Dings and Don'ts?? (and Spoiled Spoilers)

[Pete Kraus <Pete_Kraus@EMORY.ORG>]

On 2/26/96, Vince asked:

1) Would most of you overlook a door ding in order to maintain the
originial
paint job or would you fix the ding knowing that repainting a significant
area is involved.

This is a question close to my heart, one which I've answered rather
unsatisfactorily by default.  There's a real beauty directly on the crease
of the right rear door of my otherwise mostly more-than-presentable (but
see below) '85 4KSQ.  It's been there for years and is still the first thing
I notice when I approach the car.  So why haven't I made it go bye-bye? 
Estimates from conventional body shops run many hundreds of $$,
yielding a poor unsightly-to-dollar ratio that my pocketbook hasn't been
able to overcome (yet).  Thanks to this list I'll check out those ding
specialists you mention, but they may be put off by the crease.

As long as we're on the subject of cosmetic improvements, does
anyone have advice on the best way to refinish a seriously crazed
4KSQ spoiler?  It's reached the point where the paint is beginning to lift
completely, leaving small patches of dark, vaguely rubbery material
exposed beneath.   Is special primer and/or paint required?  Can the job
be tackled successfully by an amateur, or is it best left to the pros? 

Pete
Pete_Kraus@emory.org
Stone Mountain, GA
'85 4KSQ
'89 Ford F250 4x4 diesel
'95 Z28