Just curious, how much SHOULD a paint job cost?

[Nads]

I went to a Bling Bling place today and they had some really tasteless sleds there that were truly horrible, however their paint jobs were really stunning in their quality and finish. I asked the guy who paints their cars and he sent me to this guy in a really bad part of town. There's an ABC liquor store next door and there was a bum in a wheelchair sleeping (or maybe dead?) next to the dumpster.
Anyway the guy was very cool and helpful. I told him the situation with my '54 Chevy. I was wondering how much it would cost to paint a glassless, trimless, totally primed and blocked car. I know it's going to have a 'flake roof and lower panels that require multiple coats of clear and sanding, but he said it would run about $4500 and that's using the materials I supply.
I was utterly stunned.
Does this sound at all reasonable?

The last time I had car painted it was $199 at FactObake in '82.

[RF]

Depends on which magazine you work for...

[hankcash]

Are you supplying the paint and clear??

HC

[Nads]

hankcash, I'm actually (hopefully) getting the car painted for free by a professional, barter's a good thing.
But yeah if I was to outsource it, I would be supplying everything but the sandpaper.

[yorgatron]

one million dollars! that's if Dr.Evil does it.friend of mine asked the same as you at a paint shop,for one coat of white paint on a cadillac that had been stripped down and sanded etc. they said $600-700.my nephew had his car painted plus they did a bunch of bodywork,i think it was around $5000-6000 but they didn't even get the clearcoat right,it also took forever.maybe you should look into a do-it-yourself paintbooth and have at it.how bad could it be?

[SamIyam]

Here's some cars I've either had painted or were in on having painted... all were show winners when finished.

My '55 Chevy $2800 in 1988

Dad's '31 Model A concourse show winner $6000 in 1985

'64 belvedere drag car for customer $4000 in 1998

'72 Ranchero... "driver" paint job $4300 in 2000

'72 LTD for a friend... white... $5000 in 2002

and the '65 Chevy truck I'm building now is going to ring in anywhere between $6000 and $10,000... but it is an inside and out paint job with body work and assembly.

So... if it is going to be a "nice" paint job... $4500 ain't bad...

Sam.

[hotrodladycrusr]

I'm very much interested in the responses you'll get as well. I'll be suppling all the paint products and Big Olds will be block sanded and ready for paint when I drop him off so my situation is exactly the same. Any HAMB guys in MI, OH, IN, IL, Ont, do an affordable, quality paint job by chance?

[Tuck]

you get what you pay for... and I think $4500 "this day in age" is what a $2500 paint job used to be.

Its very reasonable if they're doing it right.

Tuck

[hankcash]

[ QUOTE ]
hankcash, I'm actually (hopefully) getting the car painted for free by a professional, barter's a good thing.
But yeah if I was to outsource it, I would be supplying everything but the sandpaper.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nads... As you know there are a thousand different levels of paint...
Within those different levels of quality are various prices...
A good painter would never quote a price on painting a car (especially one as old as yours) without seeing it in person first...
I would expect to pay between $1000 - $1500 for a really, really nice one color paint job on your Chebby...
But when you add a metalflake roof and other 2 tone hassles, you are going to increase the price drastically...

I had my '75 Scout painted 3 years ago.. a nice paint job, nuthing special for $800...

Again all of the prices that are above are including supplies and paint....

What color are you going with?
HOK paint?
What color flake?

Keep in mind that I am not a painter and these statements are just from personal experience of having many cars / things painted over that past 15 years...

HC

[Nads]

Well I'll be damned!
The guy is really good and it would be a top notch job.
I should really count myself as lucky to be getting a freebie.

I don't want you think I've gone Bling Bling on you all, but I really did like some of the paintjobs I saw on those cars today.

[hankcash]

Wow, after posting my reply and reading others.. I guess you can have a car painted for a lot less money in Texas!
We have a guy in the club that has his own paint shop... HOK and metalflake all the way... he does EXTREME paintjobs on lowriders and customs with miles of tapework and hours of detail orented time spent...
He does the $5000-$7000 paint jobs, but keep in mind, these are show quality paint jobs...
Nads, I was assuming that you were wanting a nice, driver paint job....
Like I previously stated, here that would run around $1000-1500....
HC

[hotrodladycrusr]

Hank, sweetie pie, I'd be interested to see if your buddy has painted a couple of the HOK colors that I might be interested in and if he might have some photos of said colors on cars as opposed to the little tiny one inch by two inch samples in the HOK color chart I have. Does he have an email that I might be able to contact him at?

[Spitfire1776]

Sounds like a middle of the road price, closer to the high side. Of course I would have been leery at him giving a definitive answer without seeing car, or finding out what paint he's working with(brand). I'm gonna say he gave you the price based on a few things. Number one he gets comfortable business from the bling-bling shop, and number two if you were willing to pay the price money in the bank for him without much hassle, but not too much to totally scare you away.

What paint's you going with? What size metalflake?

[Nads]

ol scratch, it's Nason base/clearcoat with vintage Metalflake flake.
Now he did say it could cost 'up to' $4500.
He had a bunch of work at his shop, including a couple of nice muscle cars.
He seemed like truly sincere and honest guy, in fact he was willing to even point me to a place that rents spray booths.
I've painted cars before but I'm really kinda scared of using these new urethane paints.
I don't know how they dry, what conditions I can work in, plus the stuff's too expensive to experiment with.

[FRITZ]

$4500 realy aint bad.....all the jambs also??
heck for a nice wet sanded & polished job i think $4K on up is going rate (lest around here LINY)
But to be honest fer 4,500 to 5 grand I'd supply the paint and such (depends if its red or not)
FRITZ

[tredboy]

my impala had a blue body with haevy doses of metalflake over the base color, and a white roof with blue pearl over that. that paint job ran me seven grand, but was worth every last penny (to me). but i tell ya, i'll never do that shit again! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif




tred.





tred.

[Spitfire1776]

Actually I meant to say he sounds like he's probably a pretty honest but good business man. (Well at least as much as I can tell from being in the unholy, wet, cold, northeast 1000 miles away:) )

Its rare to find an honest painter these days, really.

[Smokin Joe]

My rule of thumb is never pay more for the paint than you did to build the car.

[repoguy]

I paid 6 grand for the paint job on my Riv.

[roadstar]

My shop averages 10'g's to paint a Goldchainermobile(tm)

About the same for a dissasembled muscle car that the owner will be also be reassembling.

Materials today are the killer 2-3 thousand is not uncommon for everything on a complete restoration or a new rod being done top to bottom plus the frame and all the pieces.

I will admit what you pay for in a big shop is the overhead.
I know of the same quality jobs coming from independent guys out of there home shops for half and they are still making money.

Don't forget the rule of thumb since the begining of time is you get what you pay for. Butt...I feel if you have the body blocked enough to just go ahead and lay the color and clear down and you are going to supply the materials that price is no "Deal". Half that would be closer to a good deal.

[lownslow]

nads, i think its a fair price ......that is ALOT of labor doing a flake job....and making it smooth and even......i think people forget or don't know how much work goes into something like that....hell i just had a guy tell me AFTER i gave him a quote on flaking the top on his car that he though i was gonna say 500 bux......boy was he shocked when i told him the materials were that more than that.....with primer , sealer, base flake and clear .....than ya got to add in sandpaper buffing compounds etc......now i know your car you say is ready to be shot , and it may be. but i have also been told that . only to see it and its not even close.....plus thats not a plain repaint either. there is a talent and skill to laying out a nice flake job that most painters don't have unless that is their business..........so in conclusion . i think its more than a fair price........but if you got a dude to do it for free...AND he is good . you have got it made........now get it done and post the finished pics http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[hotrod54chevy]

my 54 chevy had trim and HAD been primed and sealed..just needed sprayed with paint..but the body needed some work (the nosing was done with putty,there was a crack by the pass. side front tire and a crack in the putty between the deck lid and body) all of which he patched up with 'glass and painted gloss black..i supplied NO materials and it ran me $2,000
Creepy

[REJ]

Nads, your in Fla. right? At the Rumblers show in Orlando, do you remember the 51 Henry J, purple with flames? He lives next door to me and I'll check with him, but he'll probably do a job like that for 2000-2500.
He also did the paint job on my bucket with the blown 6 in it.
If your interested, let me know and I'll get with him and see what it would be for certain.

[Antibilly]

My son has finger paints and after he's done with my bucket he said he'll do yours at cost http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[REJ]

Send him on over, I could use some striping on it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[hatch]

Every car that I have painted with the owners body work "done"...wasn't done. I won't paint over bad bodywork and that costs money......Paint it yourself....base clear is actually quite easy.

[Boones]

My dad is having his 40 painted as we speak and in Ca. he was quoted 10k and that is after he paid $600 to have the firewall cleaned up (welding and bondo required) and painted. but alot of it has to do with the shop labor rate and how much prep work is required
He was quoted as high as $15k.

[Stevie G]

Since we're on the subject....How much to paint a 72 Chevy pickup?
Needs to be gutted and stripped to metal then repainted inside and out..
"No body work" other than the strip.
Repaint original factory white.
I was thinking $2K plus materials.
Am I nuts or in the ballpark.
It's for a former co-worker.

[saltflataddict]

Thats just insane, .. $4500, I will never have that much to invest in paint.. and you guys hate primer fuck what else can a guy like me afford. Oh, and I am not a huge primer fan myself, but really $4500.. Maybe I need to get another hobby.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[Machinos]

Yeah, jesus, I don't think I'll ever be able to get my car painted at these rates. $1500 is "really expensive" for me, and $4500 is way WAY too high. Maybe I'll have to find some lacquer and do it myself (and then again every few years...)

[SamIyam]

[ QUOTE ]
Thats just insane, .. $4500, I will never have that much to invest in paint.. and you guys hate primer fuck what else can a guy like me afford. Oh, and I am not a huge primer fan myself, but really $4500.. Maybe I need to get another hobby.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

What you have to realize is that there are different caliburs of cars out there... for a decent paint job... four or five grand is CHEAP. The "goldchainer" paint jobs... done by "well known shops"... will run upawards of $20,000.

Sure they will be perfect... but 25 large is a bit much.

I will take my "nice" paint jobs for 5 grand all day long...

Also, the cheaper you pay... the more crap you have to deal with from the painter... my brother has a 2k paint job on his Mustang that looks like a 5k paint job... but he had to wait A YEAR to get it done.

I am working for other people restifying cars... I need it done in a month, or maybe two... I can't have any "Modeling", fish-eyes or much orange peel. They have to look good from five feet away... the ones that look good from 5 inches away are the ones that cost two, maybe three times the $5,000 I'd like to pay.

Sam.

[earl schieb]

It's a good thing I own a body shop, cause I'd NEVER be able to afford what I charge my customers http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Nads, that 4.5k "guesstimate" is realistic, especially if that dude hasn't put his hands on your car.I NEVER price anything without seeing it first!
You guys that think that's ridiculous money...well.....obviously you don't do it for a living.

Too bad you don't live closer, Nads ---I'd do it just to have braggin' rights http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[old beet]

Saw a "new" Chev pickup, just repainted Cadillac Pearl White, over factory white. Total repaint, jambs, dash,underhood bed removed, you get it..........$8000......OLDBEET

[saltflataddict]

"You guys that think that's ridiculous money...well.....obviously you don't do it for a living. "

oh, no!! Dont get me wrong. I know 1st hand how hard it is and what you guys do, I just cant do it myself. I am just saying I am never going to be able to afford that. I am sure some of these paint jobs are well worth it, esp. Donnie flake jobs but wow, thats alot of money for me who works as a warehouse manager. (some of you warehouse mngr. well know where I am coming from) .. I was just shocked...

[lownslow]

thats ok.....i can't manage a warehouse.hahah..maybe you should manage a whorehouse...i bet you could afford it then ..i knew what ya meant , guys just think we're rip off artists sometimes when we quote a paint job....and it has been said its hard to find an honest painter.....that hurts . http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif but i do consider myself an honest painter and so do my customers as i always stand behind my work......

[earl schieb]

Hooligan, man, I'm sorry if I sounded like an asshole http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Doin' this every day, I get to hear all kinds of comments about how much "I'M" makin http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Today's been a short fuse day. My apologies. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[MercMan1951]

The body shop business is a HARD road to take to make money...seems like NOBODY is ever happy. Only want their shit back quick, but PERFECT, of course. We had a sign on the wall that said "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick 2 because you can't have all three"...that rings pretty true with just about anything these days, but especially with paint and bodywork.

My boss used to say "This guy will pick fly shit out of pepper"...in other words, a picky asshole who wants a perfect paint job but doesn't want to pay to get it. The type of guy that walks around the car and points out "flaws" in your work, and then won't accept it back until it's all fixed...nevermind he only would let you have the car for 2 days...

4-5 grand for a decent paint job with some bodywork is about right. Figure $60 an hour for labor, about 48 hours worth of labor, there's almost 3 grand right there, not to mention materials...which can get pretty pricy for good stuff...suddenly your shop's profit for all those hours is only $500-800 bucks...a lot of shops whon't even touch a non-production type of job (custom work), because the profit isn't worth the aggrevation of somebody paying big bucks and not being happy with the outcome because the shop was rushed... I could go on and on... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Chopped54]

Back when I was into lowriders I had my old Impala painted with all HOK paints, Kandy green fade from top to bottom with full Celtic tribal patterns down both sides in pearls. Roof had multiple layer fades from center to the drip rails. Trunk had fades from the left side to the center ending in bowling ball. Hood had a full mural buried under the Kandy. This was 94, and I paid $2000. The guy that painted it was an old skool tweaker, did it basically because he loved the smell, could not tell ya where he is to this day....

Then there was another guy that has painted alot of my friends lowriders, show quality. He did my buddies van full psycho patters, all different house of kolor paints and clears, with gel coat flake. Only charged him $3500. Guy is still in business, just no clue what he would charge almost 10 years later for the same job.
$4500 does sound a little high for just a solid color and flaked roof, and lowers.

[Byron Crump]

4 to 5000 gets you a good solid show car paint job these days...it can/will cost more when you toss in body work and prep etc.

Something to keep in mind, many people will say "hey, 4500 is a rip off" or "you paid too much" and so on...they will then tell you they got their car painted for much less and talk about how nice it is etc. and IMHO it will be a pure crap paint job.

I can't tell you how many times I have been asked by someone in a rude manner how much it cost to have one of my cars done and have them start talking about how I got ripped or whatever and then I look at the car they are riding in and it has more orange peel than the OJ factory.

Paint jobs are tricky things...I have seen guys who have paid less and had killer jobs and I have seen guys who have paid more and I thought it was poo poo.


I think what the guy wants if about right...BUT (and you may have said this but it I am too lazy to read this all twice) have you seen this guys work?

Anyhow...looking forward to seeing the end product on the HAMB dude. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Glen]

On your Chevy there will be two things people look at the paint and upholstery.
My Buick was cleared....block sanded....cleared again..... blocked sanded again.....then buffed.

You get what you pay for its hourly rate X hours to complete.

This is my drivers side door reflection:

http://www.hotrodsbyglen.net/ud070602b.jpg

[Tman]

I have to say you guys seem to be getting deals if you can find 5K paint jobs. I just got a 28 Phaeton back that is Single Stage Urethane, reallly nice job for a driver, and it is close to $8000. When it is rubbed out, it will be as nice as you want on a car that sees bugs and road debris.

[daign]

Glen's magnificent specimen:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/image_uploads/356894-glen1.jpg
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/image_uploads/356895-glen2.jpg
Cole's work:
http://www.daign.com/hamb/39313-NESSHAMMITMARCH%5B1%5D.jpg

Worth every penny indeed. The amount of labor in the details and quality of the work in those two jobs amazes me. I plan on one day spending more on the paint on my car than its worth. So I don't have to bitch about it to my friends.

I had a buddy get $6k in paint/body done on a 70 chevelle LS6. He spotted flaws and complained and I soon realized what the painters go through...

You painters got my respect. You get whatcha pay for.

-Dane

[overspray]

A few month's back R&C had a nice article on the paint on an early 50's Chevy suburban/panel. I was interested to see the article because it showed how to do the "tear-away" or "torn paint" effect. The body came to the paint shop in primer and "blocked". I think the materials figure was $3500.00. I do remember that the labor time for the color, custom paint, sanding and buffing was over 400 hours--this evidently did not include any body work---just paint prep, masking, spraying, color sanding and buffing. I'm guessing the labor rate has got to be at the very least $70.00/hr. That makes JUST the paint work, on the body only,--$28,000.00-plus the $3500.00 in materials=$31,500.00. I know that the last "SHOW" job I did (1989), took over 3 gallons of black Imron polyurethane enamel (plus 80 hours labor) on the frame, suspension parts, dash, and interior trim alone. The body of the car (55 Chevy 2dr post) was red base/clear--all the way to the underside of the floor. The labor time really adds up fast. Like the man said, "If it isn't glass, upholstery, or chrome--IT GETS PAINTED". Beyond that statement is the prep work to make the paint look good. overspray

[Von Franco]

Nads great post man well I just went threw this A couple of months ago.The way I look at it is if you want a paint job to show and trailer your car and have people judge it thin it`s worth it cause if it comes out like shit thin you can blame the guy who painted it.Or you can do it your self like a friend of mine and my self did we only have around $800 in the whole job BUT we did it in A car port and my fingers bleed for about A week sanding that pig.Yea you can go around it and pick out all the flaws but who fuckin cares it`s my car and it`s looks good at 80mph and at dark.And if it gets scratch or whatever at least Im not into it for A whole bunch of money.Well thanks for the great post and I hope some of this shit helps.........

Endsville Franco...I`ve got blisters on my fingers....

[Curly]

HeHeHe
http://www.1daypaint.com/1daypaintsystems.html

Leave the windows down and they'll do the interior for free!

[Plowboy]

I think I had around $2500-3000 in materials on the spacetruck. That includes putty, paint, sandpaper, primer. I worked on it for about a month for 4-8 hours a day, and then my bodyman buddies came over and checked my work occasionally, and fixed my screw ups. When it came to actually going to shoot it, it took 2 days, a bunch of beer and a set of torque thrust wheels and tires, just to say thanks. I don't know if I will attempt bodywork again. I did OK at it, but I was pissed off and irritable for about a month. I wasted a bunch of materials that a good bodyman wouldn't have gone through.

[Nads]

Y'see it was cole that fucked me up, seeing Ness's '54 and that blue Chevy's reflections. BTW, who painted those cars? They're magnificent, so's your Buick Glen.
Now I have no illusions that my Chevy will come out that good but I will be happy having it look 'reasonably' good.
Like I said before the last car I painted from top to bottom was my old '57 Chevy in '84 with lacquer in my parents garage. The paint job was good enough to earn a Bronze certificate at the CCI convention. But that was twenty years ago and the paint only lasted about 5 years before problems started popping up.
Mind you the car always sat outside, and my Chevy will have only the protection of a carport.

With the durability of today's paints I'd like to get many years out of the job, hence no lacquer (or enamel) this time around.

Thanks to all the pros who stepped up and brought me into the realities of 2004, man was I out of the loop!

BTW, my pal Louis, who's gonna paint my car is a top notch painter, he's had cars in magazines before. He's a young guy who works for Freightliner and paints big rigs and has all the good gear.

I really hope he comes through, he will get full credit for his work, but I'll be there with sandpaper in hand and bleeding fingers like Von Franco.