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so what does a paint job go for these days?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by alteredpilot, Dec 28, 2008.

  1. Truckedup
    Joined: Jul 25, 2006
    Posts: 4,661

    Truckedup
    Member

    About 100 bucks or so for a gallon or two of tractor paint,prep solvent,abrasive paper and a few brushes and rollers.Don't laugh,it can look ok on a less than show quality vehicle.Primary purpose of paint is to protect the sheetmetal from corrosion.
     
  2. WOW! Nice Job on those two cars, Low Springs. 40 Coupe body looked like an excellent candidate for s stellar finish.

    A friend of mine has a shop in his backyard, in So Flo, and has people lined up to spend between 5-8k for a straight-forward job. (no collision or rust repair) He does allot of Porsches and Rolls Royces. Because he does not have a "professional down-draft" spray booth, his jobs lack that Pebble Beach 100pt. look. Not because of lack of talent. I'm always amazed at his work bench all messy with shit loads of paint cans. He's like a mad scientist mixing all those cans with no hi-tech scales or measuring devices. But he has 25+yrs of experience. He finally did a car for himself, a 51' Crestliner, black finish looked killer!
     

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  3. All bullshit aside, what are these Low Rider guys spending on some of these multi-layer top-shelf paint jobs?? :cool:
    [​IMG]
     
  4. BiggMike
    Joined: Sep 25, 2008
    Posts: 203

    BiggMike
    Member

    I am finishing a 65 Impala SS I charged 10k and should have charged 20k.

    Mike
     
  5. Smokin' Joe
    Joined: Jul 4, 2006
    Posts: 1,001

    Smokin' Joe
    Member Emeritus

    I hear ya, BiggMike... I've done WAY too many of them jobs. Y'know... the worst part of that is the fact that usually, not always, but usually the customer doesn't care that you took the time and sucked up the hours to do it right, he thinks he "got over" on you and the next time he needs something done, he forgets that you are even around. Been my experience anyway.

    jakespeed63, As for the low-rider jobs, I can't imagine anyone doing some of those jobs for less than $25-30K. Not saying that's the price, but that's what it looks like to me.
     
  6. zman
    Joined: Apr 2, 2001
    Posts: 16,730

    zman
    Member
    from Garner, NC

    A lot of places will not touch a car that they haven't done the bodywork on. I know we're very apprehensive to do so. I totally understand this. I usually tell them $3500+ for a simple scuff and shoot single stage if the body is perfect. $5k and up to start with base clear. Pearls, metallics, etc. just add. Bodywork costs what it costs. I try to let the customer know that there is no way to accurately estimate the actual cost. A show quality job would be upwards of $10k easy.
     
  7. hotrodladycrusr
    Joined: Sep 20, 2002
    Posts: 20,765

    hotrodladycrusr
    Member

    The winter of 2004/2005 Dad took his '56 Olds to a paint/body shop in the Metro Detroit area with all the trim removed, and glass and interior out. They took the car down to bare metal, fixed some stuff that they knew about, and wrote in the estimate, and also fixed some surprises. The estimate was $12,000 for minor bodywork and a two tone paint job and the shop stuck to that figure when Dad went to pay the bill even though Dad was willing to pay for the extra labor involved in those surprises. Most would consider it a show quality job.

    When I showed the estimate to a couple of body/paint guys they both stated they would not have touched that job for that price.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. hotrodladycrusr
    Joined: Sep 20, 2002
    Posts: 20,765

    hotrodladycrusr
    Member

    It's funny you should mention that. When I took Big Olds to Earl Schieb's shop for the body work and paint the first thing he asked me to show him was where bodywork was done by others and he circled those areas. He redid everything except one spot that was done by others cuz his name was going to be on that car. The one spot that he didn't redo is coming back to bite big time and is currrently being redone right now.

    I thought he was crazy to redo all the work that was already done but now I can see where it's important to know HOW that bodywork is done before applying expensive paint.
     
  9. Weasel
    Joined: Dec 30, 2007
    Posts: 6,698

    Weasel
    Member

    Extra 'custom' at One Day/Maaco around $3.5k with no bodywork. 'Junior' Conway $80-$100k and up. It all depends on your perception of quality and what you want. Are you building an icon/milestone, a POS or something in between?

    I have a German friend who I have known for ever, who is one of the world's major league vintage Ferrari collectors - creme de la creme Pebble beach stuff. I asked him once why he spends $80k plus to have his cars painted. His answer: "If I have a $30k paint job, it's a $2,000,000 dollar car. If I have an $80k paint job, it's a $3,000,000 million car."

    Set your level of quality and be prepared to pay accordingly. Ask your local automotive paint suppliers who they'd recommend. Ask to see some of the guy's work first (several cars) and make sure that he actually did the job, not just claiming he did.

    A top quality job will take six months plus. And remember the old adage "Good work not cheap, cheap work not good".
     
  10. Chaz
    Joined: Feb 24, 2004
    Posts: 5,016

    Chaz
    Member Emeritus


    Word !
     
  11. 49coupe
    Joined: Nov 4, 2005
    Posts: 569

    49coupe
    Member

    Lots of good advice here that has scared the crap out of me. To me it really comes down to what you plan on doing with the car. If the car was built from the frame up to be a show car (i.e. flawless body work, crate motor, show chrome, etc.), yeah drop 12-15K on a paint job. Unless everthing else is show, it won't look right.

    My personally, I'm in this hobby because I love these old cars and driving them. I wouldn't take the car out of the garage from under it's tarp if it had a $20K paint job. It will get scratched and stone chips.

    I spent about $4K in body work (stripped to bare metal, few custom touches and rust repair) on a cherry, 54K mile Nebraska car in primer. He definately spent more time than he charged me. He quoted around another $5K to paint it including the paint.

    I think between $5-6K for a decent paint job is realistic if you know someone in the hobby and don't expect a show quality job. Just a nice job with no orange peal or runs.

    I just think you need to price the materials first and decide on how much you have to spend. Don't let people discourage you. I spent $1K on my interior and it looks good. My buddy dropped 12K on the interior in his '36 Ford roadster. His is a show car. I got tired of the springs coming through the seats.
     
  12. Chaz
    Joined: Feb 24, 2004
    Posts: 5,016

    Chaz
    Member Emeritus

    Seems like a "good" paint job is about 7 grand. Exotic can be Waaaay more. If you are willing to settle for less, a paint job can be had for 1500 -2000.
    My shop truck was 1700 (including materials) and I'm satisfied.
    [​IMG]
     
  13. Smokin' Joe
    Joined: Jul 4, 2006
    Posts: 1,001

    Smokin' Joe
    Member Emeritus

    Y'know, everyone on here is right. It all boils down to what you're looking for.
    The main thing I'd like to get across is: don't take it to the low bidder expecting to get a top quality job.

    I only do the higher end jobs because that's what I like to do and I have plenty of it to do. There's definitely a market for the guy that wants a "daily-driver-but better-n-average" paint job that he's willing to spend $5-6K on, I just haven't been able to get to them. (That's a good problem to have and I'm very thankful for it.)

    I really like the adage "Good work not cheap, cheap work not good"
    I may paint that and hang it on my wall.
     
  14. Suave's Buick
    Joined: Oct 24, 2006
    Posts: 119

    Suave's Buick
    Member

    The first Guy I had paint mine worked out of his house garage and ended up fucking me over for about $1500. This time around I'm going for about $2000 plus materials and dong all the prepwork. If you have one of those trade schools near you (Lincoln Teck, Wynotec) you can get away with just buying material, and get a good paint job out it. Also the students get graded for it. could be a win / win all the way around.
     
  15. v8 Bake
    Joined: Dec 23, 2007
    Posts: 296

    v8 Bake
    Member

    With these prices sounds like I am going to have to do it myself. May not be perfect but good enough for me and the price is better too. Nothin but time and headache.
     
  16. gotwood
    Joined: Apr 6, 2007
    Posts: 264

    gotwood
    Member
    from NYC

    Problem is how do you quote a paint job without including metal and paint prep? If someone is paying $80k to paint a car I would have to think they inherited the money as they can't be smart enough to have made it themselves. There is only so much you can do?

    Prep and metal work is where you add up big time. Actually do it yourself and most real shops will charge you more as who wants to get involved with backyard quick fixes that will bite you in the ass once color is applied.

    Before you pick a shop insist on seeing bare metal pics and seeing a car that is still disassembled. Easy to make a car look pretty once assembled.

    Hate to say it but I remember the pics circulating of that million dollar 40? Ford convert from Troy's that was damaged. Car looked amazing but the 1" thick plastic that was cracked off shows you even the so called best should have price limits.

    Quality is in the eye of the owner. Get the job that will make you happy not broke!
     
  17. CHOPSHOP
    Joined: Jun 26, 2005
    Posts: 1,919

    CHOPSHOP
    Member
    from Malden,MA


    And in a year or two you will be back on the board askign how to 'fix' the paint job again... Good luck though!
     
  18. Weasel
    Joined: Dec 30, 2007
    Posts: 6,698

    Weasel
    Member

    Why would that be???? My German buddy started out his own business by selling everything he had and taking a gamble. He had 2 part time employees in a converted garage in a bad part of town. Two years later he had 650 full time employees and nice office in a good part of town. Sold his company to a major investment house 17 years later. Smart idea, smart man, great idea and right place, right time. He is also totally down to earth and one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet.

    Look at some of the historic high end hot rod restorations now shown at Pebble Beach by the likes of Bruce Meyer, Don Orosco, Bruce Canepa et al. I can assure you that nothing less than a top level paint job is going to cut it. Is it worth it for these cars? Every bit IMO.

    If their names were Bill Gates, Warren Buffett or Steve Jobs, or perhaps Jay Leno, would you still believe they can't be smart enough to have made it themselves???:confused:
     
  19. Rusty Kustoms
    Joined: Feb 5, 2006
    Posts: 238

    Rusty Kustoms
    Member

    It all boils down to how much work goes into it, materials will cost about $2000 for sealer, base and clear. The remainder of the price is how many man hours are involved, if all that needs to be done is to spray it you could have a nice paint job for around $3k, but you need to have it all blocked out and ready to spray. I honestly think that you could get a good paint job for under $3k, you just need to be willing to do the prep work and the final wetsand and buff, the more you do yourself the less you pay out because others did it for you.
     
  20. rivguy
    Joined: Feb 16, 2009
    Posts: 150

    rivguy
    Member

    Of course good paint is expensive, good paint goes over good bodywork and prep. But lets be realistic, It all depends on what kind of car you are starting with, and what your end game is. It makes as much sense to put a 500.00 paint job on a 50k car as it would to put a 10k paint job on a 2,500.00 car. I couldn't see paying 5k for paint on a car that will only realistically sell for 5-6 thousand bucks. I think for most of us the choice is between settling for an affordable paint job or settling for a car that never gets painted. I had A 66 Riv that I really liked and drove all the time. It was straight, but the paint was faded and there was a little surface rust and rust around the windshield and backlight. If I couldn't do it right I wasn't going to do it at all. Some rattle can primer and duct tape around the windows would work for now. Needless to say it was never fixed at all( except mechanically), and I drove it kind of crappy looking for five or six years until I sold it. A few years later I read an article in Car Craft about getting the most from budget paint. When I bought my 66 f250 I was going to leave it patina style but my wife told me she didn't want a piece of junk parked in front of the house. I did a quick strip ( emblems, bumpers, easily removable trim)and prep, cleaned the engine compartment and undercarraige and went down to Earl Scheib. For 600 bucks they shot it Viper red. I know its a 50 footer but it looks a lot more presentable parked in front of the house and I knew I was never going to spend the bucks to cherry that thing out. Four years later it still looks pretty good and I'm still satisfied. I did the same thing later with a Datsun Z but did more bodywork and disassembly. 600 bucks (on special) paid for base, color and clear coats. No jambs or deck or hood undersides. Came out smooth and you can buff the paint out a bit. You can always spend more, lots more, and really some cars deserve it. It's your call. All that said, for a car I liked , and was planning on keeping for awhile, I would pay at least a few grand!
     
  21. skullhat
    Joined: May 30, 2009
    Posts: 892

    skullhat
    Member

    paint jobs at my shop start at 10gs, and when your done, not much if any profit was made, lol.
    for guys who dont wanna spend much, we prep 'em and send themto one-day. usually cost a couple grand to go that route.

    for a good job though, you're gonna have to spend around 10 grand



    skull
     
  22. I painted my 1968 Firebird Coupe ( First body and paint job) and Material cost me about $1600 It took about 3 weeks to do and some days were long and some days were short, both rear quarter panels, door patch and front lower fender patches, stripped paint to original paint as it was stuck to metal great, sealed with DP, surfaced with PPG, and painted with PPGBasecoat, Clear coat Intense blue with blue and white pearls!!. If you figure $50 an hour, that would be a $7600 paint job!!! Yikes!! I could never afford this on one car!! Thats why I did it myself. The Convertible, I paid $4400 and that included paint, bodywork, both bumpers rechromed at $700 and tax, one new tail panel that I supplied, a new quarter that I supplied and them taking all the chrome off and re intalling every piece, trunk under side and hood underside painted, rims painted etc. Needless to say, they went broke after a few cars. I have won alot of first place trophys with it. I like my paint job just as well and It has alot more paint on it but the two are the same color.
    [​IMG]
     
  23. vertible59
    Joined: Jan 25, 2009
    Posts: 1,058

    vertible59
    Member

    Toyota museum around here is called Pick 'N' Pull.:D
     
  24. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    A HOT RODDER answer amongst a bunch of street rodder answers.
     
  25. garyv
    Joined: Nov 6, 2006
    Posts: 131

    garyv
    Member

    lol!
     
  26. And if you want to go the rat rod look, a quart can of Rustoleum will cover an A pickup cab and hood (or bed) for under $10 per can, not including the $1.88 pack of assorted foam brushes. If you need a gallon, they're about $25.

    And if you need to repaint it later with real paint, plan to strip to bare metal.
     
  27. motorhead711
    Joined: May 7, 2008
    Posts: 734

    motorhead711
    Member

    Buddy of mine in the North Bay has a shop called Dan's candy customs. Minimum he charges for a good, quality old car paint job, complete with body work and prep is 5-7 grand. It's definatley not cheap.
     
  28. zman
    Joined: Apr 2, 2001
    Posts: 16,730

    zman
    Member
    from Garner, NC


    That is cheap if it includes any bodywork and prep. There are still a lot of hours in just a prep and spray job, let alone with bodywork. Of course the quality has to be there as well.
     
  29. Tore
    Joined: Mar 10, 2001
    Posts: 307

    Tore
    Member

  30. Jay Tyrrell
    Joined: Dec 9, 2007
    Posts: 1,631

    Jay Tyrrell
    Member

    $300.00 Canadian! (280.00US) 1994 GM Charcoal Grey. Clear Coat with a flatener in it. I did the prep and the guy shot it for me. Bam Done!
    Jay
     

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