What does a decent paint job cost these days for a simple color like black?

[MxRacer855]

I'm deciding that I might want to get that new paint job with how apart my car is right now. What does a decent, simple paint job cost these days? I'm looking to get a black paint job. I know there is a million and one different variables that factor into pricing (quality of paint, clear coats, etc..), I just want a ballpark from those of you who know please. 5K? 7.5K? 10K?

Jeff

[Daytona R/T SE]

Higher.

[1970Moparmann]

It all depends on how nice you want it.  Plus, are you doing the bodywork prior to spraying?

Depending on paint supplies, your talking up to $1,500 just for this part of the equation.

If metal replacement is needed, it climbs up.   

Black also "should" require a good amount of work after it is sprayed if you want it to look better.  One of the cheapest colors is white because it won't show up as much.

Need more info to give a better idea.

[Aero426]

You did say you wanted it black.    There is no such thing as a budget black paint job that looks "decent", unless you do it all yourself.  

Way too many variables to even get close on an answer.   How much work is going to be required on the existing panels?    If it was as simple as scuff and shoot, and you knew someone who worked cheap, (we're talking illegal alien cheap here), you could get it painted for $5k.  It might wave at you in a few spots when you walked by.     Material costs for name brand stuff are a good part of that amount.      

About 10 years ago, a friend had his car done as a complete.   Not a restoration, just painted black.     The shop gave him an accurate estimate and a firm time frame for completion and they delivered.   The car had some typical rust repairs on various panels.   I think the bill came to $18k.  And the car is dead flat, perfect.   The work is still holding up.    

[twodko]

Pricing depends on footage. Do you want 20 foot paint job or a 1 foot paint job? Shorter footage greater price.

[MxRacer855]

You did say you wanted it black.    There is no such thing as a budget black paint job that looks "decent", unless you do it all yourself.  

Way too many variables to even get close on an answer.   How much work is going to be required on the existing panels?    If it was as simple as scuff and shoot, and you knew someone who worked cheap, (like illegal alien cheap), you could get it painted for $5k.  It might wave at you in a few spots when you walked by.     Material costs for name brand stuff are a good part of that amount.      

About 10 years ago, a friend had his car done as a complete.   Not a restoration, just painted black.     The shop gave him an accurate estimate and a firm time frame for completion and they delivered.   The car had some typical rust repairs on various panels.   I think the bill came to $18k.  And the car is dead flat, perfect.   The work is still holding up.    

Taking into consideration that it is a very difficult color to hide imperfections (I always seem to forget), I need to just do what your buddy did and get the job done right. Nothing special is cheap. I guess I'll just keep doing body work until then and hold off...

[greenpigs]

The couple people I know who do bodywork for a living will not paint a car they did not do the bodywork on.

As for a price it's all over the place and so is the quality of the work.

[1974dodgecharger]

Once u go black u never go back......

[Ghoste]

Although painting the car while it's torn apart isn't an entirely bad idea either MX.  You just need to wait until the bodywork is done so all the parts can be shot together.

[Nacho-RT74]

darker the color, harder the finish job

[tcs69rt]

What about trying the local high schools or colleges that have auto body classes? I have heard of people just paying for the supplies and the kids get to learn. IF you can deal with that? Hit the local cruise nights and ask if they know of anyone that paints. That way you can see their work up close. Good luck.

[1974dodgecharger]

Meh plasti dip it 300 bucks....

[DAY CLONA]

What about trying the local high schools or colleges that have auto body classes? I have heard of people just paying for the supplies and the kids get to learn.  Good luck.

Friend of mine went that route, he was a cheap ass, didn't like the price I gave him, or the prices of some local shops, so he found a trade school to bring his 70 Superbee too, he just wanted a colour change, he showed up a few days later to see what progress they had made, well they were doing the dent removal/bodywork, funny thing is he didn't need any bodywork as the car was very straight, seemed the instructor noticed that too, so after the car was delivered to the shop he went around with a hammer and "tuned up" the body, so the students would have "something" to do!....nice!, needless to say if turned into a bondo bucket with a crap arse paint job, and this was one of those "big name" trade schools you see advertised on TV....he ended up selling the car, he was so disgusted with it, you get what you pay for


A nice BLACK paint job will run you $10-$15K out this way, and that's for a straight car to begin with, needing minimal bodywork, and just a complete shell, no major disassembly for the shop, premium body/paint materials alone will run about $2K+

[nge]

Ditto
$15K, reasons
1. Black pigments arent cheap so the paint isnt as cheap as you migh think
2. Black shows off bad body work so my painter had to make sure the body was very straight before he painted it  (for some painters, your car is their "buisness card")

[Cooter]

Just wait till everything's water born .......

Paint job $25k

[Aero426]

Just wait till everything's water born .......

Paint job $25k

It ain't gonna get cheaper with water borne, you can take that to the bank. 

[Aero426]

The vocational college route is not the best option as the emphasis for the students is really on training for collision repair, not performing rust repair and paint jobs.    However, if the school offers an evening or continuing education course where they allow you to bring your car or panels in,  you can do it yourself.   I did this car in black, this way.   It helped that my car was driveable. 

[MxRacer855]

I guess I'm going to have to wait then. I'm going to make sure EVERYTHING body wise is replaced and lined up before spraying that kind of money on it. It blows my mind that a quality job costs that much. thanks for all of the input guys.

[Homerr]

If you want a budget job, check out this guy's thread over at FBBO.  He found a guy on craigslist cheap for paint.  YMMV

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?40022-Project-Pittsbird-Almost-Done&p=909769027&viewfull=1#post909769027

[MxRacer855]

Thanks Homerr, I'll check it out. Chances are I'll hold off to get everything body related squared away over the next year or so and be inquiring about this again.

[JB400]

If you want a budget job, check out this guy's thread over at FBBO.  He found a guy on craigslist cheap for paint.  YMMV

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?40022-Project-Pittsbird-Almost-Done&p=909769027&viewfull=1#post909769027

That's a neat build up

[jaak]

If you want a budget job, check out this guy's thread over at FBBO.  He found a guy on craigslist cheap for paint.  YMMV

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?40022-Project-Pittsbird-Almost-Done&p=909769027&viewfull=1#post909769027

Even if you ask around in your area, and check references...they are a lot of body guys that work on the side, and like someone else mentioned, they can usually do it cheaper, due to not having overhead costs.

BTW, I don't buy all this "extra labor" and "more expensive" costs just because it's black. If a man skips a few steps on body work just because a car isn't black....he doesn't need to be working on it, period!  

Jason

[Troy]

If you want a budget job, check out this guy's thread over at FBBO.  He found a guy on craigslist cheap for paint.  YMMV

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?40022-Project-Pittsbird-Almost-Done&p=909769027&viewfull=1#post909769027

Even if you ask around in your area, and check references...they are a lot of body guys that work on the side, and like someone else mentioned, they can usually do it cheaper, due to not having overhead costs.

BTW, I don't buy all this "extra labor" and "more expensive" costs just because it's black. If a man skips a few steps on body work just because a car isn't black....he doesn't need to be working on it, period! 

Jason

Troy

[bull]

Black is not simple, unless it's flat black. Really there are no simple colors if you want it done right but light colors and matte shades will better hide body work ineptitude.

[MxRacer855]

If you want a budget job, check out this guy's thread over at FBBO.  He found a guy on craigslist cheap for paint.  YMMV

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?40022-Project-Pittsbird-Almost-Done&p=909769027&viewfull=1#post909769027

Even if you ask around in your area, and check references...they are a lot of body guys that work on the side, and like someone else mentioned, they can usually do it cheaper, due to not having overhead costs.

BTW, I don't buy all this "extra labor" and "more expensive" costs just because it's black. If a man skips a few steps on body work just because a car isn't black....he doesn't need to be working on it, period!  

Jason

Well said Jaak! I like that.

[chargerboy69]

If you want a budget job, check out this guy's thread over at FBBO.  He found a guy on craigslist cheap for paint.  YMMV

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?40022-Project-Pittsbird-Almost-Done&p=909769027&viewfull=1#post909769027

Even if you ask around in your area, and check references...they are a lot of body guys that work on the side, and like someone else mentioned, they can usually do it cheaper, due to not having overhead costs.

BTW, I don't buy all this "extra labor" and "more expensive" costs just because it's black. If a man skips a few steps on body work just because a car isn't black....he doesn't need to be working on it, period!  

Jason

Well said.

When I painted my one 69 black I had several shops tell me it would be more money because the body had to look perfect.  My response was I wanted it perfect no matter what color I painted it.  

[chargerboy69]

Ever think about your local Maaco? I know some can be crap, but my buddy had his painted at our local Maaco and it turned out very well. They had his for roughly two weeks, he took the guys in pizzas, McDonalds and Dairy Queen to keep them happy.  It paid off as they really took their time and got it right. The painter even applied a couple extra coats of clear for nothing.  He spent days wet sanding it and buffing it and when he was done it looked as good a $8000.00 paint job.

I believe he had about $1500 to $1800 in it.

[xoman60]

I'm in the market to paint mine also within the next year. I've got 2 estimates so far from classic car restoration painters and they came in around 11,000. That's painting original color R4 red with no rust issues or body work. That's hand sanding and 3 coats of R4. I forgot what they said about the clear coating. Also includes knocking out some dings in my chrome trim. Gonna get one more estimate before I decide.

[greenpigs]

Sometimes you have to make concessions....

[MxRacer855]

Ever think about your local Maaco? I know some can be crap, but my buddy had his painted at our local Maaco and it turned out very well. They had his for roughly two weeks, he took the guys in pizzas, McDonalds and Dairy Queen to keep them happy.  It paid off as they really took their time and got it right. The painter even applied a couple extra coats of clear for nothing.  He spent days wet sanding it and buffing it and when he was done it looked as good a $8000.00 paint job.

I believe he had about $1500 to $1800 in it.

That's definitely the way to do it! We were bringing the construction workers that were building our house Corona's just before they were done for the day. It provides that necessary incentive and motivation. I always heard that Maaco was the bottom of the barrel. It scares me to even consider that option, but if your friends paint job truly turned out the way that you said it did under those circumstances, maybe it's an option seriously worth considering then.
Thanks for your input.

Jeff

[1974dodgecharger]

I say maaco also...if your car is nasty paint to begin with I dont think they could mess it even more? 

[ws23rt]

So what does a decent paint job cost?

I take this to mean something that looks as good as factory and is done without breaking the car down to individual parts.

Of course the cost could go as high as the sky.  But that is not the question.  In the sixties I was reading about high end paint jobs and what that entails. The mention of $30,000 was hard to accept until understanding what they were talking about.

I had my 09 Challenger repaired after hitting a deer. Of the $7500 repair maybe 20% was paint and was the front half blended at the doors.  I can't tell where the blend is but I can tell the lack of the factory orange peel in the new finish.

I expect one should be very pleased with what can be had for $1500  to $3000

[Aero426]

That's definitely the way to do it! We were bringing the construction workers that were building our house Corona's just before they were done for the day. It provides that necessary incentive and motivation. I always heard that Maaco was the bottom of the barrel. It scares me to even consider that option, but if your friends paint job truly turned out the way that you said it did under those circumstances, maybe it's an option seriously worth considering then.

Maaco's are usually franchise operations, so the experience from one to another may not be typical.    But like any service, it can't hurt to take care of the people doing your work. 

[Cooter]

I say maaco also...if your car is nasty paint to begin with I dont think they could mess it even more? 

That paint doesn't hold up to the UV rays...a friends Maaco job peeled off inside of 3 years...

[Aero426]

I'll say it again:  there is no free lunch with paint jobs.    If you know a starving body guy who will work on the side with low overhead, the rock bottom starting point for a "decent" paint job with minimal body work is probably about $5000.    You will have to work pretty darn hard to find someone who will do your body work, align your panels, prep and paint the jambs, squirt the exterior,  then wet sand and buff for that price.       And do not be surprised if down the road, you discover that a shortcut or two was taken.    

[cazz]

SAY NO TO MACCO!!!! DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!!

[Aero426]

Pricing depends on footage. Do you want 20 foot paint job or a 1 foot paint job? Shorter footage greater price.

This is still the most concise answer of the thread.

[chargerboy69]

That's definitely the way to do it! We were bringing the construction workers that were building our house Corona's just before they were done for the day. It provides that necessary incentive and motivation. I always heard that Maaco was the bottom of the barrel. It scares me to even consider that option, but if your friends paint job truly turned out the way that you said it did under those circumstances, maybe it's an option seriously worth considering then.

Maaco's are usually franchise operations, so the experience from one to another may not be typical.    But like any service, it can't hurt to take care of the people doing your work. 

Exactly.

For a month he and I would drive over and look at cars coming out of the shop.  The painter they had there at the time was outstanding and did very good work, he has since moved on.  But if you are really considering Maaco I would suggest going over there off and on for a couple weeks looking at their work, checking for flaws and consistency.

[Canadian1968]

Dont waste your time/ money on Macco.

15K+ = SHOW CAR
10K  = DAMN NICE JOB
7K = Still a very clean job
5K and under Its hit or miss !!

Painting a car is really not that expensive.  It the prep and body work that comes before. So , if you need body work done its gonna be expensive!! Your best hope is to find a painter that does stuff on the side and is willing to work with you.

I'm in Ontario by the way hahah...

[chargerrtmikey]

I think I will start a painting business these prices are outrages. If material cost are 1500 to 2000 and someone is charging 15,000 plus for just spraying a car I have some ocean front property in Iowa you may want to buy.

[Ghoste]

I don't those quotes are for spraying alone.  As they keep saying the costs are in the body and prep work.  And there would be some regional costs too I imagine since in Ontario they have to use water borne.  But I'm not a painter so Im just guessing.

[6pkrtse]

I could never afford to drop the coin it would cost to re-paint my red charger which it will need someday, so I just drive it as original as it is for now. Once you get it painted, then the bumpers look bad so they need to be re-chromed, then all of the trim needs to be polished & on & on. Then it gets a full restoration & the reason many people get in over there heads due to the costs involved.

[myk]

I could never afford to drop the coin it would cost to re-paint my red charger which it will need someday, so I just drive it as original as it is for now. Once you get it painted, then the bumpers look bad so they need to be re-chromed, then all of the trim needs to be polished & on & on. Then it gets a full restoration & the reason many people get in over there heads due to the costs involved.

Tell me about it.  I've got faded, almost broken side marker lenses and it's embarrassing, meanwhile my bumpers have some pitting in the chrome.  But, when people critique the car I tell them I don't have Leno or Oprah money and I can only do the car in stages...

[Cooter]

I think I will start a painting business these prices are outrages. If material cost are 1500 to 2000 and someone is charging 15,000 plus for just spraying a car I have some ocean front property in Iowa you may want to buy.

So your saying you would spend at least 2 years prepping panels, listening to some guy exclaim about how badass he wants his car's paint to be, redo the afore mentioned panels after said guy says the first paint job wasn't worth what he paid and if you were any kinda 'decent' Mopar guy, don't want your name dragged through the mud all over cyber space, once completed, said guy still thinks you screwed him over, buy all the tools needed to perform said paint job, listen to guy whine and bitch about how his buddy coulda got a better deal on some ACME equipment paint that woulda looked just as good cause he saw his skid loader he once painted for less??

Obviously, you know nothing bout perfectionist antique car owners.....

[Dreamcar]

I've only done one other project car in my life.  I had it down to bare metal, however here's how I was able to keep the cost manageable:

1. Learn to do body work yourself, even if it takes time. This includes learning what tools to use and the materials to buy and how to use them. I spent lots of time reading and doing research. Then, I started on the car. Did I make mistakes...absolutely yes. But if you make a mistake during body work and priming you still have an opportunity to fix it before paint. It took me almost 2 years on it to get it right, but I think it was worth it. Don't be afraid to have experts look at your work and critique you and give you tips. Ask lots of questions. This is how you learn. Most car guys and girls are willing to help others...like on this forum. Don't rush it, but use products that allow you to take your time, but be safe doing it.

2. Find a paint shop that is willing to paint the car but allows you to do most of the body work. Not all of them will. Those that do will likely not give your much of a warranty. I asked the body shop that did mine to do one last block sanding on the outside panels with an expert's eye, and then shoot the paint. Their paint booth meant very little dust and imperfections. I had already painted the engine bay and door jams, and reinstalled the doors and fenders. It's even better if you can get a paint shop to agree to do this for you before you start. That way you can ask them questions as you go...for example, my body shop told me that they didn't care what type of epoxy I used, as long as it was a good quality automotive epoxy. Now I know that I won't have any compatibility issues with their waterborne paints. Because I lived nearby, they even came over to see the car before I had it towed there before giving me the final price. 

At the end of it all, my car turn out great and the cost was manageable. It even looked great from 3 feet away. Was it 100%, Barrett-Jackson show car flawless? No...so I wasn't scared to drive it when I was done. And, I would dare to say that it looked better than many of the cars at the cruise night.

[Ghoste]

Dreamcar, I haven't seen your Charger but I'd hazard a guess that you can hold your head high around the vast majority of those B-J show cars.  Most but not all of them are quick and dirty and just happen to look good under the lights and on television.

[Dino]

Anyone can put a nice coat of paint on a car and many maaco guys do nothing but paint so I'm with Tim on this one, check them out and find a good one.  I was a freelance painter early on in my career and worked anywhere from the prestigious Jaguars to the lowly beaters in the corner body shop.  Painting is painting and when you're good you're good.  Simple as that.  What is really really difficult is the job that comes before paint, the prep.  If that's not dead on then ANY paint job by ANY painter is a waste of time and money.

I am shocked to see some of these prices though, it really does not take all that much time and material to paint a car. 

[6pkrtse]

Anyone can put a nice coat of paint on a car and many maaco guys do nothing but paint so I'm with Tim on this one, check them out and find a good one.  I was a freelance painter early on in my career and worked anywhere from the prestigious Jaguars to the lowly beaters in the corner body shop.  Painting is painting and when you're good you're good.  Simple as that.  What is really really difficult is the job that comes before paint, the prep.  If that's not dead on then ANY paint job by ANY painter is a waste of time and money.

I am shocked to see some of these prices though, it really does not take all that much time and material to paint a car. 

Good to know Dino. When it comes to paint one of my Chargers you can help me prer & paint mine..... LOL.

[Dino]

Anyone can put a nice coat of paint on a car and many maaco guys do nothing but paint so I'm with Tim on this one, check them out and find a good one.  I was a freelance painter early on in my career and worked anywhere from the prestigious Jaguars to the lowly beaters in the corner body shop.  Painting is painting and when you're good you're good.  Simple as that.  What is really really difficult is the job that comes before paint, the prep.  If that's not dead on then ANY paint job by ANY painter is a waste of time and money.

I am shocked to see some of these prices though, it really does not take all that much time and material to paint a car. 

Good to know Dino. When it comes to paint one of my Chargers you can help me prer & paint mine..... LOL.

Hey I will gladly help!  I'm always in need for an excuse to let the Charger stretch its legs.   

[6pkrtse]

Cool. Thanks. Did you paint yours? It always looks awesome from any of the pictures I have seen of it.

[Dino]

Cool. Thanks. Did you paint yours? It always looks awesome from any of the pictures I have seen of it.

Oh no, this is a 20+ year old job and it's pretty worn.  The car is still pretty straight but the prep was pretty bad and it shows.  I actually won't polish it because it'll really show all the flaws.  As it sits, the white hides a lot fortunately.   

When I paint it it'll probably end up in the R6 family of reds.  Saw a vette on one of the auction shows the other day in blood red and it was stunning.

[myk]

Cool. Thanks. Did you paint yours? It always looks awesome from any of the pictures I have seen of it.

Oh no, this is a 20+ year old job and it's pretty worn.  The car is still pretty straight but the prep was pretty bad and it shows.  I actually won't polish it because it'll really show all the flaws.  As it sits, the white hides a lot fortunately.   

When I paint it it'll probably end up in the R6 family of reds.  Saw a vette on one of the auction shows the other day in blood red and it was stunning.

You gotta love white.  BTW your car in that red, with the black vinyl top and our wheels is a goddamn winner IMO...

[6pkrtse]

Thanks. But could never go with those type of wheels. Just not for me. Rallye's, Magnum 500's or Cragar's only for me.

[myk]

Thanks. But could never go with those type of wheels. Just not for me. Rallye's, Magnum 500's or Cragar's only for me.

Your car IS nice, but I was refering to Dino's car; we roll with the same wheels...

[6pkrtse]

Oh, When I saw you said red with black top I thought you meant mine. Sorry.

[Dino]

Cool. Thanks. Did you paint yours? It always looks awesome from any of the pictures I have seen of it.

Oh no, this is a 20+ year old job and it's pretty worn.  The car is still pretty straight but the prep was pretty bad and it shows.  I actually won't polish it because it'll really show all the flaws.  As it sits, the white hides a lot fortunately.   

When I paint it it'll probably end up in the R6 family of reds.  Saw a vette on one of the auction shows the other day in blood red and it was stunning.

You gotta love white.  BTW your car in that red, with the black vinyl top and our wheels is a goddamn winner IMO...

I think so.  I would remove the top though.  When starting over there will be no doubt.  As much as I like how it looks now, the car just looks better without imo.  Or better yet, it looks more like I want a muscle car to look, not better but just different.

[myk]

Cool. Thanks. Did you paint yours? It always looks awesome from any of the pictures I have seen of it.

Oh no, this is a 20+ year old job and it's pretty worn.  The car is still pretty straight but the prep was pretty bad and it shows.  I actually won't polish it because it'll really show all the flaws.  As it sits, the white hides a lot fortunately.   

When I paint it it'll probably end up in the R6 family of reds.  Saw a vette on one of the auction shows the other day in blood red and it was stunning.

You gotta love white.  BTW your car in that red, with the black vinyl top and our wheels is a goddamn winner IMO...

I think so.  I would remove the top though.  When starting over there will be no doubt.  As much as I like how it looks now, the car just looks better without imo.  Or better yet, it looks more like I want a muscle car to look, not better but just different.

With or without it'll look great; a deep, rich red like the one you mentioned with those darker wheels will be a great match.  Maybe someone should photoshop an example...

[charge69]

My friend that was doing the restoration work on my Charger painted the car in his home-built paint booth. The paint (single-stage acrylic) and supplies were a little over 3.5K. He had a spray gun he had used on his previous restorations but he bought a new one anyway. The gun he bought costs $700.00.
I lost count as well on the number of hours he spent prepping the car but it was hundreds of hours installing new rear quarters, trunk floor and extensions, repairing outer wheel wells, repairing the hood and front quarters, new tail panel, getting the hundreds of door dings on both sides hammered out and filled in so as not to show and many other miscellaneous areas.
I am sure it would have cost much more than 15K to get my Charger painted by a shop even with me supplying all the new sheet metal used.
It takes someone with real patience and talent to get a car really ready for paint. Little things like checking all the gaps and aligning all the panels for minimal and even gaps, including the doors.
It is not a perfect job. There are a few flaws if you look it over carefully but, I am happy with it.

[Lord Warlock]

Not everyone can do bodywork, sure anyone can slop on bondo and sand it smooth, but that doesn't equate to a good paintable surface afterwards.  In alot of the write ups you see posted here they tend to gloss over the steps necessary to ensure a smooth surface.  Paint materials will likely only cost you about 1k-1500 bucks for a one car paint job, and that's using high end paint and reducers.  However, having a paint booth or a dust free ventilated area to paint in is important.  For years I painted in my front garage which is a finished drywalled area, but would leave the door open with fans blowing over and under the car out the door area and the paint came out very nice and relatively dust free, but when i tried painting in the unfinished rear garage the dust nibs that would settle in the paint were horrendous and mandated color sanding and buffing afterwards. 

I find it despicable that paint shops charge 15k for a paint job, I've gotten estimates from pro shops that ranged from 1500 to 5000 for a car needing no body work and was the same color being applied, the 1500 was from a paint shop manager who had his crew do my car on the weekend under the table, and the paint job lasted 8 years with no issues.  (till i started using that car  to learn how to paint vehicles with in preparation for the charger paint job) a 15k paint job should only be for show quality vehicles and are mirror smooth everywhere.  Even a 10k job should be absolutely perfect.  I would expect a 5k job to look good enough so that only 95% of people looking at it couldn't point out a flaw. 

Maaco can do some decent work, but they usually don't do a lot of prep work, or removing trim/emblems. It's great for the person that removes all the trim and chrome himself and takes it in just to get sprayed, at least it will get dried with heat lamps and done in a paint booth, and would be great for someone driving a primered car that just wants it to have color on it. I'll take a car to maaco for quickie paint sprays, but for a better quality job, I'll take the time to spray it myself, let it cure, then wetsand and buff it afterwards.

Here's a shot after one of the spray sessions on the charger.  I fought a wavy panel on the front fender for years. 

[MxRacer855]

Hey guys, I know this is really long, but it's my entire story behind my motive provoking this thread. I apologize if it's redundant at all or provides some unnecessary information, but I would appreciate informing you of my exact thoughts and intentions regarding my pride and joy, so I'll do my best and hopefully that will allow you to offer some advice!

When you guys say "body work", what does that mean exactly? Let me describe my '68 right now... The outside of the car from 5 feet away looks absolutely amazing. There is NO real dents, waves, or visible rust anywhere on the exterior and the paint is around 6-8 years old (keep in mind the couple before me restored the car with a lot of shortcuts, but still a great car). The paint looks great. Sure there is definite imperfections but nothing worth getting a new paintjob over. Now, I knew when I started replacing body stuff, it was going to be endless. I want to have a perfectly clean car at some point, but am not willing to sacrifice NOT driving my car at this point in my life. I'm only 26, just purchased it the middle of last year (spent a good portion replacing things just to get it "driveable"), worked 7 days a week to get it, and wanted this thing my whole life. Coming out of this winter, it will be a perfectly functioning car. It all started when I was replacing the "smoked" 8.75 rear end with a Dana 60 and some Wilwood calipers/rotors. I immediately noticed that the rear leaf spring perches were completely rotted along with a majority of the trunk. Curiosity killed the cat then... I inspected everything else on the car to the best of my ability without major removal of anything (peeled carpet back to check floor pan, cross members, fenders, wheel wells, etc.). The killer part is most of it was replaced at some point and kept out of the elements. It honestly looks like they worked their way from the front of the car to the back. Everything looks good (I have a nice vinyl top and headliner that I'm not peeling up, so I'm not sure about the roof) except the last 3 feet of the rear end. The floor pan the rear seats mount to (that couples into the trunk floor) looks amazing. Oh, I forgot to mention one detail, Since my undercarriage is bare and without a rear end, drive shaft, or trans, I isolated the undercarriage and began sand blasting all of it. IT'S SUPER CLEAN baring the trunk floor, both rear leaf spring perches, the bottoms of each quarter panel (the paint is bubbling but not chipping and each panel has a lot of bondo on the bottom but there's NO bondo anywhere else on the car), the trunk extensions, and the tail panel.
Now here's where I'm at... I found out that Tamaraz Restorations is 15 minutes from my house (AMAZING!). I live in Aurora, IL and they're located in Plainfield, IL. I'm replacing both rear leaf spring perches, and installing a two-piece trunk floor (all AMD stuff). I would like to replace the trunk extensions as well but that risks damaging the paint on my quarter panels (the same goes with replacing the tail panel/ will need to be repainted). I take car of my stuff greatly. I really don't know much about cars but am trying to learn as fast as possible. I'm good with restoration though (I've done motorcycles and dirtbikes for years). A friend of mine owns a powdercoating business so we've been blasting and powdercoating all of the leaf spring hangers, brackets on the undercarriage, etc. I'm trying to do the job right. Forgive me for not knowing the technical name for the color of my paint, but it's that classic darker/puke green with a flake (not sublime or anything that light). I've always wanted a black Charger and have every intention of getting it painted one day.

So what should I do... replace the quarters, tail panel, and extensions along with the floor and perches and get the car painted black as fast as possible, or just do the floor and perches and hold off on the rest looking like shit up close, but still looking great from 5 feet away (all one color, good paint, etc.)? I do want a lack car, but Rome wasn't built in a day... then again, I almost think it would be best to do that body work all at once and just be done with it. Then I risk driving a car with mix-matched quarters and a peeled vinyl top all summer when the car looks 90% good right now. I don't need a 30K paint job, but I don't want anything flaking or looking terrible either...

Thoughts and opinions?
Thanks

Jeff

[myk]

A professional body and paint person (they may or may not be the same person) will see things that most of us amateurs can't, which is why we pay them the money to do the work they do.  The key is to find the "right" people who do this relatively "lost art" and at the right price.  I understand your quest for perfection but keep in mind that most of these cars were far from perfect even when they were brand new.  I hear European car enthusiasts accuse American car enthusiasts for being "over-restorers," for example.  On that note I, personally, would be satisfied with something that was straight as it was from the factory with matching paint.  Car people, especially classic/vintage/antique people, relentlessly pursue perfection and if that's what makes them happy and they have the resources, more power to them; I however, just want something "solid" and clean. 

Sounds to me like you've got a lot of great ideas for your car.  Keep your goals in mind and stay true to them as much as possible.  If you feel like taking any shortcuts DON'T; wait until you've got the money and the resources to do things right the FIRST TIME.  So what if your car doesn't look great under a magnifying glass right now?  It will come; don't let the car show/cruise nitpickers who drove a Honda to the gathering in the first place and probably don't even own anything remotely cool compared to a classic Mopar demoralize your unfinished progress.  Finally, don't ever feel that your posts are rambling or are otherwise unwelcome; of all the places in the world THIS is the place where you can talk about your pride and joy for as long as you feel like it; I know I'll be listening...

[1974dodgecharger]

sounds like you need MAACO 

[Dino]

Hey guys, I know this is really long, but it's my entire story behind my motive provoking this thread. I apologize if it's redundant at all or provides some unnecessary information, but I would appreciate informing you of my exact thoughts and intentions regarding my pride and joy, so I'll do my best and hopefully that will allow you to offer some advice!

When you guys say "body work", what does that mean exactly? Let me describe my '68 right now... The outside of the car from 5 feet away looks absolutely amazing. There is NO real dents, waves, or visible rust anywhere on the exterior and the paint is around 6-8 years old (keep in mind the couple before me restored the car with a lot of shortcuts, but still a great car). The paint looks great. Sure there is definite imperfections but nothing worth getting a new paintjob over. Now, I knew when I started replacing body stuff, it was going to be endless. I want to have a perfectly clean car at some point, but am not willing to sacrifice NOT driving my car at this point in my life. I'm only 26, just purchased it the middle of last year (spent a good portion replacing things just to get it "driveable"), worked 7 days a week to get it, and wanted this thing my whole life. Coming out of this winter, it will be a perfectly functioning car. It all started when I was replacing the "smoked" 8.75 rear end with a Dana 60 and some Wilwood calipers/rotors. I immediately noticed that the rear leaf spring perches were completely rotted along with a majority of the trunk. Curiosity killed the cat then... I inspected everything else on the car to the best of my ability without major removal of anything (peeled carpet back to check floor pan, cross members, fenders, wheel wells, etc.). The killer part is most of it was replaced at some point and kept out of the elements. It honestly looks like they worked their way from the front of the car to the back. Everything looks good (I have a nice vinyl top and headliner that I'm not peeling up, so I'm not sure about the roof) except the last 3 feet of the rear end. The floor pan the rear seats mount to (that couples into the trunk floor) looks amazing. Oh, I forgot to mention one detail, Since my undercarriage is bare and without a rear end, drive shaft, or trans, I isolated the undercarriage and began sand blasting all of it. IT'S SUPER CLEAN baring the trunk floor, both rear leaf spring perches, the bottoms of each quarter panel (the paint is bubbling but not chipping and each panel has a lot of bondo on the bottom but there's NO bondo anywhere else on the car), the trunk extensions, and the tail panel.
Now here's where I'm at... I found out that Tamaraz Restorations is 15 minutes from my house (AMAZING!). I live in Aurora, IL and they're located in Plainfield, IL. I'm replacing both rear leaf spring perches, and installing a two-piece trunk floor (all AMD stuff). I would like to replace the trunk extensions as well but that risks damaging the paint on my quarter panels (the same goes with replacing the tail panel/ will need to be repainted). I take car of my stuff greatly. I really don't know much about cars but am trying to learn as fast as possible. I'm good with restoration though (I've done motorcycles and dirtbikes for years). A friend of mine owns a powdercoating business so we've been blasting and powdercoating all of the leaf spring hangers, brackets on the undercarriage, etc. I'm trying to do the job right. Forgive me for not knowing the technical name for the color of my paint, but it's that classic darker/puke green with a flake (not sublime or anything that light). I've always wanted a black Charger and have every intention of getting it painted one day.

So what should I do... replace the quarters, tail panel, and extensions along with the floor and perches and get the car painted black as fast as possible, or just do the floor and perches and hold off on the rest looking like shit up close, but still looking great from 5 feet away (all one color, good paint, etc.)? I do want a lack car, but Rome wasn't built in a day... then again, I almost think it would be best to do that body work all at once and just be done with it. Then I risk driving a car with mix-matched quarters and a peeled vinyl top all summer when the car looks 90% good right now. I don't need a 30K paint job, but I don't want anything flaking or looking terrible either...

Thoughts and opinions?
Thanks

Jeff

You can work on a car while driving it, but not to that extent.  What body guys see and other's don't is more than you would imagine.  I can always find some wave, dent or anomaly on a car than the owner never saw.  There is also no middle ground here.  Either the car is perfect or it's not, it does not matter what color it'll be, the prep needs to be perfect.  If you want to drive this thing then have the rust fixed and drive it.  Forget about the color and focus on making it the best possible driver.  Let those resto guys look your car over and see what they find so you know what you're up against.

[Tilar]

Finally, don't ever feel that your posts are rambling or are otherwise unwelcome; of all the places in the world THIS is the place where you can talk about your pride and joy for as long as you feel like it; I know I'll be listening...

Exactly.  Just remember the best painter in the world can't make a good paint job if the body and prep work are not right. To me the body work and prep job is the biggest majority of the paint job.

[stripedelete]

You're 26?   Drive the current paint job off of it.
In a short time the color of your Charger will not even make your top ten list.

[Patronus]

I have moved on to only painting cars black. I think in the end its just easier to see all my hard work. When you block something for years, fuss over it, and then finally shoot it - you're only half way there. Then you get to color sand it until your fingernails have weird hooks at the ends from being worn down. And lets not forget to mention what happens when you're really good at it and you get to come up with all the creative answers as to who painted it. The best is when you answer "I did" and then they just storm off. Sorry. Im pulling my own chain a little... I do only paint cars black, its very expensive.

[Mike DC]

                                  
This thread touches on a larger issue.

I always found it frustrating that the bodywork world doesn't have a 100% clear distinction between cutting corners on the cosmetic perfection and cutting corners on the quality of the car.  Delivering wavy orange-peeled paint is one thing.  Welding the quarter panels onto the car out-of-line and skimping on the paint's adhesion prep is something else.  

I think a lot of guys pay for much more finish perfection than they really want because it's the only way to make sure the paint & panels won't be literally falling off the car in 3 years.  IMO this problem really drives up the cost/time of a lot of cars and keeps them from being driven more once the job is done.

   

[1974dodgecharger]

My car was in the body shop for year and half to replaxe floor pan, trunk, rear quarters and the top rear end trunk thingy.

Oh. Oh. Better get maaco.