I am in the process of getting my 69 GS 350 4sd painted, and there are basicly two options that I have come up with. First, is the 5 footer paint job that I had on my other 68 GS 400 and it was a two stage paint job that had a number of imperfections like thin paint on the rockers, poor body work, and no attention to detail,but looked good from 5 feet,and cost $900.00 and took him 2 weeks!! I sold that car for $12,500.00 with that paint job! The other option is the "show" quality paint job by the same painter that painted a friends 69 Z28, and this is the type that I could take to any show and be very proud to have, the quality is near perfect and the body work is impeccable with no imperfections at all! This paint job is $5500.00 and will take him about 5 weeks. I have about 10K in the car already with everything else paid for, but if I go with the show quality paint will it put me over the value of the car? The major reason I got rid of my other car was because I was unhappy with the paint, but I am also worried about getting out of this car close to what I have in it. But if it turns out really nice I might keep it awhile. It is all original with numbers matching motor and trans. Oh yeah, just as an example of how I have done this car different than the other one is that I just spent $500.00 on the original shifter being rebuillt with NOS shifter rods and rechromed shift lever ect. Thanks for you input :beer . Oh yeah. 68 5 footer is pictured below and 69 GS 350 is avitar
I would say if you are looking to sell it that you do so before you paint it. I would rather buy a car with old paint than to buy one with bad new paint. If you want to keep it a while you should go with the good paint job and consider the fact that our cars may be going up in value. What are your plans for it? Driver, show car, racer? That could make a difference too. As somebody once said here, "If you can't afford to do it right the first time you probably can't afford to do it wrong twice". Another way to look at it is to consider what modern car you could buy for 15k and how much it'll bring you in resale three years from now.
Paint job Thanks for your input Dick, I forgot to add, that It will be used as a driver/ show car not a racer. :TU:
Keep in mind that 99% of the cars out there are depreciating rapidly. Do not consider the paint job as an investment. Do it because you want to, and you can, then enjoy the car. You have already demonstrated to yourself that having the car "look" right is important. I say go for the good paint job. I am going to be WAAAAAY over the resale value of my car by the time JW is done with it. I am also going to get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it. That makes spending the money "worth it" to me. I didn't base it on what would happen if I sold the car, I would obviously lose my shorts. Do what is going to be the most rewarding to you. If you go with the cheapo job, you will always wish you did it right. I DID go the cheapo route on my engine and trans. I spent a bunch of cash only to be dissappointed. Now I am doing it right and I know I will be MUCH happier with my toy when it is done, and done well.
middle of the road How about finding some thing in the middle. I paid about $3k for the paint on my car and while it's not "show quality" it looks darn good. There was a good amount of body work involved too. Or can you get a better level of work from the "cheap" guy? It's not too hard to improve on thin rocker coverage and bugs in the paint. If the guy has the equipment, maybe he can spend a little more time and do a better job. I think $5500 is a lot for a paint job, but not out of line from what I hear nowadays. Remember though, that new paint is only "new" until the first door ding. Also, what if you spend the dough and are not happy with the "show quality" paint? I guess I'm just cheap:laugh: but I say try to get the best value for your money. If you still have the car in 15 years and it's worth a million bucks, you can always paint it again!
Paint ? Thanks Brent & John, Brent , yes the last time I had the cheep paint I spent the whole time complaing about the level of quality and was unhappy driving the car. John, I have looked for the middle job as 3k is more in line with my budget. My investigations have led me to believe that most painters charge by the quality they are able to produce, I offered the cheep guy more money to take more time but he is unable to produce a better job. I doubt I will be unhappy with the show quality paint as I have seen his level of work but $5500.00 is alot of MONEY!!:jd:
David, I can sympathize with you, my car is currently being painted, I bit the bullet and went with the high quality job ($8500 for paint and body). If you have a keen eye for quality paint and body you will never be happy with a car that has less. I'll be into my car for at least $10k more than it's market value, but, it's exactly the car (and the color) that I want, done the way I want it, and I have no interest in selling it later. Just a question of how much it means to you.
Paint.... Thanks Len, Yes I am the kind of guy that I would spend alot more on the paint and body/interior than anything else. This car is very close to what I want, 4speed/color combo, year, originality ect. i:beer
