GARYFINN

Whats a BALLPARK cost for painting a Coupe with a Quality Paint Job ??

I was thinking 8K am I close ???

blue by you

I think you can find someone to do a good job for that, pricing all depends on how much work is needed

Prostreeter1

10 to 14k....that's if there is no body work that needs addressed such as cracks, stress marks, etc.

Easy Mike

That depends on where you are and who will be doing the work. Contact a couple or three shops and get estimates.

John 65

All about the condition of the body and the prep work needed to get it ready for paint.

My club is painting a 66, we talked to a local shop and was told a minimum of 7k.

car junkie

You would need to specify what you consider to be a "quality paint job"

On occasion some cars do not need the paint completely stripped off, a good sanding and sealing might be enough. On an old car this would only be the case if the car was previously stripped and painted properly in the not to distant past.

Are you changing colors?

How straight do you expect it to be? Old vette's are really wavy = entire skim coats of body filler, spray poly, high build primers. All this eats up the labor hours like you can't believe.

Repairs needed, hidden poor repairs. There are so many variables that can change the final cost dramatically so even looking at the car and what it needs is extremely difficult.

In any case painting a car is insanely expensive these days and you probably would be wise to expect the worst if you have visions of perfection.

Dynra Rockets

About 5 years ago I was getting quotes for a paint job (not the Corvette) and I was having a hard time finding anyone willing to do it. I had already done the prep work and primer with an ancient 90 psi spray gun bought at a garage sale I had used years ago to seal my wood fence with Thompsons deck sealer. None of the collision places wanted to touch it and hotrod/custom shops were quoting me $10-16k

Out of desperation (I was up against a time line) I bought a $29 Harbor freight HVLP gun, $150 worth of single stage Acrylic enamel catalyst paint/reducer/hardener from my local SherwinWilliams retail store. Set up a downdraft "paint booth" in my garage with plastic sheeting and a box fan, wet the floors and started spraying. I had never painted color on a car before. Other than some mild orange peel (very factory like) it came out acceptable. While I will still try and get a shop to paint my Corvette when it needs it, I am now not afraid to do it myself if necessary.

R

derekderek

done a few. used to joke to the paint guy that i can make a 500 dollar POS look like a THOUSAND bucks...a guy on here converted his coupe to a vert and painted it himself with yellow rustoleum. came out pretty good too...

car junkie

Problem is it takes the determined DIYer a few cars to get really good at it, along with a slavish devotion for the pursuit of perfection. Not to mention a devoted shop space.

Last Vette I did,1970, required about 150 separate resin mixtures to go after every stress crack and flaw in the body work of what seemed like a really great candidate to start with. I know this by how many dixie cups I used. How many shops would do this? I do my own work for two reasons, one, I don't trust anyone, experience, two, I have more time than money, 3 - 4k in material costs alone these days!

I'll be starting on my 59 this spring, nice car but god damn it's wavy even though unhit.

raydog9379

I paid around $6,400 in 2005, that included replacing the bonding strips, repairing the front bumper, and adding the Silv. Anny striping that I supplied, and installing new weatherstripping (I supplied).

Place had 2 other Vette's in there (1 was a 63) and an Aston Martin. Guy said he gave me a deal and not to tell anyone. I was 25 and almost had a heart attack, but later realized that it was a deal. Went to several other body shops for estimates. Many wouldn't touch it because of the fiberglass work, and had another give me a crazy quote for almost double what I bought the car for.

Outside of a couple small chips, and the 2-3 minuscule cracks in the rear bumperette from my 4 year old hitting it with his power wheels (uggggh), it's a 6 inch to 1 footer and looks like glass almost 13 years later. Want to get those couple chips taken care of and the small cracks from my son, so will probably go back to them next spring.

Torqued Off

Its shop rate times hours required. I was directly involved and witnessed most of the strip, prep, bodywork and paint on my 77. Fortunately my car body was in great shape with only one spot on passenger door that needed work. Getting the Truflex bumpers molded in correctly took LOTS of labor. And, I was very particular about all peak lines, door gaps, etc. You are going to pay over $10K for that much work, and it could easily be $15K if a lot of extra work is required.

Again....people always talk about inexpensive paint jobs, but when you witness the amount of labor to get a quality job, you understand. IF you are paying a professional, there is no way you are getting a good job under $8000.....and that would be minimum. Hell, the paint products alone add up to a lot of money, trying pricing gallons of two part urethanes, not to mention body filler, primer, supplies etc.

There is no free lunch. People who say otherwise are not adding up the costs, OR are simply satisfied with less than quality work.

MuskieAL

My re-paint was $19,200. $3500 just in materials. Took them many, many months in just the prep work, before they were ready to lay down the paint. They said the prep work is so crucial for a long lasting quality paint job. Hats off to the guy's here who done this them selves.

71 Vert LS1

I don't know if the shop you select will allow it but I'm in the middle of having my 68 C10 painted. My shop is "letting" me do all the block sanding under their supervision. I've never done any body work. I did all the stripping of the old paint off so we started out with all bare clean no rust metal.

Will all the old paint on your car need to be stripped off?

First a skim coat of body filler to correct the minor waves in the sheet metal. I think you would have to do the same for your car. Then sanding primer first coat sanded with 180. Second coat sanded with 320. Then all the wet sanding and buffing after the paint is applied. Tons man hours.

It's hard dusty work. What's really annoying is when I think it looks good the shop owner comes over and tells me to keep sanding.

Depending on the color I would budget for at least $2000 in materials alone.

I think $8000 is light for a show quality paint job. The other thing is having a firm time line for completion. Paint jail is no fun. If your shop is mainly a collision shop your car could take the back seat unless your are paying their normal shop rate.

I'm paying the shop in stages per their suggestion. First level is when all the skim coat priming is done. Next after the primer sanding and ready for paint. Then the final payment after wet sanding and buffing.

Good luck with your project.

BLUE1972

My friends 67 coupe cost 25k. + weather striping and new decals/ insignia's. Marina Blue, side pipes, 327/300hp. Base coat/clear coat.

An original no hit car with original paint on it. Very few stress cracks - just typical at the headlights.

Here on Long Island the costs are out of sight.

tokim

Like anything, if you have the skills, ambition, tools, etc. there is money to be saved, and a lot of pride to be gained.
I've painted at least a half dozen cars at home (one was my '73 Corvette), prices at a fraction of what is being talked about here.
Quality definitely comes into play. At home paint jobs vs professional quality controlled environment, with top of the line spray guns, and the very best products obviously will produce a better end result.
How good were the paint jobs from the factory?
Is it really so important to over restore these cars?
The choice is for each individual owner to decide.
My concern is that every time on this site someone asks "how much for a paint job?", the pat answer always seems to be between $8K and $15K, keep in mind there are always choices.

leadfoot4

You shot "car paint" after using the spray gun to apply wood sealer???

Dynra Rockets

Yes, it was cleaned out like you clean out any spray gun after use. There was also about a 10 year span between the fence sealer and car paint.

Alex66

What would be the Price for the "same" Quality paint Job with everything as is for a $10 000 paint Job on the fiberglass car, if the Corvette would be a sheetmetal car like a Camaro for example? What makes it so madly expensive? Is it the Fiberglass prep work?

Gold Dragon

Seems like the word Corvette will just about double the cost of anything, including paint & body. Strangely enough, a Corvette is one of the smallest cars to paint. Painting a Vette is straightforward and not much different than other vehicles. The body and prep work is not. This is the expensive part.
I purchased my paint and materials for under a grand, and probably overspent. Using House of Kolor, I want the final product to be jaw dropping. I will be painting the Vette myself, and expect to spend about two months of my time. In the end I will have about 3 grand in time and materials, with a finish second to none.

Torqued Off

I doubt it....unless you are a professional painter by trade. You might be happy with it, but no $3000 job = high quality professional Corvette paint job....again....unless you are a professional painter. But, if you do, good for you. Not everyone has the skills. Bodywork on a fiberglass car takes talent, its much easier to introduce waves, sand off peak lines, etc. Its more than just bolting parts together.....most people believe its an art.