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Insane quote for a paint job

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Environmental issues as well. We use a lot of chemicals similar to that of a body shop if not more. We need to dispose of every last job and we are accountable for it to the grave. We even have a service to dispose of paper rags we use that have paint residuals on them. Even water that is used to rinse silk screens is carted away becuase if has trace amounts of heavy metals that are NG fo the groundwater. It costs us easily $10-15K to get rid of this stuff. Small price to pay to save the world but someone has to pay so we pass it along to the clients.
 
That's part of the "legislation" I mention. We went "all digital" as early as possible to avoid all the 'impact fees', dumpster requirements, containers etc. We pay various service 'outputters' increased rates/fees for "hard" end-results.
 
I agree with what Shawn said, above, about good car painters hidden about the countryside.

I live near a rural area in the Blue Ridge mountains, and there seem to be hordes of guys who drive nicely restored antique cars (mostly American muscle). It's amazing the lovely paint jobs some of these cars have. Many are done locally, in a little, one-man paint shop by a guy who makes at least a part-time living at painting. No advertising, just word-of-mouth referrals.

I've located at least two of these local, mom & pop paint shops with highly talented painters (both are up in the hills, very hard to find!). They turn out gorgeous work! They're busy, too, you have to schedule jobs about six months in advance. But, it's well worth the wait.

Local antique car clubs are a good place to ask around. I guarantee there's a talented local near you who can do a nice job for significantly less than the larger, City-based shops. The hard part is locating him.

However, I'm afraid that a great paint job is never cheap. There's so much labor involved. But if your car is already prepped and primed, it's a lot better.

Good luck!!
 
Another good indicator is how the price of supplies has risen, seemingly out of control. Paint that used to be around 50 bucks a gallon, (and we thought that was high), is now approaching 400 bucks a gallon. The fellow who does my painting just told me he recently bought a new gun and paid 600 bucks for it. Now that's downright crazy! Bottom line is we have to bare the weight of it all when we need their services. I don't argue with their prices, as those fellows have to eat too. Unless of course the painter drives a $60,000 and up car! Then I'll look for another shop for a guy who drives Fords And Chevy's. OR LBCs.
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I understand that good work costs, and we all have to make a living, but the consumable costs are the same pretty much everywhere. That leaves overheads and salary.

The problem here is that if I can drive a couple of hours and get the same job done for around 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost, what incentive do I have to go local?

Remember the shell of this car is off the frame, stripped, fixed up and in block primer. It's not like he has to do *that* much to it before shooting it. I only want a single color, no graphics, no flames, nothing complicated.

Given what Mickey paid, or even better, Dave's rotisserie painter upstate, I could pay a towtruck to flatbed it both ways from NY to TN (at $3 a mile) and *still* save money.
 
vagt6 said:
I agree with what Shawn said, above, about good car painters hidden about the countryside.
I live near a rural area in the Blue Ridge mountains, and there seem to be hordes of guys who drive nicely restored antique cars (mostly American muscle). It's amazing the lovely paint jobs some of these cars have. Many are done locally, in a little, one-man paint shop by a guy who makes at least a part-time living at painting. No advertising, just word-of-mouth referrals.
I've located at least two of these local, mom & pop paint shops with highly talented painters (both are up in the hills, very hard to find!). They turn out gorgeous work! They're busy, too, you have to schedule jobs about six months in advance. But, it's well worth the wait.
Local antique car clubs are a good place to ask around. I guarantee there's a talented local near you who can do a nice job for significantly less than the larger, City-based shops. The hard part is locating him.

However, I'm afraid that a great paint job is never cheap. There's so much labor involved. But if your car is already prepped and primed, it's a lot better.

Good luck!!
Click to expand...

This is why I am going to give it a whirl. I'm gearing up to try and do this myself.
 
Why not! I painted my dads 69 MGB in my garage. It was Primrose Yellow base/clear. I had a box fan with furnace filters taped to it in one window, and just furnace filters in another. We hung plastic from the walls, and put the compressor outside.
The only bad part was I needed more ventilation for spraying the clear. the whole garage fogged up, and I got a few runs. But I got a "nub file" and we took care of 'em . After wet sanding and buffing, it looked like a million bucks.
we spent 2 days for the final prep after priming. (that's the key) I'll probably do my TR2 the same way, unless my friend lets me use his booth.
I did a truck bed for my brother right in the driveway once. Came out fine.
Course the standards for that job were "Make it the same color as the cab" hehehehehe
 
It's nice if you can find a paint booth to rent for the day. If you go for someplace that has less ventilation (like your garage) I suggest getting a forced air respirator (ideally with a full face hood) like the Hobby Air and cover every square inch of your skin with protective clothing. The chemicals in modern paints with hardners are pretty nasty and can even get absorbed through your eye tissue. Keep it safe and fun.

Cheers,
John
 
Hi Folks;

Here in Effort, PA; We have a Gent (Bus.) called "Jerry & Sons": Jerry`s the Dad & 2 sons working with him:

Well; Jerry just happens to "Love" (Key word here)all kinds of classic cars, especially Vettes (He`s an artist when it comes to glass):

He currently has a Jag XJ6 that someone brought in a "Couple of yrs ago" needing a major restoration (Everything): The car still sits in primer (Looking pretty good I may add): The owner pays so much $$$ ea. mo. till completion (No Hurry): Jerry`s happy; XJ6 owner is happy; Everybodys "Happy"!

Moral to the story here is: This is the type of Body Shop you need to find: One where the "Owner" himself has a personal interest in Classic Cars and He`ll accomodate you with open arms:

If anyone out there is interested; Shoot me a PM & I`ll pass on the Phone # etc to "Jerrys Place":

Regards, Russ
 
This is why I am going to give it a whirl. I'm gearing up to try and do this myself. [/quote]

I'll have to add that painting a car is not to be taken lightly. There are a number of serious occupational and environmental issues to consider.

As John Loftus mentioned above, paints are toxic and if you don't use the correct, approved safety gear and respiratory protection (it's very difficult to select the proper safety gear if you don't have experience), you may damage your health.

Also, if the correct ventilation equipment is not used (almost impossible for the amateur painter), toxic vapors are released into the environment which may harm your neighbors, their kids, animals, etc.

Third, paint materials are highly flammable. If you're not very careful you may cause a fire or explosion.

These are all very good reasons to proceed with extreme caution if you intend to tackle the job. Another may be logic: the reason why it costs so much for a decent paint job is due to all of the above reasons!

Good luck, and be safe! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif
 
I have access to all the equipment I need. I can bring the removeable parts to the shop to prime & paint. The body is another story. Not sure if I can get that into my shop to paint. I have much experience in the art of painting which is why I think I can do it. We have a full filtered ventilation booth and dispose of all chemicals, rags and paint waste via and outside service.
 
I'm currently considering painting my car with top side boat paints, but not too sure on what I want to do about body prep work before starting that project...
 
That is an insane website!
 
Wow, for that kind of money, you could take a course in painting, build a booth, and spray the car yourself. We have a number of paint shops and upholstery shops in my area like that. I know of a guy who says he paid 30k for a paint job on his Jag. Maybe I have bad eyes, but I didn't see that it was worth that kind of cash.
 
vping said:
That is an insane website!
Click to expand...

The weird thing about this LBC hobby...

There are so few of us.

The have and have nots get to regularly hang out together.

And I have sort of been accepted...

(not that they have been introducing me to their daughters or anything /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif )
 
I don't know why their making so much out of the paint job on that car. To me, a good paint job is one that gives you the impression that you could stick your arm in it up to the elbow. That paint job doesn't give me that impression. Here's mine that you've seen before and it ain't no Ferrari! And it was painted by a local Red Neck! (pardon the expression). It just proves that you don't have to go to some "High Tech" shop and pay a "High Tech" price to get a nice paint job. Of course, if you have a bundle you just want to get rid of, it will give you bragging rights.
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Nunyas said:
I'm currently considering painting my car with top side boat paints, but not too sure on what I want to do about body prep work before starting that project...
Click to expand...

Take the time to check out Awl-Grip boat paints! Just a bit harder than Top Side paints to apply, but <u>VASTLY</u> superior gloss and hardness! Plus excellent chemical resistance!! As far as body prep, I think prep is the most important part of a decent paint job. Paint does <u>NOT</u> hide flaws, it only colors them!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif

While one cannot argue with what has been said about pro paint jobs and their cost, I think the amateur, with a bit of diligent research and practice, can accomplish a more than passable job at a fraction of the price!! I bet that Ferrari job in that link above cost as much as what the car originally sold for (at least!!),not to say a classic like that does not deserve it!!. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
One of those 250 GTO's probably went for about $12,000 new. A lot of money in '62. A few years later they could be had for $8-10,000. Today they are worth $10+ million...all thirty nine that were built. That paint job (actually total body restoration) was chump change in the scheme of things. BTW, all 39 still exist today. One guy in England owns two of them.
 
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