If I keep my 72 Roadster it'll need a PJ. As a novice how much can I do myself and/or what does a paint job run?
Funds are limited. I don't mind getting my hands dirty but want it to come out great...
Ideas?
Steve

 

There are of course many variables. For a complete nice paint job without body work you could easily spend $8000-or more. You can do a search and find people who have had them done at Maaco and similar for $1000 or less. I think you will find a consensus of those that had them done in the $6000-$10,000 range. A vert does cost a bit less than a coupe to paint as a general rule. For this you would get interior out, doors and other removable parts separate, media blasted or other method of removing old paint. This would be a super nice driver type paint job. If you want show quality with firewall slicked and all under body slicked you might be looking more like $20k.

 

You can do all of it yourself if that's the way you want to go. There are several How-To books on Corvette bodywork and paint. Buy a couple and read up on how others have done it.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Follow this link :http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...paint-job.html Something to look at, and think about. Peace,,,Moosie

 

I'll trade ya' a professional quality paint job for '79 Corvette project car. .....in black.

(seriously)

 

http://www.corvettetraderonline.com/...?productid=724

This one is supposed to be pretty good.

 

I did the prep myself (cost about $200 in materials for sandpaper, filler, etc.), then I took my car to Maaco and for a shade over $1200 they primed it and put 2-stage paint on it. It turned out pretty good. Certainly not show-quality, but it really turns heads.

Temvette72

 

I did all my own prep and took off all the parts (ie.badging, window mouldings anything that would come off,) and took it to Maaco. Ya, Ya, I know Maaco???? People look at my car and don't believe me when I tell them it's a Maaco job. Use the one in West. Spfld. (not to far from you). Unless you want a show car paint job, for a grand or less, you can't go wrong.

Dave

 

In general a top end paint job can cost you 5k to 10k. The actual paint materials aren't that expensive. Most of the costs come from labour. Body panel alignment, body work, sanding time all add up pretty quick. Most body shops (at least here in Canada) can charge from $40 to $80 an hour. If you do most of the body work yourself then you can save big. If you're going to have someone paint it for you, make sure that you consult them for the system that they use so that you can keep the under pinnings (epoxy, sanding primer) the same to avoid compatability issues.

 

http://spokanehotrod.spaces.live.com...FB3E!253.entry

 

i did mine myself for under 200 dollars!! i used rustoleum from walmart. they sell it like 10 bucks a quart. i borrowed a sander. it took my about 3 days (not counting das lost to rain- 1 week if you count those days). i wish i had taken my time, but i couldnt. i turned out pretty good. the cost of the paint doesnt NECESSARILY matter. what matters is how much time you spend sanding, and how much stuff you pull off the car. i left a coupe trim pieces on the car and just taped over them. well, i taped part of what should have been painted and i wound up with tiny spots visible to close inspection. it was my very first time painting a car, and it turned out pretty friggin good otherwise. i painted it on my lawn, so im sure there is some dust in it somewhere, and i did not sand between coats near as well as i should have. my biggest point here is take as much time as you can and it will come out great. it is not hard, and if you dont take your time, it will turn out better than you thought, and you will wish you took your time!

 

How do you apply it?

 

Most of the articles I've read say to apply it with a small roller with a sponge roller. Provides a finer finish than a brush. I feel crazy commenting on this because I just paid $8,500 for paint on my 69, but it came out magnigicent (other people's opinions, but I'm forced to agree). BTW, we've also done the "remove everything and turn it over to MAACO" approach. They painted my son's 69 Mach 1 in Royal Maroon single stage acrylic enamel for $299 and we had people constantly asking who did the paint job and telling us what a great paint job it was. When MAACO first rolled it out it had a huge sag on the passenger door and several drips. We just noted them all and told the MAACO guy to fix em. He did and it lasted for several years. Many body shops either don't like to or won't paint a car that has been prepped by the owner because they don't have control of what's under their paint. At the very least they'll refuse to warranty the paint job.

 

i used a spray gun. the gun cost was included in the 200....craftsman for 50 bucks for it i think. i didnt thin the paint out right, mostly cause i didnt know you were supposed to
i got a couple of runs in the paint, but that was only on the final coat (the silver) i got anxious and sprayed to much to quick.. i used a 36g craftsman AC to keep up. it really turned out about 6000% better than expected

 

I spent $500 just for materials for my Harley.........6 years ago.
And my spray gun was $500 also, WOW!!!

 

My $100 rustoleum paint job is still hanging tough, it'll be 2 1/2 years next month. Just washed it today, looks as good today as it did back when....

 

Well how long is it supposed to last?

 

Don't know, but I'll be keeping long enough to find out...

 

I think I'll just stick with my Devillbiss gun and PPG paint. Not sure I want to find out how well rustoleum holds up. Does Rustoleum come in Ruby Red pearl?