Went to get quotes on paint & body today :(

[Fatherflash]

How 'bout an idea!?!?!?

If you are heart set on painting your truck, take it to a local school (high school, Vocational school, junior college) that teaches body work. See if the teacher is interested in teaching body work instead of panel replacement to his students. Have the students do your bodywork, paint prep for you. Then take it to your painter and have it sprayed....

Just trying to come up with a creative solution.

[hugger6933]

The vo tech approach is a good one but it is rock hard to get into one of things most of the time the teacher is having the students build cars for him or a buddy or at the very least the students are working on their own project. I know some people that went to the school just to use the tools.
Now someone above mentioned something that set off a bell in my head for the protection of the both of you try to get everything to be done all expectations in writing and signed by you both. that job I mentioned I have over 300 shop hours in that job and still not in final prime. Heck I even have one panel left to replace and the cab is not all in epoxy yet. That and the tailgate is the only thing not in high build. This job could reach the 500 hour mark

[Rod Run]

Originally Posted by lowbucktrucks

a friend of mine who owns a body shop painted his suburban a couple of years ago. Just the paint supplies were over $700.

That's super cheap by today's standards. I paid over half that for a couple quarts of quality PPG epoxy primer this past winter

[hugger6933]

I know I'll get flamed on here but I use PPG's Omni for my supplies and the Omni plus for paint I have been using Omni for a little over 16 years now, So I've had a little experience with it. It can lower your paint bill between 10% and 90%

[Valarius_Starchaser]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

I know I'll get flamed on here but I use PPG's Omni for my supplies and the Omni plus for paint I have been using Omni for a little over 16 years now, So I've had a little experience with it. It can lower your paint bill between 10% and 90%

Higher quality paint = less coats, repaints and mix amounts which = more profit

I've never been in a PPG shop but I can attest to "Axalta" (DuPont) ChromaPremier having the same result

[AMERICAN PICK-UP]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

I know I'll get flamed on here but I use PPG's Omni for my supplies and the Omni plus for paint I have been using Omni for a little over 16 years now, So I've had a little experience with it. It can lower your paint bill between 10% and 90%

We have used the omni for several years....holds up GREAT.... and lower cost and it does cover WELL....

[dubds10]

$10-15 for a full blown inside/outside paint job in a show like/glass finish is actually about right. I know of shops doing full body work/paint in the $20-40g range if not more sometimes. There is a huge difference though when you see a quality show paint job vs a regular $5g paint job, unless you have a friend who's a pro painting doing it just for the cost of supplies.

[Raguemoe]

I think I'll hold off on a repaint & try and clean the truck up the best I can as is. I just ordered a set of Intro wheels & will prob do a Porterbuilt stage II setup front and rear. Then drive the hell out of it & enjoy it!

[69-72]

Dont feel bad, around here they don't even give a quote, just a guess. I got a guess of up to $24,000 to do the final paint on a bare Jimmy body thats already in primer. No rust repair, no taking things apart, just smoothing things out and paint.

[Grumpy old man]

Earl schribbs he'll paint any car for $ 69.95

I guess it's time to open another shop when the acceptable prices are in the $5,000 to $10,000 range !

It's sand paper , fill primer and a ton of sanding get busy and do it yourself , just add body filler and keep sanding until it looks like a truck again . Has it really gotten to the point of I can't do it so I'll pay someone else thousands of dollars to sand down and spray a truck ?

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[special-K]

I look at paint on TCP Global, (or www.autocolorlibrary.com) and I don't see how material costs can get so high. I see people blame the EPA regulations that protect us from some of the most toxic product floating around that anybody can get their hands on for crazy high prices. Regulations do drive costs up some, but if you don't think the chemical companies haven't taken the opportunity to add a whole lot more profit in, knowing we will just blame EPA, you are kidding yourself.

[Grumpy old man]

Well ... Material costs continue to rise , physical shop space keeps going up but one of the main factors is employee costs ! Every shop wants the most qualified guys but that comes with increased payroll and shop loyalty has gone out the door when the next shop offers more $ to take qualified guys to their shop . Then there are the guys who are fantastic body men but usually don't show up on Monday and leave early on Friday and the shop still has to cover their hours and work load to keep them . Next you have to consider how many projects are all ready 1/2 done and the customer runs out of cash and those jobs have to be stored inside taking up space for free , the costs of high grade equipment , shop security, utilities .all just to put a smooth painted surface on old metal add the cost of an approved spray booth to comply with EPA laws when most shops use them for storage space and spray in the general shop area .add the fact that today's body men spend their time using repopped replacement panels that are glued on in 1/10 the time it takes to hammer out a dent to save an original fender or a set of rockers that need finesse to fit and then be welded in place ... The whole business has changed and is no longer geared to a "body man" but now it's geared to panel replacers that rarely hammer/ weld/ or do the complete job . My suggestion is to find a small shop working on just a few trucks at one time , set a written schedule and pay plan and have your cash ready before they need it not 3 weeks later all the while your trucks sitting and NEVER tell them your not in a hurry that will get your truck a 2 year sentence in paint jail , also never hand over a large deposit up front $2,000 up front is plenty to cover initial supplies and the make weekly payments based on what's done , don't become friends with the shop owner until its done the bring them a case of beer and leave happy !
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[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Well ... Material costs continue to rise , physical shop space keeps going up but one of the main factors is employee costs ! Every shop wants the most qualified guys but that comes with increased payroll and shop loyalty has gone out the door when the next shop offers more $ to take qualified guys to their shop . Then there are the guys who are fantastic body men but usually don't show up on Monday and leave early on Friday and the shop still has to cover their hours and work load to keep them . Next you have to consider how many projects are all ready 1/2 done and the customer runs out of cash and those jobs have to be stored inside taking up space for free , the costs of high grade equipment , shop security, utilities .all just to put a smooth painted surface on old metal add the cost of an approved spray booth to comply with EPA laws when most shops use them for storage space and spray in the general shop area .add the fact that today's body men spend their time using repopped replacement panels that are glued on in 1/10 the time it takes to hammer out a dent to save an original fender or a set of rockers that need finesse to fit and then be welded in place ... The whole business has changed and is no longer geared to a "body man" but now it's geared to panel replacers that rarely hammer/ weld/ or do the complete job . My suggestion is to find a small shop working on just a few trucks at one time , set a written schedule and pay plan and have your cash ready before they need it not 3 weeks later all the while your trucks sitting and NEVER tell them your not in a hurry that will get your truck a 2 year sentence in paint jail , also never hand over a large deposit up front $2,000 up front is plenty to cover initial supplies and the make weekly payments based on what's done , don't become friends with the shop owner until its done the bring them a case of beer and leave happy !
Posted via Mobile Device

good advice

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

good advice

Another good Idea is to have your frame done and ready for the new body to be dropped on along with the bed when it's time to pick up your freshly painted body and have the shop help you drop it on the frame while there are a few guys around that are used to doing this daily rather than have some neighbors help and end up scratching or dropping your new baby , it doesn't need to be completely installed but enough body bolts in place to safely tow it home with no damage and easily roll it off the trailer ,
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[Lattimer]

I got a quote from a local shop outside of Philly 2 years ago. All of my rust repair is already done. Quote included smoothing all the dings and dents, taking the bed off, blowing apart the front end, and painting the whole thing in the original white.

He gave me panel by panel costs for the bodywork, so I could see how it all added up. Then once the bodywork was done he gave me a paint price.

Bodywork was about $6500. Paint was $3600.

I decided to grin and call my truck patina.

Someday I will get off my ass and do the bodywork myself and just pay to have it sprayed.

[Grumpy old man]

Another note : I've been seriously considering a Nolimit complete custom built frame for my restomod build , they are only 15 minutes away from me and I will be making a few trips over to their shop this next week to see exactly what they can do for me with my 427 tri power Muncie driveline ? I'm thinking I should be able to bring the complete driveline to them and make sure everything fits perfectly in their shop before I bring it all home and deal with alignment myself ? Depending on total cost this would work much better for me , and for the guys sending their trucks off to be painted remove everything you can and send it on builder wheels not your $2,000 new mags , strip off every piece you can reinstall yourself later on . Saves on lost or damaged parts
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[MattPSU]

I just selected a shop to paint my truck, and the estimate I have from them is $10,000-$12,000. That consists of me bringing bare parts to them - cab, doors, etc. which they'll have blasted before doing any rust repair or body work. Once they have the body parts ready, I'll bring them my frame and they'll pre-assemble the truck and take care of any gaps or other issues before blowing it all apart and laying down the paint. Then they'll reassemble the body and give it back to me for final assembly (glass, interior, bumpers, wiring, etc.).

It's a complete color change and I have a few minor body modifications on my list as well. I've been watching other projects of theirs and they do great work and move fast. I've been promised that unless I hold them up (payment, changes, etc.) that start to finish will be 3-4 months. However, I have to wait about 6-8 months before they can get to me which allows me to save the cash and start hording parts.

I only spoke with a couple of shops, but all were $8,000-$15,000. Hearing everyone say about the same price makes me feel a little better about the commitment that I've made. Not much, but a little bit.

Thanks - Matt

[Grumpy old man]

We used to do complete rebuild any color drive it outoc the building for $4,000.00 , if the prices are acceptable at 10-15 k I'm opening another shop , that's crazy money !
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[Coley]

Anyone notice the interesting trend in this skill? (bodywork and paint)
Years ago...many years ago, labor based hard skills like bodywork and paint were relatively easily had and pretty economic.
This is probably why a bunch of us are surprised at how much this skill/endeavor is starting to cost.
In a slightly earlier time, Carpenters, bodymen, various ticketed tradesmen, etc....were regarded as low-middle income endeavors however it seems lately they have picking up a lot of speed and now, at least around these parts, these are the guys with all the new trucks, toys, houses, etc.
Again back in those years computer, I.T...office skills were high cost endeavors and employees...now today they seem to increasingly be a dime a dozen and it is a very competitive market.
As well, it seems today just about any 19-20 year old college kid can set up an office computer system for very little money. As well, you can get a lot of I.T/computer based help for cents on the dollar.
Now, its the elite hard skills that are starting to corner the market and bring some big bucks for those that have the skill. This is pretty typical when you have a society that has moved away from a very important requirement which is daily, useful hard skills....not just and only academic knowledge/skills.
Anywhooooo....I find this a very interesting trend....and typical of supply and demand.

All Good
Coley

[derotoreut]

Wow!!! Good thing I have a son-in-law that's an excellent body and paint man. I'm doing a total frame off custom resto-mod with LS3 engine. I'm using a Scott's Hot Rod frame, that we've already set the body on. He's set the gaps and we're getting ready to tear it apart. The first thing is to get the cab media blasted so he can put it into primer. Since this is a custom build, there's a lot of metal work to be done like filling in, and smoothing the firewall, gas tank hole, cowl, antenna, you name it. We just finished fabricating a custom transmission tunnel. He's going to do all the body work and paint. Based on these prices, I am so, so fortunate to be able to have him to do this. I'll have to be patient and work with him on it, but in the end it'll be worth it.

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by derotoreut

Wow!!! Good thing I have a son-in-law that's an excellent body and paint man. I'm doing a total frame off custom resto-mod with LS3 engine. I'm using a Scott's Hot Rod frame, that we've already set the body on. He's set the gaps and we're getting ready to tear it apart. The first thing is to get the cab media blasted so he can put it into primer. Since this is a custom build, there's a lot of metal work to be done like filling in, and smoothing the firewall, gas tank hole, cowl, antenna, you name it. We just finished fabricating a custom transmission tunnel. He's going to do all the body work and paint. Based on these prices, I am so, so fortunate to be able to have him to do this. I'll have to be patient and work with him on it, but in the end it'll be worth it.

Well ... You let him marry your daughter you may as well get your truck fixed for it . Haha
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[derotoreut]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Well ... You let him marry your daughter you may as well get your truck fixed for it . Haha
Posted via Mobile Device

You got that right Grump! You know… The cool thing about it too, is that it's given us some pretty good quality time. I've really gotten to know him much better through all this. It's a win-win. Besides, my daughter is pregnant with their first baby, due in July. We've had a chance to talk about some real life things that are pretty neat.

[mctattooer]

I'm a body man in a big busy shop, we turn lots of work. Icar certified and ase certified. We don't glue anything, I use hammers and Dolly's and repair all I can. Replace when absolutely necessary. And yes I weld all my panels on and use a grinder. All of us tradesman are not gone nor will be. I will teach my sons the correct way and not be just a panel changer. There is a shortage of us these days because kids now are to lazy to learn a trade they can earn good money in. They would rather do nothing and expect everything handed to them. I can paint too and can tell you if you want a great paint job your gonna pay a pretty penny. If you want it cheap you better get Macco. But you get what you pay for..