Not being able to drive her bums me out the most.

[Yal]

My after pic

[LotsaMiles]

Originally Posted by FX86

you mean the color that looks like buffalo sauce?

Actually, I think I might mean Ford orange. The bright, almost yellow one.

[LotsaMiles]

Originally Posted by Spacemane969

For a second I thought of waiving the paint match and going for battleship Grey

You know, with the right highlights, that might look pretty cool. Satin, of course.

[Spacemane969]

Originally Posted by LotsaMiles

You know, with the right highlights, that might look pretty cool. Satin, of course.

Can't say I came up with the idea a myself

Originally Posted by ChrisD

Don't think I posted mine in here when I got it painted, so here we go:

[LotsaMiles]

Originally Posted by Spacemane969

Can't say I came up with the idea a myself

Can't see at work. I'll have to wait 'till I get home.

[Spacemane969]

Here's the first update on progress. I went over it with the body shop owner today and he was very experienced and passionate. His idea is to take the least aggressive method first and try to work the panel out without having to cut and weld an entirely new one.

Let me know what you guys think of the two options, if the first method doesn't cut the muster they have the new panel ready to go. I really, REALLY would like to avoid cutting, welding and removing windows and bumpers. But in the back of my head it's just hard to imagine that even the most skilled auto body technician could eyeball a panel back to factory perfection.

[geezerbrzeezer]

What always blows me away is how some of these guys can work these panels back to an original shape without being able to see their unfinished work fully painted where flaws would be obvious. Kudos to these artists.

[ToySub1946]

When I look at these cars just slightly damaged, I wonder why the body shops, usually these days, opt to replace a rear quarter panel rather than repair the existing one.

Nice that the shop you use is attempting a repair to existing panel rather than cut and weld.


Seems craftsmanship does still exist at some shops.

[Spacemane969]

Originally Posted by ToySub1946

When I look at these cars just slightly damaged, I wonder why the body shops, usually these days, opt to replace a rear quarter panel rather than repair the existing one.

Nice that the shop you use is attempting a repair to existing panel rather than cut and weld.


Seems craftsmanship does still exist at some shops.

I'm lucky to have an extremely reputable shop in my area, and being able to share a passion for cars with like minded people makes the process that much easier.

Originally Posted by geezerbrzeezer

What always blows me away is how some of these guys can work these panels back to an original shape without being able to see their unfinished work fully painted where flaws would be obvious. Kudos to these artists.

Absolutely. It's a little difficult to imagine where it's going with all the textures going on right now but to think that he turned it from pop corn to the basic formation you saw there it's really hard to believe it even got that far.

[Spacemane969]

Originally Posted by Yal

My after pic

Thanks for the after pic. I know the factory plastic bumpers tend to be just a tad off as far as paint, but do you feel like your fender/panel came out darker than the bumper after repair?

[Spacemane969]

Getting down to the final details, I'm a little nervous as it sits now but they still have 2 or 3 more passes with the molding/shaping compound.

[Spacemane969]

Alright guys sorry to beat this horse into the ground but this is the final result and I really would like your opinions.

I'm unsure if I should pursue any more work, I'm really grateful to the shop owner and technicians, they've been overly accommodating, but some minor things are just sitting in the back of my head since I've had time to really see it from all shades/angles.

I'm not 100% certain if the insurance (other party at fault) is obligated to continue work to my satisfaction. I'm in Virginia if anyone could quickly break down my rights on this scenario, not sure if laws for this vary by state. Everything has been paid on all ends and I assumed that the insurer would be understanding if I have to re-bill more work even though I have accepted the car back. That could have been a bad assumption but I just knew I wouldn't be able to judge the paint match from one glance in the evening.

[humfrz]

Looks just fine to me from most of the pictures. I can't tell if those "light" spots are for real or just lighting.

I'd suggest you not have them mess with it anymore ...... it just might get worse.

Just let the paint cure then buff and wax.

If that is the most imperfect thing in your life ...... you are blessed .....


humfrz

[Spacemane969]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Looks just fine to me from most of the pictures. I can't tell if those "light" spots are for real or just lighting.

I'd suggest you not have them mess with it anymore ...... it just might get worse.

Just let the paint cure then buff and wax.

If that is the most imperfect thing in your life ...... you are blessed .....


humfrz

This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear. It might sound crazy but I was just out in the garage feeling the curves and trying to justify a do-over.

Those night shots threw me for a loop also, I'm certain it's mostly just the lighting that bring out those bright portions, I just can't figure out why the door is so much darker. I think it's probably because the convex(horizontally) nature of the door vs the concave nature of the panels that align next to it.

Thank you for your input!!