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Cost of a good paint job

22K views 55 replies 32 participants last post by  GT350R Klone 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of painting my 66 candy apple red so my question is for a good paint job plus body work what would the starting price be. I'm looking to keep it under 5k also if I were to have the frame media blasted and primed along with cutting out some sections with welding how much more would that add? The car would be assembled when I dropped it off.
 
#2 ·
for all that, you're not even in the same ballpark. just a good paint job on a prepared body would be that much or more, by the time you add in all the labor of stripping the car down, having it blasted and repaired you're WAY on up there.


it's not too hard to spend a couple thousand dollars just on paint supplies if you want good paint.
 
#3 ·
Yup.... $8-$10K was the last quote I got when I checked around and that was a few years back and that was for a car that had all the metal work done, panels were lined up, it was stripped, and sprayed with epoxy. It just needed priming, sanding, prep & paint

Add stripping down the car for media blasting and you're probably talking another $3-5K on top of that.

A friend of mine searched around town for a "cheap" scuff / respray since he was sticking with the same color on his 75 vette and the lowest quote for that was still $8K.

You could try a place like Macco to hit your under $5K budget but you will get what you pay for.

Costs have gone up and continue to go up.
 
#32 ·
100% agree. That's the route I am going for.

I will sand down to bare metal and the parts will be disassembled.

send it to a shop to repair the sheet metals+weld (I wont have time to do that)

All I need is the paint equipment
 
#5 · (Edited)
If you aren't planning on taking it to Barrett Jackson or the Concours de Elegance and you are not wanting a paint job worth more than your car and you plan on driving it on a road then Maaco is fine. Do the prep yourself and take it to them. They did a great job on my car for 1000 dollars. That included under the hood door jams and trunk and a three year warranty. I certainly don't have 10 grand to spend on paint not sure who does.
 
#16 ·
Agree! I definitely got my moneys worth when I went that route. I did all the body filler work and sanding and stripped off all the chrome/lights/etc. They finish sanding it and sprayed with single step enamel(like it was at the factory in 66)
Did it have runs?...yeah a couple. did the body filler repair show? Only if you looked hard for it.
A 10 footer for sure..but for the money...I was happy. Got LOADS of compliments along the way. It lasted about 8/10 years a lot of it sitting out side.
All in all... a define value.
WARNING!!... All Macco's don't do the same work! Some look like crap-city! If you go this route research and go look at their work.
Remember us classic car owners are our worse critics. Most folks don't see all the flaws we stare at!
6sally6
 
#6 ·
That's why my next paint job is going to be a case of Krylon.

A big part of a paint job is the amount of prep work. The more prep on body work the better the paint will look. I forget who it is or was here on VFM had Macco do it. The car came out fantastic, it looked like a show quality job. His thought was that a shop like that has a lot of experience painting. He spoke with the shop of exactly what he wanted. At every phase of the work, Macco could not go to the next part until he came in and inspected the work. No is wasn't $500 either. It was a fair amount of money because Macco spent a lot of time on prep work. He understood from the beginning it wasn't going to be cheap, he was just looking for a shop that had a lot of experience in painting. You get what you pay for.
 
#7 ·
Are you including the media blasting and cutting sections. Mentioned frame blasting. Assembled when dropped off.
You need to spell out to the shop exactly what they will be doing....start to finish.
 
#9 ·
Just like ANY franchise, it depends on local manager. Many years ago, my brother did a car with them that like the good experience above, where he did his own prep and discussed the project with manager. Manager was actually excited to not be doing $500 crapola used lot flipper cars. Turned out nice and lasted for over a decade without issue.
 
#10 ·
>:) beat me to it. Gonna say the same thing. We had a few maacos in San Diego. Of course, out of the few was only one good one and didn't charge an arm and a leg. Som times the YELP will help you out as well. Take a trip to the shop and check out some of their paint jobs to get an idea how they are.
 
#12 ·
I put out $7500. For a strip and repainted 2 yrs ago , another $1500.00 for some minor repair work.
They disassembled the car and did it right. Anymore that considered a great price as there going for upwards of $10,000 grand now days.
 
#14 ·
My 70 MACH 1 is going in for paint this weekend. I actually researched shops in my area for over a year before I decided on one. The guy who owns the shop is a very nice guy and has had several cars in shows. He invites everyone over to his place to check on progress, he actually encourages you to just show up.
I am paying close to 10k for the paint and some minor bodywork. I don't ever plan on selling this car as my son would kill me. He put the first dent in it when he was 6.
I guess IMO paint is like speed. The better you want the more you gotta spend.

LJ
 
#15 · (Edited)
Be prepared when you have anything media blasted, you almost certainly will incur additional expense as you will uncover something else that needs to be fixed. Just for reference, I paid $1000 for blasting, another $4000 for bodywork to replace quarters, floor pans, cowl, and door skins, then $5500 for a lemans stripe paint job. This doesn't include any of the parts costs. Not sure where you are located but that can definitely affect cost as well. The guy I used 5 years ago was charging $25 an hour out of his home shop. I also removed everything I could before bringing the car to the bodyshop and cut out the top of my cowl.
 
#17 ·
I checked around when it was time to paint my 1966 Mustang. The body was pretty straight and there was 2 rust spots that needed repairing. I was getting quotes ranging from $10,000 to $15,000. That's more than I paid for the car. I decided to do the work myself in my garage. I stripped, repaired the rust spots with new metal, did the body work and painted it. I used the middle of the road PPG paint system and that cost me right at $2,000 alone. I worked my butt off and I got it done. Here's some pix.
 

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#20 ·
That looks great!
 
#18 ·
As others have said... for 5 grand there is no way in hell you're getting disassembly, media blasting, replacement of rusted metal (of which you will invariably find more than you think), bodywork, AND paint. For 5 grand you can get a good paint job (good materials, meticulous bodywork) IF you find a good local guy who's cheap (or who takes pity on you) and if you do all of the disassembly, stripping, and metalwork yourself. Most
body shops will not put paint on someone else's bodywork so no point in doing that.
 
#23 ·
In the past 2 years, I paid a guy to replace all the sheetmetal that I purchased from the doors back (1 door was replaced). Left and right trunk floors replaced as well. Total cost was around $9k for the parts I supplied, that he purchased, and his labor. Now I am fixing all his mistakes (poor welding and some body fitment) and am starting to get it ready for the paint booth. I have access to a down draft paint booth and a painter that owes me a favor, but I still have to pay for all prep that I do not do and materials. He and I will do the labor of prepping for paint and spraying. I'm guessing materials will be around $500, his prep charge will be dependant on how poorly I do my part. :surprise:

I painted my Mach 1 myself back in the 80's, but definitely want a more "professional" job done on the Shelby.

 
#26 ·
Paint and body is just plain expensive. And if you've done it you understand why. Chemicals are expensive and it's a TON of work. Rather than investing in a shop to paint my car, I invested in myself and put myself through paint and body school. And then another 5 years (and counting) of constant mentoring, continuing "education," and reading. I built a permanent booth in my shop, invested in my own equipment and painted my car.

The interior shop asked who painted my car and when I said "I did," their mouths dropped. They said "you do this for a living?" I said "no, just a hobby because I really believe in self punishment!" So then they stroked my ego for the next five minutes and said it was by far the cleanest paint job they'd ever seen come through their shop. That is extremely gratifying and is a gratification I wouldn't have had if I paid somebody else. And it made everything worth it right there. That was my first project. Then I painted a horse trailer. Now other people want me to paint their car, so there's always the opportunity of making some money on the side and I have that skill for my next three restorations in the queue as well.

Not everybody can paint their car for a whole host of reasons. But don't count yourself out just because you think it's too hard or impossible. It's not easy. And sometimes it feels like it will be impossible. But you'd be surprised what you're capable of doing if you want it bad enough.


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#31 ·
Paint and body is just plain expensive. And if you've done it you understand why. Chemicals are expensive and it's a TON of work. Rather than investing in a shop to paint my car, I invested in myself and put myself through paint and body school. And then another 5 years (and counting) of constant mentoring, continuing "education," and reading. I built a permanent booth in my shop, invested in my own equipment and painted my car.

The interior shop asked who painted my car and when I said "I did," their mouths dropped. They said "you do this for a living?" I said "no, just a hobby because I really believe in self punishment!" So then they stroked my ego for the next five minutes and said it was by far the cleanest paint job they'd ever seen come through their shop. That is extremely gratifying and is a gratification I wouldn't have had if I paid somebody else. And it made everything worth it right there. That was my first project. Then I painted a horse trailer. Now other people want me to paint their car, so there's always the opportunity of making some money on the side and I have that skill for my next three restorations in the queue as well.

Not everybody can paint their car for a whole host of reasons. But don't count yourself out just because you think it's too hard or impossible. It's not easy. And sometimes it feels like it will be impossible. But you'd be surprised what you're capable of doing if you want it bad enough.


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If this were going to be the only car you would ever paint, all that time might not have been worth it. But, I do agree with what/how you progressed your ability. You will be goofing around with cars your whole life, so why not learn how to do the "Scary" stuff. People act like it's the holy grail of skills.


To the OP's question. I run a side business away from my day job and I charge $25 an hour, and I've never quoted a customer less than 4k for an overall. Color dependent, and brand used you'll spend minimum $500 in materials for the cheaper stuff.


So, just learn how to do it yourself, invest in some tools. Get your first one under your belt, and then move on to the next.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Gee, maybe he didn't use the search function, being a new member? Anyway, Razzy, welcome aboard. We do have a pretty good search feature here and there are many posts about paint jobs. Hope you find your answers.
Stan
 
#29 · (Edited)
cost me a solid 10 last summer. color change, minimal body work, strip to bare metal, everything disassembled,
plus another 3 for new trim and another 2 for the while it was there factor ( new rad support, bat apron. install new suspension, install new headliner and try to save as much chrome as he was able to do with a wheel )


i was in the 5 grand la la land too until i started shopping and posted on here for advice.


FWIW Maaco are indivdually owned and operated. some do good work some dont.
around here i wouldnt let them touch my grandsons go cart.


in my case i wanted turn key and to do ntohing but drop it off and pick it up. and thats what i paid for.
 
#30 ·
if you take it to maaco, they at lease use Dupont and Nason Toners. I recommend doing the work yourself and then getting it painted at a local Maaco. Like the others have stated, go on yelp, look at the reviews or you can look around and look at different shops to see what they can offer you.

for my paint job, I paid almost around 6k and I used Speis Hecker brand.
 
#35 ·
The reason I don't want to paint my own car is that i'm a minor (15) so I can't rent a paint booth plus I have zero automotive experience besides rebuilding a lawn mower engine and knowing how cars work from study not experience. Luckily I know a few mechanics pretty well if I have questions and someone who's restored a Mach one mustang before willing to help once and a while. Still having one of my favorite model of car as my first car is pretty awesome plus it's stick shift. It sure beats a ricer Honda.
 
#36 ·
Perfect age to start learning! I was 15 when I got mine (21 now) and currently have my 67 on a tip over jig with everything stripped off of it replacing floor pans, torque boxes, media blasting the bottom, etc! When I first got the car I had some experience with mechanics, but never thought (at least in such as relatively short amount of time) I would learn so much :pirate:
 
#41 · (Edited)
Welcome to VMF, RazzyNathan!

I understand your dilemma. I'm working on a 1970 Mach 1. For years I've been asking around for paint job recommendations. After dozens of, "Don't take it to the guy who painted my car!" horror stories, I got one, just one, positive recommendation. When I asked what I could expect to pay, I got, "Just under $10,000".

So, if you're in a position to spend $10,000 for a good paint job, by all means, go for it. Be aware paying $10,000 doesn't guarantee it's going to be a high quality paint job. When it comes to auto painting, you often don't get what you pay for. Many, many people have been scammed or simply furious after paying good money for bad work. I've even heard horror stories where the shop went out of business and the cars they were working on "disappeared"! Lesson: do your homework when it comes to any paint and body shop.

The Maaco solution can be a good option for people who can do all the body work themselves then roll it in for spraying. As mentioned, you MUST talk to the management to be certain what you're actually getting. If Maaco is going to use quality paint and make the effort to properly mask everything, that's cool. Just be aware Maaco can also shoot lousy paint with overspray everywhere. "Your mileage may vary."

As a young buck, I would highly encourage you to learn paint and body work and do it yourself. If you have a local trade school where you learn such skills, take advantage of it. As mentioned, such trade schools are getting harder to come by. When you do find them, if not part of a high school program, they can be very expensive. You must also find out what's in the actual curriculum. If they don't teach any sheet metal welding, that's a problem for older cars. Some just teach how to remove and replace panels. Also be aware that seeking paint and body work as a career can be dicey. My brother took auto body when we were in high school. He worked at multiple shops in multiple states and in every shop he made minimum wage and did grunt work, grunt work, grunt work. Then the owner came in and painted the cars. There was no opportunity for advancement. No fun. Again, your mileage may vary.

You can get a very good idea of what's involved in a quality paint job by picking up the "Paintucation" DVD series from Kevin Tetz. It's about $100 for the whole series, but it's money well spent. Kevin goes over panel replacement, plug welding, filler work, masking, spraying, sanding, polishing and more. It's very eye-opening and you'll quickly understand why a good paint job is so expensive.

One more bit of advice. Pay extra attention to what paint products you use or your shop uses. My coworker recently painted his Bronco. A local paint store recommended this "really great" paint at a very attractive price. Turned out it was some junk made in Africa and he wasn't at all happy with the quality. While you don't always get what you pay for with a paint job, when it comes to paint products, you typically do get what you pay for.
 
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