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I don't see why anyone would take offense to any of the comments. The OP's question is far too vague to answer, at least without an extensive list of qualifications. One cannot call a reputable body/paint shop and ask, "How much for a decent paint job?" without the shop taking a thorough look at the car and understanding the client's expectations. Some people think a single stage spray after taping off brightwork is a "decent" job. Others think decent means a multi-stage, sanded finish with matching jambs and no sign of taping. It's largely subjective. Obviously, the labor and resultant costs are dramatically different. And replicating a factory paint job is much closer to the latter in terms of cost, even if it cost only $35 back in the day. Also, just because one guy wants the latter doesn't make him a "showoff" any more than a $5k budget makes another guy a cheapskate. Some people have unlimited budgets. Others don't. Some see only flaws in their cars. Others enjoy the positives. So much is relative.
My paint jobs usually cost $1500-2000 in materials. I do ALL the work myself and every car I've done has won multiple trophies, some for best paint. At shows, I've had several ask if I would paint their car. None batted an eye when I said "IF I would paint your car, which I won't, it would be $20K plus materials if no panels needed replaced". I absolutely hate doing body and paint work but I'm too cheap to pay anyone that might do it to my standards. I laugh my azz off at all the replies by those that have never done any body work or paint a car. The keyboard experts are alive and well.
I don't really eve know where the $20,000 figure came from....which is why I joke about it...
My '61 was painted for about $7,800 10 years ago IIRC and that was with the shop R&Ring the shiny bits and doing some minor bodywork. I didn't lift a finger. The shop owner (a Mustang guy painting his first C1) said if he knew the work required in R&Ring the trim he would have charged $2K more... The paint actually got a "Best Paint" award in two shows over the years...
But citing what paint jobs cost, in a particular part of the country 10 years ago is specious. The cost seems to vary widely by locale and my painter friends say the cost for quality paint in certain colors has gone up exponentially....
The paint on the 61 was fine when I sold the car two years ago but could have used some touch up from rock dings - the car was driven...a lot...
These threads are always fun but yeah - as mentioned, the devil is in the details as far as cost; labor being the big variable..
dplotkin pretty much nailed it above...
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Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 01-11-2019 at 10:01 AM.
I don't really eve know where the $20,000 figure came from....which is why I joke about it...
My '61 was painted for about $7,800 10 years ago IIRC and that was with the shop R&Ring the shiny bits and doing some minor bodywork. I didn't lift a finger. The shop owner (a Mustang guy painting his first C1) said if he knew the work required in R&Ring the trim he would have charged $2K more... The paint actually got a "Best Paint" award in two shows over the years...
Hours and hours to paint a car properly
By the time you take the car apart, spend hours removing the old paint then hours and hours prepping and body working, then painting base coat clear coat, sanding rubbing and buffing and then spend even more hours reassembling with new seals and other needed hardware, and pay for materials, a fiberglass corvette will cost 20 thousand to repaint correctly. OBVIOUSLY if it is just a scuff and shoot, it would be much cheaper, but who these days will shoot paint over an old who knows what is under the paint paint job? Fiberglass is very very tricky to work and get straight
(glad I do not have to paint these two!)
But citing what paint jobs cost, in a particular part of the country 10 years ago is specious. The cost seems to vary widely by locale and my painter friends say the cost for quality paint in certain colors has gone up exponentially....
The paint on the 61 was fine when I sold the car two years ago but could have used some touch up from rock dings - the car was driven...a lot...
These threads are always fun but yeah - as mentioned, the devil is in the details as far as cost; labor being the big variable..
The picture of the MU2 brings back memories. My first job as a painter in 73 was painting MU2s at Mathis Field in San Angelo. There were 3 of us in the booth and I usually painted the wing, one painted the body and one painted the tail section.
The 20k pricetag is the common going rate to re-paint a car to close to show quality here in CA, and that price has been stable for about the last 8-10 years. But everything is high in CA, as we need to pay for all of the takers we invite into the state.
I have had 4 vehicles I restored painted in the last six years by a younger guy who works full time at a shop and does a car or two on the side. They were not fiberglass. The 70 GTO vert didn't need much body work as I bought that car that was "done" for the PO by a shop with a good reputation. It was cardinal red. I could find a defect in the paint in virtually every panel. I had my guy touch it up and clear the whole car. $2500. My 65 GTO hardtop Fontaine Blue, my 71 Blazer 514 Red (looks almost like hugger), and my latest project, a 69 Blazer all cost $6000 or slightly under. He is a perfectionist and had the 69 Blazer for a year. Except for the 70 GTO, I disassemble the vehicles completely and I take him the shell on the frame. He certainly has done very well for me. I probably killed the golden goose with the 69 Blazer as it needed lots of work - more than he bargained for. I buy all the panels, fenders, doors, etc as needed I gave him a $600 tip and I'll give him another $500 when he returns with my tailgate and hood. I go to a car show nearly every weekend through the good weather months and have done very well. The work is superb and I have been asked about a hundred times - who painted your car/truck. I wont tell them. He should charge more and he and I both know it. I have tried a few times to upload a photo of each but can't get them to post.
"...a younger guy who works full time at a shop and does a car or two on the side...." That's key right there to getting a great price on great work. Going to a regular shop that has to pay for overhead, insurance, etc., will drive prices right up.
"...a younger guy who works full time at a shop and does a car or two on the side...." That's key right there to getting a great price on great work. Going to a regular shop that has to pay for overhead, insurance, etc., will drive prices right up.
Absolutely. He is 32 and has been doing body/paint since he graduated High School, mostly at one shop. He was recruited by his present employer for the last 2 or 3 years. He told him that he couldn't do quality paint work in the set up that the guy had in his shop. So, he purchased a new booth for him to seal the deal. He will do body work, priming etc at his home shop and is allowed to use the shop's paint booth for final color and clear, as he did at his previous employer. I have an enclosed car trailer, but so does he. He will move it back and forth even though I offer to move it when he is ready. He is one in a million.
Last edited by rsavage1; 01-11-2019 at 05:33 PM.
Reason: Trying again to upload photos- NG
The picture of the MU2 brings back memories. My first job as a painter in 73 was painting MU2s at Mathis Field in San Angelo. There were 3 of us in the booth and I usually painted the wing, one painted the body and one painted the tail section.
Nothing to do with paint, but I lived in San Angelo from 1982 to 1995 and took my first flying lesson at Mathis field!
I mentioned Tamco Paints earlier in this thread and said that I was in the process of using it on my 57 and here is what it looks like now . This paint is unbelievable . This is not one of those " You get what you pay for " The company is great to deal with . Go to their website and check it out . You will be impressed . I get so many compliments on the paint and it was a fraction of the cost of the brands that you are used to using . We are getting ready to use it on my brothers Fairlane in the spring.
One thing is constant when this questions comes up. The guys that have done the work understand the costs, the rest tend to be amazed at the total tally.
Let's talk hours. On a steel, western, minimal rust, minimal body damage car, I've put anywhere from 100 to 300 hours on a car. Outcomes have been from good driver quality, to show. That should sound reasonable to most. Now simply do the math. Do you expect a guy in his own shop to work for $50/hr? That won't pay the bills. So for a private guy to charge $70/hr may be more inline. A pro shop would have to be up around $100/hr. or a little more to pay all his costs. So why do some think the going rates are out of proportion? I know by the guys I talk to that they think bodywork/paint can be somewhat a menial task. Couldn't be farther from the truth. The ONLY aspect of a quality finish that is somewhat lacking the need for expert hands is the stripping. I still wouldn't let anyone strip my project but me or a professional. You get to see all the indicators of past trauma plus the general condition of the body while stripping. This aids in the reversal of said trauma.
I've do all my own work and have refused just about everyone that's asked me to take on their projects because they simply don't give me the feeling they'll pay my bill. Truth is, for me, it's a huge physical task and I likely don't have more than a couple left in me, so why would I waste that effort on anyone's project but my own?
01-09-2019, 08:15 PM
