I need a new paintjob for my c3. not sure who to take it to as im sure a generic autobody paint shop probably wouldnt be good enough for fiberglass jobs...
i know maaco is definitely a no-go for vettes. so im not sure where to take my vette to who is reputable and gives good results for the money you pay.

i live in north carolina, so a shop near me would be prefferable if anyone has suggestions

 

30+ years ago, a friend had his '73 painted at Maaco and it was a pretty respectable job for a car that was driven. Not a show winner, but quite nice.

Prepare to get sticker shock when you find out the price but you can likely cut down on that pretty substantially if you do the component removals, stripping/sanding, and reinstallation of components. Also be ready for a long time to get it back to you -- some folks wait a year!

 

What kind of price would I be looking at approximately? I don't need a super good paintjob that'll win shows or nothing like that. Just something that still looks pretty good and won't start cracking or bubbling really soon.

 

Cost of paint work on a 50 year old fibreglass car is going to vary wildly. And of course depend on how much prep work is necessary.
5 -20K would be the approximate range. 5K won't get you much but it has been reported on here that cheap in the last year or so. Realistically, 12K And up.

 

Not sure where in N.C. you live,but you should have a lot of paint shops close by,but as someone stated,depending on prep work,corvette is considered a small car,if it has t-tops that’s even less,but also depending on what kind of job you want,but good luck.but if you do choose a paint shop,look at other jobs they have done.

 

From North Texas-Just don't have it soda blasted first then painted. Did this over twelve years ago -see "You Tube" soda blasting a 1968 corvette. The soda was everywhere and for years later I still find soda up under the dash, and other places. My 68 wasn't taped /papered off well and thus soda was into everything. The painter charged $10,000 and wanted money every week he had the car.
Then 68 corvettes are not put together well from the factory-gaps in hood and door alignment. This painter did remove the hood and doors but wasn't concerned when putting them back on. The paint job came out okay, but I had a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards.
Forward to 2023. Repainted by a different body shop painter . The 68 was showing chips and scratches (the reason for repainting) He Sanded, parts removed, painted, covered non painted parts well, and this painter took his time and made sure that all gaps were perfect when reinstalling. The car came out show quality. I did have to pay $15,000 this time, but well worth it. No money until the job was finished. The car still looks great. Just be willing to pay a little extra for a quality job. Ask questions, make sure you get it right the first time. My vet is red and that equals to $165.00 a quart at our local paint shops. And I imagine the Paint shop uses 3 - 4 quarts plus hardener and then the clear coat. Plus lots of labor.

 

preparation is everything that is were the high cost comes from .. If car needs somebody work and prep work expect to pay a 15k +

 

Not certain the year of your car. But a nice forum member above mentioned Clear Coat.
Don't get me started. Only the very last of C3's had clear coat. Cost me a bloody fortune when a repair shop sprayed clear on the front of my car. I was spitting blood for months!
Unless you have one of those computer C3's from Kentucky. You shouldn't need to factor in the cost of clear! Damn I'm still pissed!

 

In my market it's a $10K bill to start with including prep, go deep and start stepping outside the box and the bill goes up fast.........if you can find a body shop that will take it, and they are not hooked up to the insurance industry parts replacement/car rental/storage/overbilling scam, which described 90% of these places where I live.

 

That's where doing some work yourself can save a bundle. At $100/hour for the shop apprentice to remove components then strip and sand the existing paint down, it doesn't take long to hit $1000-$2000!

 

I found a painter through Craigslist . It was decent enough because I don't want to be afraid to drive it.

Ed

 

when I last needed paint repaired. I wasn't looking for a show quality job. I wanted that something inbetween. Maybe not perfect. But the average person won't notice the minor flaws. The place that uses a apprentice to do the sanding and such, and prices accordingly. Found the place by asking around in the car club. The place full of 60's and 70's cars. Not the insurance repair shop for late models.

 

If you looking for a shop to paint your Corvette and as you looking around the possible body shop if you see a 1/2 dozen half finished classic cars with a 1/2 inch of dust on them run and don't look back.
Don't know if you are retired but after I retired I did a nut and bolt restoration of a 68 C10. LS6 swap. Locally there was a body shop that had painted a few of my hot rods. I was retired so I had time on my hands so I asked him if I could do all the body work under his supervision at his body shop. He said yes but his shop is not a storage area. The young guys at the shop loved to tell me "keep sanding old man". LOL. Never did any body work in my life prior to this project.
Saved me a ton of money.
I still help at the shop a couple of days a week as my back will allow.

 

Don't knock Maaco too hard. I've had my local shop do a few cars for me, and they've come out great. Even had a few done in black, and they looked damn good. Most of the jobs I've had done fall around $3000.

 

I wouldn't write Maaco off. My neighbor was big into old car repair and fixup. He would do all the prep work take off all the trim and prime it. He'd then take it to Maaco for the finish coat. His secret was to talk to the guy doing the spraying and give him a few extra hundred bucks and he would end up getting a good driver quality paint job.

 

Had this 79 done at Maaco last year. Came out damn good. I ended up not even cutting and buffing it.

 

Everything looks great from 10 feet away. I wouldn't let Maaco touch my car at any price. Depending on the color, good quality paint & materials alone will cost $3,000 +
Location will also effect the labor charges. It varies greatly across the country.

 

I disagree .. prep is 98% of a quality paint job .. I know a lot of people that prepped their car bought the paint and had Macco actually paint the car… It’s not the name. It is the person painting it.

 

Years ago, a "winter beater", mid 70s Chevelle that I had, originally belonged to my best friend's wife, as a daily driver. As such, the car had acquired some dings and dents, over time, and some "acid rain" didn't help, either. He took the car to Maaco, and stepped up to their "top of the line" paint job. Initially, it looked pretty good, but they didn't maintain it all that well, but when I bought it from them, when the paint job was about 5-6 years old, I buffed it up and it looked like a fresh paint job, once again. I was pleasantly surprised!