I am currently working on repairing and restoring the engine of my
project 1980 Corvette.
then I will replace whatever needs to be improved in the interiors and
dash.
I am leaving the paint job for last after the hood doesn't need top be
opened so often.
Here's my question. It is Paint related. I know all of you have some
paint related story you have learned from.

The paint is faded in many areas and there are a lot of nicks and wear
on the nose of the corvette, so I assume, sanding, filling and priming
will be the order of the day before painting. The body is more or less
blemish free.

1.) Paint jobs seem to cost the Earth (I had a quote for $7000 from a
dealer who seemed a little too eager to sign me up and used the
emotional blackmail approach to "restoring my car to its original
beauty" approach, I hate that kind of pressure and being talked down
to.)

2.) Since the car body is fiberglass, is there any other pre-paint
process, or do's and don'ts I should be aware of sooner rather than
later ?

3.) If the car is a dark color like grey, will it be necessary to
completely sand out the original color, or can I leave the original
color underneath.. ? I want the new color to be a very deep metallic
blue (on the darker side of blue)

4.) Clear coat gives gloss right ? or am I mistaken ? If I give it one
or two coats of the metallic blue and 2 coats of Clear coat, is that
more gloss ? What about an Enamel finish, is that needed ? how
effective is it really against light brushings (example if bushes
rubbed the side of the car, or someone's wedding ring or some jewellery
made minor scratches in it. A friend of mine wearing levis once leaned
against my '99 passat and the little rivets on the jeans pocket left
tiny scratches.. nearly gave me a coronary...)

5.) Would anyone recommend the volume paint shops ? example
http://www.maaco.com ?
Anyone had any experience with them ? Or would it be a case of "I get
what I pay for" ? I just heard of them, so I'm asking...

6.) Do paint shops cover up the emblems, chrome bits, lights etc on the
car before spraying ? or do they remove them completely before the
spray to get the paint on the insides evenly ?

haha, i realize there are way too many questions, but I am dead set on
my vette being a heart stopper when it is out on the road with me
piloting it. Problem is my budget leaves me just about $800 per month
to spend on the car, so I'm trying to get the most value. I am
seriously considering going to one of the "ricer" paint shops in my
area (lots of oriental teens where I live.. close to stanford). Ricer
cars seem to have nice paint jobs done on them sometimes.

Thank's in advance for all the help,
and a very Happy and Successful New Year to you all !