Looking for good paint shop/body shop in So Cal area
... that will give me a top-notch show room restoration and/or show quality paint. Anyone have any ideas, and what is the approx cost of such a thing so I can either start saving or find a better paying job.
Restored to stock, totally dismantling the car to the bare shell, rebuilding/replacing all mechanical parts, all chrome re-chromed, all stainless and aluminum straightened and polished, factory stock engine detailing....
Over $40,000 turn key.
It would be WAY WAY more cost effective to buy a restored car. And what make, model, year is the car you are thinking about having show room restoration done to? Pictures of your car right now?
I know you may have emotional attachment to car, but some models are only worth so much even restored to a high quality. It cost just as much to paint a Hemi Cuda as a slant 6 Valiant to the same quality level.
Like Leanna said, just the painting part is very expensive. Just the paint material are very expensive for primer, bondo, sandpaper, both stages of paint. Hard in So Cal to find decent paint and body for under $8K. Then show quality paint and body is over $10K.
THEN, someone has to put the car back together and restored the 1,000+ other parts that attached to that painted body.
I wouldn't consider that show room quality. But it is very nice. And IMHO very appropriate for that car. It's just a matter of how far you want to go. You have to set some limits. You have to set limits appropriate to the car.
For instance that Valiant does not have much if any cad plating done on the engine compartment. There is a black phosphate, silver cad, and gold cad fastners and parts in the engine compartment. That Valiant has most of the detailing painted on (spray painted). And corners cut here and there. BUT I'm sure it could still be a very functioning and well running car. And it still looks very nice and tidy.