Anyone ever taken a car to MAACO for a quick paint job

[msmaron]

Heard a few folks wanted a guick, very quick (3 day) paint job from Maaco, Seems they did the body work, and sprayed the car. Body on, removed fenders, some bondo and a fast paint job...Single Stage & clear coat..

Anyone else know of anyone who did this and thoughts??

Ken E.. you need not say anything i know your thoughts...HAHAH LOL!!!

[ken ct]

I had a 65 Mustang done a few yrs ago. It was an OK job for the price.It depends which one you go to. We had a pretty good one here in Stratford,ct. ken ct.

[Kurt in NJ]

Some are good, some are bad, take the plates off if you don't want them painted, it can be a very good value, it is hard to buy the paint for the price they charge for the whole job, look at their work in the parking lot, some of the cars they have done for where I work were painted 3 times before they got it ok, now we use a Maaco 60 miles away.

[ford1]

i had my sons 67 impala painted at maaco, didnt get the cheapest paint job, went up to the next one, we did all the bady work and sanding, removed all the molding, emblems, head lites, and tail lite lens, that was almost 10 years ago and the paint is still excelent, the more parts you remove at home the better the paint job will be, go check out the work, if you find a car with a real good paint job find out who did it and have him paint it, some painters are a lot better than others, i gave the guy who painted mine a $20 tip money well spent

[msmaron]

was very curious as to the work they do on Model A's have not seen the car that was done but heard about it and wondered, For our fine point i use Ken Ehrenhofer, he is the best in my book and has the experience to show for it. But was curious as to others opinion and if anyone ever took their Model A to a shop.....

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

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Mark, since you own a fine art gallery, let me ask it this way. If I need a picture to go in the hallway to fill the wall at my house, why should I come buy one from you when I can go to Wal*Mart and buy one for $25 that even comes with a frame?

[Mitch//pa]

and thats what youll get a quick paint job with overspray that holds somewhat of a shine for possibly 2 years depending on the use and sun contact. usually the prep work has alot to be desired also. but as said i am sure some maaco's maybe better than others but overall i would just use them for a used car i was blowing out that needed a spruce up. i guess if its a choice between painting a car with a brush or roller or going that way i would go that route.or on second thought maybe i would use a roller lol.. JMHO::::::::

[msmaron]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Mark, since you own a fine art gallery, let me ask it this way. If I need a picture to go in the hallway to fill the wall at my house, why should I come buy one from you when I can go to Wal*Mart and buy one for $25 that even comes with a frame?

Because Brent, they dont carry what i sell, very simple.

[msmaron]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

and thats what youll get a quick paint job with overspray that holds somewhat of a shine for possibly 2 years depending on the use and sun contact. usually the prep work has alot to be desired also. but as said i am sure some maaco's maybe better than others but overall i would just use them for a used car i was blowing out that needed a spruce up. i guess if its a choice between painting a car with a brush or roller or going that way i would go that route.or on second thought maybe i would use a roller lol.. JMHO::::::::

Mitch...These were my feeling and i am just asking here guys because i know someone who did it and was wondering if anyone else had any first hand knowledge of these guys doing this stuff.

Brent... Fordbarn inquiry here??? Not doing this, my feeling were that those who went their wanted a fast in out spray job that needed to be corrected later. Was getting some feedback and how and why one would do this...
You know my personal feeling on quality as we have talked many times, need to always see the other side of the light,,, if we dont we dont know how to avoid mistakes!!
PS the picture part was a bad example..but good try...lol!!

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by msmaron

Because Brent, they dont carry what i sell, very simple.

And likewise, MAACO does not sell what Ken does. (Quality)

And yes you are correct, I DO know the quality you & Val require not only in your Model A's but in other furnishing & automobiles too.


The one thing that hobbyists that are considering this as an option need to realize is that if MAACO is going to offer a $350 complete paint job on your Model A, do the math on what costs their costs are. Let's just say that they can buy all of the BC/CC paint to cover your car for $100 (their price), that leaves them $250 budget balance for the labor. I doubt you could find a professional shop anywhere in the country that charges less than $40 an hour, ...so let's use that number as an arbitrary figure to realize that would only give the MAACO shop a little over 6 hours to do all the prep work and the paint time too. The truth of the matter is these people put on their pants the same way as we do, and they are not magicians. Even if they are talented craftsman, do you honestly feel like they can do the same task or exact quality any faster than what Ken E. or my employees can?


.

[Tacoma Bob]

This was hashed out several times on the old barn and ahooga. From what was stated by those in the know (paying customers) You can get the best paint job in the world from Maaco but you need to negotiate in writing line item by line item what the expectations from both parties are. Last weekend I saw an acquaintance of ours with his just finished Maaco job on a 59 chev Impala. Cost....$7000.00. In my opinion..money well spent. I'm not knockin anybody that does this for a living as I have done the grunt work in body and fender shops for years so I do have an idea of what I'm talkin about. Paint and upholstery are the most picked upon items in the auto hobby when it comes to cost. BUT! it's what you see first before all the bling.

[msmaron]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

MAACO is going to offer a $350 complete paint job on your Model A, do the math on what costs their costs are. Let's just say that they can buy all of the BC/CC paint to cover your car for $100 (their price), that leaves them $250 budget balance for the labor.

.

Considering the DP90 cost us about 150 a gallon for val and that is not even the primer, i could not imagine what 350.00 could by anyone on any car at all. I "think" he paid about 1200.00 for his paint job. I want to see the car that was done, and at what level it was done it.. I am thinking the garage paint job could even be better.

[MikeK]

Way back in the '70s my neighbor decided to paint their 12 year old clunker. All cars were lacquer back then, so at 12 years the factory maroon paint job was really trashed. George started on the left 1/4 with sandpaper and rattle cans of green paint outside on a windy day. Being the cheapskate that he was, he decided after one panel that it would take at least a dozen more cans and a lot of sandpaper to finish off the station wagon, so he went to a paint store called Saxons and bought a scraper & wire brush, a gallon of ivory trim enamel, a roller, and a brush. George did a mighty fine job, better than I could have ever done. My garage and window sashes were quite jealous of that bright shiny ivory Chrysler across the street.

Unfortunately, George's wife (Martha? - can't remember) refused to be seen in the car (Lucky George, but that's another story). The car ended up going to a place called Earl Scheib's "I can paint any car any color, $29.95". It came back a nice shiny robin's egg blue. The trim on my house was even more jealous. I, however was not impressed with the orange-peely look of the 'Scheib Job', and thought it actually looked better after the roller and brush. When George's wife flew the coop she took the car. For reasons unknown, George picked up and moved to go after her. That year, with the obnoxiously offensive robin's egg blue '62 Chrysler wagon no longer parked across the street, the trim on my house became depressed and peeled.

Knowing that I could never do honor to my house trim with the skill and detail of George's practiced hands, I sold the house 'as is' and bought one that somebody else had recently painted. The new neighbors do not park on the street, so I wasn't worried when my trim paint started peeling a few years later. The trim paint is mostly all gone now anyway. I like the bare rotten wood 'unrestored' look. If I ever do restore the sills, facia and soffit, it will be a 2K BC/CC and I will hire a professional.

If there's a moral to this story, ignore it. It was unintentional. Happy New Year!

[msmaron]

Originally Posted by MikeK

If there's a moral to this story, ignore it. It was unintentional. Happy New Year!

only part that made sense mike!! which reminds me, my house needs a paint job!

[Keith True]

You won't see any DP used on the cheap paint work at Maaco,or the good paint either. Last time I was at the local one they were using Sun Belt paint.Most colors were $21.per gallon with the reds being $27.They go with the flow,they might go with three different paint suppliers in a year. The cheap paint job got you one hour of prep. I know lots of people that have been happy with Maaco.All of them did their own bodywork and knew the finish was only going to be as good as what was under it. I remember guys with an old Nova,or a 55 Chevy,a half dozen kids and no money,tinkering up the car in the dooryard and just having a ball with it after it was shiny with the $99.paint job.I know of quite a few old cars that were done there in the 70's,but they were kept under cover and look presentable today.You get what you pay for,and Maaco really is not old car oriented.They do a huge amount of work for used car dealers around here.

[Jordan]

A lady in our model a club took her car to a MAACO back in the 80's to have her '29 town sedan painted like a taxi. She needed it done because her kids couldn't tell her model a from anyone elses. After 25 years, and thousands upon thousands of miles, the pain job has held up quite well. It's starting to flake off in places, but for how much she paid it was well worth it. It's still shiny.

[peters180a/170b]

EARL S. in by 9:00 out by 5:00 is no longer around l.o.l. Did he go out of business at the same time RICK's parts....

[1930]

When I first moved to FL about 20 years ago I worked for a Maaco in Sarasota owned by Bob Ridgeway and son, I think Bob has passed away now. I was always afraid to add that to the long list of shops that I had worked at because of overall reputation or industry reputation but Bob ran a good shop and the quality of the paintjobs and some of the bodywork was outstanding, I have since then worked at shops with decent to excellent reputations where the end result was no better for alot more money.
About a year ago I again worked for a Maaco here locally, I figured what the hell it was close to home, I lasted maybe two weeks, the quality of work was unbelievably horrible, there was not a fellow there that took two cents worth of pride with himself home at night.

[Jim Huseby]

Well, here's another look at it. I'm a professional automobile restorer and painter. My restorations consistently take national first places. My prices will also be near the top of any survey. That's because the cost of quality materials will be around $2,000.oo and the labor to strip, prep, paint and polish, alone, not including major bodywork can be around 300+ hours, depending on how perfect the customer needs the job. Now I'm offering "the way it is" information here and trying to make friends, not enemies. A car can be painted by MAACO or anyone who can mask and spray two cars a day. If it is not thoroughly super cleaned and thoroughly abrased, there is little promise that anything sprayed over the existing substrate will adhere. And the existing substrate, if not perfectly stable, will still fail under the best material. To get a perfect job without any chance of future failure, all necessary cautions and procedures must be exercised. Then all labor necessary for a flawless, wave and dent free surface must be performed. Volumes have been written and lifetimes of study and practice have been expended and made available for our use and application. In any kind of competition, local or national, it's always nice to know how you measure up, and second place, for many, is not an option. So, I guess what I'm saying is that there is a wide range of viable options available, and generally, you get what you pay for, IF you do your homework, as you are doing. You don't, and shouldn't, need a top prize winner to enjoy your Model A. Some years ago I wrote an article in The Restorer about doing urethane paint jobs yourself that will help quickly bring you up to speed on the subject. There is a way to look it up online, but I don't know how. JH www.olympic-speedsters.com

[Herb Concord Ca]

Hi I had my '31 sland T/S painted by MAACO, last fall. Black fenders, French Gray lower body and Cheroke Gray upper body, it was 2-stage.
It turned out great! An excellent job equal to a copue painted all Black for about a quarter of the price at a private shop.
I paid $2000 for the paint but under the paint is $2700 of body work.
I would recommend them to all who listen.
Another club member had his roadster paint by them and it also turn out great.

Herb Neumann
Concord CA