[Uncle Tupelo]

Just looking for some advice as to what y'all think is reasonable pricing to do a REALLY nice paint job on a nice car. I mave a new scratch and small ding in my door. Thought it might be time to just paint the whole car, and want it done VERY right. Estimates? VERY little body work if any to be done to the car. Pic in signature, all the rest of the paint other than the scratch and ding is excellent.

 

[Bolt]

Yo, Uncle Tupelo, First I would like to say I have admired your Camaro peveously! I think it is a really sweet ride! I live in N.Y. so I am sure that prices will be higher here than in GA. That being said I searched my area for 1 year and priced paint jobs on a Camaro in simular condition to your car(check my profile and see a pic) I want a top shelf show car paint job of pebble beach quality. First you have to find a shop that is capable of this it seems to be a lost art. Most shops today repair wrecks and are after the insurance money after all thats were the money is. I found a shop that repairs Austin Martins he is known for his metal work and paint. After interveiwing 15 shops he was the most qualified and easiest to work with. He agreed to do a pebble beach quality job on my car with plenty of WOW factor if I stripped all the chrome, interior etc. for $10,000 that is a rotisseree job and that is an excellent price for this area all things considered. I hope this somehow helps you.

 

[1969 RS/SS DROPTOP]

Theres more to just having the car painted, after that "super nice" paint job you will need new emblems, new/rechromed bumpers, window felts, glass if its scratched up etc..., unless all of those items are mint now because if its not it will stick out like a sore thumb on that new paint job so factor that in to the price as well.

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

Theres more to just having the car painted, after that "super nice" paint job you will need new emblems, new/rechromed bumpers, window felts, glass if its scratched up etc..., unless all of those items are mint now because if its not it will stick out like a sore thumb on that new paint job so factor that in to the price as well.

Everything else is pretty near perfect. I recently had all the window felts/weatherstripping redone. This car only has 41K orig miles and is in EXCELLENT condition. Only about 15K have been put on the car in the last 25 years. Chrome is perfect and all original, glass is all original, interior is all orig, emblems are all orig and in better shape than any repro part to replace them ...in short other than one repaint in 85...this car is 99% original. It has a few small chips in the paint for wear, a small crease in the passenger door, and now a one inch scratch in the drivers rear qtr. I think I may jut be able to have the Qtr and door redone, but was just asking y'alls opinion if I were to have the whole car repainted again. For paint that is 22 years old it is AMAZING...every body shop I took it to to look at the door said they wouldn't paint it because they couldn't do that good a job, and they couldn't believe the age of the paint. With this new scratch I just put in it..it is really driving me crazy.

 

[DjD]

UT - Labor costs are so different from region to region... In the bay area here quality work will cost you $100 plus per hr, other areas you might get the same work done for $40-$60 per hr... You need to talk to local rodders and car guys to get an idea in your area...

Oh and perfect orig chrome won't be on a really nice paint job. You'll have to make that call though, it will stand out in place of the scratches...

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

UT - Labor costs are so different from region to region... In the bay area here quality work will cost you $100 plus per hr, other areas you might get the same work done for $40-$60 per hr... You need to talk to local rodders and car guys to get an idea in your area...

Oh and perfect orig chrome won't be on a really nice paint job. You'll have to make that call though, it will stand out in place of the scratches...

I guess what I am saying is that the car has the quality paint job on it now I would expect to have on it if I re did it...and the chrome does not "stick out" now. Guess you'd have to see it to believe it. I would be PERFECTLy happy if I could find someone to do as good a job as it looks now minus the scratch.

In essence, This new scratch is killing me because the paint was so good...and I am deciding how to address it.

 

[CDJr]

Would it be possible to do just the door?

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

Would it be possible to do just the door?

Yeah, I've had quotes already on the door. Now with the scratch in the opposite QP, I guess they'd have to do the whole Qtr?

 

[ProdigyCustoms]

If it is a scuff and shoot, you will spend about $6000 to $7000 here for a glamour finish job. RE: Sanded and buffed.

 

[Xx-007-xX]

Hey Tupelo- I live right near you here in Comer, there is a guy just down the road from me that does some awsome work, and it looks like he charges a fair price, I am dabling with the idea of him doing my 68. I have talked to him when I first moved here and he seams very knowledgeable, and it seams like he is a perfectionist when it comes to his work. i have seen some of his work and have been very impressed, so get a hold of me through my email and I can give you some more info on the guy.....................007

 

[Bradscamro67]

Im from a small town in Kentucky.. i dont know if were just cheap but those proces are amazingly hi..just doing the door might cost around 500.00 doing entire car. no body work sand and buff might cost around 3000.00 depending on paint.. i would keep looking

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

The guy who looked at doing the door last year said it would be around 5-7 hundred...and it would look just like the rest of the car or it was free. Now I am wondering if he would have to shoot the whole qtr to fix the scratch....probably another 12-15 hundred.

I am tossing around the idea of just having the whole car painted...even though the whole car doesn't really need paint after over 20+ years.

 

[Bradscamro67]

Its very very hard to match paint.. he would have to be a real pro at matching and mixing . and also fading. if exsisting paint is more than a couple years old it would be pretty close to impossible.. not saying he couldnt get color right.. but that the car will be faded some.. you cant get that faded look.

 

[Andrew69]

If you want to drive east 1.5 hours Wilbank's Body Shop did a nice job on mine for what I thought was a reasonable price.

Andrew

 

[ProdigyCustoms]

Im from a small town in Kentucky.. i dont know if were just cheap but those proces are amazingly hi..just doing the door might cost around 500.00 doing entire car. no body work sand and buff might cost around 3000.00 depending on paint.. i would keep looking

Here is the problem. For us the materials we use will be nearly half your $3000. Which would leave $1500 for labor, which at $50 per hour is 30 hours, which is not enough prep time to get to the booth. Let alone get it painted, sanded and buffed. I would assume 40 hours of sanding and prep, ding and chip repair and masking. 4 to 8 hours (depending on stripes) for painting, and 32 to 40 hours for sanding and buffing. So nearly 90 hours @ $50 = $4500, + $1200 to $1500 for materials, some hazardous waste fees, yup, $7000

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

Another MAJOR issue for me is trusting someone to have posession of my car for ANY period of time. It hasd never been out of my site since I got it.

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

Ok..update:
We have a PPG AAUto Paint Supply shop about 5 miles from my house, figured I would have them make me some touch up paint to possibly hide the scratch. While I was there I asked them, figured they'd know, who the ABSOLUTE BEST guy was anywhere around to repaint a classic car.

They gave me the name of a guy about twenty minutes from me and said no one was as good as him.

Went to visit him, saw his work..VERY GOOD! He has done some work on some unbelievably nice cars. Told him my problem...the scratch and the little crease in the Passenger door. SIght unseen he said he could do both of those for about 600 bucks. I asked him what a show quality, top of the line paint job would be and he said depending on what he saw under the paint, which my car has all metal and nearly no body work to be done, between
4,000 and 7,000.

The catch is that he said he does not take the car apart, and I would have to do that as well as put it back together. All bumpers, door locks, etc. HE said he doesn't do this because it takes too long and he doesn't like to bill for de/reconstruction...he's a painter.

Any thoughts?

 

[camaroman7d]

UT,
It's your car and you have to do what makes you happy. If the paint is as nice as you say now, why repaint the whole car? Most people do not realize how much work it is to paint a car "right". You will probably want the jams and trunk painted as well, right? In that case you will need all new rubbers. All windows, chrome, emblems, lights, etc.. must be removed. No matter how perfect you think your body is now, I am willing to bet once the paint is removed there will be a surprise or two. You haven't owned that car since it was brand new so you can't be sure what's under there if you didn't do the work. Matching paint is not easy but, I would give this guy a shot at a paint match and see if he can pull it off, you will spend a LOT less and your car won't be locked up for long to do the touch up. See if you can cut a deal with the guy that says if the paint doesn't match he will paint the whole car minus the fee of the touch-up.

Do you feel comfortable taking the car apart and putting it back together? If not you will have to hire someone that is capable, add this to the price of your paint job. As mentioned earlier, your lights, emblems, chrome will more than likely look a little "old" once you have a complete new paint job. I have not seen your car in person so it's hard to say.

 

[Uncle Tupelo]

Yeah, I think I am going to try and have him fix the two small areas first. My concern was that the paint wouldn't match as well.

I keep hearing about the chrome and emblems...but disagree...the paint on this car is outstanding and all the brightwork looks excellent. Like I said earlier ya'd have to see it. Though I understand what everyone is saying.

I agree with taking it apart, and that was his contention...something that should come apart and back together in 20 min seldom does...that's why he doesn't do it.

My main concern , and why I would consider painting the whole car, is that the paint is so good it may be hard to match.

Car just had all new rubber, door seals, fuzzies etc replaced anyway.

We'll see...I am going to take it to him to look at.