Get your paintwork looking on point

17 November, 2015

 

data-animation-override>
Looking at getting paintwork done? Here are a few tips and businesses to check out

Aesthetically, the paint finish on your car is its most important feature. Sure, the saying ‘wheels make or break the car’ is definitely true, but a good paint job is what will really set your vehicle apart from the rest. When dealing with paint, the old adage ‘You get what you pay for’ is really apt — get your mate to blow it over in his carport in exchange for a box of brews, and you’ll probably end up with imperfections in a less than ideal finish.

While you can still get a decent paint job done for a decent price, what a lot of people don’t realize is that most of the time — and therefore money — is spent in preparation, which is undoubtedly the most important step in ensuring a flawless finish.  Take a look at our complete paint guide, and in our opinion, the guys you should go see! 

Put a ring around that

Provenance is a valuable part of a classic car and DKW/Auto Union collectors Brendan and Bobbette Odell have a detailed documented history of a special car in their growing collection of these little two-stroke wonders.
Brendan’s hometown of Pretoria enjoyed more than its fair share of the marque, where their reliability and performance made them popular..
“There used to be a joke going round in South Africa that there were more DKWs in Pretoria per square mile than anywhere else in the world,” Says Brendan.
The Odells redressed that balance a little when they shifted to New Zealand as they brought some of the cars with them.
One of their DKWs also accompanied them to Tonga. Brendan’s green 1959 Auto Union 1000 two-door went with them from South Africa to Tonga from 2010 to 2013 where he worked for the local airline. It then travelled on with them to New Zealand. It is one of just 10 right-hand drive cars of the two-door basic model remaining worldwide.

Stag roars again

The Triumph Stag pictured here has been lovingly restored from what was once, in the owner’s words, “a horrible, terrible job”. Owners Glynn and Alison Gaston hail from Dunedin and along with their grandchildren now enjoy cruising in the Stag after a three-and-a-half-year restoration.
In 2011, Glynn was looking for a classic car to restore. After 21 years with Air New Zealand he was working as a Super Shuttle driver, with four days on and four days off, which gave him the time to take on such a project — something he had always wanted to do.
“I’d looked at quite a few cars over the years. The idea was to restore a car as something to keep me going. I had looked at different MGs and I would have quite liked an Austin Healey or something similar but they were really expensive.
“Then I saw a Stag and I thought, Ah, this is nice. This is what I would like.