fair price for the paint job

Pakrat said:

73vertstang, I have to say that after all that work I really think going with only one coat of clear is a huge mistake, that won't even last thru the colr sanding. 3 coats should be minimum.

Blown65, how good is "pretty good"? Is that just for prep and paint or does that include full panel alignment, skim coating, gapping etc...

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Pakrat, Sounds like a good point, I'll ask in about three weeks. I should hve the Eng/trans back in by then and off to the paint shop. Can't wait to get her back on the road.

I painted this in my garage. This was my first paint job with no experience. I was into it around 500 for materials. I had a few dings to take out and I cut my wheel wells for bigger tires. The rear doors were the biggest challenge trying to get a factory look when done since threre are no fender flares for a four door exploder with cut wheele wells. I am going to paint my mustang as well. I try to keep everything in house to keep cost down.

I painted my car with Rustoleum and rollers for less than $150 in materials. This was my '83, which was hardly worth spending a lot of money to paint. After the car got totalled I was pretty happy that I didn't spend more money or time on it.

It's a little sad to me that people spend so much on their cars, but I guess I can understand that the cars are worth a ton of money now, so an expensive paint job does make more sense. I'd be afraid to drive around or park in any parking lot if I spent more than a couple grand on paint, though.

The first few door dings and rock chips have got to really hurt!! Oh and forget about ever spinning the tires or driving hard.

I know it depends on the shop, but would a shop that does $15,000+ jobs typically work with a lower budget project ($3,000-$5,000)? And if not how do you find one thats somewhere in between a high end show car shop and a one day in and out insurance claim shop?

67rcks said:

How did you paint those flames? Did you use some pre-made templates, or you made ones by yourself?

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I masked it myself. I was going to just do the fenders and hood and I decided if I was going to do it to do it big. It is my hunting rig so it goes in the woods alot. A week after I painted it I took it out and drove some trails and got some fresh brush scratches on it and my wife was freaking out in the passenger seat. I have friends with cars they painted themselvs and they refuse to take them out in the rain. What a waste. If you are going to do it enjoy it.