ballpark figure for a paint job?

[WhalePirot]

you are not also investigating the underlying technical reasons people are charging these prices to begin with. You accept higher prices as part of the equation, and are just comparing who does the best job.

Perhaps it seems this way, but I have owned six Corvettes, now and have done extensive work on the mechanicals and the bodies. I know, to some extent, the whats and whys, perhaps in more detail than the avwerage Corvette owner.

The fiberglass (or derivative SMC) is unusual, therefore a shop will charge more, just on that basis. I prefer repairing 'glass' over metal, but such is not likely the case with your standard body man. Maybe this is why some feel that we're charged more just because it is a Corvette.

Another aspect is stripping the car. Too much paint begets cracks, as the panels flex. Alternatively, if chemical stripper gets past the paint to the 'glass', more work is involved to restore it, especially if any stripper is left within the fibers. Paint removal through sanding is expensive for the extensive labor. Previous repairs may be poor and hidden; not easily detected until the paint is removed.

I used the recommended and guaranteed insurance shop, but will not again. I was convinced to use them by the reputation of USAA, the lifetime guarantee and the plethora of new, if damaged, MBs and BMWs at the shop.

Live, and hopefully, learn.

 

[67AirCoupe]

Thanks for info. I suspect that he would "run into unforeseen problems", too, as soon as the car is in parts. I got into a real debate with an auto repair/restoration operation on another forum when I suggested that businesses which specialize in certain facets of auto repair (e.g., businesses which specialize in Corvette body and paint work) should know what problems they could encounter and be able to build that risk into a firm quote---none of this "$10K unless I 'run into unforeseen problems'" excuse for raising the already inflated price. My guess is that this guy who gave you the quote billed his operation as an expert service with much experience. However, once he ran into an issue you would get a call at work with the suddenly "unforeseen" problem.

/s/ Chris Kennedy

Chris, I was hoping to get my 67 painted this year however I think I'm going to put it off until next year. I talked to several shops about painting my car and was shocked at how much they want. I am the second owner of this car and have had it for 21 years and it has a virgin body with one strip and repaint in the late 70's by the original owner. You are right I talked to a couple of Corvette shops her in L.A. California and even after telling them I wanted a good driver quality paint job [not show quality] I was still surprised at the estimate. I hate to think what the price would have been if I had asked for a "show quality" job. I'll just have to survive with my 10 footer until later.

 

[BarryK]

don't know if this helps or not but.......

my '65 has been in the bodyshop/paintshop since Sept and almost done. Orginally the plan was just to repair a few chips and a blister on the hood than I decided to just splurge on an entirely new paint job. I had quotes up to $20,000 and that $20k price was for just basic prep work and a repaint, no other bodywork done and I wasn't even asking for a show quality job! Needless to say I didn't use that shop.
Once I decided on a shop to use and he gave me a price we agreed to have him completely strip the car down to the bare glass than he would look over the body and make any repairs needed. It looked in excellent condition so we weren't expecting much bodywork to be required. What a surprise we found out after the paint was stripped and found 40 years of "bubba" bodywork. He spent MONTHS undoing all previous poorly done repairs and redid the entire body front to back, top to bottom. Even considering how good the body looked before, it looks like a completely different car now - the body lines really stand out and the car just flows much better. It than had a sealer sprayed on, than primer, wetsanded, and another coat of tinted sealer, wetsanded again. 3 coats of base color, wetsanded, and 2 more coats of base color followed up by 2 coats of clear. He is now finishing up on final wetsanding of the clear coats and buffing it out than it gets all reassembled.
That was a LOT of work and almost 10 months in the shop and the best part..........only $5,000 for the entire job! It gets even better, only $3,800 out of my own pocket since the insurance company cut me a check for $1,200 to cover the blister that happened on the hood which is why i took it into the shop to begin with.

I really wouldn't expect any other shop to do anywhere near this amount of work for that price but this guy specializes in older Vettes only and has been for 30 years. He is a true artist and perfectionist. Any other shop would had told me the price would have to be increased to cover all the extra work that wasn't initially expected and planned for but my guy didn't flinch when he saw what had to be done and just does what needs to be done to make the car as perfect as possible on principle.

The point is if you look around hard enough i'm sure there is a guy in your area that is similar and takes a lot of pride in his work but is reasonably priced at the same time. Ask around at local Vette clubs or cruise ins and see who people are using and who they recommend.

 

[lbitp37]

I know someone that will paint a Vette for $1000.00 + the paint cost.

So what will the Paint cost?

 

[WhalePirot]

I know someone that will paint a Vette for $1000.00 + the paint cost.

Windows, too?

 

[lbitp37]

Yes & your 747 !

 

[AdvancedAutoCC]

Perhaps it seems this way, but I have owned six Corvettes, now and have done extensive work on the mechanicals and the bodies. I know, to some extent, the whats and whys, perhaps in more detail than the avwerage Corvette owner.

The fiberglass (or derivative SMC) is unusual, therefore a shop will charge more, just on that basis. I prefer repairing 'glass' over metal, but such is not likely the case with your standard body man. Maybe this is why some feel that we're charged more just because it is a Corvette.

Another aspect is stripping the car. Too much paint begets cracks, as the panels flex. Alternatively, if chemical stripper gets past the paint to the 'glass', more work is involved to restore it, especially if any stripper is left within the fibers. Paint removal through sanding is expensive for the extensive labor. Previous repairs may be poor and hidden; not easily detected until the paint is removed.

I used the recommended and guaranteed insurance shop, but will not again. I was convinced to use them by the reputation of USAA, the lifetime guarantee and the plethora of new, if damaged, MBs and BMWs at the shop.

Live, and hopefully, learn.

Excellent post Whale...
You hit the nail on the head.

Paintdaddy, I agree with you as well... nothing stands out on fresh paint like worn/faded emblems, lenses, etc. Another cost to consider.

Just FYI... I have a friend's '69 Nova drag car in the shop that got back from paint (he works in a body shop). The bodywork alone took 7 months to complete (lots of Bubba fixes under the paint), and all chrome trim and emblems were replaced. With labor and materials, he figured the job would have run a retail customer at least $6000, if not more. However, the car's paint is like a black mirror.
My Chevelle drag car has been painted twice now since I've owned it. The first time, I stripped it down to bare metal (conned 4 friends to help me with that nasty job). With all the prep, plus replacing the left quarter with a new GM one (VERY hard to find in '89) and having to use a used quarter on the right side (no repros and new was impossible), the bodywork alone cost near $4000 with parts. The paintwork was done later at a Chevy dealer I worked at, but still cost me $1000.
When my Chevelle was painted back in '99, the materials alone cost me $1500 (trade cost), and the labor was bartered out. When my Wide Glide was painted last year, the material costs were less (about $700 or so), again with bartered labor. It definitely helps to know a good body/paint man.
Painting cars these days isn't like the old days, modern materials give superior results but cost money. Labor is what it is.... anybody who's sanded their own car knows it's money well-spent.

To the OP, hope this helps you....

 

[Chris Kennedy]

Excellent post Whale...
You hit the nail on the head.

Paintdaddy, I agree with you as well... nothing stands out on fresh paint like worn/faded emblems, lenses, etc. Another cost to consider.

Just FYI... I have a friend's '69 Nova drag car in the shop that got back from paint (he works in a body shop). The bodywork alone took 7 months to complete (lots of Bubba fixes under the paint), and all chrome trim and emblems were replaced. With labor and materials, he figured the job would have run a retail customer at least $6000, if not more. However, the car's paint is like a black mirror.
My Chevelle drag car has been painted twice now since I've owned it. The first time, I stripped it down to bare metal (conned 4 friends to help me with that nasty job). With all the prep, plus replacing the left quarter with a new GM one (VERY hard to find in '89) and having to use a used quarter on the right side (no repros and new was impossible), the bodywork alone cost near $4000 with parts. The paintwork was done later at a Chevy dealer I worked at, but still cost me $1000.
When my Chevelle was painted back in '99, the materials alone cost me $1500 (trade cost), and the labor was bartered out. When my Wide Glide was painted last year, the material costs were less (about $700 or so), again with bartered labor. It definitely helps to know a good body/paint man.
Painting cars these days isn't like the old days, modern materials give superior results but cost money. Labor is what it is.... anybody who's sanded their own car knows it's money well-spent.

To the OP, hope this helps you....

A bit of a reality check: People who are paying $100K to restore Impalas and $6k for a paint job on a Nova are probably the types who will not be driving these cars (at least in the real world), and will probably be flipping them for a profit in a few years or less, given the rather crazy market at the moment for muscle-type cars from the 60s. I recently did not renew my subscription to a magazine called "Sports Car Market", because it had succummed to the competition of "who spent more" to restore one of these cars to a condition far better than it was to begin with. So, you're speaking to a totally different market than those of us who basically drive and enjoy our cars for what they are, park them in shopping mall parking lots, touch-up nicks, etc., and simply want the paint to look good.

/s/ Chris Kennedy

 

[lbitp37]

WHAT IS THE COST OF PAINT???
tHANKS

 

[BarryK]

WHAT IS THE COST OF PAINT???
tHANKS

varies, can run from approc $150/gal to over $500/gal. Than the cost of sealer and primer, and clear coat.

The basecoat paint alone for my current paint job was over $400/gal and that didn't include the sealer, primers, or clear coats. That all added up to another couple hundred a gal.

 

[Edmond]

How much will it cost in paint for a 'Vette? I mean the paint itself, primer and clear coat...

 

[Ken]

I don't know why you people keep trying to nail this down to a firm figure. Ain't gonna happen; every shop's different, and paint costs will vary from different sources, not to mention what's found when they go to paint the car. Something extra will always crop up.

 

[Edmond]

Okay, how about average price for a gallon of paint?

How many gallons of paint does it take?

 

[lbitp37]

Thanks. All I wanted was a ball park figure.
Now I figure approx $3k for paint.
I think the total is not too bad.
I am going with the same color, & there are no repairs to be made.

 

[AdvancedAutoCC]

Okay, how about average price for a gallon of paint?

How many gallons of paint does it take?

Edmond,
I just talked with my body guy, and he told me on the average, clearcoat runs around $250 per gallon, color varies because it has to be mixed, but it runs around the same, sometimes a bit more (this is for OEM type colors), with red being the most expensive to mix due to the numbers of base elements being used. Typically, a regular repaint will use around a gallon, maybe less. If you change color, of course it's more expensive (have to repaint the jambs, underhood, etc.). This does not include reducers, catalysts/accelerants, primer or sealer (VERY important when covering old paint). If I recall correctly, DP90 primer/sealer (what I used) cost around $90 per gallon, but I'm not certain.

Bottom line to this whole thread: There's show quality and there's Earl Scheib quality... for most of us, the answer lies in the middle somewhere. Your mileage may vary...

 

[lbitp37]

Mine is a 92 Black, to me Black is Black, + clear coat. !

 

[67AirCoupe]

Paint = $500.00

Misc. = $500.00

Labor = $9000.00

Does this sound about right?

I still say I'm in the wrong business!!!!!

 

[Edmond]

Just for painting, how much labor is involved. Let's just hypothetically say that the car was stripped and no body work needed to be done.

 

[Dons97]

If I could give you a ballpark figure for what a paint job will cost in the spring or summer of next year, I would be better off spending my time on what stock prices will be in the same timeframe.

If they use oil based paints and oil is selling for $1,237.67 a barrel by next spring, a good paintjob will cost you $72,346.89!

 

[tooez]

Edmond,

I just priced the paint for my car, Base and clear was under $350. The is for the same color. I will do the work myself and save the money for labor and add mods. No for sure where your at but you should be able to find some one to do it for less than $2000