I'm considering buying an old Buick that needs paint. It isn't rusty, but like any 40-year-old car, it has small spots, plus a few dings. Can anyone tell me what price range I should be willing to pay for a decent paint job? I don't mean show-quality, but it should look like a new car finish, with no drips or overspray.
I need more information. This dependes on how much work you do before the bodyshop gets it. If you remove most of the trim and antthing that needs to be removed and reinstall item instead of the bodyshop this will really change the price because time is money. Also location is a factor as well as where you go. I highly recommend asking tons of questions when chosing a bodyshop as far as reputation, workmanship, time frame, and how well they stand by there work. I would find someone that used a bodyshop and get a feel for the company. But back to for question, I would say in the $3500.00 range would be close for excellent work, AL.
Not sure about your area, but you won't get much for under $1500. It really depends on what you want. Taping things off is asking for peeling paint down the road. If it's done right, there isnt alot of extra work involved to go from a good paint job to show quality. Just a matter of color sanding and polish. And old faded paint hides tons of problems. I'd say a pretty nice job should run around the 2-3k mark
Seems like the paint jobs around here are harder to get . Not many want to do older cars . Also be careful what you do herew because a friend and I did the bodywork and primer on a 71 GS took it around to some shops to get it sprayed and they all said the same thing . They would have to sand off all the primer as it would not work with their paint . When we told them we bought the paint thinnner and primer from the same supplier that everyone around here uses then they said that they cannot use our paint . The materials are pretty much the same as far as I can tell . The palent of the painter in mixing and painting is most important . Knowing which reducer to use and having a smooth hand in application comes from experience . The car was painted dbby my buddy and turned out how you would expect a 20 footer .
If you told them it was a laquer primer, then I can see why. I would paint a prepped car if it was done in a 2K primer, but I don't use paint provided, unless it's what I already use. I would also let them know that if the prep causes the primer to lift or other problems, I cant be reponsible for it. It's a bit of a gamble for a shop to paint a prepped car. They probly think If your good enough to do proper prep, you should be good enough to do the spraying as well.
Darren we could go over and over this but it is easier to shoot primer than paint . I have primered many times in a garage with a wet floor and the door closed and no dirt gets intom the primer as it flashed quickly . But when trying to paint in a unsuitable enviroment the dirt and bugs always show up . I would love to bring you my 70 GS as it is a very straight car with little to no body work involved . too bad that you don't pick up cars . I don't have a trailer anymore so I would have to have it delivered . So for those of us that are not in the business , you are saying I should be able to get my completely dissassembled 70 GS with no rust and one small dent (black ) for around 3k ? Just come along with me on this . The car has been sititng in a garage since 1980 , it was dipped and primed . Even the core support is good . I do have NOS fenders that would need fitted so they match the hood ( I thought I would get that taken care of first) Would that price include all the panel fitting ?
John, Send me your email, and I will send you some photos of the work that Darren did for me. I can't seem to resize them otherwise I would post them here.
Primer is more forgiving than paint, yes. All Im saying is most shops would rather do the work from start to finish. I do prefer a car that is mostly dissasembled so I dont need to store all the trim, but need anything that will need test fitting to body work. And if it will be door jambs and all that, Fitting of the fenders would be part of the job. 1 to make sure they will fit to begin with prior to paint, and also the doors and stuff need to come off to paint the jambs and inside doors and fenders etc, where you cant paint when the car is put together
It's the potential "headache" factor that the painter's don't want to deal with....fear of the unknown. I can't blame them at all. That painted car is a big advertisement for the painter.....last thing he wants is something the owner put on there to start shrinking or reacting and making his paint look bad. Not every painter wants to flip the coin and shoot over someone else's work. I'm helping on a car right now that was purchased mid-restoration from the last owner. The body was "ready for paint", except for the QP's which had been replaced with NOS by a shop---they were still in e-coat. Car got blocked down a little to double check the prior shop's work......the car is now being stripped back to bare metal....fenders, doors, trunklid and hood. ou: From what we have found so far under this supposed "ready for paint" work..the current shop is very glad the decision was made to strip the car.
Black GS Ok here you go . It sounds like you might be able to help me . I decided to ad a pic or 2 for you to see and to assist in the understanding of what your wanting the car to look like . The door hinges have been drilled for location but not the hood or trunk lid . These pics are for basic condition . You would have to sand off the primer I am understanding . this car is a real creme puff and is the only GS I have ever had that I would try to paint black and its a original black car ! No chrome , windows , door handles, bumpers , weatherstriping, no undercoating either and the undeerside is already painted :Brow:
That looks very clean and straight. I would take that one on from what I can see, and yeah I'd do it for the 3K range.
Hey Duece and a quarter - let me throw some gas on the fire....IF the car is a run of the mill car and not worth alot, even when finished....try MACCO. I am not talking about a show car or a mega buck auction beauty, but a car that needs to be saved for not a lot of money. If the $3000+ paint job throws you off of the car and you are not that picky - notice I've got a bunch of "if's", try MACCO. Understand that each franchise is different and you may have two in the same town doing different levels of work, so check around. You can pay as little as $500 for a decent (taxi cab) paint job, not including any body work. - Bill
When do I drop it off Ok man when Do I drop it off ? Pm me with a number if you want to do this car and lets talk about it . You come highly recommended by Rick Henderson . I might have access to a trailer in Jan. John
Ok, not a bad idea but here is the most important part of this in my opinion. I worked at a Maaco right by my house for six months when I first started doing bodywork. 1. don't do this if there is major rust involved. 2. talk to the guys actually working on the car and ask them to hand block the car before painting. they usually DA everything and you get wavy gravy. give the guys some extra cash for doing this if possible. 3. ask that they paint your car at the end of the day and leave it in the booth overnight. Most of them have booths with a separate bake oven. The doors at the one I worked for had about three inches of crusty paint on them and every car that got baked got a coat of crud from those doors. The last car I worked on there was a 1973 camaro. It was a straight car with rallyes and a cowl hood and the tall rear three piece spoiler. I stayed late one night and used a long board and blocked that car by hand.. Then they painted it the next morning, the car was straight as hell and the metallic blue was laid out beautifully. BUT THEY BAKED IT. It had crust in the clear coat. All they had to do was sand it and reclear it but the ****ing preppers cut through the color and the painter was drunk the next day when he sprayed it so the thing had bad metallic layout. OH I WAS PISSED. This guy was a really good painter when sober but he had no driver's license and had warrants. A cop car came by one day and he jumped the back fence and took off. The cop wasn't there for him. :laugh: Oh yeah, one more thing. Most of the nice cars they ****ed up, the ones that nobody cared about usually looked awesome.
