Average costs for basic body & paint?

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Average costs for basic body & paint?

hemi43 · ONTARIO

When I painted my car, it had quite a bit of orange peel. This is after sanding and buffing.

-- Edited by hemi43 on Wednesday 16th of January 2013 09:16:34 PM

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Gearhead wrote:
427CARL wrote:

Ask the guys, what a gallon of red paint, plus clear is worth Guess lol

Taking a stab...$250-300?

I bought 6 quarts of Dupont Chroma Premier in 2006 and it cost me $1100 just for the colour. This does not include the price of primers, hardeners, reducers, clear or beer. You don't need to spend this kind of money, because there's a lot of excellent quality products out there at a fraction of the price. You should be able to get everything for less than $1000 if you go aftermarket, IMO.

edit; I also had 2 quarts of single stage urethane in that $1100 order.

-- Edited by hemi43 on Wednesday 16th of January 2013 09:36:03 PM

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

So I stopped into a body shop that I've passed a million times today to see if I could get a ballpark price. I have finally admitted to myself that bodywork is not my game. Like my drywall/ mudding skils of put it on, take it off and then do it 3x more...I suck at it. In any case, my truck project which has become a 10 year storage project has to either get moving or get gone. I think I chose the wrong shop to stop however because he only had classics and high end muscle cars on the shop floor. There's no way I can afford this guy, nor is my truck worth enough to warrant it. What I'm wondering is what is a good range to expect to pay for basic body & paint for a driver or say a 20 footer? I need the dash, firewall and jambs painted, doors fenders and hood hung and aligned and then painted. All metal work is done and or new and I realize my fenders (aftermarket) will need a bit of tweaking. Truck is currently in epoxy primer. I have no box and will worry about that down the road...so what do you guys think it will run? $1500 ish? $2500 ish? More??? I want something that will last at least 5 -7 years or so Thoughts?

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

Min.. $4000.00 probably top out at 5500.00 (no ****)

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

Holy s**t....I'm gonna learn how to do this one way or another!!!!

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

heres my friends car

he did the floors and went in after work and Saturdays for a month

total estimate 6000.00 ended up at 7700.00

Paint and meaterials was 3000.00 alone nice job though car is nice

photo 4.JPG

poncho62 · ADMINISTRATOR

Better get Maaco........

If you want a 20 footer, find someone that does it at home...or a car club etc.
I used to do spray jobs, but dont have that shop anymore. The garage I have now is joined to the house and the wife would skin me if I sprayed in there

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

hemi43 wrote:
Come on !!! DO IT YOURSELF !! Your name is Gearhead, so you'll figure it out !! seriously, it's not that difficult !! I am definitely NOT a bodyman or painter, but if you do your homework beforehand and use your quality materials you really can't mess up. I actually won best paint at a show once, and I laughed because it looked like crap when I painted the car, but todays paints can be sanded and buffed to a show car finish.
-----------------------------------------------------------

It will cost you $6000 minimum to get a quality job done !!

Exactly

I cringe when I see a rust bucket advertised for 9500.00 with seller saying it only needs a little body work

They are no cars that need a "little Body work"

flatduck · SUDBURY, ONT

the problem may be is to find a shop that will be even interested to look at it ?..........the vehicle being in primer probably won t even show or even reduce cost at all

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

Thanks guys - I'm gonna give it a go buy cutting everything in my works paint booth ( too small for whole truck). I can't spray at home in my matchbox and driveway always has a cross breeze like mini Kansas. Great in summer but almost never have a still day.
Hmmmm, maybe a portable car shelter could be the ticket!! Eureka

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

Ask the guys, what a gallon of red paint, plus clear is worth Guess lol

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

Nice filter rack behind you Hemi...BUsted!

Damn fine job though

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Geez, I looked at that picture I just posted and you can almost see my nut sack in the reflection !! Good thing I'm no "Ron Jeremy" !!

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

427CARL wrote:
Ask the guys, what a gallon of red paint, plus clear is worth Guess lol

Taking a stab...$250-300?

flatblack55delivery · PORT HOPE, ONT

My son had his Roadmaster wagon painted .He removed the woodgrain and the trim pins .There was no rust or major body work to do except for some trim holes an the odd small dent.The whole job took 6 days and cost $800 for the paint and supplies and $1200 for the labour and he has a nice Plunb Crazey purple beheamoth.They didn't do the sills and interior stuff as we are doing that .They did a nice job that he could afford and is happy with the results so I guess there are various rates for these jobs.We went and saw this shops previous jobs and the various customers we talked to were satisfied with there results. Ask people before you plunk your money down as like any other business there are shisters out there, but there are just as many honest guys . Ed

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

hemi43 wrote:
Geez, I looked at that picture I just posted and you can almost see my nut sack in the reflection !! Good thing I'm no "Ron Jeremy" !!

That could be good or bad...I certainly wouldn't want to look like that guy.

427CARL · CLINTON, ONT

Gearhead wrote:
427CARL wrote:

Ask the guys, what a gallon of red paint, plus clear is worth Guess lol

Taking a stab...$250-300?

nope way too low

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Gearhead wrote:
Nice filter rack behind you Hemi...BUsted!

Damn fine job though

That's my homebuilt spraybooth !! I rarely use it, but it's a place to store my car. BTW, it's not as shinny anymore!!

spring77 · BARRIE, ONT

I used to paint all my cars in the garage...BUT! no more acrylic enamel anymore...tougher for the 'do it yourselfer'..and has anyone noticed??..there are NO!..bodyshops anymore??...They are called "collision centres"...and will NOT! repair rust at all..

spring77 · BARRIE, ONT

That's my homebuilt spraybooth !! I rarely use it, but it's a place to store my car. BTW, it's not as shinny anymore!!

Nice paintbooth!!...Im envious!!!

spring77 · BARRIE, ONT

Its been about 10 years since I last painted..I used to use acrylic enamel, with the hardener, great stuff..and durable...I never paid more than $400 for EVERYTHING...paint reducer paper, tape, sandpaper etc..but apparently no more acrylic.. I got a quote last year to paint my Monte..zero rust...factory faded green paint..(not bad...just faded)...and was quoted $3500...no wonder rat rods are popular...:)

flatduck · SUDBURY, ONT

and it probably is one of the reason projects don t get finish and don t sell either

spring77 · BARRIE, ONT

And lets face it..Most of us want to DRIVE!..our cars...not have them sitting in the garage, collecting dust, because we don't want to chip the paint..or get road rash..Its hard to drive a vehicle with a 'show car' finish, and not worry about it.

The new type of paints on the market, really make it hard for the DIY guys...price mostly...

DaveM · ONTARIO

I've done two of mine in my garage. Minimal experience beforehand. Both turned out OK. 5 footers.

I did some test/practice on the door jambs, window openings, dash and firewall before I did the final spray.

The red for the Impala was $700 for the base colour and reducer. I used RM Diamont. Another $200 in the clear. And about $400 in urethane primers.

There was about $700 in material for the truck.

Don't cut corners on materials.

A lesson in after paint wet sand, cut and polish would have gone a long way to getting a nicer result. Both paint jobs lasted very well, and are still out there.

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Holy crap, dave !! It's almost 11 PM and you're still up !! WTF !!

spring77 · BARRIE, ONT

Very nice Job Dave!..painting isnt rocket science..you just have to take your time, don't skimp on materials...use the best you can afford, in materials..both paintjobs look awesome....in my books..

Lightspeed Mike · BELLEVILLE, ONT

Had my daily driver painted a year and a half ago. Very small rust repair, strip flaking clear, 2 part primer and paint. Cost was $3000. Had quotes up to $4500.
Yep I like my very low maintenance rat rod. Fill with gas, clean the glass.

DaveM · ONTARIO

hemi43 wrote:
Holy crap, dave !! It's almost 11 PM and you're still up !! WTF !!

I missed The Bachelor on Monday night so I'm watching it online. confuse

Rochie · LONDON, ONT

I painted the 29 in my garage at home. It was stipulated that I seal up the house from the garage BEFORE I paint. The paint and materials cost just about $1500.00. I used Sherwin Williams middle of the line base and their best clear. my cars don't sit in the garage to be admired either. I finished the 29 in Feb of 2010 in time for the London show and drove it to Deuce Days in Victoria in July.

-- Edited by Rochie on Thursday 17th of January 2013 10:11:11 AM

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Gearhead wrote:
That right there is my lament - I know my prep has to be nothing short of perfect.
There's no other colour choice - Its got a red interior and its a shortbox, it has to be like every other one I see....BLACK lol

So.....next question; how hard are metallics to spray?
The only other colour choice I like is silver or charcoal, but I've heard about/seen the tigerstripes.
I'd have no choice but base/clear here, right?
I know white is very forgiving but I'm not fond of if unless its 2 tone (hmmm....maybe) or on a Early camaro or E body mopar with lots of black stripes and/or vinyl/convert. roof

Getting the panels perfectly smooth is not that difficult if you are shown/told how it's done. There is no magic !! The biggest secret I can give you is to get the bodywork as smooth as you can, then coat the whole car with a heavy coat of polyester primer. Polyester primer is nothing more than really thin bodyfiller that can be sprayed from a gun. It even uses MEK, the same hardener that's used for fiberglass.

What this process does is it gives you a surface that is homogenous, meaning that the panel will have the same hardness over it's whole surface. Ten all you do is take a long (16" or so) sanding board with 120 grit and block the panel down until there's no more low spots. Voila!! perfect panel!! If you hit any bare metal (a bit on the edges is fine) then just recoat with more polyester, and reblock.

Too many people trying bodywork for the first time will overthink the job. For example; if you have a door with 3 small dings or low spots, the beginner will try and fix all three dings separately. The proper procedure is to skim the whole panel so you only have one larger patch. Hope I make sense.

As far as paint choice, if you go metallic, then you must clear it because single stage metallic won't last very long. Besides, painting base/clear is easier and more forgiving than trying to paint single stage IMO.

If you don't want tiger stripes, then make sure you don't get a colour that's too transparent. That's difficult to do because most colours today are low hiding especially when you get into the red tones. If you do end up spraying a low hiding colour, then the secret is not to lay the base on too heavy (wet) and turn the air pressure up for better attomization. Also, on metallic colour, change the direction of spray 90 degrees for each coat.

-- Edited by hemi43 on Thursday 17th of January 2013 01:34:19 PM

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

hemi43 wrote:
Gearhead wrote:
Nice filter rack behind you Hemi...BUsted!

Damn fine job though
That's my homebuilt spraybooth !! I rarely use it, but it's a place to store my car. BTW, it's not as shinny anymore!!

That looks bigger than my whole garage

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

Thanks again guys and fine looking work there Pint! I've read a fair bit on the subject, but the hands on doesn't seem to work as easily as said books make it look. I seem to be chasing my tail around in getting things true and flat. Maybe I'm trying to be too much of a perfectionist, I dont know. I've done a fair bit of industrial painting and am not afraid to spray anything. My concern is that I want to make sure I don't burn through the paint during colour sanding etc. As someone mentioned, paint for the DIY guys seems to be getting scarce as everything is going to waterborne. I'm just going basic black - no base/clear - just basic black that I can wet sand/buff any issues out without worrying about burning through the clear etc...

Pint, not laughing at the tremclad thing - I recently read a thread elsewhere about someone actually rolling their car with rust-oleum and wet sanding/buffing to a nice finish. I couldn't believe it - it actually looked pretty good.

ok, I gotta work....

Jazz · THUNDER BAY, ONT

If you are a novice at body work don't paint it black for obvious reasons. Up here there are shops that will mask and spray for $300.00 which is a good alternative to someone who wants the paint applied professionally,,I am sure the shops would point out every flaw in the body beforehand to try and sell some bodywork.. I have always done my own paint and bodywork as I am not independently wealthy. You could go with a flat paint,,take a look at Hotrod Flatz colour charts for ideas although I would not go with flat black,,that is so common...you go to car shows and there is a sea of flat black and with red steelies....

Jazz · THUNDER BAY, ONT

Interior of my truck was also red ,,I fixed that!..I would think you want your truck to stand out in the crowd. Post some pics of your truck,,interior as well. The colours Grumpsbodywork and Rochie used would also be spectacular colours for and interior and pretty much any colour could be applied to the exterior,,,

-- Edited by Jazz on Thursday 17th of January 2013 03:04:05 PM

Cat in the Hat · BRANTFORD, ONT

Painted body.jpg

Summit Paint.....Primer.....Activater......Reducer......$300

Sand paper ............Filler.....extras.........................$200

Beer for buddies to final sand.................................$40

Painted in a truck wash booth..................................Priceless

Gearhead · ELORA, ONT

Jazz wrote:
If you are a novice at body work don't paint it black for obvious reasons.

That right there is my lament - I know my prep has to be nothing short of perfect.

There's no other colour choice - Its got a red interior and its a shortbox, it has to be like every other one I see....BLACK lol

So.....next question; how hard are metallics to spray?

The only other colour choice I like is silver or charcoal, but I've heard about/seen the tigerstripes.

I'd have no choice but base/clear here, right?

I know white is very forgiving but I'm not fond of if unless its 2 tone (hmmm....maybe) or on a Early camaro or E body mopar with lots of black stripes and/or vinyl/convert. roof

Cat in the Hat · BRANTFORD, ONT

Silver and Charcoal and gold metalics are the hardest colours to paint ...striping.

You can still get acrylics and urathanes from the states..... cheap

You can paint urathanes and acrylics....wetsand and clear.....wetsand and buff.....amazing

Base clears are easy to do mulitple colours are fades....then clear. Quick set up time between coats.

Home painting is not that hard......read watch ask......try. If it looks like niagra falls....no biggie just wait a few days sand and have at'er again.

The secret to great paint is...........great prep! The secret to great prep is.........elbow grease by the bucket!

TIME AND EFFORT = REWARD!

Cat in the Hat · BRANTFORD, ONT

Hemi gives good advise...especialy about the bodywork.

I usualy do a spot repair then coat the whole panel with a skim coat and use a long board with cross strokes at 90 degrees

In no time at all....tada....straight panel

A trick I used to do years ago was to put micro-flake in the first coat of clear.....then clear for 2-3 more coats

spring77 · BARRIE, ONT

A trick I used to do years ago was to put micro-flake in the first coat of clear.....then clear for 2-3 more coats

Usually if you are painting at home..it is hard to see,cuz lighting isn't the greatest if you are painting clear coat..I used to put a bit of the colour in with the clear..same idea as the micro flake.._and for exhaust of the garage, paint booth??..I used an old furnace fan..worked well with a filter on it..very little overspray for the neighbours to whine about..._________________

wolfman1 · ST GEORGE, ONT

Whatever paint you end up using, make sure you give enough flash time between coats. So the solvent has time to evaporate or you will get solvent pop, which is solvent trapped between the coats and looks like pinholes in the paint finish.
The bodywork is going to be trial and error for a first timer, just take your time.
Using a guide coat will help with your block sanding

fatstax · COBOURG, ONT

foam roller, laquer thinner, home hardware rust paint since its tintable, 6 pack of tall cans. roll of tape (optional if you is all fancy and stuff) good quality brush for cutting in. im in for about 80 bucks and looks good enough for me.

hemi43 · ONTARIO

fatstax wrote:
foam roller, laquer thinner, home hardware rust paint since its tintable, 6 pack of tall cans. roll of tape (optional if you is all fancy and stuff) good quality brush for cutting in. im in for about 80 bucks and looks good enough for me.

Hahahahaha !! biggrin

dualquadpete · BLACKSTOCK, ONT

Hey, don't laugh, yrs. ago I painted a car with 'roller & brush" Trem-clad green!! it actually works & turned out "NOT BAD" You had to get right up close & personal to see it was a "roller job"

fatstax · COBOURG, ONT

also looks like a million bucks after it rains

Sacotu · COBOURG, ONT

we did a dart in high school with tremclad thru a filter queen vacuum paint sprayer. lets say not a good idea

Cat in the Hat · BRANTFORD, ONT

30 ford at megaspeed.JPG

$40 gallon of Tremclad Hamertone = 1st in class LMFAO

sasquatch · NORTH BAY, ONT

Hey, sometimes a bit of paint and a brush can get you out of a jam.

A "LONG" time ago, (maybe 45 years now at least, ) i was being persued by the local Police Chief in his own car,,,Lol, anyway due to some 4 wheel slides through corners, i was able to evade the predicament.

Now there was a problem, as the beater i was driving had a different colour front end.

So, sneak back into town, hide the car, pool our money, (which probably totaled about 11 Bucks,) go to CTC, get a can of paint and brush, paint the car sparingly, so as not to run out of colour, then wait 30 minutes to dry somewhat, Then driver er again.

Never heard a thing about the persuit. "The Good ole Days".

hemi43 · ONTARIO

Grumpsbodyworks wrote:

$40 gallon of Tremclad Hamertone = 1st in class LMFAO

I bet that little kid on the far right was NOT looking at your car !! LOL

shazzbott · WHITBY, ONT

hemi43 wrote:
Come on !!! DO IT YOURSELF !! Your name is Gearhead, so you'll figure it out !! seriously, it's not that difficult !! I am definitely NOT a bodyman or painter, but if you do your homework beforehand and use quality materials you really can't mess up. I actually won best paint at a show once, and I laughed because it looked like crap when I painted the car, but todays paints can be sanded and buffed to a show car finish. It will cost you $6000 minimum to get a quality job done !!

-- Edited by hemi43 on Wednesday 16th of January 2013 09:17:19 PM

I believe i have seen your red car at a cruise nite in ajax.......isn't it an ESSEX used to be a 4 door turned into a 2 door. ??

mike