First off the work your are doing is what needs to be done so you can truly understand what is hiding underneath. After its bare, lay down a few coats of epoxy and then some guide coat and start your work from there. In the meantime reach out to some of the car clubs in the area
http://www.californiacarclubs.com/list.htm and see what they do. A lot of times these clubs are hooked up with a facility that will do time and materials. Another option is spray it yourself using a portable spray booth, or put up plastic in the garage. Single stage paint is easy to spray if you have the air supply.