Opinions needed on Paint ideas

pcarlson · Sep 11, 2008

OK... so hopefully I haven't worn out my welcome with these questions yet, but here's another one.

I received a quote for paint to do very good bodywork, prime, and topcoat with a flat-black for $2300. This is for my 1968 Coupe that has a bunch of smaller dents and the typical rust in the corners of the fenders and doors.

Because I'm thinking about going flat black on the whole car, I do not want any chrome or stainless anymore. Therefore, I asked my painter to get me a price to powdercoat every piece of trim on my car some form of black (tbd). That quote was $1800-1900, with them doing some removal (I'm doing some) but ALL install.

I'm pretty happy with the price for the bodywork/paint but I'm not sure about the price for powdercoating. Just as a reference, here is a short list of what will be powdercoated:

Front/rear bumpers
All Mustang logos/lettering
All window trim including the stainless trim around the roll-up windows
Styled Steel wheels

I'm not worried about getting the "best deal" on powdercoating, I'm just trying to make sure I don't get ripped off. I know that there is a lot of labor that will go into getting the trim off and back on again without damaging the paint.

Other than that, I will be tinting the windows pretty dark to keep the "blacked out" look constant and will be jacking up the rear end to get an aggressive stance.

So, what do you guys think of my paint concept? I haven't seen a full car in flat black and I'm curious to hear what people's thoughts are on it.

My goal is to have an understated car that looks mean but doesn't necessarily "WOW" you until you notice the little things. I guess you could say I'm trying to build a "sleeper".

Platonic Solid · Sep 11, 2008

No need to worry about stainless as these cars don't have any stainless anywhere. Can you powdercoat over chrome, or will the chrome have to be removed first?

I find it hard to believe that you're going to get "very good bodywork, prime, and topcoat with a flat-black for $2300", unless this is a friend/family type deal - or you live close to the Mexican border.

Hack · Sep 12, 2008

Make sure that all the rust will be removed and fixed correctly. You don't want it to pop through your new paint in a couple years! I agree that the price for the paint seems low.

I think the color scheme idea is a good one.

pcarlson · Sep 12, 2008

Platonic Solid said:
No need to worry about stainless as these cars don't have any stainless anywhere. Can you powdercoat over chrome, or will the chrome have to be removed first?

I find it hard to believe that you're going to get "very good bodywork, prime, and topcoat with a flat-black for $2300", unless this is a friend/family type deal - or you live close to the Mexican border.

Actually, there is stainless on these cars. Correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the window frames are stainless steel. I am referring to the edges of the driver and passenger roll-up windows... not the quarter window which I know are chrome.

As for the price, I don't think it's that far off. The rust is confined to about 3 spots and other than that just minor dents. With the satin black I am now thinking about, there is no clear coat so the labor cost is DRASTICALLY reduced because they no longer have to block sand as perfectly and they don't need to cut/buff the CC.

Update, the new plan is to paint it "Satin Black" and forget about the powdercoating because of the cost. My painter doesn't want to scuff/prime/paint the trim because he thinks there will be issues, so I will just take the trim off and have another painter do it for me. That should save at least $1500 haha.

Platonic Solid · Sep 12, 2008

I assumed (and I shouldn't have) that since there isn't a spec of stainless anywhere on 71 - 73 that the earlier years were similar. Where you live can have a dramatic effect on paint/body-work prices. What state are you in?

pcarlson · Sep 12, 2008

I'm in Southern California, Redondo Beach specifically.

Here's the back story on why I can get this price for paint...

I've been using one mechanic and shop recently to do all of the work on my car. He's done the complete front suspension, rear leaf springs + shocks, replaced all steering components, and rebuilt the PS stuff.

The painter that he uses is actually a shop that takes these cars as side projects. He's taken me over there to have a look, and the only thing that the painters do are cop cars, taxis, and then the Mustangs that are brought there by my mechanic. So... a LOT of repeat business. I'm not sure that it's a good thing that they only do service vehicles because the quality demanded is probably a little lower than the normal customer, but I think that it is still a great indication of the long term quality re: body work and prep. Otherwise, the paint would have issues in a few years and they wouldn't be getting that type of repeat business.

When I was in there checking the place out, my mechanic had a '67 coupe in there that had almost the exact same bodywork issues my car has. The bodywork was finished and it looked pretty good, and they planned on painting it Midnight Blue.

Needless to say, I'm going to have a look at that Midnight Blue coupe. If they can pull off a BC/CC midnight blue on the cheaper side of things then I have absolutely no worries about their abilities to pull off a satin black.

iskwezm · Sep 12, 2008

pcarlson said:
the only thing that the painters do are cop cars, taxis, When I was in there checking the place out, my mechanic had a '67 coupe in there that had almost the exact same bodywork issues my car has. The bodywork was finished and it looked pretty good, and they planned on painting it Midnight Blue.

Needless to say, I'm going to have a look at that Midnight Blue coupe. If they can pull off a BC/CC midnight blue on the cheaper side of things then I have absolutely no worries about their abilities to pull off a satin black.

I would look at that other coupe first.Service vehicles are not a indication of good quality like you said and they probably get repeat work becaue they cheap and fast.

Painters are the worts people I have ever dealt with

Platonic Solid · Sep 12, 2008

Redondo Beach = You're close to the Mexican border = Lower labor costs.

1967project · Sep 13, 2008

Agree

Platonic Solid said:
No need to worry about stainless as these cars don't have any stainless anywhere. Can you powdercoat over chrome, or will the chrome have to be removed first?

I find it hard to believe that you're going to get "very good bodywork, prime, and topcoat with a flat-black for $2300", unless this is a friend/family type deal - or you live close to the Mexican border.

I just sent my 67 coupe in for body work and paint. It will be 7,000 when its all said and done. I dont think 2,300 is a "good deal", sounds like a back yard paint job.

rusty428cj · Sep 13, 2008

For $2300 all he can be doing is grinding the rust filling with bondo quickly sanding the body and painting. A good shop would strip to bare metal cut out and replace with metal all rusted areas epoxy prime and finish the body work. It doesn't mater if you are putting BC/CC or single stage paint the body will require many coats of primer and blocking out to be straight. Cost $7500 ++++ depending on how much work.

68stang351 · Sep 13, 2008

As far as paint scheme goes, I think it would look badass all black. I wonder if someone could do a photoshop to see what exactly it would look like?

jlangholzj · Sep 13, 2008

The lowest I've heard for paint is $4500 in my area....and I've seen the work that this guy does first hand, so even though it may be less compared to some out there, I know he does a good job.

I also thought that 2300 sounded a little on the low side myself.

When I got my car painted, I went with a cheaper guy, not family/friends, just cheaper... and boy did I pay for it......

thedeuce · Sep 13, 2008

Sometimes a good deal is not always a good deal. I could not get a decent paint job here in missouri for less than 4500.00 metal work and prep another 3500.00 unless you do it yourself.

pcarlson · Sep 15, 2008

OK... I'm not sure what happened to this thread but I'll try to reply to the comments.

Redondo Beach = You're close to the Mexican border = Lower labor costs.

That's laughable. I can almost guarantee the average shop rate here is higher than CT. Do you even know where Redondo Beach is?

For $2300 all he can be doing is grinding the rust filling with bondo quickly sanding the body and painting. A good shop would strip to bare metal cut out and replace with metal all rusted areas epoxy prime and finish the body work. It doesn't mater if you are putting BC/CC or single stage paint the body will require many coats of primer and blocking out to be straight. Cost $7500 ++++ depending on how much work.

you know what they say about assumptions, don't you?

The shop will be patching any rust holes with new metal. It will be taken to bare metal as I only have 1 coat of paint on the car so it's very little work. It DOES matter if it's BC/CC versus single stage as to how much bodywork is needed.

It's ridiculous that you think otherwise. If you want a gloss black that you can see your reflection in, don't you think you might need a little more block sanding and prep then you would for a car that is essentially getting a coat of primer?

Because that's essentially all they're doing. Getting the bodywork done correctly, priming it, then topcoating it satin black.

As far as paint scheme goes, I think it would look badass all black. I wonder if someone could do a photoshop to see what exactly it would look like?

Thank you, I hope it looks as good in reality as it does in my head.

To all the haters and disbelievers, I will get pics of the Midnight Blue coupe for you and I will also show you pics of my car when done.

I know that often times cheap = crappy, but I have seen the work that they do for the price firsthand. Maybe people are happy paying $4500 for an average paint job but I refuse to do that. I would rather find a guy I trust that works with people on price... that way I get an average paint job for MUCH less.

rusty428cj · Sep 15, 2008

I guess all that matters is YOU are happy. No matter what finish is going on a car I build the body work would be the same. I want the panels straight and that requires a lot of block sanding. Good luck with your project!

pcarlson · Sep 15, 2008

Yes, but do you want to take a guess at the amount of hours that go into wet sanding on a good paint job? Because if you are trying to get a good mirror finish on the paint it is a TON of wet sanding.

That has nothing to do with the bodywork IMO. I used the wrong terminology up above because I'm not that up to speed on the painting stuff, but there is a considerable difference between the labor needed on a typical paint job and the one I'm looking for. That is where the majority of the cost savings comes from.

Anyway, back to the topic...

When I paint it Satin Black, do you guys think the trim would look better as a flat black or as a gloss black? I'm leaning towards gloss but haven't seen an example of either.

Hack · Sep 15, 2008

pcarlson said:
When I paint it Satin Black, do you guys think the trim would look better as a flat black or as a gloss black? I'm leaning towards gloss but haven't seen an example of either.

I'd go gloss with the trim.

0to100to0 · Sep 15, 2008

even if you want the car to be "flat" or "satin" you still need to have a clear coat, and the labor that comes with it. for a good quality jib they will use a clear with a flattener in it to give you the look you want. with no clear and just a paint topcoat it will chalk out or fade and be blotchy.
however, for a flat finish car, the bodywork would not have to be nearly as good, i have a flat black '56 ford truck with some rough work and it looks just about perfect...
I think your scheme would look interesting..... a little more contrast might help it out, what about a gunmetal look for the trim?
just make sure he takes care of the rust properly and uses bondo responsibly.
matt

CraigMBA · Sep 15, 2008

The materials to paint my car cost $1500 - in a pretty standard non factory color.

He's not fixing the rust for $2300.

I'm into my car for about $8K so far and I haven't got it any more painted than the jambs. And I got a deal. And mines just a driver, abiet a nice driver.

jlangholzj · Sep 15, 2008

+1 on the gloss trim

Opinions needed on Paint ideas

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Hack

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0to100to0

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