Paint Quote - What is Reasonable?

[mr.mud1]

i know paint work has gone through the roof in recent years but i'd never be able to afford $20,000 or more for paint work,i've done it myself before and i guess would again.this past year i went through paint torture,having to have my 72 truck painted...twice.once in May by a guy who didn't care and it showed.$2200.00 later and $529.00 for single stage urethane and nothing else,i had a mess to deal with.the truck was apart as far as all the trim,door glass and on and on before i dropped it off.then found another man to paint it again in October,he had a horrible job on his hands fixing somebody else's screw up but did a marvelous job but another $5500.00 and almost $800.00 in paint and supplies.i almost had a miscarriage when he told me what i owed him but i'm very happy now with his work,the care he took and i now know he treated me more than fair at $60.00 an hour.my truck is going back together now and i think looks very nice.i do have a 39 Chrysler i'm going to get back to once the truck is done,i'm terrified about what that'll cost by the time i need paint but i guess it'll be going to the man who just painted my truck,it'll cost whatever it costs i guess or i'll have to it myself,one or the other?

[67swb72klb]

Nothing is reasonable these days material costs are twice as insane as they were already and then people that did this work are getting thinned out..

[tutone]

Originally Posted by mr.mud1

i know paint work has gone through the roof in recent years but i'd never be able to afford $20,000 or more for paint work,i've done it myself before and i guess would again.this past year i went through paint torture,having to have my 72 truck painted...twice.once in May by a guy who didn't care and it showed.$2200.00 later and $529.00 for single stage urethane and nothing else,i had a mess to deal with.the truck was apart as far as all the trim,door glass and on and on before i dropped it off.then found another man to paint it again in October,he had a horrible job on his hands fixing somebody else's screw up but did a marvelous job but another $5500.00 and almost $800.00 in paint and supplies.i almost had a miscarriage when he told me what i owed him but i'm very happy now with his work,the care he took and i now know he treated me more than fair at $60.00 an hour.my truck is going back together now and i think looks very nice.i do have a 39 Chrysler i'm going to get back to once the truck is done,i'm terrified about what that'll cost by the time i need paint but i guess it'll be going to the man who just painted my truck,it'll cost whatever it costs i guess or i'll have to it myself,one or the other?

I know all we have is pictures to look at, but your truck looks great from here. I think also that at that price, it sounds as if you did alright on the price as well. That is more in line with what I would think a man should charge rather than 15-20K. Of course all the xtras like bodywork and "hours" of prep work add up to. Looking forward to seeing your truck ready for the road.

[mr.mud1]

Originally Posted by tutone

I know all we have is pictures to look at, but your truck looks great from here. I think also that at that price, it sounds as if you did alright on the price as well. That is more in line with what I would think a man should charge rather than 15-20K. Of course all the xtras like bodywork and "hours" of prep work add up to. Looking forward to seeing your truck ready for the road.

yes sir,thanks.i did well,no complaints from this end.the paint work from May was a disaster but this lastest fella did a marvelous job.i asked him to paint it like it was his,and he did.i did have it all apart and had done most of the blocking before it went to him,he did tell me that what i had done for him was good work and i paid for the paint and supplies myself and got a bit of a break there.all good.he certainly treated me fair.my truck will be ready by spring,can't wait to drive it again.it's been a struggle since i bought it.all the best.Greg

[70cst]

Originally Posted by CG

Sometimes I think places quote high because they don’t want to do a job. Then if the person says ok let’s do this then it becomes worthwhile to do a job they really didn’t want to.

Bingo!

[Grumpy old man]

Trying to compare prices from around the country/ Canada won't work way too many variables to get any kind of real numbers to be of any help to anyone wanting to have their truck painted , Here in Knoxville there is one guy who does nothing more than repair/replace sheetmetal no finish body or paint work at all and he's booked months in advance . The local high dollar restoration shops are booked and Very expensive . The best way to find a good body man is to find your local car clubs and ask the "regular guys" who to use , There are more than a few guys working from their backyard shop who do excellant work and your not paying for someones fancy shop on the main st in town . there won't be a latte machine in the corner but who actually drinks lattes ? You'll probably pay in cash ,there won't be any credit card machine , The OP said he already had the metal work done and paid $5,000.00 and now the bodyman wants another $20,000.00 to finish it without assembly ? That's just crazy . There comes a point when you'll have so much money involved that it just won't be worth it and you'll have a trailer queen .

[chevmn]

Another thing came to mind, if you have a different shop do the paint than did the metal/body work, you would likely never get either to stand behind their work, and if you had issues a week, month, etc down the road, they would point fingers at the other shop. About 40 years ago I had a Chevelle repainted, and a week or so later the paint started cracking. I know now he painted acrylic laquer over top of an enamel repaint job (he should have known better). Not knowing what the real issue was, I took it back, and he agreed to repaint.....he simply sanded, and threw yet another few coats of lacquer over top which made it even worse. Needless to say I learned a tough, expensive lesson ($1,000 paint job at the time) as i decided to strip it down and paint myself. I think grumpy old man is right to talk to locals - they will know who can do the best work, and you be surprised to find it may not be the "restoration shop" with the paint booth and latte machine :-). Although it might just be an employee of the high $$ shop who is willing to make a few extra $$ on the side in the evenings and weekends.

[Grumpy old man]

watch all the stout customs videos . one guy working alone ,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ke57Q2xd_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqB9YupQG-M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7TxGtVlG8s






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQW1Wyi-ZqM

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Post a few pictures of what your starting with , Are all the mechanicals done Suspension/ drivetrain ? Are they painting the frame ? interior? installing new glass ? seals/ emblems /trim/ Never pay big bucks for paint until everything else is done . And Never spend $20,000.00 at a brand new shop .

I like what Grumpy says. Painters generally ask for lots of markup and then cut cost from there.

If you're picky and have lots of cash to spend the local I was referred to here starts at 10K and goes up from there. They do not get lots of these types of jobs so if they care about their reputation the money is there. Doing production work for insurance companies is a complete different ballgame, and that is where the steady income is.

A guy I knew, as an auto painter says it's very difficult to do both at a shop meaning restos and collision repair. It's a very different animal.

Find someone who can earn your trust, respect, and can trust his warranty at his word.

[70cst]

After reading this thread ... lots of variables but ... you get what you pay for. Depending on the quality of paint... I would contact your local Street Rod Club ... or Car Clubs in your area - they would have places you could go for a quote.

[jamesi20]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

watch all the stout customs videos . one guy working alone ,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ke57Q2xd_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqB9YupQG-M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7TxGtVlG8s






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQW1Wyi-ZqM

He is a very talented guy and explains his work to where you can actually learn something from him I really enjoy his videos

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by jamesi20

He is a very talented guy and explains his work to where you can actually learn something from him I really enjoy his videos

One of the best bodymen I ever worked with used to say " I could teach a Monkey to prep and paint a truck " given enough materials and Bananas , Monkey see monkey do . I'm still eating bananas everyday !

The difference between a good bodyman and a great bodyman is the amount of time and materials used to reach the same outcome ,

[Grumpy old man]

This video is a must watch for anyone painting their own truck or having it done by a body shop . The secret to no slam doors !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvw5RhbhPVc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZQCcqOVCA

[Grumpy old man]

This video is what you don't want to happen to you when picking a bodyshop !


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-2duS8oRiM

Fixed -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50g6...PIp93&index=19

[1971Stepside]

After reading the whole thread my opinion will be no different from others, but as a simple point of reference I guess. I'm in Missouri. Finding a shop that will even do a classic is tough. The ones still doing them are getting a premium and often have at least a year wait list. I have a trailer queen and my paint was easily in the 20K to 30K range after it was all said and done. I did all the rust repair prior to the taking it to the shop. It took a year to get done and there are still a couple things I am not happy with. When I do another one it will be patina or I'll spend the money on one that has already been painted. IMO, it's the worst part of a restoration project is paint and body because of the cost and timeline. Good luck.

[LS short box]

So my doc said I need to lose a little weight. So I thought why not make a little "car parts" money and lose some weight so the last few weeks I been helping out a local body shop. They are letting me do the block sanding on a couple of their resto projects. So two days a week 4 hours per day.10 AM to 2 PM.
Most folks don't have a clue what it takes to do a proper paint job. Also most folks don't understand it's not rocket science. Lot's of elbow grease before paint. But it's just that elbow grease.
The body shop owner is a car guy and I think he enjoyed coaching me thru the block sanding on my 68 C10 project. Keep in mind he is 25 years younger than I am.
Customers would come into the shop and start asking me questions and I had to say talk to the boss. Because I was older they thought I was the shop owner.
Maybe local body shop would let you trade some part time work for paint work on you project?