$8k for a paint job?

[BK911]

'71E Coupe. Completely disassembled. Tub down to bear metal already. Fenders, hood, decklid, bumpers and doors still have paint on them.

Got a quote from a local guy for $8k. This incluldes painting the tub and all the panels and assembling the panels back on the car. This does not include putting back the windows, interior, suspension, etc...

This sounds like a LOT to me. However, I did see his work and he is definitely an artist. Stunning work. Several of his cars made magazines including a cover shot, and some of his cars sold for over $100k at auction.

What do you guys think?

[drcoastline]

He may be asking a premium due to his being recognised for his work. Kind of like buying a pair of Levis vs. Ralph Lauren.

It's not uncommon to here of $8,000.00 paint jobs but from what I have heard that often entails dissasembly, body work, paint and reassembly. You don't say what condition the panels are in. How much work does they car need? How much work do the panels require?

I'll do it for $7,753.21

[LenS]

I just received several quotes for a glass-out, down to bare metal respray w/ Glasurit 55 Line for my '81 91SC Targa. All in the $8K - $12K range w/ me doing the disassembly/reassembly except for the glass. Includes repair of all minor dents, dings, etc., and some minor rust as well.

Paint alone is $2K...

[fred cook]

My SC coupe is in now for paint. I did all of the disassembly work and will do all of the reassembly. The estimate for the minimal body work needed and paint was $3,350. So far with a couple of minor adds it is up to about $3,500. I got one estimate from a shop in N. Ga. for a turn key job that was $9k.

[BK911]

Thanks guys. Seems like $8k is about right.

[vracer]

Originally Posted by BK911

Thanks guys. Seems like $8k is about right.

It's cheap if it is show quality work.

[LenS]

I also received a $20K quote from the Paterek Brothers. That's 200 hours @ 100 per...

[a_bayuga]

Just paid for mine last week ....20k!

Car partially disassembled by me.

Cost included:
pick up at home site
suspension removal
Sunroof delete
weld front 9" steel flares
weld rear 11" steel flares
fit and cut RSR front bumper (too wide)
fit and shave rear RSR bumper (driver side poor fitment)
cut oem bumper to fit inside rear RSR bumper for some protection
glass bead in/out and under body too
paint under body
delivery to home

]

Rear lid not latched down all the way, that's why there is a gap showing.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by LenS

I also received a $20K quote from the Paterek Brothers. That's 200 hours @ 100 per...

Holy smokes! That be a lot of money.

[silver911rdb]

I'm just starting on a project with my 1987 911. Just to get an idea of what the paint materials will cost I stopped by my local Glasurit supplier. He quoted $1800 for the 55 line epoxy paint, primer, base, clear, hardener...i may be missing something. I guess my point is that I want to get a good paint job so I 'm willing to spend the $$ on some decent paint. As I'm starting to get underway with the project I've already dissasembled the trim, bumpers, etc. Now I'm in the process of stripping the paint down to the metal. Lot's of time there. Nevermind some of the body work I'll need to do to make it staright. So when I hear paint jobs costing upwards of 8k or more, I'm not surprised. As long as they're using quality products and doing quality prep work I can see how the costs escalate. I honestly don't understand how a company like macco can exist charging $500 for a paint job.

[confused]

There is a mega difference between a "tape and rape" paint job where no panels are removed from the car and a bare metal all panels off show quality job. Some of you guys with 80s cars do not have the same issues as the 60s and 70s cars so the cost will be less.

Fitting on a older car or a car that has been in any accidents or modified is a major part of a correct paint job. Often neglected from many paint jobs and left for the next worker. Bodywork/paint/fitting are all so very closely related and should be done by the same person or all people involved should be in very close communication with each other.

I had a 86 in excellent condition done for $7500 in black recently

Doing a 73 right now with no rust or accident damage and we are around $12k-15k for perfect work by Porsche only people (me and my shop). Bare metal rotisserie resto.

A painter that knows Porsches very well is what you should look for. Cost may be the same with a quality painter but the Porsche friendly guys might get more details right.

Today technology is cheap and labor is expensive, this was the opposite frame of mind back in the 1920s. Figure everything was in the middle in the 60s-70s so the cost and quality was all more reasonable. Ahhh the good old days.

[1-ev.com]

Originally Posted by silver911rdb

I honestly don't understand how a company like macco can exist charging $500 for a paint job.

I think the answer to this question will be "They just spay the paint from their stock" and somebody (could be car the owner where no $$$ paid) do the prep (dipping/blasting, metal, bondo, buying paint, etc) and cleanup jobs...

My 2c,
-Y.

[donagain1]

I did the disassembly, the lion's share of the prep, and the reassembly myself utilizing space in the body shop of a friend. He shot the color and the clear (as I'm notoriously dangerous with a spray gun), and we worked together to polish out the finish (I'm as dangerous with a buffing wheel on a grinder). All told, the cost to me was in the $1500-$1600 range... but that doesn't compensate me for my countless hours of labor to properly refit everything just right. Shop charges probably vary around the country, but if I had to pay myself an hourly rate similar to what I earned prior to retiring, the cost would be right there in the $8K ballpark.

As you can see, the prep work is time consuming...


Masking everything is a job in and of itself. In the background you can see the bumpers, and a slew of miscellaneous parts which all needed prepping, painting, and post-paint polishing. Essentially, anything that's blue, anywhere in the pic.

[911SauCy]

I'm here in CT and a guy who does resto's and places top 3 at Pebble Beach regularly quoted 20+k for a paint job also!!

When my guards red needs a change it will be getting turned into a satin red...

[962porsche]

i have said this so many times it still strikes me funny when people ask what and how much for a paint job .
1st in every area of the good old USA the labor rates deffer greatly ! and the same even goes for deferent parts of some states .
2nd . NO two cars are the same even if the cars maybe of the same make and model .

3rd . then where is the customer and just what they are looking for out of the job .
are you looking for a driver or a 10 point show car .

4th . there is what you want to spend on you car ??? would you want a 60k reso on a 10K car ??? some do but also some people don't .

5th . the cost of the basic cost of the things like the primer , color clear are all about the same . it's the labor time spent on the job that has every thing to do with the cost .

6th . when one person may think is a good job may not be to another person .
what i'm saying with that is there have been many people that have told me just how good there car looks when in fact it's not all that ! if you don't know what to look for or just how some thing should be with with a car then you may think that .
i have seen so many porsche 911's that the owner will think the car looks great . when some others will look at the car and see that soming like the door gaps are totaly wrong . if the shop or person does not know the car was made with the gap from the door to the QTR panel being with a smaller gap on the bottom .
and if were there should be the signs of spot welds the are non there any longer because the wrong type of welder was used to restor the car .
then there is the finish of the paint . it should have just a touch of peal to it and not be buffed out like it's glass . that is not the way the cars came from porsche wet sanded and buffed out like glass . that is called over restoring a car .
to some one like me the car was done wrong and will look like crap !

so what i'm getting at is asking the cost is kind of pointless !

[1-ev.com]

Agreed with 962

[cmcfaul]

Just paid $3k for a paint job and it's perfect.

Same color
I removed front, rear fenders and major glass
he removed / installed doors, hoods, quarter glass, sunroof moldings, etc, etc
He prepped body so no dings or inperfections.
Porsche only guy (owns half a dozen Porsches him self)

He used to own a shop that did 40 cars a day. With the economy he is on his own and happy to get my business.

There are deals to be had. I put my $3k paint job against any $10k+ paint job. Maybe I just got lucky but I know he has one less project to work on now.

Chris
73 911 E

[wgwollet]

This is why a lot of cars are going to Bosnia. They will do all you guys describe for $1500 and they are not "hacks". Very qualified metal workers who will take time to work the metal correctly.

I know more then one person who was quoted the 8-12k and had it done overseas for less even with shipping.

[gruppe75]

I saw a car this past weekend that had an $8000 paint job and it looked like an $8000 paint job. Painted a metallic black and was absolutely gorgeous.

[ratpiper71T]

Possibly, but very rare, ever seen those hoopty mobile ghetto cruisers with huge wheels on a lifted up body? Sight down the candy metallic from front to back-- it got more dimples than a sorority girls legs after freshman year!!- this is the work they do for $500 but they usually upsell to around $1500.

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Quote de <strong>silver911rdb</strong>
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<div style="font-style:italic">I honestly don't understand how a company like macco can exist charging $500 for a paint job.</div>
</div>I think the answer to this question will be "They just spay the paint from their stock" and somebody (could be car the owner where no $$$ paid) do the prep (dipping/blasting, metal, bondo, buying paint, etc) and cleanup jobs...<br>
<br>
My 2c,<br>
-Y.