The under 5K paint job thread

[Oldreddodge]

Go find you a p and b guy that’s been doing these old cars over 20 years and look at his hands and look at yours,4500 my ***

 

[70chall440]

If you have an older car, check your local tech colleges, many of them will take in an older car to show the students how to do them, you pay for materials. I paint my own cars as I refuse to take them to a body shop and I am willing to live with any issues. My last paint job on my 73 Cuda cost me around $3K all in (the actual materials was far less, but I did not buy actual Mopar colors). As has been noted here repeatedly, its the labor that really drives up the cost and any body guy will tell you (and as has been stated here) that the vast majority of cars that arrive at the body shop "ready for paint" usually are not. I have gained a deep appreciation for quality body/paint work because it is a lot of work to get right. The real problem is that many people do not realize that it takes to make a paint job come out as the customer expects it to. I admit that I have been guilty of thinking that the paint will cover something up, it doesn't, it only makes bad body work look worse which then requires even more work. There is a definite skill set required in paint/body work and those who do it well are artists.

 

[greycharger]

acrylic enamel........ but that picture is more like a cartoon

I'm sure the photographer and Dodge Art Director would disagree, here's another:


Most of those cars had beautiful paint. Look at old Drag Net or Cannon programs and see some shinny cars.
Amazon has acrylic enamel for as little as $90 per gallon.
Is a 60's car actually "restored" if it has a base/clear paint?

 

[YY1]

Once again, we are not discussing show cars or concours restorations.

This is not a thread to tell me it can't be done.

It CAN be done, and we will prove it.

 

[aeon280]

I paid 2500 for my paint job and another 600 in material. Body work was already done and car had single stage hot rod black on it already. Used Summit racing 2 stage paint and clear. you can read a newspaper in the finish. Not sure what 5000 dollars in paint alone buys you? I have some areas I need to have repaired due to problems tha cam up during assembly but that was not the fault of the paint but rather myself being careless. That being said if I had spent 10-20k on paint and body I would probably never drive the car for fear of every rock on the road.

 

[greycharger]

Of course a "under $5K paint job" can be done. I see no reason to pay someone $100 an hour to block sand. Yes, it takes skill, but practice makes improvement and anybody can learn. I repainted the first car I had painted 20 years before. The finished trunk lid in the right light looked like it had a topographic map of Africa in the middle.
After stripping, I found it didn't need the mud I had smeared on it, and with a little hammering, that trunk lid now has nothing but primer for filler. The point is: I learned a lot between the first and second paint jobs.

Here is a Midget I shinned up for resale. Flame Red acrylic enamel, $150 per gallon.
Can get a color that comes close for $30 at a farm supply store

 

[YY1]

See, If I could find someone locally like the few who have posted so far, I'd gladly pay them a couple Gs for their time.

 

[zyzzyx]

Recently I posted an informational message about my cost of my paint job. First
thing is "Blocking" is a never ending proposition! How much do that cost? Billions.
You gotta stop sometime. I blocked my car until the cows came home, and all of
the guide coat looked good. Done. Will pay a guy with a booth 2500.00to 3k to mask,
wipe, and shoot BC/CC. No color sand & Buff. All the prep is done by me. Material
purchased by me. It's in 600, waiting to go to the shop. Let you know how it turns out!

 

[greycharger]

A friend who owned a Jag dealership and I were discussing similar things. He had an original E Type on the showroom and had me get down on the floor to look at the paint. It wasn't noticeable until one was that low, and looking down the side, but the lower half of the car was crap, factory crap. They finished the top half to a very high degree and they are beautiful cars, but the very shinny bottom half had whoopty-doos and high and lows.

 

[44070dart]

2500/3000 to mask and shoot. Whoa, my cars going to need a paint job for a loooong time. I may be way off but that seems extreme. Now I'm no body guy but I have seen guys mask and shoot, and 3 grand seems out there. IMHO anyway.

 

[ChargerPilot]

Once again, we are not discussing show cars or concours restorations.

It CAN be done, and we will prove it.

Following.

 

[MoparBill]

Changing colors drives the cost up... painting jams, engine compartment, inside the trunk... all add lots of time and materials.

 

[Don selleck]

 

[zyzzyx]

2500/3000 to mask and shoot. Whoa, my cars going to need a paint job for a loooong time. I may be way off but that seems extreme. Now I'm no body guy but I have seen guys mask and shoot, and 3 grand seems out there. IMHO anyway.[/QUOTE

I guess we won't even start to discuss what materials cost! I guess all of the prep makes the paint job, and when
you don't have access to a booth you're stuck. I'm stuck! Gotta pay the man. Lucky I found a guy who wants to
even do it. Nothing is cheap nowadays, and his time and equipment is worth whatever he thinks and I kind of
agree. Another point that no one is talking about is that IF the guy painting the car is extra careful and wears
the right type of protective clothing AND doesn't slap the air hose in the job, it won't have any pubic hairs or
Sabre-Tooth Moths floating in the paint. It won't need to be sanded and buffed. Remember, it's not a show car!

 

[modelmaker]

I did my car start to finish, I have easily $2500 in material my buddy's Duster in this pic, he did himself and easy over $4500 in material. Labor was our own and would be at least triple material cost.

Keep in mind the specialty tools, all the supplies, and the space to dedicate to the project.

 

[JimKueneman]

The "Who pays 10K for a paint job" thread got me thinking.

There have GOT to be resources for us folks that don't want or need a concours quality paint job.

Let's use the power of the internet to share info about who does good driver quality work and where.

As stated elsewhere, my car needs about 8 quarter sized or less shopping cart dings, one very small sideswipe (3/8 inch by 3/16th deep) and has the very beginnings of pitting on the rear windshield channel corners.

I do not need the engine compartment painted.

I was quoted $4500 by Trim Tech in Winter Haven FL, but the guy almost insisted on using base/clear, and would not use the Nason's Full-Cryll II I already had done the engine bay with.

Shops and guys in their garage are both welcome.

I'm also looking for the prep work, which as we know will greatly affect the quality and durability of the paint.

Major bonus to anyone who can name a place in central FL!

My 2 cents after painting my own cars and knowing how much work goes into it and hanging on the SPI forums. Thinking about this if you go with very inexpensive products and assume you can buy all materials for $1500 that leave $3000 in labor. At a national average of $45 per hours (I was shocked it was that low) that leaves about 67 hours of labor.... just over a week which is not a lot of time. If you think about the body shop's risks they are going to have to assume the owner did the prep work correctly. They are going to have to be on good faith that if anything happens because of the prep work you don't come back and try to get something fixed for free on a job they very little profit margin on to start with. I can see why it would be hard to find anyone to paint something for that price.

 

[Crider]

I do my own work, but with all primer, sealer, base coat and clear I spent just over $1600 total. That includes painting the engine compartment and the underside of the car

 

[zyzzyx]

OOOOOH! I got a Woodie! Dat sho looks nice! What's the paint code on dat Baby?

 

[Crider]

OOOOOH! I got a Woodie! Dat sho looks nice! What's the paint code on dat Baby?

Don’t remember the code, but it’s mopar Atlantic blue

 

[YY1]

See, if you can do materials for 1.6K.........

IDK why someone disagreed with the initial post asking for people to report here if they find good quality work for under 5K.....