Paint Estimate

[tylerg.]

About how much would it cost to get a squarebody c-10 a decent, single color, gloss, exterior paintjob, from a respectable body shop?

I'm thinking like a gunmetal grey or silver.

[Cherub]

Like allthings paint your going to get what you pay for.

[Prong]

How much bodywork does it need. Rust, dents, and pics would be very helpful.

[streetstar]

with very little/almost no bodywork, i would expect to pay 1200- 1500 for a "driver quality" paint job from a place like Maaco. no jambs, interior, or underhood work or detailing, and nothing on the inside of the bed.

4 to 6k is about right for a next level paintjob -- and anything remotely custom or involving complete disassembly and re-assembly usually starts at 6k and goes up from there



I was quoted 1800 to re-do my K5 at a Maaco shop for a 2 tone job with a moderate amount of bodywork

[S10Fan]

“Good paint jobs aren’t cheap, cheap paint jobs aren’t good”

Anonymous

[turbotank]

When I had my suburban sprayed about a year ago,it was $1600 from Maaco.That included painting the handles,mirrors and removing luggage trim.They put two dents in my back doors,and I had to get the truck back,so I let them take $50 off the bill.What a dummy I was!!! But it is a decent looking paintjob to be honest,I am overall happy with it.No runs anywhere.But they do not do a good job of painting behind bumpers,etc.Good driver paintjob,keeps the rust gremlins away.

[YOLO]

my truck has $13K in paint and body. Hope that helps.

[78 Chevyrado]

Around here, a strictly "scuff and shoot" paintjob like mine would be around $3200. But with the wreck damage and extra stuff i kept coming up with for them to do, I'm in for $6k or so at the body shop.

[TexasJeff]

Mine 4 years ago cost me $3000, that is a single color, that included the shop changing the doors, all new front sheetmetal, and some repairs to the bed, I painted mine the same color as it was so jambs did not have to be painted.

[1984 swb chevy]

i am spending 3200 to 3500 for a two tone paint job. The truck has no rust only some dings. He is removing the drip rails and cab molding . The bed will be removed so it can be painted between the cab. The interior and jams will be painted. I think this is a great deal for this area. The painter is always looking for nice projects to paint.

[tylerg.]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I'm planning on doing most of the body work myself so it shouldn't cost too much for the body.

[Rollinsqrbdy]

Mines free. My brother in law paints. I always help him so he helps me. I just recently got the paint( that aint free) and he should start to paint the 4x4 sum time soon.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by tylerg.

Thanks for all the help guys.

I'm planning on doing most of the body work myself so it shouldn't cost too much for the body.

I am going to take a guess here and feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Since you had to ask how much a paint job would cost, I will speculate that you do not have any experience in doing body work.

Assuming that is correct, lets look at what you are proposing. You are "assuming" you can do the bodywork and save money. I suggest you think this through. Doing body repair properly is not easy. If done improperly, the results will show in your paint job.

Most reputable bodyshops will not guarantee their work unless they have done the bodywork as well. Even if they will do it, there is a possibility the work will come back on you later.

Good luck with your decision...

[K30cummins]

gona have at least $500 in
material $750 if base clear

[Square84]

N2 is right about the bodywork you can buy the most expensive paint and clear and have the best painter in the world lay the paint, but if the bodywork is not good then the truck will not look good.

[killthewabbit]

Tyler, you've touched on the counterpoint to what N2TRUX said.

If you're looking to learn, you've picked a good platform. Our trucks are cheap, replacement parts are plentiful, and they aren't rare enough to justify a 10K paint job just to do the truck justice.

If you're looking to learn how to do stuff yourself, why not try it? If you're looking for the cheapest/best way to get a nice paint job without really caring about doing the same thing to another car, maybe you should consider a different tack.

Just my opinion.

[tylerg.]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

If you're looking to learn how to do stuff yourself, why not try it? If you're looking for the cheapest/best way to get a nice paint job without really caring about doing the same thing to another car, maybe you should consider a different tack.

Just my opinion.

What do you mean here?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by tylerg.

What do you mean here?

Tyler now that you have shed more light on the subject, I can elaborate. I strongly encourage anyone to test their ability to learn. I was once like you with a desire to test my skills. I learned how to do minor body work and paint because I couldn't afford to have it done, and I wanted to be able to say I did it myself.

As mentioned above, you have picked a platform that is fairly cheap to find, with an abundance of parts sources. I suggest you take your time and spend as much as you can save, beg, or borrow to get the cleanest truck in your budget. Money spent now on a clean rust free truck will be saved later down the road.

Good luck, and keep us posted on what you find.

[N2TRUX]

Here's a nice one that might not need paint- LINK

[tylerg.]

Thanks alot guys!

Wow n2trux I was on craigslist this morning and didn't see that pickup. It's beautiful!

[N2TRUX]

You didn't mention what your budget was, but that one seemed pretty reasonable.

[tylerg.]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

You didn't mention what your budget was, but that one seemed pretty reasonable.

My budget is up to $5000. Keep a look out for me

I e-mailed that guy twice since yesterday and he is yet to respond

[N2TRUX]

Yeah that's what sucks about craigslist. Since the ads are free people arent real good about keeping track of them. Then you have guys like that who say call me and don't leave a number.

On the bright side, if you have 5k available to spend you should be able to find a nice 73-87. Be patient and wait till a good deal comes along. They are out there, just keep looking.

Did you see this one? LINK

Or this one-LINK

[tylerg.]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Yeah that's what sucks about craigslist. Since the ads are free people arent real good about keeping track of them. Then you have guys like that who say call me and don't leave a number.

On the bright side, if you have 5k available to spend you should be able to find a nice 73-87. Be patient and wait till a good deal comes along. They are out there, just keep looking.

Did you see this one? LINK

Or this one-LINK

I haven't seen either of those due to i've only been searching 1973-1987, not 73-87. The fuel injection on the second one is nice, and they're both very straight trucks, but if we're gonna spend $4000+, it'd better have some nice rims and paint, not just all stock.

[N2TRUX]

Ok, lets get you straight on how to search. Your never going to find a truck with that search. Go to Craigslist, then Cars & Trucks (ALL). Now look at the search box and check "only search titles". Enter 73 Chevy in the search, then 74 and so on until you get to 87. Now add 19 in front of the year and work your way through again.

There are other ways to do it but that is the most effective way I have found to search locally.

Next, forget about wheels. Focus on buying the nicest truck with the best motor and paint you can find. If it happens to have wheels, etc that's cool but to needed right now.

As you can see from the posts here paint is expensive. So are motors and transmissions. Try to find a truck that doesn't need paint, motor, or transmission and you will appreciate it later. You can always clean up a set of rally wheels and drive it til you can afford new wheels.

It's not much fun to sit and look at your new truck with nice wheels, shiny paint and a blown motor or transmission. It a lot more fun to buff out dull paint, detail a set of cheap wheels, and go cruise with your buddies.

Like I said before, take your time and listen to the advice your Dad and Uncles offer. They are speaking from experience.