2004 SVT Paint question

[LordWarlock]

I've been considering a 2004 Cobra for the past month, primarily the mystichrome ones, but found a decent 22k miles black SVT locally that i can pick up for a decent price. My question is, do all the 2004s have noticeable orange peel in the paint? When looking close at the black 2004, in particular the area behind the rear quarter glass, and rear fender sides (both sides) the car has mild orange peel in the factory paint.

I know it is probably original paint, because my 2000 GT that i've had for 3 years now also has orange peel on the rear quarter pillars. I would have thought that a high priced limited production car had better quality paint than the ones I've seen. I've spent the last three years custom painting my toy/project car in my garage, and when I see orange peel similar to the surface of the mustangs, I would wetsand and polish it smooth. I just don't want to buy a car for 27k and then feel like i need to wetsand and polish it to be satisfied with the surface of the cobra.

Lord Warlock

 

[Uncle Meat]

Yes the stock Ford paint quality sucks. My Oxford White Cobra has crappy factory paint too. The only cars Ford took their time painting were the Mystichromes.

U.M.

 

[04sleeper]

I agree with Meat.

Fords don't have the best paint. I was just comparing my paint to my wife's Mrecedes and it was night and day. You get what you pay for I guess. Ford spent their money in the engine, not better paint.

 

[LordWarlock]

Appreciate the input, I elected to go ahead and get the 2004 black cobra, figure If I really want to I can always wet sand it smooth and buff it out, I have all the equipment and polishes to do it, just not eager to start sanding on a new car purchase. It will wait a few weeks at least.

LW

 

[04sleeper]

I wouldn't go wetsanding factory paint. It is not thick enough to go wetsanding and buffing.

If anything you could try buffing it but thats about as far as I would go.


BTW: Congrats on the new Terminator.

 

[wythors]

My father-in-law painted cars, primarily street rods, up until about six months before he died last year at the age of 84. He started in the early 1940's. When we bought my wife's 96 4 years ago he asked if he could smooth it out for her. We said yes (duh) and he worked on it for about a week. When it came back it had the glassiest black surface that you've ever seen. He said that the paint itself was very well applied and had a lot of depth. He was impressed with the quality of the shoot, just not the finish. Said it was one of the better production paints he'd ever worked on.