Paint Jail!!

[4406bbl]

Hey Guys, my 69 RR 383 has been in paint jail for 10 months. Don't get me wrong the guy is actually doing a great job but I want my car back because I have a lot of work to do. I'm thinking of pulling it to bring it to another body shop that is also real good to get it painted. The problem is I have paid him most of the money and would need to try and get some back. He also tore the interior apart which I don't know how to put together along with some other stuff. If I pull the car I would have to do this all myself.

I'm not sure what the new guy will charge and the price quoted me by the current guy was $6400, which I think will be more around $8000. I'm going to bring the new guy pics and see what he will charge me. Its been 3 weeks and he really hasn't done anything to it. It is almost ready for paint, the drivers side and the engine compartment need to be block sanded. He has the doors, hood and trunk painted also.

What do you guys think I should do, pull it or hang in there? By the rate he is going I don't expect it to be ready for months. It was supposed to be ready in January but then Covid hit so I gave him a little more time. Decisions....Decisions!

$8000 all in to get it painted, maybe talk to him about money, he has to be losing his *** if he does any blocking and uses quality materials. That is a steal. I would leave it, and for that price I would not be expecting any real quality or speed. I had to pull my car from a shop for shitty work, the price was way higher at the new place, but it is done. The tearing of the interior apart is kind of out of line on your part because of the low price...I would be glad they pulled it out, basicly for free. $8000 would not have been enough to buy the materials on my car, just as an example.

 

[blue69runner]

Paint supply's are not cheap. Don't even know what I spent in primer-filler-sand paper-thinners-paper- tape-shop towel's. But use a Harbor freight paint gun. Also bought a big nozzle paint gun to spray feather filler. All in all had four paint gun's to do the job. Hours and hours of work in prep. No it just is not taking a paint gun and spraying a car. When you go form panels that are not straight even if it is new metal. My roof looked grate with black epoxy on it out of the box. Saying it wont need any work. Once welded to the car. Put my blocking color on and then seen low and high spot's. Even the quarters looked pretty good but boy I was wrong their also. You just don't spray filler on you have to spread a good filler to the body after you have epoxy it all then rough it up so filler will stick. Block it again and again. Then spray your feather filler and block again. I thought this was going to kill me with a three foot sanding block.

 

[coronet68mx]

I watched a guy Pete on U tube SWRNC. But I guess I have the touch. Worked in a few body shop's when younger and paint shop's. Kept my mouth shut and ears open. But did as question's. Those guy's where doing lacquer paint job back then. I did strive for perfection and if I get good then was happy. LOL. Just give your painter a lot of encouragement on what he has done and butter him up. Then maybe say man I really need to have this car done be fore I am dead.

Pete and her friend Minni, I've watched his videos too, quite entertaining, I must said this guy Pete knows his stuff.

 

[mpro69rr]

Paint supply's are not cheap. Don't even know what I spent in primer-filler-sand paper-thinners-paper- tape-shop towel's. But use a Harbor freight paint gun. Also bought a big nozzle paint gun to spray feather filler. All in all had four paint gun's to do the job. Hours and hours of work in prep. No it just is not taking a paint gun and spraying a car. When you go form panels that are not straight even if it is new metal. My roof looked grate with black epoxy on it out of the box. Saying it wont need any work. Once welded to the car. Put my blocking color on and then seen low and high spot's. Even the quarters looked pretty good but boy I was wrong their also. You just don't spray filler on you have to spread a good filler to the body after you have epoxy it all then rough it up so filler will stick. Block it again and again. Then spray your feather filler and block again. I thought this was going to kill me with a three foot sanding block.

Damn, that's a lot of work. I guess I am getting a good price. Like I said he already painted the trunk, doors and hood and they came out pretty good, and he still hasn't done the sanding and clear coats on them.

 

[dadsbee]

10 months in a combo shop that does insurance work?, consider yourself lucky and price wise I'm not sure what to think.. but none of us know how much body work your car needed or if it's just a scuff and paint. I kept pushing my, restorations only, shop to get my car shell back but they still did better time wise than I could with all the components. They had my car for a full year and 1100 hours of labour and I took 3 years and almost 1800 hours of labour to rebuild/restore EVERY part for the car and put it back together.

 

[blue69runner]

Got 4 year's in mine and pushing 5. But have worked on it almost every day. But that is one man doing all the work. If you look at my garage you can see the mess I started with. LOL.

 

[mpro69rr]

10 months in a combo shop that does insurance work?, consider yourself lucky and price wise I'm not sure what to think.. but none of us know how much body work your car needed or if it's just a scuff and paint. I kept pushing my, restorations only, shop to get my car back but they still did better time wise than I could with all the components. They had my car for a full year and 1100 hours of labour and I took 3 years and almost 1800 hours of labour to rebuild/restore EVERY part for the car and put it back together.

The body was in pretty good condition, he had to cut out a section on the back window and two little sections on each lower quarter. He also had the whole body sand blasted.

 

[4406bbl]

Omg, you are getting a great deal then, if he blasted and fixed rust, work with this guy.

 

[Beep!Beep!]

I think everyone is right, maybe I'll wait a little more before I consider moving it. You guys have come up with some very good points and it may end up costing more money. Thanks for all your opinions, I really appreciate it!

I have a 40x40shop with air compressor, had a painter who could have full use of shop,3 months nothing sent him packing.No.2 came well recommended picked up car in September, car no rust very solid, still in jail but everyone is right patience is best.

 

[440 4 speed]

1996 had one of the Chargers done. Body work and exterior paint. No rotisserie. Engine still in car. Insurance shop, worked on the car whenever. I took it there in 1995. Great job. No cutting and polishing necessary.
1997 son’s car vandalized, insurance coverage , car done much faster another great job.
Now my car is home to put back together. It went to the body guy august 2018. He did a 12 plus body job. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the car got to the painter on October 5 2019. I got the car home on April 20 2020.
One of the things I read and did not listen to was when the car goes for body work order all your other parts that are not needed.
If I was only 50 it would go faster.
I wish everyone well with their endeavours.

 

[Hilljack68]

don't go by pics. Talk to previous customers.

Good advice. Before I found my body guy, I talked to a number of people at local car shows and cruise-ins. They'll give you the straight poop on their prison excursions.

 

[440 4 speed]

I should have proof read my last post.
I should have said order the parts you need, when the car goes to the body shop.

 

[mpro69rr]

I should have proof read my last post.
I should have said order the parts you need, when the car goes to the body shop.

I have a butt load of parts to order like radiator, tubular K frame, steering components etc. But I m afraid to order them now in case I have to send something back. Most places only give you 30 days to send a part back, if something doesn't fit I'm screwed. For instance I want to order a wizard rad, it supposed to fit but who knows it may not.

 

[440 4 speed]

I have a butt load of parts to order like radiator, tubular K frame, steering components etc. But I m afraid to order them now in case I have to send something back. Most places only give you 30 days to send a part back, if something doesn't fit I'm screwed. For instance I want to order a wizard rad, it supposed to fit but who knows it may not.

In your case that’s different, I was thinking of mainly stock components, example, ordering all needed things for seats and assembling them.

 

[barbee6043]

I did a lot of cars back in the 80's 90's, just me. My method was clean up the car, pull the engine/trans for rebuild send to machine shop, another guy did my trans., pull the int. order Legenday stuff, ACC carpet, headliner send all that to my upholstry guy to do the seats. Car goes to my body guy that is after hours weekend guy, but did flawless work and got it done.
I put it all back together, did brake fuel lines, little exhaust shop custom made that.
Only cars I actually made any profit on were the project cars I just cleaned them up and maybe got them running.

Body shops make their $$$ doing fast ins.work, bolt on this and that, match some paint. In and out and good $. Maybe a very rural shop might find themselves with extra time to do a "stand in" resto job, maybe. Maybe.
Now I have my toys. I care less about taking one to a show, I want the rust GONE, good enough paint for a driver and drive it. And be able to sell it when I want, to someone that will enjoy it and make it as they want, and I get my $$$ back out of it!!!!!

 

[4406bbl]

For lack of a better term order all your "soft" items, plastic items, and odd items early, you would be suprised how much of that stuff is in a catalog but not in stock. Colors other than black are even worse.

 

[Nate S]

Holy cow! What a bunch of nightmares and low expectations. Starting my own this fall and will be done by some time in the spring. Materials I’ll be in about $2000, if my labor is worth $100 an hour I’ll be in another solid $8000. The results though, will be as expected.

Dealing with people who don’t want to do the work is just such a nuisance. Good luck either way. I wouldn’t pull it unless you KNOW the next guy will deliver.

 

[Kevin Bisgrove]

View attachment 976744 Mask it off then remove the masking. Tape off another area then paint then start over again. Sorry but it took me over 10 hours to just paint this part but I did a color blender over base coat with a royal blue mini flake then clear coated three coat's.

Looks sweet!

 

[roadrunner57]

Each of my cars took 2 years. Yes, insurance work is a body shops bread and butter. So that may be a side project? Anyway, that is a good price. So I would hang in there. Plus putting it back together is the fun stuff, aggravating also.

 

[12icer]

You should be happy, OP, my rip-off was 10 years, half done amateur and 5 times that just to get out of jail. Never again. I know a lot of people that shop is nearly out of business. Tell your stories to everyone you know that is in the hobby and clean out the wardens is all I can post.