I have $1000 in material alone and that's my cost... And labor is free so I'd say your looking at $3000 on the cheap side

 

I would agree with this.

The problem with paint work is all the variables, and peoples interpretations.

For instance you say you dont want a show car, but no earl schieb.

What exactly does that mean to you? What is your definition of a show car?

Are you looking for an OEM finish, smooth as glass? No tape lines, etc,etc?

Secondly is the amount of bodywork required is a huge variable for cost. Cars that are straight dont need filler and primer work, cars that have dings/dents take time to make them straight.

Material will also play a huge roll in cost. Some material is more than others, you typically get what you pay for. Color will also play a factor in cost. Some colors are more expensive than others

Also how you go about it will play a factor in cost. What I mean by that is are you going to have the shop do all the R&I's (Removal and Install) of the bumpers, trim, locks, lights,etc? Or do you want them to just mask them off?

The body style will be a variable. There are way more parts for a 87-up GT vs an LX. Convertibles have more trim to remove,etc.

If you're paying a shop start to finish, you'll be in the range of $2500-10,000 depending on what you start with and how nice you want it. Realistically $4500-$6500 is probably where it would fall if you are having them do the R&I's and making it an OEM finish.

 

I'd rather be upset about spending an extra thousand dollars than be upset about tape lines, dirt, and over spray.

 

A couple things...

Paint is highly dependent on the area you live in, too. Some places seem to be cheap, and some really expensive, so I certainly would just make some phone calls to as many local body shops as you can and get a price range.

Second, if you are really budget conscious you should consider doing as much prep work as you can. Paying the body shop to remove tail lights and quarter windows is not a good way to spend your money if you are at all mechanically inclined.

The way I would approach this is to first call around and get prices. Check out the ones who sound reasonable. Go see their work, try and see if you can find anyone who has dealt with them (hard to do, but if you can...) and ask them how long they expect for the vehicle to be down. The last one is important for the simple fact of some horror stories about cars being laid up for months waiting for paint. If the time sounds excessive, you should consider a different shop - some small places have been known to float money and generally be a PITA to work with.

Once you have decided that the shop is of decent quality, then you can negotiate the price. See what they will deduct if you do the prep work, make sure that they understand exactly what you are looking for in the job. When you are inspecting their work, make note of the finish work on the cars. Expect some variation based on what people spent, but you can get an idea of what you want yours to look like. If the cheap job looks too cheap, then save your pennies to go a little higher quality.

Last thing - the warranties aren't always what people think. I would be leery of being sold too hard on the warranty, because it just seems like too often people end up online complaining that it isn't being honored. Opher is a body shop guy, he probably knows more about what the warranty is and isn't than I would.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I better start saving.


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I couldn't afford a new paint job (done right) so I had the car plasti dipped for $600. Get compliments everywhere and easy easy to clean. It's been done a month now.


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pics?
You did it yourself?

 

Covert Customs in Madison Alabama did it.

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Just got my car painted a little while ago. I, like most people am on a very tight budget since I had kids.

To save money I removed everything on the car. Glass, trim, doorhandles, everything. I hit it with a 2K primer and block sanded it myself and removed small imperfections.

The body shop had to do about 3 or 4 hours of body work to fix some damage that was out of my skill level and painted everything. Exterior, door jams, engine bay, trunk, roll cage and trunk.

Total bill was $2000 cash. The paint turned out amazing. And the owner let me come in one day when he was wet sanding a car to give me a crash course.

Thing looks like glass and total bill by time I paid towing, polisher and compounds was $2500 and have a nicer paint job then my wifes brand new car.

 

I just got my shell back from the painter a few weeks ago. All dents were removed and the car was completely blocked straight. I chose PPG concept single stage. Three coats with more clear progressively added to the color. Followed by wet sanding and then 4 stages of buffing/glazing. The engine bay and door frames were not rubbed out. I could not be happier. I'm $2,500 into the paint job at the moment. I plan to be below the $6,000 mark when it's all said and done.









The guys above are right. They more you can do yourself in terms of disassembly and reassembly, the more you will save. Most shops won't spray over an unknown product, so if you are attempting your own body work, consult the shop first. When I did the filler and primer in my engine bay, I bought the products directly from the painter. This way, he is spraying over product that he knows will work well together. Also, find a shop that is passionate about what they do and is proud of their work. A shop that treats your car as their own is a shop worth paying for.

 

ticketman2u - Won't let me see your ... says I pics - do not have permission to view???

raceoholic330 - Looks amazing!

 

DIY Sumitt paint kit, do it in your garage, $350.

 

I just a gallon of ppg deep impact blue for free from a guy here at work. It's gonna save me a crap ton of money now =]

 

my car is a driver and is a looks good for what I want and I paid 1200 for a maaco job. I pulled everything out of the car and did a little prep work on the body myself.

 

As someone said, it is area dependent. In Atlanta or Macon, a good job with very minor body work costs about $6000. In the small rural town I live near, I can get the same or better quality job with the same materials for $2500. This is because of labor costs and overhead. In big cities, they want to do insurance jobs. Around here, they sometimes have no cars to work on for a week or more so anything they make is OK at slow times. I just have to wait for a slow time.

 

Everyone above is right, I couldn't agree more the more you disassemble and prep yourself the more you will save. I'm currently in a project myself. I happen to have a good friend who is a paint and body guy but am still going to be paying a good amount but will be getting a lot in return. You could the very cheap route and dissassemble the basics (door window molding, tailights, mirrors, etc.) and do a cheap macco job for 400 bucks on the cheap cheap end. Like everyone else said it can go all the way up to 10k.