C1 Paint Job - Price Range

[Joe M.]

I would like to know what a good quality paint job would cost for my 1960. I realize until it is stripped, no way to determine what is underneath the glass that will need to be repaired. Assume base coat/clear coat application and minimum repairs. I would like two pricing scenarios:

1) I remove all bumpers, grill, mirror, s/s moldings, strip paint down to gel coat.

2) Turnkey job; paint shop does it all.

[Domenic T.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

Joe,
The price is all over the place so I can't help there but vettes don't have gel coats the resin is squeezed out with a outer and inner mold for strength.

Liquid stripper should be avoided because it will get trapped in a small place and come out and bite your new paint.

BC/CC can cost as much as 600.00 + a gallon.

Epoxy primer is about 100.00 a gallon and is a must with old glass.

I have about 1,000.00 tied up in material to paint my 67 so it will last and I'm not done.

DOM

[Joe M.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

How many gallons does it take to prime the body?
Approx. gallons to paint color coat(s)?

[Edward S.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

Joe,
Been a long time since I priced paint jobs - but I have heard that at least in the New York area many pro. painters do not allow owners to do alot of the prep work in terms of stripping it down,etc.. If down the road the paint goes bad it prevents alot of "he said, she said" it's just my opinion I think I would like the painter to "own" the entire job. Here in the tri-state
I hear now a quality job goes for $12,000 to $20,000 and that does not include alot of body work. Good luck.

[Russ S.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

How many gallons does it take to prime the body?
Approx. gallons to paint color coat(s)?

One gallon of paint. up to a two gallons of primer depending on the procedure used to prepare the body for paint.

Cost turn key if there is considerable fiberglass repair can get as high as 18000 if you are talking about a body off paint job. If body on I would guess in the ball park of 12-14000 again depending on glass condition. It seems on most of these age cars that there are plenty of small cracks to repair.

[Jacob A.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

A lot of great info here already written.

I pulled my own body and stripped 90% of the paint on my 57 myself with a razor blade and sandpaper. Waited 6 months for an appointment to bring the naked body in for a $10,000 paint job to a highly recommended place that would include mounting it to the finished chassis and repairing some old incorrectly done body work. I dropped the Corvette at the body shop on a Thursday and he watched the Barrett Jackson auctions in Scottsdale all weekend. He called me on Monday morning and told me 20 grand plus supplies and it could be worse! I pulled the car out of his shop, and waited 4 months to get it into another highly recommended shop.

At shop #2, I was promised 10 grand for the same amount of work and it would be done in 4 months. He told me that he had done 12 other 57's and no matter what, it could be done for 10 grand. 4 months later the new guy has me drop the naked body off at a blaster of his choice to remove some paint in the jams and a little in the interior that I couldn't get to. The blaster made swiss cheese out of a good portion of my Corvette, as he thought the bare fiberglass was paint on metal! I told the painter we should sue the blaster, but he didn't want to and long story short.... it took him 4.5 YEARS to do the bodywork and paint my Corvette!
I was charged 13 grand for paint and 2 grand for some assembly! He claimed had I given him the car before I took it apart, it would have been easier for him.

Along the way I have called several other shops and the basic rate for a super show quality paint job on a Corvette is 10-12 grand, but let's not forget (from what I understand) these cars hardly ever came from the factory with anything close to a show quality type paint job!

Whatever you do, make sure you get a CONTRACT!!!

AND

Take LOTS of pictures, or have your shop take lots of pics before, during and after any bodywork or paintwork is done!

[Alexander C.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

drop the naked body off at a blaster of his choice to remove some paint in the jams and a little in the interior that I couldn't get to. The blaster made swiss cheese out of a good portion of my Corvette, as he thought the bare fiberglass was paint on metal! I told the painter we should sue the blaster, but he didn't want to

Holy crap, I would have sued them BOTH! and I've never sued anyone over anything before!

Sorry about your luck, it sure does look good now though!

[Bill L.]

Re: C1 Paint Job - Price Range

Mine is not a C1 but I did recently have my C3 completely stripped and painted.

Make sure you get references and see some of the cars the shop painted in person. Make sure you can come and go as you please to check on progress. A reputable shop should have no problem as they know how we feel about our corvettes.

Have a contract as stated. Understand the difference between NCRS/factory type paint job versus a show quality paint job. The factory paint jobs were pretty mediocre so make sure you will be satisfied spending $10-$20k with dull jambs and other areas the factory did not buff.

I ended up spending about $14k on paint job when all was said and done. I delivered it with almost no interior other than seat, front dash and steering wheel. They disassembled and reassembled body.Body on not body off. If yours needs extensive crack or other body repair work most shops charge $65.00/hour for fiberglass work.

I tried to go cheaper once and it was a big mistake. You generally get what you pay for.

Have fun


Bill