spd (Polaris/Schwartz)
1985 Euro 628CSi (Zobelbraun/Nutria Buffalo) ...Rehomed
2002 540iT Sport 5-Spd (Schwartz/Schwartz)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawaiisharkfest/sets
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Re: Fresh vs Attitude. opinions?

Post by bpoliakoff »

It's only original once. Regardless of what brand parts you throw at it, it ain't the same as the day it left the factory
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