Full paint cost range?

I am trying to sanity check an estimate to paint a '70 coupe.
Disassembly
Strip body and door jambs
Grind out all body seams, fiberglass and fill (they have "sunk")
Fit all panels flush and 1/4 - 5/16 gap
Repair various cracks around headlights and vent openings
3 coats of primer block sanded
Work waves out not caught in block sanding
2 coats primer wet sand
Paint
Color sand
Reassembly
Blast and paint OEM wheels

All marterial included using House of Kolor or PPG top of the line products.

I keep coming up around $11,000. Crazy? Correct?

I was quoted between $6000 and $10000 when I asked for estimates. That was wayyy more than I was willing to spend but I had to do something about the previous owner's $500 Earl Sheib premium paint job :lol:
If the shop does a good job $10000-$12000 is reasonable considering the time and effort it takes to do the job right.
I painted my '79 myself and if I add up the hours spent stripping, prepping, sanding, inhaling dust and toxic fumes.... at $80 an hour my work adds up to a good amount....
Shops usually use 'top of the line' material, figure about $1500 for epoxy sealer, high build urethane primer, base, clear ... I'd think they use Dupont or PPG.... not cheap...
I spent less than $1500 on the material including the compressor and the paint gun.... just a lot of work.... it's been three years and the paint is not flaking off :trumpet:
Honestly ? If I spent $10000 for a paint job I'd be afraid to drive the car....

And btw, I got quotes for $1200 also.... they asked "Sir, do you want us to mask the windows or just roll 'em down???"

I scuffed and shot my car, thought it was nearly perfect with the primer on there, looked/felt great, even lasted a few months outside, drove it a fair amount that way, fixed cracks as they reappeared, but in final paint it all blew up on me, dunno what happened,

but primer shrinks like mad when covered with color coat, scuff sand it down with 320 grit, and shoot primer, hell even a spray bomb, and it not show a thing....so I chickened out, and have some black primer areas in the paint, to basically hide lousey body work.....hell with it....Let's just say PAINt is just that a PAINt in the ass......:bestwishes:

I agree with Karsten, if I spent that kind of money and someone hit it yet AGAIN, out comes the Benelli, and the cops would be hating me as I plead justifiable homicide.....:stirpot:

MYBAD79 said:

I was quoted between $6000 and $10000 when I asked for estimates. That was wayyy more than I was willing to spend but I had to do something about the previous owner's $500 Earl Sheib premium paint job :lol:
If the shop does a good job $10000-$12000 is reasonable considering the time and effort it takes to do the job right.
I painted my '79 myself and if I add up the hours spent stripping, prepping, sanding, inhaling dust and toxic fumes.... at $80 an hour my work adds up to a good amount....
Shops usually use 'top of the line' material, figure about $1500 for epoxy sealer, high build urethane primer, base, clear ... I'd think they use Dupont or PPG.... not cheap...
I spent less than $1500 on the material including the compressor and the paint gun.... just a lot of work.... it's been three years and the paint is not flaking off :trumpet:
Honestly ? If I spent $10000 for a paint job I'd be afraid to drive the car....

And btw, I got quotes for $1200 also.... they asked "Sir, do you want us to mask the windows or just roll 'em down???"

Click to expand...

I agree. It is one of the reasons my paint looks the way it does, otherwise I'd be afraid to park it and walk in to a store.

10 is low for all the work needed, i would expect 12K+ for top-level work/finish.

P.S....My shop gets comments from some customers that our charges are more than the 'Vette is worth. They want to pay less because of that fact. Same work=same costs.

12K paint job...insanity!!!! One stone chip and then what....

Twin_Turbo said:

12K paint job...insanity!!!! One stone chip and then what....

Click to expand...

which is why maybe you understand my cynicism over the MONEY time/effort...

it's getting compliments, and my typical reply is, 'thanks' but don't look too close'...

expect somewhere near 120 hrs for paint. stripping and bodywork has nothing to do with paint. year model has nothing to do with it either until you get into the c1/c1 range. the 57 i just finished had sat for years. the glass had degraded badly and much of the surface came off while blasting. resufacing the car took more hours than paint.

I wouldn't do to yours, what I did to mine for less than 6k and it would take me much longer to do it than a pro shop. I say that 11k number is about right, question is, is the end result worth it. That's why so many of us do it ourselves at least once, lol.

rabiddawg said:

I wouldn't do to yours, what I did to mine for less than 6k and it would take me much longer to do it than a pro shop. I say that 11k number is about right, question is, is the end result worth it. That's why so many of us do it ourselves at least once, lol.

Click to expand...

:shocking: OH, I fully admit I 'DID IT' myself....

it shows, just as badly as all my other attempts at minor patch work over the years....

but the next muvva fucker hitting this car maybe have his life spared on account of it....

CASE CLOSED.....

:crap::1st:

Prepping cost, $10000.00. Painting cost, maybe $500.00. see where I'm going with this?


Danny

I've been painting my own cars for years exactly because of the points above. None have been show quality but then none were more than beloved drivers.

That said, all this talk about SMC and peeling paint have given me pause after I've already started sanding on the 81:crap:

Meet new friends that do paint & body work. Paint materials on mine ran around 1700 dollars. I have a freind that kept a watchfull eye on me until complete. 150 to 200 hours is a pretty good number, if everything is removed and taken down to the factory primer. The money is in the prep work.

Mine cost me $9400.00 and included repairing a cigarette pack size hole below the driver's side windshield and also a new windshield. Paint was expensive cause I went with pearl and they did a beautiful job. I get more compliments on the paint than anything else.