Whats the prices these days for getting a hood painted for a fox body? I was quoted $900, to paint my mach hood...I think thats way to much..How much did it cost for you to get your hood painted?
I'll paint your hood for a six-pack of Coors Light! ... but you have to pick a color that's available in the Rustoleum section of Wal-Mart.
I'm pretty sure that $900 paintjob should include lube and a reach-around. Or at least the work should be performed in a glass-walled spray booth by full-nude hot chicks that paint each other by hand, afterwards.
Seriously, unless they're using some super-duper hardcore-awesome materials, or there's some custom graphics or whatever involved, that's a bit steep. Hell, you can get the whole car done at Maaco for 1/3 of that. A single body panel, especially when it's not even on the vehicle, shouldn't cost more than $400, I figure.
I agree with darkwriter. You can go to Maaco and get the whole car with a lifetime warranty on the work for $1000. There are TONS of horror stories about Maaco though all of them are results of poor prep. If you took your hood prepped to be primered and shot, and were willing to buff the hood after you got it back, maaco would be a good deal. They do paint individual pieces.
On a side note, I need to have my stang repainted. What is the best way to go about repainting the engine compartment? I'm assuming it's going to be something like yanking the whole damn engine out, spraying, and putting it back which sounds like a hell of a lot of work to do alone.
If you're gonna go through that much trouble to paint the engine bay, you might want to consider going the extra mile and hiding all the wiring, and smoothing the bay out (filling holes and smoothing out the seams with Bondo/'glass). I don't think I'll ever have an engine bling-blingy enough to be worth showing off, anyway, so I could care less what the engine bay looks like on my notch, really - as long as it's clean and easy for me to service, that'll work for me.
I didn't know Maaco offered a lifetime warranty on anything. Never figured they had enough faith in their own stuff to put that kind of guarantee on it...
Most hoods are already gel-coated and, for the most part, already prepped for painting when you get them. It's still a good idea to sand it down and such, yourself, but you could still pretty much just drop that sucker off at even a place like Maaco, have 'em squirt it for cheap, and have some good-looking, long-lasting results.
I've heard some hoods require quite a bit of prep work before getting painted, so dropping them off at the paint shop may not be all that's required unless you pay them for prep work or you want a s hitty looking hood.
DigitalGhost: Yanking the engine isn't that hard. I pull my engine and tranny together by myself, rebuilt the engine and put it all back in by myself. If you unhook everything first (which won't take very long for someone who's got a little fox knowledge/experience), you can have the engine out in half an hour.
It's not for everyone, that's not what I'm saying, but I'm just saying it's not incredibily difficult if you know what you're getting into, research a bit first and take your time undoing it all.
I've heard some hoods require quite a bit of prep work before getting painted, so dropping them off at the paint shop may not be all that's required unless you pay them for prep work or you want a s hitty looking hood.
DigitalGhost: Yanking the engine isn't that hard. I pull my engine and tranny together by myself, rebuilt the engine and put it all back in by myself. If you unhook everything first (which won't take very long for someone who's got a little fox knowledge/experience), you can have the engine out in half an hour.
It's not for everyone, that's not what I'm saying, but I'm just saying it's not incredibily difficult if you know what you're getting into, research a bit first and take your time undoing it all.
Thanks. My only worry about that is I've never done any major engine work myself. I've done alternators and starters, replacing calipers, harmonic balancers, but never any real engine work just parts replacement. I'm concerned that I would pull it and not be able to put the damn thing back in. It's my DD so I would have to do it in less than a week flat.
If you're gonna go through that much trouble to paint the engine bay, you might want to consider going the extra mile and hiding all the wiring, and smoothing the bay out (filling holes and smoothing out the seams with Bondo/'glass). I don't think I'll ever have an engine bling-blingy enough to be worth showing off, anyway, so I could care less what the engine bay looks like on my notch, really - as long as it's clean and easy for me to service, that'll work for me.
I didn't know Maaco offered a lifetime warranty on anything. Never figured they had enough faith in their own stuff to put that kind of guarantee on it...
Most hoods are already gel-coated and, for the most part, already prepped for painting when you get them. It's still a good idea to sand it down and such, yourself, but you could still pretty much just drop that sucker off at even a place like Maaco, have 'em squirt it for cheap, and have some good-looking, long-lasting results.
I think MansonOzz has a link in his sig that gives ya tips..
As far as the cost, that seems ridiculous to get a hood painted. As long as the quality of the hood is good, and its all 1 color, id shop around. make sure you ask them if they gurantee the paint from cracking, chipping, spider webbing, discoloration etc... Make sure this price includes them painting the underside of the hood. Ask them if they gurantee it wont have any orange peel or anything else like that. I would go over that hood with a fine tooth comb when its done.. in flourscent light, daylight, from all different angles to ensure it was done right.