That is what I use to think until this last weekend when I painted my mav for the first time. Looks great if you like runs.
You think that the workers see that great of a wage. Its sad what they pay experienced bodymen in my area. Kids working at one of the grocery stores make as much as I am now, and I've been in the trade or related field for 15 years. Also most shops have a lot of overhead and equiptment, insurance, disposal of harzardous materials, all that good stuff to pay for. Have you priced a good line of base clear lately? Its very expensive. Materials for a complete can easily reach 1000 or more depending on the amount of body work and color. The work for a good job is very time consuming, and hours can add up quickly and unsuspected surprises can be found. The priming probably will be more then once with blocking in between, and they will probably spend a lot of time sanding and buffing after it is painted. Someone probably would do it cheaper, but still, its not out of line for a show quality job. Many collision shops won't even do a complete paint job any more, since they make far better money on quick insurance jobs they can get in and out of the shop. Its common when someone sees the prices to think that most body guys are living in luxury, but it just ain't so. I am not angry or trying to be an arse, just trying to clear up a misconception that many have.
Johnson, I take it by the date you are out of HS, what ever became of the black/green flames dream? I still think it would look awesome!
