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I understand, fully. However, as someone who has painted a few cars in my day, I've often wondered how Detroit manages to send a car off the assembly line, every 1.5-2 minutes. Yes, I realize that's at the end of 'assembly', where a lot of the work is sub-assembled beforehand. But we all have seen the videos of car manufacturing plants, and the new cars aren't getting 5 coats of primer, a block sand, 2 more coats of primer, then another block sand, then a coat of sealer, followed by 5 coats of color, 3 coats of clear, then a wet sand and hand polish.
Yet the new cars, especially in the last 10-12 years, all have really great looking paint jobs. I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, in 2015, and the paint job was both gorgeous as well as flawless.
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What you have to understand, is that cars are built in stages. They have a body shop. Where the bodys are assembled. They go in to a bank, many rows of cars, that eventually pass thru the paint booth. Then back into the "bank. Then they travel thru the the trim line. chasis line, and final line where they are driven off. They may have a bank between trim and chasis too.
You cannot compare the paint on my 2014 Camaro to my 72 Corvette, which had hundreds of hours of prep. My Corvette blows away the factory Camaro finish. Not even close. What I see and what you see may be totally different. Like my wealthy bro in law said about wine. Some people cant tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $400 bottle. He may have been saying that about me! Lol, Im a beer guy.
I understand, fully. However, as someone who has painted a few cars in my day, I've often wondered how Detroit manages to send a car off the assembly line, every 1.5-2 minutes. Yes, I realize that's at the end of 'assembly', where a lot of the work is sub-assembled beforehand. But we all have seen the videos of car manufacturing plants, and the new cars aren't getting 5 coats of primer, a block sand, 2 more coats of primer, then another block sand, then a coat of sealer, followed by 5 coats of color, 3 coats of clear, then a wet sand and hand polish.
Yet the new cars, especially in the last 10-12 years, all have really great looking paint jobs. I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, in 2015, and the paint job was both gorgeous as well as flawless.
My C3 is in the body now for a strip/re-paint. If it comes out looking like a new car's paint job, I'm going to puke, and it won't be acceptable. The paint work on today's new cars is shameful. I don't know how anyone is ok with the amount or orange peel on today's new cars that cost 6 figures. Has everyone just gotten used to the poor paint quality on new cars and just accepted it?
I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, because the picture does not clearly show if the car has orange peel or not....yes it is shiny. I see some roughness between left headlight and wheel opening.
But this raises an important point to the OP question. Just like a lot of things on a car, some people don't see flaws......they just either don't have the eye for it, or they have never seen truly quality work to have a comparison. This blue Vette looks very shiny, but in some spots I can see an eggshell / orange peel finish, and my bosses new black C7 is covered in it. This is not meant to criticize the owner or GM, it is what it is.
When you see a true quality paint job on a black Corvette, it is stunning. When I see my bosses $100K Z06 with factory paint job, it is very disappointing. My 77 paint job is far superior to his.
But again, some people look at his black Corvette and are impressed and clearly miss the fact that it could be better. Its a matter of what your definition of quality is. This is just one part of it, because body work opens up a whole other subject, and one that is much harder to achieve a flawless job on a Corvette than laying down shiny paint, which is easier.
So when people ask how much a quality paint job is, you will get lots of different answers. Some DIY guy with a spray gun can do bodywork, and spray paint, and HE may think his job is quality.......when in fact, it sucks. If he is happy with it, and in his mind its awesome....then he is in a win win situation. And that is what matters. But, put his car beside a truly quality job, and most people will see the difference.
Last edited by Torqued Off; 12-15-2017 at 07:26 AM.
What you have to understand, is that cars are built in stages. They have a body shop. Where the bodys are assembled. They go in to a bank, many rows of cars, that eventually pass thru the paint booth. Then back into the "bank. Then they travel thru the the trim line. chasis line, and final line where they are driven off. They may have a bank between trim and chasis too.
You're missing my point. I understand what you've said, but my point was that brand new cars don't get all the prep work lavished on them, that a $10-12,000 refinish job receives.....yet they still look quite good. I'm a little surprised that the factory can do it, in such a short time frame.
On the other hand, I was just dating my wife, when she took delivery of her '79 C-3. The factory paint on that car was atrocious, and the panel fit wasn't much better. While there wasn't much that could be done about the "fit", we could address the "finish" issues. I stepped in for her, and had the dealer respray close to 50% of the car, in order to get it looking decent.
I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, because the picture does not clearly show if the car has orange peel or not....yes it is shiny. I see some roughness between left headlight and wheel opening.
But this raises an important point to the OP question. Just like a lot of things on a car, some people don't see flaws......they just either don't have the eye for it, or they have never seen truly quality work to have a comparison. This blue Vette looks very shiny, but in some spots I can see an eggshell / orange peel finish, and my bosses new black C7 is covered in it. This is not meant to criticize the owner or GM, it is what it is.
When you see a true quality paint job on a black Corvette, it is stunning. When I see my bosses $100K Z06 with factory paint job, it is very disappointing. My 77 paint job is far superior to his.
But again, some people look at his black Corvette and are impressed and clearly miss the fact that it could be better. Its a matter of what your definition of quality is. This is just one part of it, because body work opens up a whole other subject, and one that is much harder to achieve a flawless job on a Corvette than laying down shiny paint, which is easier.
So when people ask how much a quality paint job is, you will get lots of different answers. Some DIY guy with a spray gun can do bodywork, and spray paint, and HE may think his job is quality.......when in fact, it sucks. If he is happy with it, and in his mind its awesome....then he is in a win win situation. And that is what matters. But, put his car beside a truly quality job, and most people will see the difference.
My car has very minimal orange peel I feel for a factory paint job.. it’s by far the best factory paint on any new car I’ve bought.
Sure it has “some” orange peel in certain places where they could not cut/buff like in the door handle area but.....it’s by far acceptable.
If that is too much orange peel for you, then you must be a picky ****....and that’s coming from a picky ****.
I hope the $10k I’m about to spend on paint for my 71’ is half as good as the paint on my C7Z.
Another thing to remember is black shows everything, lighter colors hide everything.
The worst part of a nice paint job is the horror of a nick, scratch, chip or ding. I paid $12,000.00 6 years ago on a Hummer H2. Nice job, but I was terrified to drive it. Then over time the detailer created swirl marks... Then my wife reminded me it's just a piece of metal. Great...
No offence but I wonder how some go above $15K and after a few years sells the car for $19K. I know some of us don't think selling his vette.
I hope anyone how thinks of paying a lot on a paint job checks the market price of his vette
so, he will not regret his decisions.
If it's a collector's or a real show car $$$ I don't blame him, other than that save your extra money on other now parts
after my experience with good and bad shops.
I Have 3 advice for you I hope you take it
1.Do not agree to pay by hours.
2. Have a signed agreement on time frame. 1 or 2 monthes. do not be shy to ask about it trust me.
3. pick the product brands that they will use on your vette or at least know and ask what are they using type of paint..... and other materials.
This is my Vette it's a 77 restomod the paint job will cost me about $5500. I bought front and back fiberglass bumpers they molded them. We agreed on PPG paint. This is almost the 4th month on the body.
No offence but I wonder how some go above $15K and after a few years sells the car for $19K. I know some of us don't think selling his vette.
I hope anyone how thinks of paying a lot on a paint job checks the market price of his vette
so, he will not regret his decisions.
If it's a collector's or a real show car $$$ I don't blame him, other than that save your extra money on other now parts
after my experience with good and bad shops.
I Have 3 advice for you I hope you take it
1.Do not agree to pay by hours.
2. Have a signed agreement on time frame. 1 or 2 monthes. do not be shy to ask about it trust me.
3. pick the product brands that they will use on your vette or at least know and ask what are they using type of paint..... and other materials.
News Flash Ariba - not everyone makes decisions on money spent on our Corvette based on how much net profit / loss may occur IF it was to be sold.
Why do people put $10,000 in engine upgrades, thousand in suspension upgrades, interior upgrades, AND the most visually evident change you can make in the car - PAINT?
Very simply, they want the final product to be what they want it to be, because that's why they bought the car. I don't care what someone would offer me for my car, cause its not for sale, and won't be. And if some moron would look at my car, and see how it is built, and think it should be sold at "market" value, they will be walking away without the keys to my car.
I rebuilt my car better than GM did; so I essentially have a brand new 1977 Corvette, and the paint is better than the paint on any brand new C7 ZO6 I have seen. And I did ALL of this for way less money than a brand new Corvette would cost to buy. I would rather own a brand new 1977 Corvette than a brand new 2017 Corvette. And that is what I did. I don't think that is foolish. And, I drive it every chance I get. And I don't care if it gets chipped, cause it has, and I will make the very easy small repair to it. Swirl marks can be removed. All of this is about perception, and how we think about what we are doing.
This subject rises up all the time, and my point is to attempt to help people come to the realization that if the "value" of your car is the money that someone would pay you, based on the "market" value, that you are involved in the wrong car as a hobby. But if you can find the beauty and meaning of owning and driving a C3 Corvette, the value is in your hands, and should make you smile. If it doesn't, I am not sure why you own one.
Last edited by Torqued Off; 12-18-2017 at 06:11 AM.
This is my Vette it's a 77 restomod the paint job will cost me about $5500. I bought front and back fiberglass bumpers they molded them. We agreed on PPG paint. This is almost the 4th month on the body.
The quality of a paint job cannot be determined by looking at primer.
At $5500, does that include the purchase of the paint? How much was the paint cost? Stripper? Sandpaper? Etc.
If you can get a top quality paint job for $5500, that is awesome, but I seriously doubt that many professional paint shops, capable of stripping, prepping, doing bodywork, painting and all the final work would be in business if they charged $5500. Its simple math - labor per hour times hours of labor required. It is a ton of work to do it right. You just said FOUR MONTHS.....obviously no shop is working full time on this car at four months and making money at $5500. Something not being included in the equation.
The OP original question was how much does it cost to get a quality paint job and my points are about paying a professional to do the work.
Now if its some ex-professional working out of a single car garage as a retirement hobby, and they just LOVE painting Corvettes, then it is possible. Or if its a DIY owner, who also has the right experience, also possible....so its important to distinguish and be honest about it to truly answer the OP question.
Last edited by Torqued Off; 12-18-2017 at 06:06 AM.
After reading thru this whole thread I have come to the decision that the crappy paint job on my 72 is just fine with me. For those whom money is not an issue more power to you.....I don't have $ 15,000 plus to put into a car that I only have $17,300 in now. Best part is I can take it to a show and not worry anytime someone comes closer than 10 feet it...JMO
After reading thru this whole thread I have come to the decision that the crappy paint job on my 72 is just fine with me. For those whom money is not an issue more power to you.....I don't have $ 15,000 plus to put into a car that I only have $17,300 in now. Best part is I can take it to a show and not worry anytime someone comes closer than 10 feet it...JMO
News Flash Ariba - not everyone makes decisions on money spent on our Corvette based on how much net profit / loss may occur IF it was to be sold.
Why do people put $10,000 in engine upgrades, thousand in suspension upgrades, interior upgrades, AND the most visually evident change you can make in the car - PAINT?
Very simply, they want the final product to be what they want it to be, because that's why they bought the car. I don't care what someone would offer me for my car, cause its not for sale, and won't be. And if some moron would look at my car, and see how it is built, and think it should be sold at "market" value, they will be walking away without the keys to my car.
I rebuilt my car better than GM did; so I essentially have a brand new 1977 Corvette, and the paint is better than the paint on any brand new C7 ZO6 I have seen. And I did ALL of this for way less money than a brand new Corvette would cost to buy. I would rather own a brand new 1977 Corvette than a brand new 2017 Corvette. And that is what I did. I don't think that is foolish. And, I drive it every chance I get. And I don't care if it gets chipped, cause it has, and I will make the very easy small repair to it. Swirl marks can be removed. All of this is about perception, and how we think about what we are doing.
This subject rises up all the time, and my point is to attempt to help people come to the realization that if the "value" of your car is the money that someone would pay you, based on the "market" value, that you are involved in the wrong car as a hobby. But if you can find the beauty and meaning of owning and driving a C3 Corvette, the value is in your hands, and should make you smile. If it doesn't, I am not sure why you own one.
Thanks and I respect your opinion
Trust me there is Lots of morons in the street that will be happy to buy it for less or an expert how knows what was the work but like to take an advantage. But hopefully will any person how had time & money in to his car not be desperate to sell.
about
But if you can find the beauty and meaning of owning and driving a C3 Corvette, the value is in your hands, and should make you smile. If it doesn't, I am not sure why you own one.[/QUOTE]
Trust me I am so happy I got a very great profit offer for the C3 but I was so attached. That I decided to to a frame on restoration.
The quality of a paint job cannot be determined by looking at primer.
At $5500, does that include the purchase of the paint? How much was the paint cost? Stripper? Sandpaper? Etc.
If you can get a top quality paint job for $5500, that is awesome, but I seriously doubt that many professional paint shops, capable of stripping, prepping, doing bodywork, painting and all the final work would be in business if they charged $5500. Its simple math - labor per hour times hours of labor required. It is a ton of work to do it right. You just said FOUR MONTHS.....obviously no shop is working full time on this car at four months and making money at $5500. Something not being included in the equation.
The OP original question was how much does it cost to get a quality paint job and my points are about paying a professional to do the work.
Now if its some ex-professional working out of a single car garage as a retirement hobby, and they just LOVE painting Corvettes, then it is possible. Or if its a DIY owner, who also has the right experience, also possible....so its important to distinguish and be honest about it to truly answer the OP question.
I only provided most of the fiberglass. He will provide the PPG paint will cost less than $1000.
so the $5500 is including the paint.
for your question about FOUR MONTHS.....obviously no shop is working full time on this car.
Yes they did not worked full time, but they were working very hard and gave it a lot of effort that I felt that the person who worked on it filt that he is losing money more than earning. It's only by his labour that he felt but I think now it's good with him now It's about to finish. Every time I am asking about finishing I see him trying to work more, Telling me he wants his work to show good quality.
Wish my luck
I prepped and shot this myself, block sand everything. do it right.
pulling the trigger is the easy part, ... and most gratifying !
Nothing better when they ask who painted this !
I prepped and shot this myself, block sand everything. do it right.
pulling the trigger is the easy part, ... and most gratifying !
Nothing better when they ask who painted this !
The worst part of a nice paint job is the horror of a nick, scratch, chip or ding. I paid $12,000.00 6 years ago on a Hummer H2. Nice job, but I was terrified to drive it. Then over time the detailer created swirl marks... Then my wife reminded me it's just a piece of metal. Great...
The shop who just finished my re-paint. Assured me, short of some one taking a key to it. There's enough new paint & clear, that almost any thing could be buffed out if needed. Time will tell.
Coming from a family run paint and body business (competition Car show quality glass finishes) I will say that first and foremost, you need to be honest with yourself about what quality of job the car deserves. Is it a street car? Think about what elements this paint will see. Could you bare putting a 12-15k paint job on a work commute? Not I. For most people 5-6k will/should get a damn good paint job if the person doing it knows what they are doing.
Edit: To be clear... all those that have mentioned the condition of the car and prep work needed know what they are talking about. It's 90% in the prep work. They shooting is a breeze.
-Stroke
Last edited by Strokemyaxe; 12-18-2017 at 06:17 PM.
This is my Vette it's a 77 restomod the paint job will cost me about $5500. I bought front and back fiberglass bumpers they molded them. We agreed on PPG paint. This is almost the 4th month on the body.
12-15-2017, 01:13 AM
