Windshield

[Gregs672000]

You absolutely can obtain a very good paint job by doing the dirty work yourself and finding a good painter or paint shop to lay down the paint. I did that for 5 cars using yes, Earl Scheib... if the car was well prepped, their painters had enough experience to lay paint, and if you worked with them they would thrown on a few extra coats of clear so you could safely cut and buff them to a mirror surface. They don't exist anymore, but you can find shops that will work with you. Check them out first, see some of their work, then see what can be done.

Also, I strongly encourage you to review the tech wiki on this site for interchangeable parts or ways of saving some cash. I'll give you a hint... there are options for master brake cylinders. Some parts can be rebuilt or repaired or be made to do for some time to spread out the impact. For example, is the paint shot, or could it be buffed back to life for an exceptable amount of time while taking care of more pressing/important/safety issues? I've had my car for 35 years, always on a budget, so I get it!

[TurboRagtop]

Don’t get hung up on high dollar paint jobs. If you want to do more than just drive your car to local shows you’ll be happy with a mid level paint job. Some get hung up on using no filler and think everything must be an “all metal” repair. Filler when used properly will last for a very long time. If your car needs minimal body work then 2 or 3 thousand will get you very nice paint. From that point you will really see the law of diminishing returns take effect. Those $10,000 paint jobs look great until you get that first chip, scratch, or ding. Save those for high dollar show cars or museum pieces. You don’t want to go as cheap as Maco of course, but there are many options in between that and the high dollar jobs. Just find your comfort zone.

Great input Mike. I'm looking at new paint in the near future (months or couple years) and I needed to hear this
"Save those for high dollar show cars or museum pieces."
My car is a DRIVER, and I detest garage queens & trailer queens.
So I'm gonna paint it and just fix the rock chips with touch-up paint.