Hello All, Well, im calling around to body shops here in the KC area and I think that 3000.00 is the going rate on a paint job on the mav, other than maaco. That price seems kind of high to me, unless were talking about jewerly . Anyway, if I could get some feed back on the price that would be great. Wendy
Tell us what you are getting for $3,000 ... I would think $3,000 would get you two-stage paint job ... little to no body work and limited dissassembly/reassembly ...
I think it will get two coats of paint and two of a clear top coat. Chrome(?) taken off and sanded down. Im thinking any of the areas that should have bondo(?) will be extra. The mav has no rust , so thats not a prob. Thanks again, Wendy
Depending on what color you choose, 2 coats of color may not be enough. Also 2 coats of clear is a little thin if they are planning on sanding and buffing. What kind of paint will they be using? Best bet is to hang around the shop and see what kind of quality comes out of their booth.
Wendy,, I been doin bodywork since I was 12 years old, some 36 years ago. 3 grand is alot of money. It will still buy you a nice paintjob. Take your car to a reputable shop and even if you have to pay for an estimate, they will know you are serious. Go to some car shows, or cruiseins and ask people where they had their cars painted. Then follow up. Note, if a shop tells you a month,, that actually means the absolute quickest time it will be done, usually multiply any figure they give you X at least 12. Maaco may be the way to go,, if your car does not have any rust to speak of they can produce some decent looking stuff. On a side note, a buddy of mine asked me how much I would charge to do his 66 Caprice.. I told him at the least 10 grand,, he went out and found someone to do it for 5 grand. he went with the 5 grand job. It is now up for sale as he now cant afford to pay to have it fixed correctly. Dan
Hey, Well, I need to ask what kind of paint and I believe that someone mentioned several different kinds of top coats. What kind is the good kind? Should the car be stripped down to the metal and then painted? I feel like the question lady. So I should go check out the shop and see what kind of work they do, however im not sure I will know what Im looking, but I will try! Thanks again, Wendy
I'd take Dan's advice and go to a car show to ask around - that's IF you are willing to spend the 3+ grand. Otherwise, I'd say, "Uh Oh! Better get Maaco!" I found a reputable guy who will take the chrome off my car, repair the (minor) dings and reassemble for $2500. I do not know yet how many coats and of what brand paint just yet. I've seen his work and from what I've seen, it's very nice. Mind you, I'm not looking for that 'perfect' paint job. All my car will see is the drag strip. Gluck
The tuff thing about autobody is. There really is NO set way to do everything. We all get there in different paths, with different methods, products and applications. Too little paint,, not good, too much paint,, not good. Ricks car is only gonna see the dragstrip, but for the money he is paying, he will have a very very presentable car. If it seems to good a price to be true, that usually is a bad thing in the end. I could scuff, prime and do a decent paint job on one of these cars using dupont products, and even some bodywork added in for $2500.00. Taking them down to metal always costs more but usually insures a better outcome. If the existing paint is still the original and not too weathered, you really dont have to go down to metal. Usually 2 paintjobs is the limit. I have a pickup that I have owned forever, I have 4 paintjobs on it. The body lines are faint because of so much paint. It will take me forever to strip it when I do. Maaco might be the way to go,, I have seen some pretty decent stuff they have done for the money.
Yep, we will go to some car shows, thats a really good suggestion, it never occured to me to do that. When I do get info as to the kind of paint, top coat etc...I will post that info and hopefully I will get some more feed back. You know, you all are very helpfully and my family is very greatful. Some day when caitlin gets her courage up, maybe she will post something. Wendy Oh, shes a mav purest, only the orginal green will do, nothing flashy. The orginal paint has faded and it has some dings. Nothing too harsh. Derek had a small fender bender and he bond-o-ed the phooy out of the ...techinal terms...drivers side rear fender well..maybe. The area over the back tire on the drivers side. . Yeah, thats it! Wendy
I Don't Know About The Price In Other Parts Of The Country But In And Around Georgia $3000.00 For A Good Paint Job Is Not Unreasonable. Many Shops Charge Much More, Some Of Your Questions Are Very Good Thought Provoking Ones, I've Done $900.00 Jobs With Nothing More Than A Scuff And Go, But That's What The Customer Wanted And Then I've Spent 2 Months Just On Body Work Before Paint And Charged $3000.00 And They Were Happy. Paint And Materials Vary By Quality,you Can Get A Paint Pak For As Little As $69.00, But It's More Like Farm Tractor Paint And Then On The Other Extreme You Can Get House Of Kolor And Others For $3-5k For Just Paint, So It's Like Others Have Said It Just Depends On What You Are Wanting Your Car To Look Like,a Good Daily Driver Or A Custom Show Car. You Could Save Some Money If You Take The Car Apart And Do Some Of The Sanding And Prep Work,less Labor That Way, I Am By No Means An Expert But I've Painted Many Vehicles In The Last 10 Years And You Really Get What You Pay For. Good Luck And Keep Us Informed. Wayne
$3000.00 for a complete paint job is not high, at least in my neck of the woods. It's is usually a starting point, removal of all necessary items, strip and refin, with minor dings etc. That is not figuring any major rust repair or anything that could be hidden under the current paint, or color change where you would have to go into the jambs. We usually shoot a ballpark figure, and charge time and materials. Sometimes in the ballpark, sometimes not, depends on the quality of the starting point, and quality of desired finished product. I would strip it to bare metal, for the best results, in my opinion. If the car has been painted before, you may not know who did it. With that, you don't know if the last shop to do it was a reputable one or not, or how they do things. You can put a very nice and thorough paint job over someone elses crappy work, and it will only last as long as the crappy job. If you build a house on swampland, expect some settling. If the car has original paint on it, most likely it will be a laquer type paint, most modern paint systems(urethanes) dont like to stick to laquer. Laquer moves (expands and contracts) more than a urethane, which causes the adhesion between the new paint and the old paint to be lost, thus peeling. I personally would strip it to bare metal, and stick with one paint manufacturers paint system. May be more expensive, but a longer lasting paint job will result. There is no definate right way,it comes down to what you want and want to spend. Just my thoughts.
Gunslinger is right on. Only thing I can object to is something that is probably being lost as time goes on. I guess only old fogies like me remember this. GM used Laquer,, Ford used Enamel. here is the poop enamel can be painted over laquer,, not the other way around. But with sealers, new paints can be applied over enamel and laquer. Now, anyone here old enuff to remember dulox and did you ever paint it??? I have. Dan
I remember it. It is still around to this day. Spelled Dulux from Dupont. http://www.autocolor.com/industrial_dup_alkyds.htm I was always a Ditzler guy. I started hanging around at and eventually working at a small town bodyshop in the late 60's early 70's. Eric J
$3000 for JUST a paint job sounds about right, but I would ask the shop in question just what that $3000 is buying you. Talking to people at car shows is also a good idea to get some idea what a good paint job can run you. In our shop we charge anywhere between $3000 to $4000 for a complete paint job, including all the jambs. That's just the cost of the materials and labor to paint the car and wetsand and buff it. For that money the car gets 3 to 4 coats of basecoat ( that is entirely dependent on the color) and 3 to 4 coats of clearcoat. The most expensive part of all of that is the material cost. We only use PPG paint, which is what most new cars are painted with now a days. Dissassembly of the car and bodywork is not included in the cost of the paint job. If a customer whats to go cheaper, we can go cheaper by not removing any chrome, not dissassembling the car and maybe only going with 2 coats of clear. If they want REAL cheap we don't buff the car. It all depends on how much people want or can afford to spend.
