MGB Paint job

[Boggsy64]

I am sure prices are different everywhere, but what have people paid for a good paint job? My car is clean but needs some paint prep, minor grinding, smoothing out. Trying to figure out if I want to do all the prep myself or let a pro do it.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Prices will be all over the map. I got REALLY lucky with a shop about 30 miles from here. Twice. Each one considerably less than $2000, but both were done during down times - took several months. I did deliver both cars stripped of all lights, trim, etc.

 

[drooartz]

Friend of mine had a local MAACO (or similar) repaint his TR6. Just the paint bit, it didn't need metal work. It was less than $2000 if I remember correctly, and really looked quite nice. Certainly for a driver it was perfectly acceptable.

Now, I'm about to have my Bugeye worked on, some metal work and probably a bare metal respray. Going to cost significantly more even though I'll do all the disassembly. Just a matter of more man-hours required for the repair work.

 

[Boggsy64]

I guess I should plan on stripping all the bits and pieces off, taking off the old paint (really bad last paint job with lots of runs and poor prep). I was hoping around $1500 or so. Don't want to invest in more tools that I wont need after the car is painted, garage is already full!!

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Keep in mind that paint/body shops' bread and butter is insurance work. It generally takes precedence over everything else.

You might want to visit an upholstery shop and ask for a recommendation. Also, check in with any local car clubs. Might find a willing hobbyist with some real talent. But by all means, take all the lights, trim and bumpers off yourself. Top, also.

 

[drooartz]

The more prep you do, the less you will spend on the paint work -- as long as you can do the prep properly. At the very least pulling off all the trim, lights, etc will save you a bunch. No reason to pay someone else to do that.

 

[Sarastro]

Would you consider doing it yourself? I mean, if you are doing a lot of the prep work, why pay someone to do the easy part? The prep work is the hard, tedious, laborious part of any paint job, whether of a car or anything else. Once you've done the prep, the actual painting seems anticlimactic.

 

[PAUL161]

This was $3500 to paint. PJ

 

[Boggsy64]

Wow Paul that is beautiful! That's what I want and the same color. I believe mine is the same color (Carmine red I believe?). At $3500 was there a lot of body work done? I flipped thru your ficker pic's and one showed the car when it was greenish or bluish (I am somewhat color blind!!)

 

[NutmegCT]

I'd think a big factor is the condition of the old paint. Even if you've got all the trim off, what will the new paint be sprayed onto?

Paul, that MG looks fantastic. For that $3500, what work was actually done beside removing all the trim? Sanding, priming, one coat, two coat, clear coat, final buffing, polishing, etc.

Tom

 

[JPSmit]

It is probably worth checking around and looking for sources - there is always "guy" somewhere. I know of two in this area, on an actual body shop that does classics on the side. Recommendation came from a friend who restores microcars and who is er. frugal. Second came from a fellow car club member who had worked a really expensive job "between jobs" - which I would not recommend BTW, but, this guy did my car - was a retired body man with a 2 car garage and time on his hands.

 

[bob67bgt]

My thought is if the price is under $3500-$4000 at a professional shop run away.(nice driver quality) Sure you may find a back yard garage or someone that does it on the side for less but no recourse if it looks like crap. Even at regular shops the quality control can vary from car to car. I think a fellow in our MG club had macco do his MGB. Looks OK for driver. Not sure how much he paid. Its pretty easy to spend $1000 just on QUALITY materials. Reds are the most expensive. I wonder how long ago Pauls $3500 paint job was done. That quality does not appear to be 2013 prices. When you shop around let us know current pricing. Take a pic of Pauls car and say "I want mine to look like this"! Bob

 

[PAUL161]

Actually I stripped the whole car down to bare metal. They repaired the left quarter panel, it was caved in, other than that just paint. The color is 72 Flame red. Can't remember the brand of paint, but it was $300 a gallon and there is three coats on the car. Took them the better part of two days to buff and polish. PJ

 

[PAUL161]

Bob, The car was done in 2006 at a custom car shop and still looks the same today. Got caught in a rain shower once in Smoky Mountain Nat. Park at Gatlinburg, other than that, the cars never been wet since. PJ

 

[bob67bgt]

Pauls car sure does look great. Make sure you tell the shop that you will look at the wheel well openings and lower rocker panels . Also be sure they have seam sealer at the dog legs and below the chrome strip on the front fender. I just did a vehicle pre purchase inspection on a e-type jag. The attention to paint detail was poor. And that was on a car already bid up to $55,000. First look was impressive but its all in the details. Communication is the key at a shop. They need to know what is expected. Bob

 

[NutmegCT]

Bob - good point on the communication issue.

I admit I did laugh, when I read about the E-type with paint problems, that was already bid up to $55K. How many of the bidders had actually seen the car in person?

Tom

 

[Brinkerhoff]

The term "paint job" to me means the car is sprayed with sealer , then color , then polished. All the work done before hand and after is not part of the "paint job" and including it is misleading and not relevant. Removing trim , reassembly , door jambs, inside trunk or engine compartment are over and above a "paint job". Attention to detail is what you are looking for and you don't want the shop to short themselves if you want quality. If the job is quoted at a fixed ceiling , you will be shorted on quality somewhere and that may not show up for ten years. Once an amateur thinks his car is ready to paint , it usually takes a pro about a week for it to really be ready. That's where the money is.

 

[PAUL161]

My car was completely disassembled when it went to the shop. The tub, doors, trunk lid and bonnet were painted separately. The tub was primed and painted inside and out along with engine bay. The front wheel well back splashes are new with new seals, as original. Only exception is, stainless screws were used to secure them. I could write half a day on everything that was done to the car, but that would get too boring. Took 17 months of work to do and just shy of $17,000 total cost. PJ

 

[Boggsy64]

On Friday afternoon I went to a small shop, in Rock Hill, SC, that a co-worker recommended to me. The young owner was all over the car, looking here and there, kneeling on the ground. He pointed out even more issues than I knew I had. Said it would take him a month and several gallons of primer. He said there was a lot of shaping to do. I could tell his aim was to make it pristine. The cost, he estimated, at every bit of $3,000 to $3,500. I did not know why he mentioned so much primer until I spent the weekend watching Youtube videos on body work and the use of guide coat. It is easy to see how getting the body mirror paint ready would take some time and love. I guess I am now going into the body work business, unless I want to come off of $3,500 or so (to get it done right). I am an expert at body work now I guess..I did not sleep at Holiday Inn but spent hours watching Youtube!:highly_amused:

 

[beachbumbarry]

I have a 51 MG-TD and it cost me under $79.99 to paint it. It's primer gray and took about 8 shake and spray cans. I tell people that I'm going to paint it red but a lot of them tell me to keep it the way it is. It's only been primer for about 2 years so I'm thinking that I will get serious and paint it red in a couple of years.