After a few years being stored outside a few blocks from the Pacific
Ocean, my '89 Syncro is finally starting to look ratty enough to justify
repainting.  It's got the original "Titian Red" paint, which I was never
too fond of, and I'd really like to see it in that metallic silver color
that was stock for that year.  So I gotta few questions for the experts:

1) I have been warned that silver is a particularly difficult color for a
repainting job.  Anybody have good or bad experiences laying down silver
over a different (darker) color?

2) There seems to be a clear coat over the red that's lifting off and
flaking in places.  Also there was a factory-applied silver tape running
around the body in a horizontal band (racing stripe?)  Should all this
stuff be removed as part of the prep for painting?

3) My '89 has the wraparound plastic bumpers.  They've gone from black to
grey - should they be repainted or is there another rejuvenation
technique?

Thanks in advance
- Steve