vetteride4u

I am looking for a shop to do just the body and paint on my 67 Roadster. The paint is stripped and all the fiberglass is exposed. They ALL want a blank check to do the work and can’t give me any idea of the cost except an hourly rate. It seems to me like at least once the body work is done they should have some idea of cost to block it out, paint and buff. I am not looking for an estimate but a guesstimate and can't even get that. Is this just the way all shops work?

Blk63Vette

Hello
This is common especially when it comes to a Corvette. When you start to dig into one the expenses usually climb higher and higher. I know I have some "sins" under the paint my Vette.. I have and idea how much I think it will cost...

Old rule of thought...The price you have in mind on how much its going to cost to fix and paint your Corvette....Now DOUBLE it There is your answer..

Believe it or not I used this method and have been pretty accurate so far..

Good Luck..
Pete

mscaggs

I have found some production body and paint guys who love to do this kind of work on the side. They make nice extra cash doing these projects at home and normally at a much reduced rate. I know this as in my mid 20s I did this type of work. I always had a side job in the garage and made some great extra cash doing it. Just another angle to think about.

PS, Plan to spend at least 900-1200 in materials alone +

~Mike

1snake

Since it is already stripped, I don't understand why nobody will give you an estimate. Any problems should be apparent. No way would I give someone the car and a blank check. That's one of many reasons I've done my own body & paint for over 30 years. Keep looking until you find someone to give you an estimate, then ask for references and check out their prior work.

Jim

mscaggs

If you can do it yourself why not just do all the prime and blocking yourself? At least that way you will know what's what and it will be perfect. Then either find a really good painter with a booth or go rent a booth nearby. There is a place where I live where I can get a downdraft booth for 10/hr! That is a great deal.

SolidAxle

Here are the variables:

Have the body panels been fit?
Has the trim been fit?
Have all required repairs been done with the proper materials including repairs to pinholes, cracks, etc.?
Have all previous repairs been gone over and verified that the proper materials were used or ground out and redone with modern materials?
Do you want the car polyestered or gel coated?
What finish are you looking for... driver, NCRS, concours?

An actual estimate to just block, seal, paint, wet sand, and buff a vehicle is fairly straight forward. Unfortunately rarely is that all that is needed to finish a vehicle to todays standards. Job creep usually accounts for a shops desire to quote hours rather than a job price. Just adding this or that usually adds up substantially and becomes an area of consternation between the shop and the customer.

Hope this helps.

Tampa Jerry

That's crazy to give a shop a blank check to do a paint job. If the car is stripped, any painter would be able to give you a pretty fair price for work. Paint hides many sins, with it removed, you can see seams and previous poor repairs. I would check with a local vette and or car club and get some recommendations. Get it all in writing down to the last nut and bolt. Jerry