Was just wondering what all you guys were paying to get your cars painted. Not including body panels or chrome.

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66 Malibu
67 Chevelle SS (In Progress)
70 Chevelle SS 575hp 454
72 Chevelle ss 350
Assorted Mopars
70 GTO(In Progress)

I'm on the IL and WI border and the place I'm dealing with is $4300.00. If he has to replace panels he is $50.00 hr.

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If it's too fast your too slow!!!
TC#1695

Just got my car painted three weeks ago. The car was ready for paint except for the final blocking, which I helped do at their shop. I paid 1200. plus over $600. for materials for bc/cc ppg top grade paint. I got a deal on the paint since the local ppg guy is a buddy of mine. He ran it thru one of his big comerical accounts to get me the discount. In exchange he wants some photos of my car in front of his store to hang up in the place.

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72 Chevelle and a 70 Chevelle with a crushed roof
ACES # 4051 MCC # 448
TC # 1549 81/70 Cruisers

$0

~$750 for materials and a weeks worth of time...

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"Once you go RAT, you never go back..."
TC #1366
Tony
The Chevelle (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleA.jpg)
Dual Quad 396 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleC.jpg)
Side View (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleD.jpg)

1966_L78 has opened the door so in I'm gonna step.

A perfect example of why even a basic paint job goes for over 2 grand.

"A weeks worth of time"....o.k.....40 hours.
Multiply that 40 hours worth of labor times your local going rate for paint and bodywork. My local is $34. (and that's on the low end compared to many parts of the country). Your looking at $1360. in labor.

With that $1360. labor plus $750. materials that's $2110.....factor in taxes and your looking at $23-2400.......and that's just for an average, GOOD paint job folks....fix the few SMALL dings, chip, scratches, watersand, and paint and nib and polish out the larger specs of dirt.

Large dents, door jambs, panel replacement, priming/blocking/priming/blocking to perfection, stripping panels to bare metal due to cracking, peeling paint....all that stuff quickly adds hundreds, even thousands of dollars to that labor total....along with the materials.

As a collision shop owner, I have to jump on this too. Collision shop rates in our area are averaging over $40.00 per estimated hour, materials are charged out at approx. $24.00 per paint hour. Price example on a late model vehicle with, say, minor key scratches, that has to be painted. Database guides will allow approximately 30 to 36 hours for a basecoat/clearcoat refinish, depending on size of car. This time does not include ANY scratch repair, removeal of trim, color sanding or buffing. Lets use the 40 hours stated previously, that puts the cost to customer at over $2500.00. If this was the kind of work we did all day long we would be broke in one month. This is the reason that most production shops of any size do not do complete refinish jobs unless it is part of a collision repair. Overhead is too high, quality people expect good benefits and an excellent work environment, plus compensation that reflects on their care and skill. There are some that have stayed very small, kept their overhead very low, and do a very low volume of work. They are getting harder to find. There are many that have the skill, and maybe even the place to do this low volume, labor of love type of work. Many of the visitors here find that they can connect and do some horse trading, (skill for skill) to get their velles done. Many have also learned how to do much of the work themselves in order to be able to afford this hobby. I am constantly amazed by the successes that our fellow hobbiests have on their cars. It says a lot about them, all good. If I didn't own my own shop, and know how to do much of the work my car needs I would probably be watching HBO instead of dropping in here once in a while, and playing with my ElCamino. Karl

I think you also have to realize that when someone is going to be charged at least $2000 for a paint job ($2000 is alot of money for me), they are probably going to be picky, and complain to the shop about every imperfection. To make it better, would necessitate more prep and bodywork on the part of the shop, and hence a much more expensive job...

No wonder most shops don't like to paint old cars...

I know my car isn't too great (lots of filler, etc), the body is wavy, the panel alignment is poor, and the paint is not the best... From 20-25 feet, it looks pretty good, and maybe closer to the casual observer... And its about 8 years old...

Myself, I can't afford a few thousand on paint, so I had to sacrifice... But I wouldn't expect to win any trophys with it... Of course, I also didn't have the time...

Amazingly, my best experience was using Miricle Autobody (a chain like Earl Sheibs, Maaco, etc).

I had a very nice 1966 El Camino that got one large scratch (gouge) down the quarter panel (about 2 foot long).

I disassembled all the trim and weatherstripping off the car, fixed the gouge and a few minor chips, spot primed(maybe $50 for materials, and...

for $300 I had the whole car shot in Fire Engine Red, including a sealer coat and the painting of the door/hood/tailgate jambs and 5 stock wheels...

Took the car home, detailed it (inner fenders, etc) put all the chrome, lights and weatherstripping back on (thankfully the weather stripping was almost new, and not glue in...).

Two weeks later, I won a second place trophy(in my class) in a large car show.

I sold the car, and 3 years later a new owner contacted me... He loved the paint and asked where I had it done... when i told him, he couldn't believe it... He said it still looked great...

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"Once you go RAT, you never go back..."
TC #1366
Tony
The Chevelle (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleA.jpg)
Dual Quad 396 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleC.jpg)
Side View (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/1966_L78/ChevelleD.jpg)

$750 at Maaco. Took 'em a 64 El Camino I had in primer and stripped of trim. They fixed the dent in the quarter, smoothed up a little rough stuff and painted it. The Ermine White paint did a great job of hiding my amateur body work. Used acrylic enamel with hardener, uv stuff, and integrated clear. After detailing with new and refurbished trim, the car looked great. Got a lot of compliments on it. Sold it 18 months later to the first guy who came to see it. He couldn't get back fast enough with the money.

No idea how it looks at this point - I hope not too bad. Know it wasn't the best I could have done, but I sure was pleased with what I got for the money.

$1,500 a few weeks back. Mine's a driver, so spending a lot of money to get it door-dinged isn't a good option. Chain (One Day Auto Paint), although it took them a week. They did plenty of minor body work (see before and after in my sig). Looks good from a distance...

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Cecil Hawkins
San Diego, CA
1971 GMC Sprint

Before (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Cecil/FrontDriverSideView.jpg)
After (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Cecil/NewBlueFrontDriver.JPG)

Ya, after a few estimates on my Chevelle and discovered that if I wanted a clean nicely done job, I would have to learn this myself because I just did not have the cash to get it done profesionally.
The highest was Santini's in Orange county CA at $6500, and that was 12 years ago!

Well, I decided to give it a shot. I did struggle a little bit at doing the bodywork, and technique, mixing, what to use, what not to use etc.
What came of it was something that I cannot buy, and still use to his day. Experience and developing a natural talent I did not know possessed.
My 70 I painted 11 years ago, I used almost the best you could buy at the time (Glasurit 21 line) in toner red off the mixing shelf. While it is showing some rough edges, it is still pretty presentable in local shows.
My point, don't be shy to try this yourself, it will pay off in the end believe me.

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Craig Sanden

Distant thunder, cold as stone, a big block screams down from it's throne, one by one each car succumbs, something WICKED this way comes.

I havent started on the chevelle but to paint the old 78 chevy it took a 20$ chepo gun for the primer and a 40$ gun (cheap camp hasfield but it worked), 2 cans of napa econoline blue metallic (160$)plues 20$ for a 5 gallon can of thinner, a can of 30$ econoline primer, 2 cans of tigerhair fiberglass and spot puddy (20$) ALOT of sandpaper (10-20$) and about 40 hours time, all done in a open field outback. Paint job turned out butiful after all the bodywork was done, and it still looks perfect buffed out after a year. hell of a trade to learn from my dad, cant wait to put it to practice on the chevelle.

Forgot to add in the 10 can of hardner. One of the 2 things ill rember best my dad taught me...how to paint a car, and how to be a carpenter...

a good paint job will start at $2800.00 and go up from there.make sure that you do your homework on the painter and try to see some of his work and talk to the people he has painted for in the past.

The estimate on my car was $4000 but things seem to happen. At this point the shop is at about $5000 and they say its almost ready to be painted. I'm sure it will go up to $6500 before its over.
This is a solid Modesto, CA car that I drove to WI in '81 and stored until now. Its a '66SS that had a '67 front clip at the time. Finding the right front end parts was quite a challenge but I have what I need.
My setback is that I want a show quality job in gloss black. I delivered the car without paint and there were many things you just don't see until you really get into it. The hood took 10 hours to fix the corners from being proped up against a wall, the dent across the center rib (as if someone sat in the center) and general ripples. Both fenders had small patches and the frame had a small tweek in front that threw off fender alignment.
This isn't a sob story but a reality check. I understand if you want it done right you will have to pay for it, especially in black!

I spent $5000. Many little dents and new quarter panels included. I removed all chrome and trim. It turned out beautiful.

Mine goes in the shop in January. Price will be $5,000.00. That includes a "show quality" paint job - front clip comes off, doors, lid, hood, etc. Includes a new tank and a undercarriage treatment (clean off the old 'stuff') and painting the frame and underside the correct finish. However, there is minimal to no body work involved on this car, and its a rag top so no roof work. HAd thier been body work - your looking at a lot more $$$. Not included on the 5K will be some odds and end trim parts...est another K. I've had my share of paint jobs done. Rule of thumb - paint 'aint cheap and the adage "you get what you pay for" is so very true in the world of this hobby.

Not bragging, not complaining, just stating a fact, 8700 and counting, about 90% done, but that includes full quarter installation.

Frank
66SS396