How much for a decent paint job? (1 Viewer)

[mochosla]

Hi guys. I've been thinking about painting my truck so I decided to go a shop today to get a quote and the guy tells me that it would cost 10 to 13K!! I mean, I know it is a lot of work and I'm in Los Angeles but 13K? Or 4K for a 1 year warranty paint job. By the way, that is if I bring a hood in good shape so they don't have to fix mine. And anything they break they are not responsible for. How much are you paying for your paint jobs?

Thank you.

 

[wngrog]

$4,000.....that's about right on the low end. Depending on body work. I am a fan of original paint though. I say find a GOOD polisher and have them go to town on that paint. You will be amazed.......

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

it's all about prep time...3-4K for just prep and paint- without any rust repair or body work...it is easy to see that there will be more work done on mine, now that there is a consistent sheen on all the surfaces...

 

[Notch]

10-13K is a reasonable price for a mid-range paintjob with decent, but not excellent, prep work. You could easily spend $2500 on supplies and materials alone but a good paint job just takes a long time. Say you had $10,000 in labor. At $70/hr that only gets you about 143 hours.

 

[mochosla]

Well, I guess I underestimated the cost of painting the car. I have to decide what I want to do as I'm not spending that much cash on a paint job.

Thank you all.

 

[wngrog]

It is why Patina is the new rage

 

[wngrog]

Well, I guess I underestimated the cost of painting the car. I have to decide what I want to do as I'm not spending that much cash on a paint job.

Thank you all.

Polish is and rock out.

 

[SteveH]

You can also find semi-retired guys who work on smaller jobs and older cars. Ask around at hot rod shops and repair shops. Find a used car lot, and they will often have a connection to body guys who repaint bumpers for them. If you go to a full-on body shop, you will get high quotes like you are seeing. Also, with the 'little guys', they often want you to do some of the prep, which saves them hassle and saves you money.

 

[Willard]

Also depends on the body shop.
I have a 1970 Chevelle painted for 3k but I did all body work myself and then block sanded the whole car.
I am in the process of doing this with my FJ and as it will be off road, a 3k paint job is also in the works.

Try to do the prep yourself

 

[mobydick]

Anyone who spends 13K on a cruiser paint job......well, never mind. I think that was his way of telling you he didn't want to do it.

 

[mochosla]

Anyone who spends 13K on a cruiser paint job......well, never mind. I think that was his way of telling you he didn't want to do it.

You are probably right. I think I can go south of the border and get a $10,000 paint job for $3,000. Or, I will just leave it the way it is.

 

[Steve83]

I'm in the market for a decent factory-type paint job on a Bronco that I've stripped down to the most pieces possible without cutting metal, cleaned several times from all angles, painted the underbody, primer/sealed the minor surface rust, and have ready to begin "real" P&B work on.



The collision body shop in the town where I live told me $10-12K.

The shop that's currently re-painting all the cars in Elvis' warehouse told me $8-14K.

I'm still shopping around, but that seems to be the current price range for a decent job. I'm sure I could get some jack-leg to hose it down for a lot less, but that's not what I want. I'm jack-leg enough to do that myself for $400 in paint (like I did the beater Bronco that I drive now).

. .

But I want this next one to be "nice".

 

[2mountainfish]

Check out my build thread in my signature line. I did a vinyl wrap for about $1000 . It is not easy and will only last about 7 years if parked outside all the time, but looks good and you can do it yourself. Just an option. It does hold up well to bush scratches also.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Got the medium job at Maaco earlier this year for about $2400. It looks great, should last 5 years and prevents rust. All I needed.

 

[Spike Strip]

Yeah, what Drew said - Maaco in Van Nuys is supposed to be good, and around that price (under $5K I think) but yours doesn't look too bad and if you're going to be taking the rig off road at all, in the desert, you're going to get PIN STRIPES, so why bother? Spend the money on getting the rig road-worthy and straight and rust-proofed.

Now if your plans are just for skiing in Winter, well then, that's a different matter.

 

[dogfishlake]

There is a ton to consider for an old vehicle. A high end paint job today is base/clear and of far greater quality than the original single stage enamel. The problem is, the modern paint system is at the mercy of the fitness of the coatings underneath so it may need a complete strip to bare metal- getting more expensive.
I also think you should give polishing, touch up work, painless dent repair a chance. Money buys everything but the original factory paint. It is as unique as the rest of your 60 and will be appreciated by many, despite the few flaws.
Good luck either way.

 

[mochosla]

Actually, after some of the feedback, I decided to do a small hand polish in a couple of sections and I was surprised with the results. I may just buy a polisher and do a full buffing. The only issue is that the hood has some damage and there is nothing I can do about that other than having it fixed or replace the hood. BTW, I went to specter off road looking for a hood and they so happened to have one in my color but the price is just insane. $900!!! No freaking way.

 

[FishTown]

Take it to a detailed and spend about $1000. Your current paint is way better than the paint you'll get for a $5-10k job.

 

[dogfishlake]

My 60 had more stupid wrong color red spray paint spots than original paint. I stripped that stuff, had an enamel single stage color matched to my paint, polished the truck, then blended the new red on the spots cooked through by the sun. After it dried, I polished the entire thing (carefully, that paint is thin!). You can totally see the blend lines but it looks great from a few feet away. My hood and roof are too far gone so those will get painted with color matched single stage enamel to "fit in" with the original sort of shiny paint. One side is done and looking great.

 

[dogfishlake]

I left my $400 paint gun in the box and used this little sub $20 gem