Paint Job Costs

[bcbennett]

Hi all,

Went to see a restoration specialist here in my area (not too many, but he's one of the few familiar with Brit cars) and his quote for a paint job--a good one, sanded down to metal, with primer, base coat, clear coat and taking into account the disassembly of some of the body--was $8000.00. I was shocked at this price, but wondered if I need to adjust my shock-o-meter. Does this sound ballparkish?

I sould mention that there would be minor rust repair, but very minor--bottom of doors, and one sill.

Thanks,

CB

 

[Kirk_Fisher]

Seems high to me. A friend just had a 66 GTO frame off resto for around 10K at a reputable shop and he did excellent work.

 

[martx-5]

So much depends on the type of work the place does, and if the quote is "high" to cover the unseen problems that lurk under all of the original paint. And, there will be stuff found under there. I know, I've been through it.

I'm just getting the painting done on my TR3, and all of the removing of paint, repairing of rust, cutting out and welding in panels has been a huge undertaking. Granted, I did alot more work then this guy seems to be quoting for, but just to get a car painted after having done all of the body work has to cost $2000-3000.

Being financially challenged, I opted for the $40 paint job. I may be saving a ton of money, but it's a ton of work. If I had the option and the resources to farm this kind of work out, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

The only problem I see with the quote is exactly what they will cover when all of the paint is off. If they will stick with the quote, then it might be a fair quote. If they come back and say "We didn't anticipate this and have to charge extra", then things could esculate out of control.

Talk with the guys, and pin them down to what they will and won't do once the paint's off.

 

[Bugeye58]

And, "minor rust repair" can certainly snowball after the paint is off.
Jeff

 

[eejay56]

Our local Brit shop does a down to the metal,remove everything that's not painted, restoration paint job starting at 4500 with no body work. I can't justify a 4500 dollar paint job on a 3000 dollar car so I'm still exploring options. If I had it to throw around though I'd go for it.

 

[BOXoROCKS]

These whats a paint job cost questions,is like opening a can of worms. There are so many variables,..and opinions,.. I have been painting for 35 yrs,there are other guys on here who paint too,and I bet we would agree on about 2/3rds of the job then part ways. Anyway, if the guy is real good and honest thats not to unreasonable. OK, now to jump into the fire,you didnt say what kind of TR, but my choice would NOT be base/clear.

 

[Guest]

Hi CB.

A couple of questions. How long have you had the car? What is the general overall condition of things like the engine and drivetrain, wiring, interior, bumpers, rubber seals, etc.
My point is, is the car is truly worth an $8K paint job. And if you are going to invest that much money in your TR6, you really need to paint the engine bay as well as the complete interior, inside the doors, inside the trunk, etc. to make it have value. If the sills have rust, there is more than meets the eye inside the rocker panels. Pull the panels off the doors and look inside them. What are your floorboards like under the carpet? Any rust there. Any rust inside the scuttle vent (remove the vent in front of the windshield and look inside with a strong flashlight)?

If the car is adequate and you are going to enjoy it for a few years, I would say to avoid spending $8,000.00 just for paint. To do a TR6 over completely (that is, paint it right), one should have the car stripped down to the point that even the fenders are removed and painted separately, paint the complete engine bay with everything removed, including the engine, wiring and hydraulics, interior out and harness and dash removed. Then take your good ole time putting it all back together.

Or, just find another paint shop that can give you an adequate $4,000.00 job, with some rust repair. That way you can enjoy the car and have money left over for other things.
8 thou is too much unless the car is stripped of everything.

 

[Guest]

Oh, and for 8 thou, you best be removing the windshield frame and putting all new rubber seals after the paint job.

 

[Guest]

There is a white TR6 on Ebay right now that shows a pretty nice paint job. And everything else seems redone (although he forgot to fix the rear spring sag). 24 thou asking, although I bet I could pick it apart.

It's all relative. Now, if you can find a relative that owes you, that is even better. Or not.

 

[Aldwyn]

The local TR shop here quoted me $4000 - $5000 for a complete "show winning paint job". I dont think that is inside panels, other then the engine bay.

I was thinking about having it done, just not there... I may find a reputable body shop and have them do it for a little cheaper.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I sould mention that there would be minor rust repair, but very minor--bottom of doors, and one sill.
[/QUOTE]

Scary stuff. My experience is that the minor rust you see on the outside, is just like saying "Oh we only have one cockroach in the kitchen".

Rust on the bottom of the doors, usually means rust inside the doors. Not cheap to fix right.

The same goes with the sill. My bet is if one is rusting, it's only time before the other side goes. These buggers can rust from the outside in and the inside out (usually both as mine did). If rusting from the inside than water from your scuttle rusted through the sill (and probably the A pillar) from behind the front fender. To check it out, behind the front wheel, there is a splash panel held in by four or five bolts. Take it out and have a look see.

As Bill stated, lift the carpets and check the floors. Pull the door panels and inspect the inside the doors.

I should go on to say, pull the trunk liner and take a flashlight and look at the inside of the tail lights, and up under the forward trunk opening toward the inner fenders. Rust likes to hide there. Look at the outside top of the rear fenders where they join the tub. If paint is bubbling anywhere along that joint, there is rust down under. Also look at where the front bumpers bold to the front fender, another favorite spot, as is behind the headlights.

I am not trying to scare you, but before I would spend $8,000, I would [censored] well make sure I at least looked at these areas before committing, because you can bet the shop will find them if they exist and it will become an extra. Or worse, they are not found or identified, and later you wonder why your car is rusting.

Good luck

 

[BOXoROCKS]

TR6BILL, that white TR6 IS a nice car,and I am sure all of us that know TR,s could find some faults, but at 24+K its still good value for money. Quite frankly,our more common Brits are not valuable enough for the labor spent, fair or not.

 

[bcbennett]

Man, what a great discussion. It is indeed at TR6, sorry for not being clear up front.

And, let me add: engine and tranny have been rebuilt, rusted floorpans replaced with new (welded in), all carpet and panels are out. The painter examined my car quite thoroughly, remarked at its lack of rust except where noted (truly, it's barely got any, except on one sill), and mentioned painting all around the windsheild, door jambs, etc., to make it a complete job. The engine bay was not included.

I will consider all your comments--thank you.

 

[hondo402000]

what ever you do GET IT IN WRITING, exactly what he is going to do, what might cost more if he finds something "hidden" dont pay anything up front. Ask for a list of references, also get a time line, you dont want the car apart at a shop and he decides he needs more money or a better job came along, or he goes out of business been there but a long time ago

 

[Guest]

Another option, if you are one that doesn't really like to do mechanical or restoration work yourself and only want to truly enjoy your car, would be: The value of your car + $8,000.00 = a restored TR6. In other words, Trade Up.

 

[stever_sl]

Being financially challenged, I opted for the $40 paint job. I may be saving a ton of money, but it's a ton of work. If I had the option and the resources to farm this kind of work out, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I painted my TR7 years ago with rented equipment and due to my inexperience did such a crappy job that I spent a month sanding and compounding and so forth. When I was done I had a finish without a trace of orange peel, it was truly like a mirror, but I've thought many times that I wouldn't have done any worse with rattle cans or a paint brush to begin with. I'm amazed at the quality of the finish shown on those pix -- when I finish the upcoming round of rust repairs I'm definitely giving this a try! Maybe on my 50 Dodge first, though -- it's seedy and nobody will notice if I mess up.

- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO
76 TR7 (original owner)
50 Dodge Wayfarer

 

[NutmegCT]

Man, what a great discussion. It is indeed at TR6, sorry for not being clear up front.

And, let me add: engine and tranny have been rebuilt, rusted floorpans replaced with new (welded in), all carpet and panels are out. The painter examined my car quite thoroughly, remarked at its lack of rust except where noted (truly, it's barely got any, except on one sill), and mentioned painting all around the windsheild, door jambs, etc., to make it a complete job. The engine bay was not included.

I will consider all your comments--thank you.

Painting the engine bay is not included in the $8K price? now *that* does seem high ...

I've heard that professional paint shops only want to do insurance jobs. Their prices for our smaller cars are "adjusted" because we've got LBCs (and have the bucks and free time for them). After all - not many folks bring in a 2003 Lexus SUV to be fully stripped and repainted.

Tom

 

[Brosky]

CB,

If it helps at all, let me share some of my painting experiences and costs of repair. Last year I found a local shop that has an owner who likes LBC's. He owned an MG, his brother owns a Sunbeam and he wants a TR6. I found him because he did a lot of nice work on another TR6 and was recommended by two local new car dealers that I know very well. They send their new car warranty paint work to him.

I talked to him at length (after making an appointment for a day when he wasn't busy) and told him exactly what I wanted done, from one end to the other. I was only having my engine compartment, door frames and trunk done.

Having been in the business for so many years, I know a good shop from a bad one. I watched his workers as I talked to him and saw no lost motion in what they were doing. His shop was extremely clean and his paint booth was spotless.

I told him that I wanted no shortcuts and if he saw something rusted or wrong when it was all apart, That I wanted to know about it, but I wanted him to continue without stopping and to fix it correctly.

I also said that I knew that it would be hard to place a price on everything without having it all apart first due to what was hidden. So we agreed on $600 for the paint and prep work as a starting number, assuming nothing was badly rusted or needed patching. Luckily for me, I had nothing worse than faded paint, surface rust and some scratches.

Before I took the car in, I typed a list of everything to be done, panel by panel, so that nothing would be missed. We went over it on the day that I dropped it off and we each had a copy. I added replacement of all of the glass, new regulators channels and tracks and all new body weatherstripping. I supplied all of the parts, including clips, moldings and weatherstrips and Alan supplied all of the paint and shop consumables.

Some important points to be considered and answered up front:

#1 - Time frame for work to be done. I asked how long he needed the car and when I could stop by to see if there were any issues. No body shop wants to be rushed when working on a collector car or wants to be bugged daily. I also asked what month or time of the year would be best for him to do the work. I got in during a lull and got much better service than when it's rush season.

#2 - Can I take pictures of the work in progress and use your company name when I post to the site? He liked this, but no pictures of him or the shop. Having pictures of the work being done virtually insured my "no hassle" request for total value of insurance with Haggerty when I insured the car last summer.

My final bill was $1,800 and this is what he did for that price. I am happy and he will do all of my work, plus many friends who have gone there since.

https://www.74tr6.com/paintdetailing.htm

https://www.74tr6.com/glassreplacement.htm

 

[bcbennett]

Holy cow, Paul. That makes me want to trailer (or drive!) mine to Rhode Island. What great work for a great price!

 

[Brosky]

BC,

Timing is everything. I found the right guy at the right time for the right price. A month later and he wouldn't have been able to fit me in until the fall, so it all fell into place. I did wait a month to get it in.

I've become very good friends with Allan and his crew and stop by with donuts from time to time just to shoot the breeze. When I needed my bumpers removed and reinstalled after chrome plating, I still went in and made an appointment, well in advance of needing the work done.

I respect his time, schedule, cost of doing business and work ethic and he respects me as a customer who knows what he wants, but doesn't quibble about the cost to get it done. That is a very good deal for both of us.