I was looking around today to see how much it would be to paint my car, im getting a base price of 10 grand and over 2 months to complete. I dont think its worth it! im thinking of doing it myself?? i dont have a problem striping the car down to metal, i know it takes a long time, and you do one section at a time, what is the best primer to buy that comes in a can? what do you think about doing most of the work yourself, putting a primer on it then taking it to be painted, without stripping the primer coat i put on from the can?? oh and rather than patching my rear quarter panel they want to replace the whole panel? but it doesnt need to be. is it easier to replace the whole panel than to patch?

Is this for extensive body work, panel replacement, parts , paint and all labor ?

That was the base price, i would buy the quarter panels. I dont have alot of body work, just alot of pealing

My first estimate was 9K. I'd shop the price if I were you.

mmm... i say go somewhere else smile.gif do most of it yourself too. save big bucks and have your throw in the work! plus youll have time to find other places and prices? Seems a bit high. Especially if the rear quarters arent that bad, dont replace the whole thing.

My lord 10grand,I would defeintly do it myself before I paid 10grand.I have a 69 chelle and the price is 1500-1800 and thats from on of the best paint body men in my area.That includes installing both quarters,cowl,rear tail panel,putting the fenders back on and lining up all the body lines.I have to provide the parts and Ive already bought them I got the hood bothe quarters tail panel and cowl for right at 1000.00 I still have to buy the fender though.He was going to supply the paint diamont,but I am using dupont chromabase and it is a 3 stage paint.I know it will be closer to 1800 or 2000.00 though by the time he is done.Because Im going to get him to do my trunk floor too.I tell you what though 10grand is alot for any paint job I think.I will get cursed for this but Ive said it before and Ill say it again.I have seen 2000.00 paint jods 10grand paint jobs and 500 dollar paint jobs.And you can usually tell a 500.00 paint job.But its hard for me to tell the difference between a 2,000 and a 10,000 job unless there is a bounch of grafics or flames or something like that.I have never seen a 1 or 2 color paint job yet that Id pay 10grand for.Thats just my opinion ofcourse and If I had the money I might sing a different tune but I just dont see the difference.

Man, i dont see it Crowenate .$1800 to do all that. I see MINIMUM $600 in paint material on a job like that,not including body materials like sandpaper filler,tape ect. So take 600 off 1800 that leavess 1200. At $35 per hour which is a very low rate that gives your shop about 35 hours to do all that work. "includes installing both quarters,cowl,rear tail panel,putting the fenders back on and lining up all the body lines." He must be superman to do all that plus paint the car in 35 hours. Tell us and post pics if its ever done. I wont even do an overall paintjob for less than 2K.And any major body work or panel replacement is extra.

Im suppying the paint now he was going to suppy paint but I want dupont so I have to buy it.The highest price I got was 2000.00 to do all that.And I got 8 different estimates.The guy that is painting now is who everybody in town wants to do there car he is one of the best around here.I will post pictures when its done.Ive also seen his work and its as good as Ive seen anywhere.

Am with 70isfine I cant see it. I mean the book time installing a quarter on a 1969 chevelle pays 13.2 hrs on the RHS and I believe 12.9 on the LHS.

Thats 26hrs of labor just installing the quarters. Sure thats BOOK time but NOW you are fighting rust fighting repro parts that might not fit just like a OEM part. Lot of time spent hanging those quarters so that 26hrs in JUST quarter comes and goes pretty quickly.

Id like to see some of the guys work, for even 3000 grand Id pack up my 70 chevelle and sent it off to him to do and its in MINT condition

all I know guys is when you ak somebody where to take a car for paint within a 50 mile radious 9 out of 10 times theyll say Burt Jarret.Ive seen his work and it suits me and Ive never heard one bad thing about him.I even stopped in a paint store and asked them who would be good to paint my car.And they said the same thing the said they wouldnt want there other customers to know that though.I dont have any reason to lie about it.I dont have a digital camara right now but I will buy one just for posting those pictures when it is done.And I will even post the receipt for what it costs.That is one thing about this town engines and cars are higher but paint work must be cheaper.

I'm not saying your lying,just be sure you know what your getting.I have heard many stories about getting a low estimate up front and by the time you get your car back its doubled or tripled in price.I'm with Eric,for that kind of money i'll send my projects to him and take up fishing and relax in my spare time! smile.gif

I always dig topics like this - never fails that it will bring a reply about a local minimum wage painter who is a real Michaelangelo.

There will always be a varience in the quality and pricing of restoration paint and body - just like the cost of living and doing business varies accross the country. Consider too that there is Pebble Beach restored, and there is also Jack Mack and a six pack out back "restored".

Time spent fussing over all the details is what it all comes down to, apart from the quality of the paint and prep materials and replacement body panels. In the end you will need to decide how fussy you want to be and what you are willing to pay for. For sure you should always inspect recent prior work of the people you are considering. If you like what you see and they give you confidence that the finished product is what you have in mind - then go for it.

Thomas

Am not saying that you are getting a sh!t job because you are NOT paying this guy 10 grand for a paint job, am just saying thats ALOT of work and alot of headaches for just 2 bills.

I wouldnt do it for that kind of money and cant think of anyone is this area that would either.

Thats all am saying too much work for me...Eric

I understand that it is a heck of alot of work for that price but around here paint work aint as high as Ive heard it in other places One guy here Frank Fitzsimmons has had a few of his cars in hot rod and car craft and he isnt real high either.I had him price another car of min a couple years ago and it was going to be 1500.But it didnt need no body panels it really just sanding and painting mostly.I know he wouldnt have charged no more thatn 3000.00 at the most for this car.Thats weird how prices vary so much from north to south and east to west.Like I said I seen his work on 2 70 el camino's for the sma guy and a 63 vette and the all were beautiful.

I usually do my work by the hour with pay do every two weeks. I support my hourly documentation with digital photos at no charge and sometimes email them if the customer lives far away. In my opinion this is the only fair way to charge for work on these old cars. The last job I bid on started at $3800 which was cheap involving two quarter installs, minor collision damage, fender patches and a complete strip,--the job ended up costing $5200 in labor and materials not including parts after all of the extras the customer wanted were done. $5200 was a far cry from $3800 but I did alot more than originally quoted and the costomer was very happy with the results.
75 miles south of me is Dan Kempinen's Rod Shop, he charges $60 per hour and the garage is always full. He worked for Boyd for quite awhile. Dan's work is known nationally and he's done cars with a $300,000 budget. He does alot for Harley Davidson and Ford directly. He has his own line of handcrafted aluminum roadster bodies.
Funny thing is: My work pulls just as many trophies at the shows as his for alot less $$$, He's offered me a job a few times, and actually I'd like to work there but the distance is too great.
In conclusion can you get good work at a reasonable cost? Yup. Get on the schedual as fast as you can because if the guy is economical and does exceptional work you might be waiting awhile.

well, i live in NYC suburb and i know its high, just because of the area, i know if i was back in AZ it would be a hell of alot cheaper. so give me some options here, most guys around here say the same thing, about 10 grand to strip the car down to metal, replace the quarter panels, and paint. im thinking of doing all the prep work myself: Im not paying 10 grand!is just not worth it for me or anyone!
1) now is it easier to patch or replace the whole quarter? is the original panel welded in on all sides or just at the roof seem?
2) next: if i buy a gun and a compressor, do you need a certain talent to prime the car? in another words i think its harder to paint than to prime, is that correct?
3) if part of the paint looks good, not bubbles, smooth, etc.. does it need to be striped down to metal?
4) goodmark black coat - does that need to be striped? can you have different primers on different parts of the car?

alot of questions, i think if i can answer these i can decide whether or not i do the job, or go looking in the south bronx in NY for a shop!!

If your going to do it yourself figure on spending at least 3 grand on the tools and equipment you will need.And of course you need a suitable place to do the work like a garage Also just for comparision i worked at a well know resto/rod shop in NJ,they had two cars on the Dupont Top Gun calender.They charged 65/hr and the place was packed.Do the math,65 per hour,we worked 50hr work weeks,so if your car was worked on a full week you owed $3250.No car was completed in a week or even a month. I worked on the same car for a few months straight :eek: and i never completed a whole job start to finish while i was there.Imagine that bill?!Some cars were there for two years! Frank i would get real comfortable with the search option on this forum and it should answer all your questions.Its all been covered before. You might want to find a body guy who works on the side to do your car.

I second that idea, find yourself a knowledgeable helper. Ask around, get refrences, maybe join a club-they'll recomend some help and give some ideas. If you like working with your hands and have the time, tools, and garage you might actually enjoy doing a lot of this yourself. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Alot of shops around here won't do completes.Think they make more on insurance fender benders.Had two quotes on our 71,$2200 and $2,000.Thats with no dents, two coats of omni182 not sanded,vinyl roof and same color.

This is a very subjective topic. The last car I did was early 2003 - a '68 Mustang Conv Shelby Clone. Kept the original quarters, fenders, doors, frt & rr valance etc. just did patch panels and trunk drop offs. The finished job was nothing short of perfect. On the unibody convertible it meant a lot of time setting the gaps correct {I even had to break and reweld the inner rockers to get things "correct"}. I had a minimum of 100 hours in the body work. Paint was done: disassemble, strip, repair, etch, epoxy, high build, sealer, BB/CC, sand out, additional CC, buff and polish, reasseamble. Probably had another 100 hours in the whole paint process. End result was nothing short of what you would expect to see on a 100k street rod. So it all depends on what you want and what you are starting with. For me to consider just doing a lob job, I would just as soon leave it as it is until I can commit the time to do it right. Is 10G out of the question, for everthing listed above - no. You have to break it all down and define what is going into it exactly. You have more work involved than you realize. As far as the quarter panels, if you need any more than a small patch behind the wheels, it is far more economical for a shop to hang new quarters than to cut and spot repair all over the panel, then spend countless hours trying to get all of the wave out of the panel, especially if you have rot over the wheelwells.

So my advice would be to step back, take a deep breath and go over where you are and what you want as a finished product.

Originally posted by GRN69CHV:
This is a very subjective topic. The last car I did was early 2003 - a '68 Mustang Conv Shelby Clone. Kept the original quarters, fenders, doors, frt & rr valance etc. just did patch panels and trunk drop offs. The finished job was nothing short of perfect. On the unibody convertible it meant a lot of time setting the gaps correct {I even had to break and reweld the inner rockers to get things "correct"}. I had a minimum of 100 hours in the body work. Paint was done: disassemble, strip, repair, etch, epoxy, high build, sealer, BB/CC, sand out, additional CC, buff and polish, reasseamble. Probably had another 100 hours in the whole paint process. End result was nothing short of what you would expect to see on a 100k street rod. So it all depends on what you want and what you are starting with. For me to consider just doing a lob job, I would just as soon leave it as it is until I can commit the time to do it right. Is 10G out of the question, for everthing listed above - no. You have to break it all down and define what is going into it exactly. You have more work involved than you realize. As far as the quarter panels, if you need any more than a small patch behind the wheels, it is far more economical for a shop to hang new quarters than to cut and spot repair all over the panel, then spend countless hours trying to get all of the wave out of the panel, especially if you have rot over the wheelwells.

So my advice would be to step back, take a deep breath and go over where you are and what you want as a finished product. Good advice. I nearly fell over when I learned the 'real' cost of doing a top notch paint job. The labor is never what anyone says it is, the materials cost more, working with reproduction pieces doesn't necessarily save money, and on and on. I paid nearly $8k, and had substantial panel replacement work done, and used HOK paint ($$).

I just got my car back from the bodyman.

The bodywork & paint took almost 300 hrs and $9800.00.

Oh yeah, it was at his shop for 2 years...

The early estimate he gave me was $7000.00. However, he did not plan on 300 hrs of bodywork...

it all depends on if you want a good paint job or a half a$$ed paint job the choice is yours.

a good paint job will cost at least $6000

It is a lot of work but if you have a nice car it will be worth the work!I spent long hours preparing car, longboarding it straight then rolled it for paint base coat clear 1,500.
and very happy! Here is my 1967 SS Chevelle

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/bc/3f90a4f1_29e3/bc/My+Documents/Daves+SS+1967.jpg?BCALtNABT8IEnIYw

Say you payed $10,000 or more for a paint job and then someone hit your car. Do you think your insurance company would re-emburse you for what you paid to get the paint job done? I'm doubting that mine would. Unless it's a show car why bother with such a good paint job? I'm not saying go over to macco's (however you spell it) and get a $500 paint job, but spending $10,000 + is a little excessive no? Just opinion I guess.

pegleg71, read over the initial post - this is far more than just a paint job, there is a good deal of bodywork to go along with the paint work on Frank's car.

Laws and insurance coverages are certainly not the same in every state, but if you had the receipts to show that your car was not just an old sled I would expect collision repair to be done on a level with the quality of the car. Generally in a Tort case the idea is to return a person's property to the condition it was in just prior to damage.

When a restoration is completed at considerable expense it is always worthwhile to get the car reappraised and properly insured. If a person never intends to get proper insurance, then yes, they would probably be better off not spending the time and money on top quality work.

Thomas

Daily driver vs. Collector / Show Quality is the question. If you are going to drive daily, don't bother spending more than you need to make it look presentable. But the guys spending $5K + are usually not driving these everyday. My '69 has been off the frame with a complete frame and underbody refininsh. Engine and drivetrain will be potent but not radical. This will be a restored/restomoded car. No rollbar, no nitrous no wheel tubs, no fiberglass hood, you get the point. The car is currently insured for a set dollar value. As soon as it gets the correct paint, the insured value will be increased. The caveat to this is, I have driving restrictions :things like no daily commuting and a 3000 mile / year cap. Heck I'll be lucky to see 1000 miles this year with it. So for me it is worth spending the time and money to get it done right. For comparison, my '02 Silverado is only driven on the road - 12 mile one way commute to work - park in the end of the lot - always park in the back of the lot wherever I go, truck has 37,000 miles, paint shines great, - but dings and nicks on all 4 sides already - some very little but there just the same. Redoing these cars is a matter of personal wants and desires and being realistic as to what you want, what you are willing to spend and what you can afford to spend.

Oh and for the record, I have had more than a couple of daily drivers painted at Maaco in my life. If your intent is to keep a car for a couple of years as a daily driver, cash is tight but you need paint, do the best body work you can and let them shoot it with a sealer and an Enamel. If my life I have driven around with Black "Rat Rod" rattle can primer paint job until I could afford even a cheap paint job. So don't get overwelmed, just take a breath and try to make a good value decision.

At this point with Spring right around the corner the '69 will not get compete paint unitl later in the year. So probably what is going to wind up happening is I am going to work my way around the car, stripping and prepping section/section. ie. rear clip, roof, doors, fenders, trunk, hood - each of these will be done in DP Epoxy as I get to it, and driven to cruise nights anyway - a rolling canvas of work in progress.

Well I found a reasonable place to do my 69 SS clone. For $2500.00 I think I am getting a good deal. First of all it was almost down to bare metal except for the pass. Qtr and door. That is where he found some major bondo that did not need to be there other than that there is no more bondo or rust except for around the top of the back window. (Texas Car)

He is lining all the body panels up since there was a crash into the cowl at one time on the pass. side door and fender area. I did have 2 nos fenders to go too. The door is rust free so he wants to work with it since it lines up with the 1/4 panel good.

He is going to apply etching primer because it it down to bare metal so the paint will stick and seal it good.

Block sanding and block sanding then applying the Butternut yellow base coat/ clear coat paint and applying the black side stripes.

He is also color sanding and buffing the car too.

I figure that 5500 bucks would be a good price for a complete stripping job and 1/4 panel install and maybe some rust repair on the doors and body panel alignment. Then add a nice base/clear coat job. At least that is the quote for my other Chevelle I have.

I do all my own bodywork and prep,and for $500 I can get a car squirted with Glasurit 22 (single stage urethane,as I'm not a bc/cc fan) wet sand/buff cost another $100 (which I don't do) All done by State Farm Insurance certified shop that also deals in exotic cars..my cars go there prepped,ready to go,totally stripped-All the shop has to do is mix the paint and spray it.I realize that everyone can't do their own bodywork/prep work..the cost is all in the labor.If I ran the car thru the shop and I didn't touch it,and depending on if it needed any panel replacement,probably would cost 5k + including reassembly.

I think i would be affraid to move a car with a 10 g paint job much less drive it!!! i have restored several camaros and chevelles and found buying a rustfree body to start was cheaper than buying a rusty one and having qrters hung!!! about 800-1000 per qrtr at any shop in my area just to hang it, paint is extra!!! if that guy that will hang both qrters and paint the car for 1800 wants to work privately for me tell him to call me SOON those are 1960`s prices for body work!!! :eek:

10G is cheap for the amount of work you are prescribing, taking into account how many hours it takes at a PROFESSIONAL shop rate.

Best to read up here, pick up an assembly manual, and start it yourself. Ask around about local bodymen that are into doing cheap work at your shop on nights/weekends.

I found a kooky old guy that works for me for $10 an hour and a pack of smokes each day he works for me at my shop. I've paid him over $2000 already, but he did a lot of work. I paid for all the parts, but I definatly got my money's worth.

EDIT: Typo

71 Chevelle (http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/dwaynes69bb/71_chevelle/71_Finished/dcp07845.jpg)

$1500.00 for this but no body work was needed.


Dwayne

I have been going thru this same chase - My convertable - all rust free, light body work on the quarters. The car is disassembled - I asked for it to be stripped, primed etc - base coat clear coat - prices were up to 15g's, I never expected this. In any case I hooked up with a small shop not to far away, does very nice work and the quote was very fair - It's going in Sat - pray for me. :(

Rich

Well, come down to Texas and lets start. I have two cars available for $3000 paint jobs. I look at the book rates and wonder how you can survive? Please quote in hours, baddbob71 how many it took for those jobs you just talked about. I think you are either too low or I am missing something here.

Dwayne,nice looking ride! graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Rich,thats outrageous!! Even half that for a convertible if you do the reassembly is crazy..I should start doing this on the side and farm out the paint...seems everybody is jumping on the bandwagon of making money in the "old car" industry.

Chris,

The guy I am bringing it to on Sat quoted 4500.00. This to me was within reason. He's painting the car with the nose off - I'll take the car back to him with the engine in and he'll assemble the nose and line everything up. I found others at that price but they were far away from the house, I wanted someone close. In any case the price on paint these days is going out the roof.

Rich

A guy here at work is doing a 32 ford 5 window and his bodywork and paint is costing about $30,000. That includes a chop top and a bunch of metal work. Every gap and line will be perfect though.

Rich,$4500 is very good and a reasonable price for quality work..thats what I call down to Earth
graemlins/thumbsup.gif

..in regards to bodywork in general,thats why I do my own work..alot of patience is required,and using quality products makes it a little bit easier too.In the end,if it doesn't look right,its my own fault..my paint guy says I do pretty good..he doesn't mine spraying over my bodywork.I've been doing it for almost 18 years now,and 3 of that was professionally.

I spent 1500 in paint/clear alone, another 1500 (which I was told was very cheap) on having it sprayed. My buddy did the body work for free< over a two year period< working on it after work from the body shop. I would say 10000 is on the high side, but it all depends on the condition of your car, and how nice you want it to turn out

For $10,000, you can have the trophy and worry about any and every thing that comes near your car. I'll go with the so called "half-a$$" paint and body job for about $2000 doing it myself. And after I'm done, I will crank up my 550 hp 454 and blow thru the gears down the 1/4 mile in my glossy Cortez silver '70 SS with dark blue stripes. I will then go to the pits and lean up against the car, set my coke on the hood and reflect on the race with a sh!t eatin grin on my face knowing that the $8000 I saved on paint and body work allowed me to finish my project and enjoy my car the way it was meant to be enjoyed. :D Good luck at the car shows ;)

No, I'm not trying to upset anyone, this is all in fun graemlins/waving.gif

thanks for all the responses:
please answer a few simple q's

1) is it necessary to strip the goodmark primer coat on my hoods?
2) are there alot of problems with hanging new doors? i dont want to unscrew the hinge, just remove the 3 screws from the hinge to door, and put up the new one - just sounds too easy. - is it difficult to gut out the old door window components and install into the new door?
3) by using PRIMER IN A CAN, will it effect the LOOK of the car - i know it will effect the time to rust! i cannot spray - i dont have space, very small garage, and no driveway space. i want to strip each panel and coat it, then take it to be painted and to fix my rust on my quarters.
thanks
frank

1. I have used NOS GM fenders and have stripped the black primer it came with, then applied self-etching primer. Makes for a better adhesive surface as well as sealing out moisture and provides for a good bond for the next layer of primer.

2. Removing and hanging of the dooers as you describe is not a a problem and is feasible. Easy to gut your door and replace items in you replacement door.

3. If you use rattle can primer and topcoat with quality paint you are in effect wasting your money (and time). Although if you cannot have the car primered with a automotive-specific primer right away, you can do that, just make sure that you are will have to expend the effort of removing it before laying down a automotive primer. Your call. (Note: Do a search on TC and you can find some very good information from people in the know regarding bodywork and paint.)

Texas70 - I do just that and have for 2 years plus I've taken first in class two years in a row and best street 1 year at Autorama. I run high 11's and drive it everywhere. So you can have both. I do my own work and use HOK kandies for paint on all my cars and yes I would expect to pay more then 10K in paint and body prep to have the quality of my work done professionally.

There's cars that look good, some go fast and yet others do both. If someone wants to spend the money to go fast and look good and have the means to do so, then they should!

Lee

I spent about $10,000cdn. on body & paint back in 1990 & the car looked great. But this is no trailer queen, it's driven day in & day out every summer, rain or shine pavement or gravel roads. Now about 50,000 miles later the car has lots of paint chips mainly on lower 1/4's & front of the hood & a few parking lot door dings, but I just call this "usage". The car still looks good and has no rust and will not require a paint job for few years yet. Dave

Originally posted by Frank66:
thanks for all the responses:
please answer a few simple q's

1) is it necessary to strip the goodmark primer coat on my hoods? NO. That ecoat if it IS ecoat will make for a GREAT base for your paint. Ecoat is full of zinc and helps fight rust and prevents it from showing up. All you need is a just a scuffing and apply your primer, NO NEED TO REMOVE THAT COATING.

To test that coating you need to do what is called a solvent test. Take a rag and pour a solvent like lacquer thinner on the rag then wipe a spot on that coating. if the coating rubs off onto your rag, then you NEED TO REMOVE THAT COATING. Dont use this for your base, its NOT ecoat just a simple stocking or shipment coating I call it to prevent flash rusting.

True ecoat will NOT show up on your rag after a solvent test. If you wipe it and NO coating shows itself on the rag then all you need is a scuffing...Eric

Originally posted by 70_chevelle:
There's cars that look good, some go fast and yet others do both. If someone wants to spend the money to go fast and look good and have the means to do so, then they should!

Lee I agree Lee, but I guess I'm one of those that will just have to be satisfied with a fast ugly car, that I suspect will win a few honorable mentions or more from time to time if shown. :D

My paint and body work turned out to be $2250 on my 67'.

sevt_chevelle thanks for that info, i didnt think it was necessary, so if i buy 2 new full quarters, i have no other rust problems, all that is necessary is to hang the quarters which i know is hard, then strip down my roof and fenders, then paint, my doors are new also with ecoat. this cant be 10 grand! i also want cc/bc paint. im going to other shops to price around, maybe i should drive to jersey??