When looking for a paint job there are few things you must keep in mind. The cost of the materials is outragous. If they are quoting you a cheap price they must be using cheap materials. The primer I used on my car was $65 a quart. You are paying for more than a paint job. What you are paying for is the experience that the shop has and the ability to do it right. I would shy away from any shop that will shoot a car if you so the prep work. That will usually mean they are not that picky about how the final product comes out. How can they stand behind thier work if they don't prep it? The biggest thing is to get recommendations from people you know or check with your local Mustang club. Looks at their work and see if you like it and how much the job cost. There are a lot of shops doing body and paint but not that many doing it right. Body and paint is an art and some people got and some don't. Shop around, ask around and be carful but if your trying to go cheap that is what you are going to get, CHEAP!
I will get back with you guys tomorrow on this issue. I cannot see spending more then $2500 on a paint job when they do this for a living and they will make over $1500 for 4-5 days worth of work. That does include labor because paint and primer doe not cost $1000. I will get to the numbers tomorrow.
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Ed Walden ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1954 Ford F-100 312 Y-Block Built for speed/9"Rearend/Aerostar Front IFS 2006 Ford F-150 1972 Ford Mustang Grande Coupe 2002 Triumph Trophy 1200
When I restored my '75 Bronco, I found a guy just starting out. I gave him only the body (frame at home to work on) and the truck had been rolled with the driver side pushed in and the windshield frame crushed. I provided a new windshield frame, but they did the rest. Price was $1000.00 and it turned out fantastic, I saw it a couple of years ago and it still looked great. This was in '93 so I know prices have gone up.
Point is, low price doesn't have to equal CHEAP work.
Most body shops have there own paint mixing systems. They are not paying $65 a quart for anything. It's like anything, you can spend as much as you want, but that doesn't make it better. That is why most of them won't let you supply the paint or do the prep work. I don't blame them for that, because that is how they make money and warranty is an issue. However, I was in a unique situation and I knew how to do the prep. I am not advocating buying a booth to paint one car, but if you are going to do more than one, it might be worth it. It is amazing how many new friends you will have with a paint booth. There are some colors that require a higher degree of expertise, like metal flake. But it's still not rocket science!
< Message edited by jlp66stang -- 1/18/2008 8:06:49 AM >
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If it was easy, I'd be done by now! 66 V8 coupe-stock 66 FB under construction- not stock
A am taking my car to the body shop next month to smooth out all the car and shoot it. I am having them use House of Kolor paint so it may be a little more because of that. It is going to cost me $6000 and I have already done the metal work. Just need final touches, priming, blocking, repeat, repeat and then color and clear. I told him I want it straight with no exceptions. I think I will be getting a good deal.
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68 Convertible with supercharged EFI, AFR heads, 5 spd, Cobra Disc brakes, Steeroids Rack, Ron Morris Front Coil over, TCP G-Bar rear suspension, custom interior and HOK Kandy Brandywine paint. Now I just have to work the bugs out.
If you take it to Mexio, you might not get it back. No offense to anyone.
Well only if they are offended that you misspelled Mexico but I am actually flattered that someone here thinks my ride is worth stealing. Not much respect for the 71-73 and especially a grande coupe. On the other hand when I get done with it will be the sleeper I always dreamed of building. Right next to my 54 ford truck and my soon to own 2010 Camaro SS. 3 vehicles I will never get rid of unless I do decide to get a 69 or 70 mustang.
< Message edited by Fordication -- 1/18/2008 8:24:24 AM >
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Ed Walden ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1954 Ford F-100 312 Y-Block Built for speed/9"Rearend/Aerostar Front IFS 2006 Ford F-150 1972 Ford Mustang Grande Coupe 2002 Triumph Trophy 1200
If you want, I will paint your car for $1500. When I get done with it, it will look like you have a $1500 paint job.
You have a choice to make. Do you want a cheap paint job that you will have to get redone in a few years becuase your car looks like doo-doo, or do you want to pay a little extra for a quality paint job that will last a lot longer.
Ball is in your court.
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"America is not at war, the military is at war. The rest of America is at the mall"
It will also make a difference where you are. Cost of living differs greatly in the US and in a high cost of living area labor will cost more. Maybe a lot more. A shop in California will probably cost more than a shop in Kentucky. A shop may have additional environmental costs or local tax costs as well. There also are factors such clear coat. If you want to keep a vintage car as close a possible to original, well they did not use clear coat back then. Got a restomod? Then you probably want clear coat. As far as prep and prime, not all cars need priming. A faded paint job needs sanding but maybe not a whole lot more. If you are taking the car to metal then sure, good prime is required. And there are all stages of condition in between those two. Different needs, different places, different types of work...it all adds up to different prices. It's not "one size fits all."
Posts: 3143
Joined: 1/18/2007 From: Las Cruces, NM Status: offline
Prior to the 66, I have painted all of my project cars, work trucks, trailers, etc. I was going to do my own paint on the 66 but frankly I didn't really want to spend virtually all of my spare time over the next few months doing paint and body work. Besides, It is too cold for me right now, both for my comfort, and for doing proper paint/primer work.
I have a "Torpedo heater" for my garage, but the fumes generated by the burning diesel/kerosene don't bode well with painting. (Not to mention the problems that can arise when paint fumes come into contact with open flame!)
A backyard paint job ain't for everyone. There are a ton of things that can go wrong, and it is never encouraging to "learn things the hard way" when painting your classic Mustang.
The price charged for a service can be an indicator of what a customer will get for their money, but sometimes high cost can = bad value.
Sometimes a higher than average cost will give the shop a little breathing space to make things right when things go wrong, and sometimes this extra cost will buy you a "I am sorry you don't approve of our work, but that is just too bad".
Too bad no one sells "Paint Job Insurance"...
When shopping for a bargain paint job luck will play a role. If the paint job comes out right the first time this = good luck, If the paint job ends up needing to be fixed after the initial paint, (more common than might be thought), a customer is not going to get a lot of after paint fixing for a bargain price. This = Bad Luck.
If we understand that we are taking some risk when getting a bargain paint job, we won't be disappointed with a less than pristine result.
The way I look at it a paint job ain't forever in the best of circumstances. If a cheap paint job is all the budget allows, then get a cheap paint job. If the budget allows a better paint job later, get a better paint job down the road. Most of us have to compromise to one degree or another. If this was not the case we would avoid this whole discussion because we would all have absolutely perfect $100,000 paint jobs....
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66 Coupe I-6 Conversion, 408 Windsor, Tremec TKO 600 Wilwood fronts, SSBC Rears 9" Track Loc.
I spent $7K on this one and wished I would've gone with the first estimate of $7K. He was a lot more knowledgable but by the time I was ready he was booked up. Just make sure he gives you the details in writing.
I saved $1,400 by taking off all the chrome and putting it back on when it was done. Ask your body shop if you can save some money by doing this type work. My total cost was 5,400 but it included some body work from a wreck.
I went and got quoted 7k for mine today. Thats w/o changing the color. I have original paint too and little rust. I guess most of it is just the labor, because I'm pretty sure if you go to macco they just lightly sand it if even that, and then paint it. But if you take it to a reputible body shop then they sand it down to bare metal and take it apart and stuff. I guess if you want something to make it look decent for like a year or something then you could do macco.
There is a article in Mustang Monthly on their website about painting you car. It's a lot of work, but it can be done. JMD is right, things can go wrong! I will admit, the first one I painted, I ended up scraping it off and doing it again. That was fun, but I learned a lot and I won't make those mistakes again. Even shops with $30,000 booths can have problems. It really comes down to how much you want to do on your car and can you afford to pay someone else to do it. For $7000, I will do it myself. That's pretty good wages, even if it takes a couple of months.
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If it was easy, I'd be done by now! 66 V8 coupe-stock 66 FB under construction- not stock
Posts: 2051
Joined: 11/9/2006 From: South Shores, CA Status: offline
Paid $4700 in L.A. for blasting to bare metal, epoxy prime, paint prep and paint with two stage PPG in Caspian Blue. I did all of the disassembly. They reassembled the doors, fenders, hood and trunk and I took it from there. Overall, I feel I got it done for a pretty reasonable figure considering everything seems to cost more here.
For LA, that was probably a real good deal. They did a good job, it looks really straight. I can tell the taillight panel is straight, because the reflection of the mountains is not distorted. I'd say you got your moneys worth.
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If it was easy, I'd be done by now! 66 V8 coupe-stock 66 FB under construction- not stock
Yeah I know I could do it but I do not ever have the time. I am out of the state or country for 9 months out of the year and when I am home I spend every bit of time on my family or sleeping. I have not done anything to my car in over a month and its under the cover as we speak with about $1000 in parts sitting in the garage waiting to be installed. I have everything I need to make it a screamer and not enough time in the day to do it. I will pay to have it painted but now that I have priced the paint, clear coat and primer needed at around $800 I know the job can be done for less then $3000 and it should be a good job. We will see soon. I am taking it to HOuston and getting some bids up there. All of the shops here have hi opinions of thier works yet their reputations are no where near what they think of themselves.
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Ed Walden ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1954 Ford F-100 312 Y-Block Built for speed/9"Rearend/Aerostar Front IFS 2006 Ford F-150 1972 Ford Mustang Grande Coupe 2002 Triumph Trophy 1200
Printable Version
RE: Cost of Paint Jobs - 
somehow i doubt that would last long..
