cost of a paint job?

[inex01]

The type of paint job really depends on the way you plan to use the car. If you want a show Model A then obviously you will spend big bucks but if your car is a driver and you want to paint the car as close to the correct color of your choice then cost is greatly reduced. Last year I picked up a 1950 Dodge with 26K on the clock that was black and paint was shot, I prepped and had Macco paint the car and it came out like a factory job! the cost $600.00 out the door! This winter I will be pulling my 31 Slant window apart and will have Macco paint the car again the price is $600.00. The Slant is a driver not a show car so it will look great and will not have to worry about it and makes using the car stress free

[flatmotor40]

The materials are really getting high.You would usually spend 1500 to 2000 at home with primer and all the other stuff,sandpaper,tape ,paper.So it is not cheap to paint one nowdays.Last gallon I bought was 500 but Summit sales it cheaper now

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Originally Posted by flatmotor40

The materials are really getting high.You would usually spend 1500 to 2000 at home with primer and all the other stuff,sandpaper,tape ,paper.So it is not cheap to paint one nowdays.Last gallon I bought was 500 but Summit sales it cheaper now

Here is the back half of my truck painted with Eastwood single stage. Around $125 for the paint, and at leadt another $125 in primer and prep.

image.jpg

[dicks41]

Big difference in areas of the country in costs. Do your homework on the shops first. Biggest problem with the old ones in our area is you drop them off and 4 years later you are still waiting because the shops put the insurance work ahead of the paint jobs because that pays better

[1938 Coupe]

Originally Posted by inex01

The type of paint job really depends on the way you plan to use the car. If you want a show Model A then obviously you will spend big bucks but if your car is a driver and you want to paint the car as close to the correct color of your choice then cost is greatly reduced. Last year I picked up a 1950 Dodge with 26K on the clock that was black and paint was shot, I prepped and had Macco paint the car and it came out like a factory job! the cost $600.00 out the door! This winter I will be pulling my 31 Slant window apart and will have Macco paint the car again the price is $600.00. The Slant is a driver not a show car so it will look great and will not have to worry about it and makes using the car stress free

I agree that most cost in painting is the prep and labor. If you are willing to take it all apart and reassemble the parts you don't want over sprayed the cost to just paint without body work shouldn't cost an arm and leg!

[Carl]

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19Forty offers good advice about paint job at a new car dealership. They use good quality paint and materials and they are accustomed to doing an excellent job, as they work on new or late vehicles and they must be done right.

[AKRodsNcustoms]

Depending on the use of the car, and product your looking for in the finish of the paint definitely dictates the cost of the paint job. A factory finish, will have a little bit of orange peel, some slighty factory ripples in the body panels from stampings and assembly, a drivers quality finish will be slightly better than the above, wet sanding and buffing above the highlights, some work to body lines or stampings for straighter panels and a show quality paint job, which in itself varies in finish would include, impeccable body work and panel alignment, glass like clear coat with hours of wet sanding and buffing... There such a variance in the cost due to labor and material differences.

Materials range depending on color choices; single stage, base coat/clear coat paints, tri-coats, striping and graphics, etc.... In general, reds being the more expensive, whites being the least, metallics can be slightly more and some pearls can be outrageous. Ive seen a gallon of special gold pearl flop flake paint from PPG cost $1,600/gal without the base coat color, reducers or clear coat. Clear coats in themselves can range $150-$800 a gallon. Primer/sealers can be 125-500/gallon. Depending on the size of the car and how many sq. ft. need to be sprayed how much materials are needed can be estimated.

At our shop, paint jobs start at $4,500 + materials. This includes, taping and masking, cleaning and pre-paint prep, paint application, wet sanding and buffing, panel re-assembly and final detailing. This doesn't include any dis-assembly or re-assembly of lighting, trim, glass, latches, rubbers etc. nor does this include, bodywork, sanding or re-pairs prior to.

Doing the job right can be tedious, time consuming and down right expensive. But, cheap work isn't good and good work isn't cheap. And the paint being that last 10% of the build, that everyone sees, well its where to spend the time and money in my opinion. Go with someone you trust, someone who stands behind their work, someone your comfortable with and trust that their price and your expectations are similar and everyone is happy!

[Ed Pitts]

I would go with these guys. Ed

[Ol' Ron]

I painted my truck for around 50 bucks. After sand blasting I used self etching primer and some flat green. Gome out pretty good.

[FrankWest]

Listen to Ol' Ron.
I saw an Antique car that Paint job that was so shinny, it looked like the car was dipped in molten glass. Looked too shinny for an antique car. Looked artificial, not authentic.

[hoss73ford]

MAACO is fine with me. They don't have the mentality that if you own an old car then you pay thru the nose. It doesn't matter how old or new the car is to them. If it looks good going down the road, I'm satisfied with the $1000 paint job. These people wanting $5K and above are nothing but greedy. They're making $ 3500 profit off one car---not mine.

[Marvin/TN]

To take apart, stripe, and repaint, $7500.00 isn't a bad price. There is a lot of labor in doing that.

[Marvin/TN]

You can't buy a quality paint today for $1000.00 today.

[scooder]

When done at my place, a repaint is always bare metal, due to all kinds of paint could have been used on it previously, with minimal body work, ie no welding needed. The materials, tape, masking paper, sanding paper/discs, filler, primer, paint, flat and polish and such is £1000. We only use good stuff, we don't want any paint problems down the road. Add Labour and disassembly/reassembly, your gonna spend £5000-£7500.
This is for a car driven in, and driven out finished. 2 pack solvent base paint, only do 2 stage finish on metallic's, never on solid finish, tends to look plastic and artificial, that's what our customers want.
If they want a cheap job, we send them away, don't want or need that aggravation. If they say all the prep is done, just want you to shoot the colour, we send um to my mate who sprays cars in an old chicken shed. He's fine doing that, we don't spray what we didn't prepare.
The 5000-7000 price range for a proper job is a fair price. If it's cheaper for the same quality, the place must have real low labour rates, or there cutting prep/materials/something that will cut quality.
Our stuff looks exactly the same 20 years later, that's about how long boss man has been going.
Martin.

[peewee2you]

if budget is a concern, Maaco is not a bad idea, more than a few times I asked folks where did you get that paint job and to my suprise Maaco? and I was only asking because a really nice paint job, and probably did exceed the $1000 figure, but if it's the right Maaco shop a good painter is a good painter, and yes prep plays in as well as catalyst and possibly clear coats. Bare in mind I am no paint expert..

[Bolts]

I should stay out of this I know, but I'm gonna put my foot in it anyway.
To my mind, a few chips in the paint don't mean anything ('course I never had a show quality car). Chips and old age seem to go together.
Spending a small fortune for all the work necessary for a perfect paint job has never been a priority for me. I just paint my own cars and live with the results. It's a hobby after all.
I know professionals can do a much better job and I respect their skills and abilities. especially after trying it myself, and labor and money go hand in hand.
How much should a paint job cost?
Take the answer from a sign that used to hang behind the counter at the old Ford Obsolete shop in LA,
Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?

[LazarusLong]

Originally Posted by klicker

Probably a decent price. At least around here. Two recent high-end paintjobs for a couple friends: $15,000 and $12,000....

My plan to paint mine with a roller and rattle cans is looking gooder and gooder all the time.

[waterboychuck]

I just bought a quart of PPG single stage concept at a cost of $200. Just the paint no primer. Prices are way high.

[LazarusLong]

Originally Posted by dicks41

Big difference in areas of the country in costs. Do your homework on the shops first. Biggest problem with the old ones in our area is you drop them off and 4 years later you are still waiting because the shops put the insurance work ahead of the paint jobs because that pays better

I can't begin to guess the number of semi-nice old cars I have seen dropped off at body shops for minor body work and paint,and they ended up going to the crusher or parted out because they sat there so long parts were stripped from them and the shop owner put storage and mechanics liens on them. A lot of people lost their cars because of these scams.

Maybe 15 years ago I drove my 39 to 3 different body shops to get it painted. The first guy wouldn't even give me a estimate because "I don't normally work on cars like that. Just leave it here and I will fix it and bill you." I called BS on his because a square foot of sheet metal is a square foot of sheet metal and as a pro he is supposed to know how much paint and prep time it will take to cover it. I suspect if I had left it there the bill would have been so high the shop owner would have ended up owning my car.

The second place I took it to gave me a reasonable estimate,and told me to just leave it there and he would give me a ride home . He predicted it would be done in a month or two as he would work on it when other work was slow. 3 months later it was still there and other than him moving it up front right by the road to draw people in,it was untouched.

I took it to the third guy,and it sat there for about 3 months without being touched,despite the owner telling me every time I checked on it that "I'm going to get started on it this week." The last straw was when I went there to check on it,and there was a guy there that had the hood up,another guy had the trunk lid open and was sorting through the box of parts there,and there were a couple of kids inside the car tugging on the steering wheel and jumping up and down while making motor noises. The guy had left it out front unlocked and was letting people mess with it.

I took it home that day,and will never drop off another one at a shop unless the owner is a personal friend of mine,or I take the car ready to paint to a MAACO shop with an appointment to shoot the color.

Other than that I will do the body work and sand and paint them at home using a roller and rattle cans if I can't find the enamel in gallon cans.

They won't be show quality,but they will be good enough to suit me.

[ford38v8]

Lazarus, You've reactivated many sad memories in most of us. We've all had personal experience with, or have friends who had experiences very much like those you describe.