Cost of decent paint job
 

After seeing the photos of C-1's and C-2's on the other thread, I'm thinking of having my 62 repainted. It's 97% original paint with all the touch-ups and typical paint cracks to substantiate it, making it a good 20 footer. I haven't been around classics for decades so was wondering what does a decent paint job cost these days? I know it can all depends on what level of strip and paint the shop would do, but I would appreciate and comments that give me a price range to consider.

Butch

Paint
 

you opened a can of worms. Prices vary. I would suggest taking it around to some of the body shops also talk to anyone who has done the job and get a good referral from there figure out what you need to do or spend to do.

For a "decent" job, materials will be around $2K. Been awhile since I had one painted so prices could have risen. You did say "decent" and not a show job, didn't you?

Materials are basically a fixed cost. The "variables" will vary wildly and so will the price.

Go to a shop you trust and get an estimate based on your expectations.

Original paint, even with some patina, isn't such a bad thing. I would even consider keeping it the way it is. Maybe a good buffing and polish. But if you decide to paint it, $20,000 is a pretty fair ballpark figure in my neck of the woods.

If you can do some of the prep work yourself, you will save alot of money.

Well.....here we go again.

Pat

YEP! How high is high.

Back during the recession I took my split window to a shop and got a deal because they were trying to keep open....$10,000......

30 footer $$ - Show Car $$$$$$

Your local Chevy Car Dealer will be cheaper, but the Professional Restoration Shops will cost a lot more and will do a much better job.

I was reading this and thinking 2K for materials was too high but it's not. I do my own paint so I went and dug up some receipts. I know every time I come back from the paint shop I am bitching about the prices. I only found a couple but came up with $50 for a PINT of basecoat, plain old basecoat reducer was $85 a gallon, and clearcoat activator was $25 a pint. Now think about 2 gallons or so of 2k primer + activator, body fillers, a gallon probably more of basecoat + reducer, then a gallon or more of clearcoat and activators. Yep probably right. Good luck

Strip it your self it is a lot of fun! You should be abel to buy materials for under two grand! If you have a garage you can turn it into a paint booth. You should have two guns one for primer and one for finish. The only problem if you are using base coat clear coat is you need heat for the clear. May be you can rent a booth for that. I would use PPg for they have videos you can review to help you in your challenge. Good Luck!

Don’t forget fiberglass repair. My 64 had about 20 small cracks that needed fixing.

Also, any good painter won’t let you do ANY prep other than disassembly.

Also, most painters don’t dig it when somebody says “decent” or “driver” paint job because the customer end up with “show car” expectations.

Budget $15-25k

Sorry, didn't mean to ask a stupid question or open and old wound by asking "how long is a piece of string", but I did get the answer I was looking for.........which is very expensive. I need to try the buff and polish route 1st, as suggested by Capevetts, as I can do a lot to this car for $20K. Wow! Prices have certainly changed in the past few decades.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback!!!

Butch

Well, you can do a lot for your car for $4-$5K, too. Don't let these high dollar guys scare you off.

Best thing in my book is to do the best you can with your original paint. Cheapest and most desirable to many.

The base coat paint on my blue car (lots of pearl) was $1600 for a gallon (cost, not marked up) in 2008.

Total cost out the door was about $8500, which included about $1500 of body work, fixing stress cracks and stuff. I did all the R&R of chrome, trim, and interior.

Note how straight the body is. Yes, its show car paint. :)

Doug

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You did not ask a stupid question at all. It’s a very reasonable question for anyone considering paint, especially in your case where your specific question was regarding having a shop doing it and what sort of costs you could expect, rather than DIY.

It’s just that this question has resulted in a lot of conflict in the past. It happens. Keep asking questions regardless. :thumbs:

The best thing to do is to just fork over a blank check to the painter you choose. (and then be prepared to wait for god only knows how long for them to actually finish the job) Most painters won't touch a car that they don't do all of the prep work on so you can't save anything there. IMO some of these guys have a license to steal..they don't want you to do prep work, they force a show quality job on you under the guise that you really don't want a driver type job. (little did you know that the only paint job avaiable for a vintage Vette is a show quality one lol) There's a lot of other bs that goes with getting your Vette painted that I won't go into but to actually answer your question in my neck of the woods it'll cost you $20,000.00 to $25,000.00 minimum to get your car painted and then be ready to not see it for a year!

I'm glad to say that I'm not in the market to have my cars painted or my pocket picked.


I know this doesn't fit your situation but the very best advice I can give people when considering purchasing a vintage Vette is to buy one that has recently been painted by the previous owner..it'll save you plenty in more ways than one.

20K for a paint job is crazy. All they are doing is opening a can of paint and spraying it. Shop around. You can get great jobs for under 10K. Unless you live in the state of nuts, CA.

If that was all they were doing you would be correct....but that isn’t all. Sanding, sanding and more sanding before paint after each coat of clear....you want it right? You got to pay unless you can do it yourself.....but sanding and more sanding costs.....