Billysvette

I was wondering what a paint job cost at present .I havent been pricing for a while.My car needs hardly no body work ,just a painting and maybe a sanding.

curtis74

$6K is a 'reasonable' price to pay for an awesome paint job and of course by reasonable I mean grossly overpriced! But that's the going rate.

I say it depends on how much you drive the car and how much the car is worth to you. If you're going to lower it, weld some flowmasters on and call it a day 6K is too much. Especially if it's regularly driven. The paint will get messed up and it's going to hurt that much more when it does if you've payed a lot.

For a decent, livable daily driver paint job I'd say 1.5K.

And from what I've seen good body work isn't too hard to come by but molding in seems can be dangerous. Also make sure they use enough flex in the paint!

Or you can look at it this way if you were to do it yourself!

Primer, sealer, paint, and clear coat run about $600 at cost....

figure about $350 in sandpaper (800 grit and finer runs about $4 a sheet, and each sheet lasts about 20 minutes)

So that leaves 5 grand left, which, when divided by 200 hours (5 weeks work for one person) comes to about $20 per hour in labor....

toddalin

Just had my '64 painted..., $14K.

Billysvette

Do you think $4000 would do the job?Or more than that?$14000 i just cant afford that thats crazy.

Chuck Gongloff

Should strip all the old paint. NO guarantees if you scuff and paint over the existing finish.

6.5-7.5K in a ballpark figure. Chuck

rjken1969

I had my '75 painted about 5 years ago. I paid $2.2k. The shop also installed front and rear Truflex bumpers, a complete weather strip kit, and new door handles. The price was great, but the paint job is average. I would sat it's a 10-footer. Up close you can see some imperfections, but it was worth it. In a few years I'll do it over again, maybe even I'll try to do it myself.

sarchevyman

A good painter will be able to look at your finish and let you know what needs to be done. If you have lifting, cracks in the paint, it will have to come off which equals more money. I had a guy come in for an estimate on a 81 last week, car needed to be stripped, minor bodywork areas, white paint, no jams, priced out at $4100 using top of the line PPG products. Color will play a factor as I paid $60 for a 1/2 pint of DBC red for a bumper last week. I get a lot of work from the local car clubs, reason I say this is you should ask fellow vette owners in your area where they get there work done, nice to see a finish product and what your money will buy. If you decide to tackle the job yourself, these paints are really nasty , use a fresh air system, and see if you can rent a booth.

SILVERSIXX

5K should cover it if you strip it yourself and shop around.

3joh

Just had my '69 done...$12K Expensive but very nice!

IrishMac

Some good responses guys. I'm going to move to Paint/Body for perhaps some more opinions/suggestions.

Oklahoma Academy

Our high school auto shop does paint jobs starting at $300 for the Maaco type job, but can do as good as you want it. Last year we restored a 1972 GSX clone and just finished our 63 Lincoln suicide door convertible project. We are currently restoring two C3 'Vettes (71 and 77) and a late 40's Massey Ferguson 65 tractor. The most we have charged for a paint job was around $3g. It was Dupont Chromabase base/clear dark Currant Pearl red, cut and buffed. Not perfect to the perfectionist, but to the untrained eye they are considered awesome. A man from the other end of the state is bringing us his '50 Plymouth coupe next week along with an engine build in a old chevy truck. We stay very busy and people bring their vehicles from all over Oklahoma.

markdtn

$500 to $15000 depending on many factors. How much prep do you intend to do? Color change? How much body work? Coupe or vert? Glass tops or painted on a coupe? I'd say a flying average is $5000

MN80Vette

How much of the prep work are you willing to do yourself?

See my post in the "$50 paint job" thread:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1673619

NHvette

A buddy of mine recently opened a new body shop.
He offered to prep/paint my vette (already stripped with work needed)
for $2500. That is a "friends and family" price.

I passed, as I seek perfection.

Perhaps after the body is fully repaired and prepped, I will have him
do the final spray.

MorpheusGPR

When I get ready to paint my 89 I am going to be looking for something good in the 1.5-2k range.

Chuck Gongloff

You'll pay that much for paint, thinner, and miscellaneous materials.

Check the prices of paint....you'll be stunned by the cost. Chuck

BondoKing

Quality paint products are not cheap, nor is quality labor.. I dont know of anyone who has a labor rate of $20/hour.. You wont find quality work done for that price anywhere that I am aware of.. I charge $60 an hour for quality work using quality products..

Those 2k wavy paint jobs you see are just what they are.. If you want a car slick, wave free, that means tons of blocking over and over, prime several times and stepping up in grit to insure that panels are perfectly straight aint cheap..

Anyone can pull the trigger on a spray gun, anyone can sand a spot on a panel, but not just anyone can make show car work a reality.. I dont mean that a first timer with patience and alot of reading on the net cant learn and do outstanding work, not at all, I have seen first timers turn out fabulous work, but they are not the norm of first time painters.. I made this statement so someone does not go on about how they did there car and it looks great

Also one should note, that perception is a huge factor.. How many of you think factory vette paint jobs look great?? They dont, no factory paint job looks great, but if that is your goal for your own ride, then you can find people to do it cheaper than show quality work..

I have yet to see a car that does not need panel work.. everyone thinks there car is ready for paint and just needs to be scuffed, but most people have no clue as to what they are looking at either.. Ther is allot to consider when looking for someone to paint your ride..

Easily figure a material bill of $2500, now figure in 300 hours of labor and you do the math..
If a paint job is $5000, and you have $2500 in materials, now that leaves $2500 and at 300 hours of labor that makes the bodyman/painter a whooping $8.33 an hour to do that work.. Aint gonna happen boys and girls

Easy Mike

Is your paint job DIY or DIFM?

DIY and your expenses will be paint and materials. Expertise will have to come from you.

DIFM and the sky's the limit since you'll be paying someone to do it for you. You will also be paying for their expertise.

Billysvette

My paint is the old laceur,targa blue was the name of it,no clear coat and it does have a couple stress cracks at the normal spots.I was planning on taking off all the hardware and haveing someone do the rest ,paint and what ever.It doesnt have to be a show piece but just look nice.I was maybe thinking on doing l88 flares because a 69 doesnt flair out at the back and gravel will chip up the paint,and i like those flairs too.how much extra would flairs be,anybody know?

ajns197

I had an estimate of 8k just last week, but was going to do some of the
work myself, like gut the interior entirely remove trim and bumpers.
Things like that. Does this price seem fair?