Painting your Mooney

[docket]

I have an extraordinarily nice 1999 Eagle that most people would not consider painting but mine must have been painted at the factory on a bad day.  Although the paint looks great in terms of gloss and color, I am starting to shed paint on several of the flush rivets on the section of the wing nearest the tips.  I am diligent to touch up each rivet as it exposes itself but it is starting to get out of hand.  I am also need to clean up the leading edges of the wings from the usual IMC damage -- its amazing what rain can do.  I do fly a lot in IMC here on the Gulf Coast.

My questions are (1) has anyone done a paint a wings only paint job and do you think that I would be a doofus idiot to do such a thing; (2) are anyone else's planes of my vintage (1999) having similar paint issues; (3) who have you used to paint your plane; (4) what was your experience with the shop; and (5) has anyone ever used Murmer here in Houston, Texas -- they are local to me so that gives them a leg up.  A total paint job on the plane in the basic Eagle scheme that I have is about $12,000 which may be high but I am pretty much a turn key guy.  I would also be curious, for those who are willing to share, what their paint jobs cost -- feel free to PM me on that data.

Lastly, anyone ever seen a Mooney painted in Ferrari Red?

[TurboExec]

Mine cost about $1000.  But then again I did all the labor and shot it myself....I only needed my IA for the control surface balancing and the log book entry.

You case is obviously different, but I if the fuse paint is good I'd probably just go for painting the wings.  I've seen wings repainted after a reseal....If the shop is good they should be able to match the paint pretty well.

[MooneyPilot231]

That price is probably a little high. In this economy everyone is hurting including the paint shops. I believe there is a top notch paint shop on the Midlothean airport just south of Dallas. I fly over it 3 times a week so getting a ride home to Houston would be easy. In fact, I would be happy to give you ride from any shop here in the Dallas area if you find one that works for you. I would go with uerethane base coat/clear coat over Imron. Imron is very thick by paint standards and is much harder to match when you start getting chips in the paint. Imron is slightly more durable but overall I think base coat/clear coat is much easier to deal with and it looks better and is available in almost any color. Just my opinion, glad to fly you back to Houston so check on some of the shops around Dallas.

 

[MooneyPilot231]

Having looked at Murmer's website, I would say that you would be very happy with their work. If you can live with the price that would probably a good way to go....

 

[docket]

So, if I do this what do you think about a Ferrari Red Mooney -- anyone seen one?

[fantom]

That first Acclaim was bright red, and it looked great. BTW, the old saying is that a good Mooney factory paint job is the exception. I had the same issues as you in my first several years of ownership.

Why not just get your wings repainted to the seam? Should do the job, will look fine, and cost well under two grand. Murmer is a top tier paint shop and enjoys a long standing excellent reputation.

Good luck!

 

[KSMooniac]

When I was buying my '77 201, the sales guy noticed the decline in paint quality and pointed it out to me.  He wasn't a Mooney guy per se, but have been in the industry for quite a while.  The previous owner of my plane was moving up to a 1-year old Ovation, and it was in the same hangar when I was doing my deal.  The Ovation had quite a bit of debris in the paint, and overall some of the details weren't what I would expect on a 400-500k plane.  My lowly '77 is still wearing the original paint, and overall it is in pretty good condition thanks to being hangared.  There isn't debris in the paint, the shine is still there for the most part (especially after a wax) and it has held up well.  The leading edges have been repainted at least once, though, and I presume it is due to leading edge erosion from flying in precip. 

If you like your current paint job and most of it is holding up well, I would certainly be inclined to do wings only, or maybe just the leading edges and tips back to appropriate skin joint.  A good paint shop should have no trouble mixing some paint to match what you have now, including 10 years of fade.

[georgeb]

Last year during my first annual, I had a few speed mods done to my '70 E, including the dorsal and front cowl mods from LASAR. When I received them and started to look at them the first thing I thought was 'Damn, I'm going to need a painter'. While I was willing (as was my AP) to take on the task, I wanted to take the opportunity to paint the Faded colors on the tops of the wings and some of the Fuse. They had a considerable amount of oxidation and burn from the previous owners lack of care (that's a whole other story). In any case, that was more than I cared to take on myself. What I did was contact a couple of my Bodyshop buddy's here in El Paso and asked them if I could hire one of their painters to do some touchup paint work on my Mooney. Well as it turns out, One of these friends gave me a number to a painter that was doing nothing but contract work; carried all his own equipment; and was willing to take on the job. Well to make the long story short, not only did he take care of 2 colors on the ENTIRE aircraft, but also did a considerable amount of cleanup on the top entire front of the Fuse where the paint had been starting to peel as well as match up the paint the the existing graphics on the back of the Fuse where the speed mods were put on. I'll tell you on a PM how much he charged me, but he's now done work on several of my friends planes as well as painted complete planes. So, long story short, touching up the existing paint will be FAR LESS EXPENSIVE than trying to paint the entire aircraft. The biggest problem we ran into was finding a place to paint the AC. PAINTING IS REALLY A MESSY BUSINESS AND OVERSPRAY WILL GET EVERYWHERE THAT IS NOT COVERED RIGHT. That said, there are a multitude of other issues you will run into (read city codes and regulations) that will need to be overcome, but in the end it all worked out great and this guy (and his son) had work for about 3 mos. just from my small job.

So if you have the time and an AP that's willing to work with you, you may be able to do the same thing that I did. By the way, the Total cost (including the Paint and materials) was less that $1k.

Good Luck

George

[bgpilot1]

I currently have 9516M in the paint shop in Mena, AR at Crider Aircraft Paint.  They have been great to work with so far.  Good price under 10k to strip, sand, remove rusty rivits, add stainless steel screw kits.  add 600 for new side glass windows.  There are also 4 other good paint shops on the field.  One is less benevolent - A&S, or whatever they are called now.  They painted my last plane and did a fair job for the price but missed several spots.  Feel free to ask me any follow up questions - two paint jobs - a lot of learning has come between these two big ears!  Barry

[ArtCraft]

ArtCraft Paint, Inc has a Thanks’ giving special COMPLETE PAINT JOB FOR $ 9,000.00 if you bring your aircraft before Saturday November 14, 2009

[mooneygirl]

I am doing it!  My Maggie II [1965 E model] is going to ArtCraft Paint, in Santa Maria, CA [KSMX] on the 21st.  I am very excited.  ArtCraft painted Mitch's Ovation, as well as 14 other Mooneys we have sent their way.  I am so happy and know it will be a beauty.

ArtCraft is exhibiting at AirVenture this year and is sponsorting Mooney Happy Hour daily for those who would like to meet up with other Mooney drivers. ArtCraft Paint has a display in Building/Hangar C space 3062. The hospitality suite is just down from their booth.

I will post photos of the progress on my Maggie.  I am going with colors that are found in the Pacific Ocean on Matterhorn white.

 

[DaV8or]

Quote: mooneygirl

I am doing it!  My Maggie II [1965 E model] is going to ArtCraft Paint, in Santa Maria, CA [KSMX] on the 21st.  I am very excited.  ArtCraft painted Mitch's Ovation, as well as 14 other Mooneys we have sent their way.  I am so happy and know it will be a beauty.

ArtCraft is exhibiting at AirVenture this year and is sponsorting Mooney Happy Hour daily for those who would like to meet up with other Mooney drivers. ArtCraft Paint has a display in Building/Hangar C space 3062. The hospitality suite is just down from their booth.

I will post photos of the progress on my Maggie.  I am going with colors that are found in the Pacific Ocean on Matterhorn white.

 

[Bennett]

I'm sure you will like working with ArtCraft.  I brought N335BB back to them about two weeks ago for the "buff out", and general touch up, if needed.  They polished out all the plastic windows, polished the entire aircraft, including sending out the spinner for re-polishing, changed out some cam-locks that weren't done at the time of painting, and did all of this without additional charge. All in all, one of the most pleasant experiences I have had in improving the aircraft I have owned over the years.  I've worked with other excellent paint shops, but ArtCraft wins not only on quality, but on "yes we can" attitude. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos during, and after painting.  

[mooneygirl]

Hey Dave

I am going with two shades of blue, one pearl, one metallic and an antique silver accent.  I was inspired by the ocean and how the blues change depending on your angle/view.  And maybe the silver is like the crest of a wave.  Can't tell I live at the beach huh?

She goes in after the Ambassador display at Columbia California, Father's Day weekend.  After the new paint, Mitch and I will have to arm wrestle to see who taxis on the dirt. HA.

Plan on taking her to Kerrville for the MAPA Convention/Homecoming in October [20-23rd].  ArtCraft will be an exhibitor there, as well as at AirVenture again.

Also going with two inch numbers..

 

 

[lahso]

Jolie, those colors sound great. Please post the pics when finished. I'm curious: Does ArtCraft demo on computer what the end results will look like when choosing colors, swirls, etc?

[N513ZM]

Quote: docket

I have an extraordinarily nice 1999 Eagle that most people would not consider painting but mine must have been painted at the factory on a bad day.  Although the paint looks great in terms of gloss and color, I am starting to shed paint on several of the flush rivets on the section of the wing nearest the tips.  I am diligent to touch up each rivet as it exposes itself but it is starting to get out of hand.  <snip>

 

My questions are

<snip>

 (2) are anyone else's planes of my vintage (1999) having similar paint issues;

[DaV8or]

Quote: mooneygirl

Hey Dave

I am going with two shades of blue, one pearl, one metallic and an antique silver accent.  I was inspired by the ocean and how the blues change depending on your angle/view.  And maybe the silver is like the crest of a wave.  Can't tell I live at the beach huh?

She goes in after the Ambassador display at Columbia California, Father's Day weekend.  After the new paint, Mitch and I will have to arm wrestle to see who taxis on the dirt. HA.

Plan on taking her to Kerrville for the MAPA Convention/Homecoming in October [20-23rd].  ArtCraft will be an exhibitor there, as well as at AirVenture again.

Also going with two inch numbers..

[fantom]

Quote: N513ZM

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: fantom

Here on the East Coast, Hawk in Tampa does great work, has been in business 30 years, the owner is a hands on painter, and knows Moneys well. I have no financial interest in them and am getting zero consideration for recommending them.

Just a very good paint shop with reasonable prices.

[aviatoreb]

Has anyone here tried  the simpler "scuff and paint" to touch up a paint job that fits that bill - still sticking well but lost its new shine. 

[Cris]

There are several articles from various Mooney sites as well as Aviation Consumer that indicate "scuff & Paint" is a very acceptable process if done right particularly if you really only need to do a portion of the plane. In my case the wing panels need to be done due to the paint not matching with the recent resealing of the tanks. The real issue is that it does not cost as much so many shops discourage you from doing it. Like Dockett I have a 99' Eagle but it has the "accidental" really nice paint job. However it is a bit plane for my tastes so I intend to paint the lower fuselage/tail in a red or blue as long as the wing panels need to be done. It goes into Reece Brothers in Trenton-Robbs next week. I'll let you know how it turns out.  

[Cris]

Ok so here are the before & after pictures of the plane. The paint as described was in very good condition but the top wing panels & the tail were repainted a matching white. Only the Ruby Red metallic on the fuselage/wing tips/tail as well as the tail stripes were painted. It makes this A/C look like new & makes me feel a whole lot better! The original scheme & colors etc. were left intact. The stripes are columbia blue metallic & cumulous grey metallic which worked really well with the ruby red metallic. The interior is medium blue leather with dark grey carpet. This was done at Reece Brothers in Robbinsville NJ at about 25% of the cost to strip & repaint an entire plane. Reece also insisted that to do this correctly it required a clear coat over the base coat within hours so that the clear would fuse to the underlying paint. By so doing it is supposed to eliminate the flaking that can occur with clear coats in the future. Should hold me for a few years. 

[KSMooniac]

Excellent!  Y'all did a very nice job "jazzing up" a plain Eagle paint scheme.  Looks great IMO.

[thinwing]

I had the same paint coming off rivet issues...I think this is caused by the paint applied too thick at the factory and stresses on the rivet heads while the wing is getting stressed during turbulence.So far I have been just been touching up rivet heads with same catalysed paint than color sanding 2 weeks later...I do it every annual...the rest of the paint job is fine ...I have thought of painting just the tops of the wings but that would make paint even thicker plus add weight...kpc

[docket]

Cris, that looks great.  My Eagle is at Wilmar getting the tanks done right now.  I hope that my paint survives the process ok but if it doesn't I will follow your lead.