$10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

[Joe D.]

I have a 1961 2x4 245hp. I am presently stripping the car and I am looking around for a paint shop. I have two shops that want $10,000.00 to paint the car and two shops that want $5,000.00 to paint the car. The $10,000.00 shops specialize in Corvettes. Needless to say the $5,000.00 shops do not specialize in Corvettes. My budget is in the $5,000.00 range. Should I pospone the paint job until I save the $10,000.00? I am not planning on showing the car, but I do want the car to look nice. I wanted to know what someone else would do. Thanks for the input. Joe DeLuca #37862

[Patrick H.]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

I'd get a DETAILED estimate of what each one would do to the car. Make sure they inspect it in person, and give you a very detailed and thorough overview of what you are spending your money on. Have them describe EXACTLY what it is that you are buying, since you won't be able to see it until it's done.

Then, place your estimates side by side. Is the $5000 guy missing something? Does the 10,000 guy think that body work will take twice as long? You will likely find your answer here. The Corvette guy may also be busy enough that he wants to charge 2x as much, or thinks his reputation is worth it. Also, are they using BC/CC or enamel or laquer or ?

All of these factor into your price.

Patrick

[Kenneth G.]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

this topic has been spoken on quite a lot in the past. $10K might sound like a lot but it depends on what part of the counrty you are in since prices vary by location. I live in the nyc area and had a reputable "vette only" shop do my 69 and they charged me $8K for a base/cc paint job (the actual contract i signed for the job was several years ago, not sure what the price is today but it might now be in the 10K range). The paint is FLAWLESS and , in my opinion, well worth it since , again , for ME, a paint job makes or breaks a car. I also go by the saying "you get what you pay for". Paint jobs are not something i look to cheap out on, as what really makes a GREAT paint job is the work and effort that goes into the prep BEFORE the paint is sprayed ( block sanding, priming, quality materials etc). This involves much labor that cant be done cheaply. My advice would be to look at PAST, RECENT work the shops have done, ask questions of owners of these cars and judge for yourself. This is probably the best way to decide. If someone asked me about the shop i used , i would highly recommend them even though i payed a "high" price (relatively speaking)

Kenny #31871 owner of a 69 with non ncrs correct paint job.............

[Ed Jennings]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

$5K is more than plenty to paint a car and do a very nice job. Especially if you have already stripped the car. The extra $5K the Corvette shop is charging is because they deal with Corvette owners on a constant basis. You say you want the car to look "nice". Do you actually mean "better than factory perfect"? This is what most Vette owners want. This kind of work is very demanding and despite very carefull prep work, the car may have spots that have to be redone. The Corvette shop is factoring this in. If you can live with the "nice" job, go the $5K route. Where you run into problems is the $10K expectations on a $5K budget.

A few weeks ago, my production shop painted a 59 Vette and a 57 T-Bird, both in BC/CC. Neither one was perfect, but both looked "real nice". The Vette's bill was about $2500 and the little bird's tab was about $3K. Both owners were very pleased with the cars. Both also knew that they could have spent $10-15k on the "better than factory perfect" job, but that wasn't what they wanted.

Look at several cars done by both shops. Look very carefully and be critical. That's how you would look when you pick up your own car. Decide if you can live with the $5k job or if you gotta have the $10k job.

[Mike G.]

Ed, you need to get a car transport truck

and bring it to Los Angeles! You'll be bringing truckloads back and forth non stop at those prices!

I'm curious though if for a $2,500 '59 Vette paint job, did the windshield or bumpers come off, or were they masked? What other compromises were made to keep the price so low?

- Mike Greene

[Verle R.]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

When paying that much for a paint job you expect it to last. Ask for references of cars painted over a year ago. That gives time for repair work to shrink if it is going to and will show throught the paint. Go take a very careful, critical look at some of those cars. If they still look good you have an indication of the quality of work performed.

Another thing....it takes time to do quality preparation work. Any body work must be allowed to cure and shrink before the paint is applied or it will show up later, much to your dismay.

I would be wary of a shop that promised (and delivered) a quick paint job.

Verle

[Ed Jennings]

Re: Ed, you need to get a car transport truck

Mike, I'm gonna pass on the Vette painting business. The customers are too durn picky. As for the 59, I left the windshield on, but everything else came off. As to compromises, for one , the vehicle was not stripped. The existing paint was in fairly good shape, but there were a lot of stress cracks and other body work needed. It was borderline as far as stripping went, probably would have been a better job overall, but would have also added an extra $1000 or more to the job. The owner wasn't looking for perfection, just nice enough to go to the local cruise in and look good.

[Jack Layton]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

I would strip the car to the primer and block sand the primer to bare glass. Take the car apart, interior out . leave the windshield in. Then take the car around to see what the estimates are. Any needed body work will be obvious. If a guy wants $10K to start from that point and complete the painting then move to the next guy ! Pay the painter to paint. You can do the dirty nasty prep work yourself . Hint: Drill two (2) 1/8" holes in each door hinge prior to dissasembly. Right through the hinges and the shims. When it comes time to reassemble, the 1/8" holes will be the locater pin holes when you insert the 1/8" drill bits. Buy 4 new tungsten drill bits before you begin.

[Bill W.]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

The actual cost of materials for a good paint job is about $1000.00. Everything else is labor. If you have the car stripped there should be no surprises. Make sure the shop you pick has fiberglass experience. Agree in advance what the shop owner is going to do and what you expect. Keep in mind there is a big differance between a paint job and a restoration. A good Corvette "paint job"will take about 2 months allowing plenty of dry time. A restoration can take a year. Paint jobs can run from 2000 up to ?????. Remember what makes a GOOD paint job is "the guy doing the work", NOT the amount you are paying. Insist that only one person work on your car. and you talk to that person & explain what you want. A body man will do a better job if he has a face and a name that goes with the car and not just a job and a ticket..ask for references and look at work in progress. Ask about warranties. Stop in about once a week to check progress, We (bodymen ) all like donuts.DONT be a pest,Dont let your car be a fill in job. Dont let the money make your decision. Good luck......... Bill P>S> stress to the shop you want your old bolts used in the right places not new shinny ones.

[Steve G.]

How about 5 X that....?

I went to the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Los Angeles this Summer.... spoke to a guy with a beautiful silver '69 big-block roadster.... he said his paint was $50,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The explanation was that it was done by "Junior's House of Color" (as in, the paint they sell) and "everyone" in the area knows how much his paint jobs are worth!!!
The car was gorgeous, but $50k? Insane.

[Bill W.]

Re: How about 5 X that....?

Kind of like million dollar paintings,50,000 dollars for old stamps or coins ? Some people like to pay too much so they can show every one how much money they wasted. Paint still costs x amount per gallon and labor is x amount per hour. Painters at our shop make about 22.00 an hour labor is 48.00 materials 26.00 per paint hour .It still comes down to the painters skill level . I'm like Earl Shibb I will paint any car for $50,000..(masking ,dents,cracks & scratches extra)90 day guarantee....Bill

[Joe C.]

Joe. I'm Not Sure Where You Live, But..........

I had mine painted flawlessly at $40.00/hr. Legitimate total was a little more than $6000.00. Body was on a dolly. I stripped the paint. Body was completely disassembled (by myself). The coachworks did EXTENSIVE bodywork, which included attaching new panels, paint, and body drop for the above price. I reassembled the car after delivery.

Joe

[Dave Christensen]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

Basically, you will get what you pay for, if you are lucky. Look at the work that each shop has done and decide what level you want. To some extent, it depends how much body work needs to be done on the car. My feeling is that anything over $5K probably has dimenshing returns. I spent $4500 in So. Cal. for the paint on my 56 and won first place in my class plus peoples choice award at the Huntington Beach Concourse this year. It is far from perfect, but looks pretty good to most people.

If $5K is your budget, you should be able to get a very nice, not perfect, paint job. If you want the "perfect" paint job for your trailer queen, go down to Bell Gardens and talk to Junior to see if he will consider painting your car.

Thats my $.02 on this subject.

Dave Christensen

[Dick W.]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB?

Yer gits what yer pay fer!. The last paint job that I did, I kept up with every sheet of sandpaper, roll of tape, paper, primer, paint, thinner, material to clean gun, etc. It was over 1,800 smackeroos. And this was fer white paint (single stage) fer yer laquerheads. Granted that we used premium materials as recommended by my PPG rep, but several years later the car looks just like it was painted yesterday. To remove doors, moldings, bumpers, etc as should be done, strip the car, seal, prime, block the car, prime, seal again, and reinstall all the removed parts, 10K is not unreasonable. Hard to swallow, but as I said Yer gits what yer pay fer.

[roy braatz]

Re: $10,000.00 PAINT JOB What????

Would that mean a $20,000 paint job is then better then the $10,000?
or a $30,000 is better yet then the $20,000 ( if you get what you pay for)or can it come down to WHO may do the work , say in SMALL town USA some guy or gal can paint just as good for fare less.