Paint job cost

[bcfishon]

I have a blazer being done and its been a long time since I paid for body and paint work and things are starting to add up to a little more than I was thinking. I'm in 10 grand with a charge for 180 ish hours,or roughly 4 and a 1/2 40 hour weeks. The usual inner and outer rockers,weld in donor taillight sections due to serious dents,some outer wheel well work where someone squeezed thru something they shouldn't have,a little lower a pillar on one side and some lower b pillar on the other side,reskin a door and replace the lower inner bottom on the other,a few parking lot dings and a handful of screw holes. The work is good and is being done in a fashion for lasting a long time,not a retail body shop but a guy renting a shop at the wrecking yard I stomp thru,he has been there for a few years and I've seen some nice stuff come out and one day when scrounging I hit him up. At this rate I think its gonna go 15 k for the full meal deal.I am expecting to be the one to assemble it other wise I think it would run me about 5 grand more for the Super size full meal deal.
What do ya think?

[MDFarms]

I have been hearing the average for start to finish with paint 8-14k depending on rust work/replacement.

I would like to hear other opinion. I know paint, reducer and Clear will run $800-$1200 depending on paint manufacturers.

[C101972]

Wait till you start paying for paint and clear coat, I am doing all the body work myself. My cost on paint is $800 a gallon, clear is $300 a quart, full price is almost triple that. Paint is the new corvette paint which has some pearls in it so that drives up cost. Clear is not the most expensive one but you can’t skimp on that. Good luck on your project. Chuck
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[davischevy]

I do all the disassembly and body work. When the parts go to the body shop they are ready for final block and primer and paint. When I get them back, I assemble everything. I usually get out for under $10,000 including materials.

I can see where a full on job with panel replacement and body work could cost upwards of $20,000 with materials.

If somebody is actually working on your rig, count yourself lucky.

[ItWillBeSlow]

My primer, paint and clears ran me ~$3500 just for material. A lot depends on what line you're using.

[tinman_local2]

I'm probably 2 grand in paint and primer alone. I get a pretty good discount on supplies, too. Some of the base coat paints are $1000.00 a gallon. Then you've got to buy clear. I'd hate to think how many hours I have in body work. $15,000 probably isn't out of line. I had a guy quote me $8000 just to shoot paint on my already prepped body. That's me buying the paint. I just ended up doing it myself. Most places around here are booked up for 2-3 years out. Plenty of money to be made in the paint and body business, if you don't mind hard work.

[57NAPCO]

I really like the gloss black, single stage polyurethane paint my friend is using on the 87 K10 stepside.

[Sheepdip]

This one was completely disassembled soda blasted, body worked, primed and painted. Paint materials alone were $2500 total bill was $13,500 my quote from the painter was $12k-$15k and that was in 2005. The first guy I had look at painting it told me, and I quote, "It is what it is, when I get done with it" Needless to say he did not paint it.

I don't personally think $15k is out of line.

I can tell you a couple of horror stories of guys who have been screwed/raped by so called car painters.

[Warrens69GMC]

And I wonder why you can get BASF/ PPG/ Sherwin Williams at 25% of the cost in Mexico that you do in the US.

[Richard]

No doubt that the paint itself is overinflated in the US. The two tone job on my truck with paint cost was almost 18K. I knew the painter and was able to do some work myself. Glad I knew the guy, to many horror stories of projects never finished. Probably almost 200 hours myself and would guess painter has over 400 hours in as well. For the time he had in it he gave me a good deal IMO. Really thought my truck was not to bad, something to think about. Decided to import a premium single stage for the 72 since the clear on my $7,500 two stage put on my 94 3 years ago is already failing. It was basically a feather, scuff and shoot. Paint by itself was over $800 a gallon on the 72. I am in the republic of Ca, YMMV on costs and paint quality due to your location. I did viisit 5+ shops on the 94 with the accident. Once I mentioned a repaint I never heard back from any of the paint shops here due to me wanting complete reshoot.

[Thealien]

A paint job around here would be $10,000-$15,000 with no bodywork. Any less than that and I wouldn’t have faith in the quality of the work. Around my part of the country the average is $100 an hour.

My 1972 two Wheel Dr. Blazer is at a well respected body shop north of Boston in Massachusetts. The previous owner swore my blazer was rust free. He even challenged sending anyone to look at it with a fine tooth comb. I take care of an elderly father and was unable to go look at it in person. It ended up needing both bedsides, both doors, I am switching to a 1968 front clip and was unable to find rust free fenders so he had to spend some time repairing the rust and damage around the headlight holes on both OEM fenders. The hood has so much oil canning he is 10 hours into it and probably needs another 10 hours to finish. He suggested possibly an aftermarket hood but after reading all of the work needed to make them fit I would rather have him work on an OEM hood. My tailgate just needed a few holes filled. I found an NOS bedsides, One NOS door, An NOS 1968 grill and hoops. There is also repair needed for the windshield frame and a little bit of the Cowl. Even with all the NOS parts I will be at about $30,000 when finished. I am too far into it to quit now.

[Lee H]

Some depends on what your'e going to paint, for instance inside the bed, under bed & cab, full inside cab, fire wall. There can be a lot surface area. Paint quality is also a factor as is the quality of the final job. 10 years ago I had all this done, two tone, one nickel size rust hole in the door, saddle tank doors removed and patched, a two or three very small dents, soda blasting inside and out, base/clear, bottom of bed and cab in single stage, few extra coats of clear to allow for color sanding later in life... $12K including little over $3k for materials.

[Rich72C10]

Gee, after getting my C10 White/Bronze/White, which was frame off restored ~12 years ago I guess I got a good deal on it for 15k. Granted I have put that (if not more) into everything else other than body work. Laymen ask me all the time did I just get it painted (she is a garage queen since that frame off restoration)! Granted, I know the places that aren't exactly correct or starting to come undone (like the drip rail area) - so she is far from perfect.

I had no idea on the cost of paint/body work, freaking scary. I want to go with a wood bed upgrade but that means some paint on the bed and I have thought, well perhaps get her repainted completely. Well, this tread has more or less killed that idea! Ouch!

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by Warrens69GMC

And I wonder why you can get BASF/ PPG/ Sherwin Williams at 25% of the cost in Mexico that you do in the US.

No EPA rules in Mexico . I notice most of these high dollar paint estimates are from the northern states ? North of I-40 it's going to cost more the further north you go , Commercial buildings that will allow autobody shops to operate cost more ,If "you" own a new commercial building the fastest way to see it deteriorate is to lease it to a body shop , Labor costs more , Heating a shop costs a lot more , Restoration paint shops are getting harder to find that are even willing to take on a basic complete overall paint job . They can make more money faster replacing pre painted replacement late model bumper covers at book rate for insurance companies . We've all heard the paint jail horror stories taking years or the shop folding 1/2 way thru "your" job . It's really pretty easy to avoid that just by doing a little work , Look around the shop , Are there 1/2 finished projects covered in dust sitting around ? stop in at 8:00 in the morning ( BEFORE dropping off your truck ) are they working or just drinking coffee ? Is the equipment covered in dust ? Just take a look at their spray booth is it clean ? If there's no spray booth it's not a body shop you want to leave your project at and pay big money for paint work . Ask the local guys at your local car shows ( car club guys are always a good resource ) Most guys in here aren't spending 10K + to paint their truck , But if you aren't able / Don't have the equipment / or the space / Or you just don't want to do it your self . It's going to cost you . Just my opinion .

PPG single stage is $300.00 a gallon in Knoxville .

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by C101972

Wait till you start paying for paint and clear coat, I am doing all the body work myself. My cost on paint is $800 a gallon, clear is $300 a quart, full price is almost triple that. Paint is the new corvette paint which has some pearls in it so that drives up cost. Clear is not the most expensive one but you can’t skimp on that. Good luck on your project. Chuck
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300 a quart ?! I get a gallon of ppg dc4000 for under $ 500. Gallon of Delton DCU 2021 for $350 both with a quart of hardener.

Depending on color my price for single stage is a little more than Grumpy's.

My 68 so far according to my spreadsheet paint and materials is $ 3900. Epoxy high build and 2 gallons of Nason single stage .

[bcfishon]

Thanks guys,feeling better about the paint job.

[Jason Banks]

Glad your feeling better, it sounds like you are getting a fair price.

I calculated I spent about $5k on paint material, filler, primer, base, clear, cleaners, tape, masking, sandpaper, etc.

I did all the metal work and I can't even imaging how much it would have cost for the amount of work and detail I went to.

Had a guy helping me when doing body and paint and spent another 3-4k on him doing most of the grunt work, sanding, cleaning and masking. I did plenty of shaping filler, block sanding and detail sanding and I was on the trigger but his assistance was invaluable. It allowed me to focus on mixing, spraying and QC.

This was an all over paint and body, inside and out.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

No EPA rules in Mexico . I notice most of these high dollar paint estimates are from the northern states ? North of I-40 it's going to cost more the further north you go , Commercial buildings that will allow autobody shops to operate cost more ,If "you" own a new commercial building the fastest way to see it deteriorate is to lease it to a body shop , Labor costs more , Heating a shop costs a lot more , Restoration paint shops are getting harder to find that are even willing to take on a basic complete overall paint job . They can make more money faster replacing pre painted replacement late model bumper covers at book rate for insurance companies . We've all heard the paint jail horror stories taking years or the shop folding 1/2 way thru "your" job . It's really pretty easy to avoid that just by doing a little work , Look around the shop , Are there 1/2 finished projects covered in dust sitting around ? stop in at 8:00 in the morning ( BEFORE dropping off your truck ) are they working or just drinking coffee ? Is the equipment covered in dust ? Just take a look at their spray booth is it clean ? If there's no spray booth it's not a body shop you want to leave your project at and pay big money for paint work . Ask the local guys at your local car shows ( car club guys are always a good resource ) Most guys in here aren't spending 10K + to paint their truck , But if you aren't able / Don't have the equipment / or the space / Or you just don't want to do it your self . It's going to cost you . Just my opinion .

PPG single stage is $300.00 a gallon in Knoxville .

Is that for shop line or Concept? Huge difference in the paint. Would have saved over 1k if I got the Concept for that price.

[1971Stepside]

I think you are getting a good deal based on what mine ran. I would recommend going over the truck very closely before they blow it back apart to paint it. If you are doing the final assembly you want to make sure they have the gaps etc. where you are happy with them prior to handing you back a stack of parts and hoping you get them adjusted correctly. Tougher to make changes after paint.

[sscooter]

Originally Posted by Thealien

A paint job around here would be $10,000-$15,000 with no bodywork. Any less than that and I wouldn’t have faith in the quality of the work. Around my part of the country the average is $100 an hour.

My 1972 two Wheel Dr. Blazer is at a well respected body shop north of Boston in Massachusetts. The previous owner swore my blazer was rust free. He even challenged sending anyone to look at it with a fine tooth comb. I take care of an elderly father and was unable to go look at it in person. It ended up needing both bedsides, both doors, I am switching to a 1968 front clip and was unable to find rust free fenders so he had to spend some time repairing the rust and damage around the headlight holes on both OEM fenders. The hood has so much oil canning he is 10 hours into it and probably needs another 10 hours to finish. He suggested possibly an aftermarket hood but after reading all of the work needed to make them fit I would rather have him work on an OEM hood. My tailgate just needed a few holes filled. I found an NOS bedsides, One NOS door, An NOS 1968 grill and hoops. There is also repair needed for the windshield frame and a little bit of the Cowl. Even with all the NOS parts I will be at about $30,000 when finished. I am too far into it to quit now.

This is the same situation that I'm in with my '71 K20. Purchased out of Washington State as a "rust free" original-paint truck.

I know that "rust free" has different meanings to different people, and expected some rust. I was really hoping to keep the truck original-paint, but the paint on the hood and top of fenders was so burned off, I decided to have it painted. Upon initial inspection, it really did look like a super solid truck, but once a guy starts poking around and taking stuff apart, you see how "solid" something really is..

This is too cool of a truck not to give it some love, so down the rabbit hole I go!!!


Truck now has new door skins, rockers, cab corners, a couple of cab supports, bed braces, inner fenders, outer floors, rad support, all the trim is new, glass, rubber, etc...and on and on and on.... I even bought another complete '71 just for parts.

If I get out of this under $15k (body/paint), I'll be thrilled! (not holding my breath) Thankfully, a friend of mine is doing the work, so I'm probably getting more "value" for my dollar then is typical as I told him "no hurry"...

Here's what she looked like when I bought it... Maybe should have left it alone? lol And what it looks like as of a couple of weeks ago.



Moral to this story is BODYWORK AIN'T CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rich72C10]

I have recently discovered here in Kyle "Crossroads Restorations" - from their web page they appear to be a A+ operation.

I might just visit them, just to chat and look around.

A snip from their Faqs

How much for a complete paint job on my classic car/truck?

Common paint job completed at Crossroads Vintage Restorations
-150-400 hours of labor, varies
-$5,000-$10,000 in quality paint, materials and parts
-disassembly of vehicle
-sand blast or chemical strip
-perform some light body work and minor metal repairs
-apply epoxy primers, a PPG DBC basecoat and, a PPG 2021 clear
-wetsand, polish and reassemble vehicle
-approx $17,000.00-$45,000.00

[purple gas]

There's a reason guys like me buy a gallon of Tremclad and a 1/2 decent gun and call it good enough.
My last paint job lasted about 10 yrs and at 61 I'll be doing another one in the spring. From across the street it will look good enough and if I get a scratch or two won't be a tragedy.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by purple gas

There's a reason guys like me buy a gallon of Tremclad and a 1/2 decent gun and call it good enough.
My last paint job lasted about 10 yrs and at 61 I'll be doing another one in the spring. From across the street it will look good enough and if I get a scratch or two won't be a tragedy.

Ditto. My last can (gallon) of single stage PPG was $200. My last gallon of epoxy primer (PPG Omni) was a hair over $200 with the activator to mix the full gallon.

No my paint doesn't look like a $17,000 - $45,000 pro shop paint job but I can say I did it myself and every vehicle of mine I paint I get better at it.

It really isn't hard guys. I replace what I can. On my truck it was new rockers. Patches in the cab floor. A couple of cab supports. I filleted one bedside, removed rust with a chin poker, acid etch, epoxy inside. Re-assemble, remove outer paint with chin poker, acid, epoxy, color. That sucked so I paid $450 for a re-pop boxside on the other side.

Tailgate took two swings to get the painted letters right.

I would never be able to pay $45,000 for paint on a 50 year old truck. I could probably pay the money but I wouldn't be married any more.

[30772]

My recent experience (Finished 10/21) after disassembling my 72 K20 and doing all of the rust repair, welding, panel replacement as well as old paint removal down to bare metal before taking the whole she-bang to the body shop for complete repaint inside and out (different color). Total cost after nearly an entire year in the shop - $26K+
I shudder to think what it would have cost if I hadn't done all of the preliminary work (and reassembly) myself....

[C101972]

My actual cost for materials were and I get a pretty good discount.
PPG Epoxy primer with catalyst: 1 gallon of primer $222.00, Catalyst $195.00..
1-quart of urethane primer:$59.00, 1-quart of urethane catalyst:$28.00.
1-quart of 2 stage paint:$239.00 (list price is $486.00) 1-quart of activator is:$73.00.
The clear with activator one gallon of product.$679.00 my cost.
My body supply guy said that materials have gone up in price 30-50% since last summer and by next summer probably another 25-35%. So if you have a project that you want to do, better now than later.
Thanks Chuck
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