body & paint quotes

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dartfever

dartfever

Well-Known Member
Joined
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Location
Belmont, Ontario, Canada
Just wondering how much it has cost for guys on the board to have their cars done, body and paint wise. I understand some cars will need more than others but I just like to get a general idea of what things cost these days. I seem to be caught in the past as the quotes I have received seem WAY higher than I would have thought.
 
It's hard to say. How much body work? Are we talking about completely replacing qtr's or just patching up a few areas. Or is the car already in primer and just needs fine tuned and sprayed? Plus, your location may play a part in some of this. Without seeing the car a realistic estimate isn't possible. I know someone here in PA who does hot rods, customs, and everything else under the sun who could do most anything for under $3500 and that's for completely replacing qtr's etc, covers cost for sealer, primer, supplies like sandpaper etc. Now if you want some super duper paint color then the cost would go up for the supplies etc.
I did mine myself and bought all the supplies, the mud, paper, etc and did all the welding and patches and it cost me about $1000 - $1250 just in supplies and paint. I had him fine tune it to get it straight and then he shot it for me cause he's a close friend of mine and I don't spray that great yet.
 
Mine needs one quarter replaced and some work on the other. Front fenders are in good condition as are the doors. really just the quarters that need work. I was figuring $6000 cdn for the job, but I'm being told 10-15!!
 
For a really high quality paint job and minimal body work you could be looking at about $7-10K. I'd want to see the work the shop is doing, for those prices the work really needs to be top-notch. Peace
 
I just paid 5,500 for my girlfriends car! It needed alo of work too, one whole side practically! I would go look some place else for your car.
 
I had a quote of $3700.00 to do the body work and base/clear paint on my 68 Barracuda. The paint job alone was $1500.00 including under the hood ,deck lid and door jambs . The car has no major body work but a lot of little door dings and stuff like that. I thought that was high, but it seems to be in the ballpark for a good paint job.
 
i'm getting the whol ecar done by a quality shop...this guy has done at least one paint/body for Boyds for whatever that's worth!? He';s going down to the bare metal, removing all bondo, pulling out dents, aligning all panels, windows off, inside trunk, inside engine compartment (just the typical areas with the engine still in there!)...i'm getting all this for just under $6k. going to go from mist green to black...

he originally quoted me $3800 do reapaint black, repair a severly damaged door, remove some bondo and rust but my wife (god bless her) talked me into going all the way

He's completely doing my buddies 67 Chevelle with major rust and body, floor panel repairs for about $7,500.

this is one of the last few, honest, hardworking body guys out there...cars don't sit in his shop for years like most places!

i had to get some work done on my truck once and just for ***** and giggles stopped by The Paint'n Place in Anaheim...they do a ton of nice rods and custom work...mind you i didn't bring my car in but the guy said the min would be from about $13k on up!!
 
My 68 fastback cuda just got back from paint today. I paid $6,000. that included stripping the car down to bare metal, 45 hours of bodywork, r&r both front and rear glass and under hood, trunk and door jambs.
 
What with the price of chemicals going up drastically, materials alone on a high quality paint job will be over $2,000. By that I mean Glasurit/Diamont or PPG. Not a big fan of $hitcans (Sikkens) or Dupont. You just can't beat Glasurit and PPG in my book is a very close 2nd. Of course you could spend $10,000 on materials and have it still look like a shiny sack of marbles if you don't have good bodywork done. Prep work is the most important thing to concentrate on. I've painted Ford work vans with acrylic enamel that looked better than some people's restorations because the van was straight to begin with. I'd make sure and see some examples of the quality of bodywork performed first and yeah be prepared to spend $5-8K on a good restoration paint job. Rust is the most significant factor in how much it'll cost you.
 
wow thats pretty spendy but man paint is so expensive now days, but the numbers do make me happy that i wanna open a body shop, probably with my dad, he does frame repair, then we will be able to do about anything ahha :thumblef:
 
You can never really appriciate the price on someones labor till you do it a couple of times and screw it up. In our neck of the woods we pay in the $2500 to $4000 range your refering to. I 've been in the construction trade all my life and am 54 now and have done a lot of sheetrock mud so i thought i could do it. So i bailed off into my first car two years ago. Ask me if i learned anything.......No one could have ever told me all the lessons i would learn. I cut out panels and did my oun work all the way from strip whole car/prime/paint/sand w/800/1000/1200/1500/buff and shine. As one stated materials alone would choke a horse. I am about to put on the vinyl top. Would i do it again?? Hell yes. This is fun. I have people ask who did the body and when i tell em it's my first they really look for flaws. There are some but nothing obvious. One BIG tip...not all body tools need to be bought at a paint store. A 3' yard stick is the cheapest tool i own and it's not the least important
 
I just had my Duster painted for $2500. Great price compared to the other quotes of $5,000K plus....... Its strictly a daily driver and I could'nt really afford much more so I went with the low bid. Well my car is back in his shop again because after I had the car back for three weeks some bubbles started appearing in the paint. (Glad I hadn't put the stripes on yet...) The shop is being really good about it, appears the primer did not adhere to the old faded paint.... and they are going to redo the entire car with no charge, even going to replce the new weatherstripping I had just installed. But meanwhile I am without the car for another month, again.... Should have stuck with the guy I had used several times before even though he was $3000 higher. Go for quality not cost.
 
lesson learned??? well the reason that my car was stripped down to bare metal was to avoid the exact problem of adhesion.. the original paint is acrylic lacquer and the new paint wouldn't be guaranteed to adhere well without doing it. that alone was $1k of the job. the other thing is I live in the bay area and that is about what you pay around here. the price has alot to do with demograhics. that sucks it bubbled, but at least they are taking car of it.
 
i completely agree redfastback...my original quote was low fix the door for $700...then i asked about fixing three bondo sections and he was going to do it for $1000...then i asked how much to do the entire car...fix the door, remove some bondo, completely straighten the car that was going to be about $3800 but he was going to use as much of the existing paint as possible.

you could see how it quickly went from a simple door to the entire car...i just figured if i was going to spend the money, i may as well have it done right...go t the metal, etching primer, remove bondo, rust, and pick my own color!

here's a few pics of the car's progress...starting with the door

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door/fender/door post repair in progress...mind you he was going to do all this and color match the paint for $700!

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this is after i decided to go all out...
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amazing what removing paint and bondo reveals...



58756.jpg
 
couple more while i'm on the subject

i like the steel look...
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all in all there are only two small sections under the rear of the doors that have rust that needs replacing...i think i'm pretty luck here...


58758.jpg
 
Nice looking work so far fastback68cuda. I sent you a message. I might be intersted in getting some work done by this guy. He seems reasonable compared to some of the quotes I've gotten in my area since they are too busy with the bread and butter stuff. Which I understand. These cars take alot of work. I did it once in high school. My car is pretty easy IMO with just a few dings here and there. Doesn't need much to make it straight. Plus zero rust cali car. IF you got a number for the guy email me. Thanks
 
I've received several PM's requesting contact info for the body shop doing my car. Although my car is not complete (getting primer next week) i couldn't be happier with the work so far so I am glad to recommend him.

The place is in La Habra at the far back of an industrial park...not sure of the name of the complex but look for the bad a$$ choppers parked at the entrance.

Freedom Custom Auto Body
(562) 690-6403
Marcos Arzate
651 E. Lambert Rd. Unit E
La Habra, CA 90631
Tell em' Robert, the guys with the barracuda sent ya haha.
 
redfastback said:
My 68 fastback cuda just got back from paint today. I paid $6,000. that included stripping the car down to bare metal, 45 hours of bodywork, r&r both front and rear glass and under hood, trunk and door jambs.
Click to expand...

dude, i would love to see some pictures! can you post them?
 
well, since I don't have a digital camera yet, I will see if I can have some scanned or get the negatives on disc or something. I am "low tech dude". I am still putting it back together and the paint shop still needs to fix a few things but overall its awesome. try to get pics asap.
 
haven't updated in a while and rather than starting a new thread I thought i'd continue this one...car is in assembly now but here's a few pics taken over the last month or so...



with etching primer on...

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2450399_17_full.jpg
 
I took my lap top with pics of my '68 to Aloha Automotive since she not really mobile and besides i'm not moving my car 4hours just to find out I don't like the shop... they do awsume work, with a hefty price tag. They quoted me 20-25K to do the body work and paint (stock style paint with orange peel and nothing fancy) or for an extra apx. 10K they would do there good paint job. There top of the line pain is unbeliveable, it's as straight as glass. I thought i was going to fall down. I know you get what you pay for and i'm not into this car for profit but 20-35K on paint and body work, then to still need the drivtrain, interior, and electrical to contend with is by no means feasable for anyone in there right mind... if it was a factory ss car that could be understandable but dam it's a 340 A/C car. I'm still shoping around.
 
That's pretty steep. Sounds like they don't really want your business. My advice, keep looking. What paint line do they spray??
 
i agree with redness...no, i disagree, that's not steep, that's just flat out insulting. i don't care how famous a place is, unless you need an obscene amount of metal replaced for someone to quote $20 k as their cheap work is just an insult.

definitely keep looking until you find an HONEST shop willing to do a good job for a fair day's pay!

ok, i'm off my high horse...here's a couple more with the paint...car should be in my garage next week!

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2450399_2_full.jpg


looks like those wheels gotta go pretty soon!
 
I agree with all the comments amde that the $25+K quotes are not reasonable

I think the shop is trying to tell you something---they DO NOT want to do your car...

They know that by quoting that amount, you will walk, and thats what they wanted in the first place.

Spending more than $25,000 on body and paint on anything that is not REALLY RARE and VALUABLE, i.e. a 1970 - 71 E body, 1968 - 70 B body, or the like, is not economical; remember, you could buy a really nicely restored copy of your car FOR LESS MONEY than the body and paint you received!

And ...you would be time and money ahead!

Just some thoughts...just don't get insulted by these quotes...there is that hidden message from the shop to you...they say==> we will only do your car if you mortgage your first born kid!

I think (with minimal rust repair) you should be able to get the body and paint completed for well under $10,000, more like $5 - 7,500, but that of course depends on the amount of body work / metal work needed.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but forget about that shop!
 
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