Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

i'm been getting qoutes on paint and body work, and every estimate has been around 4-6k. for a middle of the road job. i'm not looking for show quality, but i want it to look respectable. i'm just wondering what you guys are paying, and maybe some ways to save money?

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

look on craigslist for a body man thats un-employed.... alot of them lately offering great deals

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

Thats about the average....that will get you alot of bondo to if you have alot of repairs that will be needed.

Smitty

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

thanks guys, next question. is it cheaper to replace a panel with a new one, or have the original fixed. i'm talking about the passenger bedside panel. it has a few good dings around the tail light area. just trying to weight the cost of labor to smooth it out vs. a new straight panel

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

It all depends how many hours of work the panel needs. If something is tore up pretty good its usually cheaper/easier to just replace the panel. Body work is not cheap. Its very time consuming.

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/aos/1929538883.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/aos/1928470057.html

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

I would try and get a un-employed painter to to do it for you. get some Duplicolor paint shop paint, and rent a paint booth if possible. all in all it would save you at least 1/4 to 1/2 of the money rather than taking it to a shop for them to do. Unless you need a lot of body work I.E. dents bondo patches ect. Then just dish out the cash.

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

just remember

"you get what you pay for"

and cheapest is not always the best............

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

Good paint jobs aren't cheap, cheap paint jobs aren't good.

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

I've seen single staged paint turn out great, and last a long time. I've seen base coat/ clear coat turn out like crap. I've seen cheap paint jobs that look good and last a long time. I've seen expensive paint jobs look like crap, and didn't last anytime. The biggest part of a paint job is the prep and the know-how. The more experience a person has, in most cases, will yield a better job. Remember, it's the prep that makes the paint look as good as it does, not the paint itself.

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

i payed $3,200 for my last paint job about 4 or 5 years ago on my 75 nova and it was a very nice job about $900 of it was supplies the paint was 300 a gallon but it depends on what part of the country you are in. I don't plan on a super nice paint job on my trucks though i can enjoy them better without it ;)

Re: Cost of paint jobs...$$$$
 

Words of wisdom.