[19chevelle66]

I had a quote today of 4500-6500 to do body and paint....talked to another guy he told me 15k......its all apart and no glass....should I leave it as is and get it ready to paint or get it running? and go from there....what would you all do?

 

[Hiline51]

From experience, get all the paint, etc. done while it's apart. Ask others in your area for recommendations to do the work. I found my guy thru a little 1 man local body shop that he occasionally helped out. Not a concours result, but VERY nice. 11k all in.

 

[cv67]

Ultra nice paint jobs make owning the car harder if you love to drive it.
If you spend less you wont freak out as much after the first nick scratch etc.
Something presentable/decent- Unless its a garage queen.
Id spend again on real good body work but bux up paint hell no.

 

[Verle]

4500-6500 for paint and body is a very good deal if the finished job is very good. Before you sign on for the job you should have a long discussion with him to see what he is going to do. Unless the body is down to bare metal he doesn't know what to expect. If there is much rust the price is sure to go up.

Get everything in writing so both you and he understand the agreement and so he knows your expectations of quality.

 

[67since67]

Unless your car is pretty much a virgin there is likely some previous rust or accident repair that is less than quality. The time to find and fix that is now, or you will regret it later. Do your body and paint first. If you are in eastern Iowa, I can recommend a two man restoration shop that does excellent work at a reasonable rate with reasonable turn-around.

 

[FerrariTruck]

save your money, plastidip the car in whatever color you like. this will preserve the exterior and make it look sharp. they use your money for the powertrain and interior. You will enjoy your "project car" more when you can drive it and wash it then trip over it in the backyard

 

[19chevelle66]

Your right I don't want it to nice I want to drive it and enjoy...what's the shop you speak of in Iowa?

 

[YankeeRodder]

save your money, plastidip the car in whatever color you like. this will preserve the exterior and make it look sharp. they use your money for the powertrain and interior. You will enjoy your "project car" more when you can drive it and wash it then trip over it in the backyard

Wow! Never heard of that and thought you were being sarcastic. Who would ever think of that. That is a viable short term fix to look good and save money for later. I wonder how well it comes off after 4-5 years though.

 

[64SS427]

I'm one for getting any rust taken care of in metal and making sure it won't return anytime soon, but as for the topcoat, something that looks good at 20 feet is good enough. My goal is to make sure rust doesn't pop up but I can drive it everywhere, all the time, just like when they were new.

Devin

 

[JWA]

When I has my 69 Z28 painted and floor replaced the car was primed and jammed sans drivetrain and front clip. Took the car home and spent the summer getting the drivetrain in and then took it back for final paint. Best way to do it in my opinion. Old Blue was completely painted before doing drivetrain and I was sweating buckets trying to get that stuff done afterwards. I used up my collection of throw-down blankets :wacko:
After couple of seasons driving and a couple engine swaps I wasn't as stressed.
My Z28 was initially quoted at $3000 for first pass and 43000 for final paint. Bill ended up at 8600.00. However I had a lot of added stuff and was prepared for the increase. Still think I got a smoking deal for all the work done.

 

[Chris R]

Just make sure whom ever you decide to do the paint and body work, that you trust them to get the job done. Lots of horror stories out there.