Painting
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,424
Likes: 1
From: Tucson Az
St. Jude Contributor
Originally Posted by bills1985corvette
I am thinking about having my Gold 85 Corvette painted. Can anyone give me an idea about how much it should cost?
With minimum body work, and not changing colors, not doing door jambs etc, maybe $2,500/$3,500 ? ? ? ?
If you know how (or are willing to learn) how to prep it, you could save mucho $$. But then the hard part is finding a quality painter willing to take over from there. They'll say something like this:
"Oh no, I couldn't guarantee the end result, I have no idea what's under all that stuff you used, or if it was even any good."
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Or do it yourself, like I did, for about 6-7 hundred.
I figured what pay someone big bucks to screw it up when I'm perfectly capable of screwing it up myself. LOL
Naw, it turned out great. Complete DuPont Chroma-Lusion System materials used.
Jake
I figured what pay someone big bucks to screw it up when I'm perfectly capable of screwing it up myself. LOL
Naw, it turned out great. Complete DuPont Chroma-Lusion System materials used.
Jake
Last edited by JAKE; Sep 22, 2004 at 10:09 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 17,551
Likes: 26
From: El Paso Texas
Much of it depends on where you live. I paid $3000, which included stripping the car to the bare fiberglass, separating the bumpers, removing the mirrors and headlight assemblies, painting the door jambs and underside of hood, and repairing some rust on the hood hinge area (yes, Corvettes can rust). My paint job is very close to show quality. My friends in Albuquerque claim they can't touch the same level of quality for under $5K.
It's kinda like this: Competition sets the rules of the game....the more good shops there are, the lower the prices get. And generally speaking, you get what you pay for. A scuff and shoot at MAACO will run you about $300, but I seriously doubt you would like it. Fine for an old beater truck....not so great for a Corvette. A decent 10/10 paint job, figure on $1500-$2000. From there on, it all depends on how nice you want it to look. The more you pay, the pickier you can be.
It's kinda like this: Competition sets the rules of the game....the more good shops there are, the lower the prices get. And generally speaking, you get what you pay for. A scuff and shoot at MAACO will run you about $300, but I seriously doubt you would like it. Fine for an old beater truck....not so great for a Corvette. A decent 10/10 paint job, figure on $1500-$2000. From there on, it all depends on how nice you want it to look. The more you pay, the pickier you can be.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 17,551
Likes: 26
From: El Paso Texas
Actually, speaking of MAACO specials, my wife's daily driver is a 96 F150. We bought the truck new, but 8 years of the Texas sun had done a number on the paint. We work the truck on our property in the mountains hauling wood, hauing dirt, pulling stumps, etc...so we didn't want to spend a bunch to have it painted. Here's what $650 at MAACO bought us.
Looks great from 10' or 10 MPH, and looks one hell of a lot better than it did. The main issue with MAACO is their masking....or lack thereof.
I wouldn't take my Vette there, but they do excellent beater jobs.
Decide exactly how you want your car to look, and what the maximum is that you can afford to pay to make it look that way. Strike a balance between price and quality that suits you best.
And most importantly, get LOTS of estimates.
Looks great from 10' or 10 MPH, and looks one hell of a lot better than it did. The main issue with MAACO is their masking....or lack thereof.
I wouldn't take my Vette there, but they do excellent beater jobs.
Decide exactly how you want your car to look, and what the maximum is that you can afford to pay to make it look that way. Strike a balance between price and quality that suits you best.
And most importantly, get LOTS of estimates.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,179
Likes: 673
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Originally Posted by Strick
The mirrors are fun too.
-JRC-
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,700
Likes: 298
From: Ft. Lauderdale Fl
Speaking of Maaco
My wife drives a new Lexus that is leased and was keyed all the way around. Maaco repainted the entire car for $850.00. Can't tell that it was repainted. I'm sure it was the first Lexus they ever painted and wanted to do a job on it.
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Soulsbyville CA
I'm getting my 84 painted on sunday this wekkend. a friend of mine who does bad paint work is giving me a deal. 300$. thats it. i have to pay for the paint, hardener, clear coat, all that fun stuff but i know he does a good job. If you know someone that does excellent paint work you might want to hit emm up.It's easy to find people to paint your car up in soulsbyville where i live. were all redneck. and all we do is work on cars. and go to work. lol.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: berwick pennsylvania
just went the the repaint process here in pa.job total was 6800
dollars thats was stripped down had all stress cracks fixed some
new weatherstripping minor nose repair and had the whole car wet sanded extensively to a glass finish for the shows. i have all the pics in my yahoo group feel free to join and post as you like, my pics are located in the chris's pics folder.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/CORVETTE_LOVERS/
dollars thats was stripped down had all stress cracks fixed some
new weatherstripping minor nose repair and had the whole car wet sanded extensively to a glass finish for the shows. i have all the pics in my yahoo group feel free to join and post as you like, my pics are located in the chris's pics folder.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/CORVETTE_LOVERS/
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Soddy Daisy TN
A very reputable painter in my town is going to paint my 85 for $2,500. Same color, red. He will remove the doors and block sand them to get them really straight. He will remove the hood also and work it out. It won't be a "best paint" car but it will be nice. That sounds pretty reasonable to me.
