How much should i expect a body shop to charge me to paint a Carbon fiber hood just like the one pictured? Im providing all the paint, no clear. No stickers paint only.
The center area is CF with clear over it i assume.
You could be looking at $1000.00 +. and here is why.....and it is ALL in what you want and are looking for in the end result. SO without more info...that is my guess.
If you are paiinting JUST the hood and PAINTING on the design instead of using decals/stickers the lay-out of the design and applying the colors and allowing paint to dry for each step will take time...so you do not run into a tape impression in the previously painted color(s). Then masking off the carbon fiber so it will show and allow clear to be applied to it and the rest of the hood. And all of these steps being done so when it is sanded and poilished ...you can not feel ( or barely feel) the tape lines in the graphics and carbon fiber exposed edge where it meets the paint.
You MUST also conside that the other panels ( fenders, headlight doors and front bumper) that surround the hood may not match UNLESS the paint is blended onto these panels and cleared. TRYING to "butt-match" a color that has age on it is hard. I am NOT saying it can not be done.....I have done it several times myself.....but it often times requires tinting the color and shooting several test panels to get the color so close that you can not tell any difference...in ALL types of light. Sometimies it is faster to prep the surrounding panels so you have enough area to blend the color and "trick" the eye in any minor color difference. Sometimes I WISHED I had done that due to the amount of tiime I spent on testing/tinting the color for a "near perfect match".
I do not know what you are expecting. please respond so I or others can help give you some idea of the costs. A lot of it also depends on the condition of the hood prior to painting. Does it need blocking and primer to fix major problems that will show it they are not repaired prior to painting? Some more info is needed due to just scuffing and painting it I am sure is not going to be the way that it is going to be done. The chances that the hood is that perfect is highly unlikely...due to being aftermarket.....not saying that it isn't...but it is unlikely that it is perfect right out of the box.
The paint is 2 yrs old and has been driven 10k since. Spent all its life in a garage so i would think there would be no need to blend. The stripes will need to be painted because the roof and hatch have them painted on.
My MCM hood cost about $1300 which included prep, 2 colors and clear on the backside..that was 5 years ago...I am sure alot of factors come into play...my guy is known to be kinda $$$ so I am sure it could have been done for less but it still looks great today. Had my girlfriends 02 Mil Yellow hood repainted which included filling in the holes from the hoodliner and making both sides look nice and shiny ...$1000
Depending on the weave, wet out and method of molding, a carbon fiber part can be anywhere from glass smooth and calm day on a pond straight, to somewhere south of s**t. Unless I saw the actual panel you intend to use, I would refuse to give a price quote for this job. For the base color shown, clear is mandatory, and also to protect the unpainted C/F from UV. This will add to the cost of finish as it requires more time in the booth. A shop without a portable color matching reader/mixing setup would have to add a blend to adjoining panels to cover that possibility. Then there are your desires, like maybe not wanting to see or feel the transition from color to color that need to be addressed. This adds time and cost to the job. There are entirely too many possible variables in this question to get a straight answer from an Internet forum. A firm and real price requires seeing the actual items to be worked on and asking you lots of questions first.
The paint is 2 yrs old and has been driven 10k since. Spent all its life in a garage so i would think there would be no need to blend. The stripes will need to be painted because the roof and hatch have them painted on.
Blending is still a high probability due to the mixture of the color from the paint supplier, the paint equipment used and other variables that can change the color when painted. Just because it was garaged and only two years old does not matter that much...especially if you are dealing with colors that have pearls in them...which usually...but not always... means that it is a weak color in regards to coverage.
I would shoot a test panel first and see how well the color matches and then hope for the best...if you choose NOT to blend the adjacent panels. I would blend the panels myself due to my previous post on the time it MAY take to get the color right.
Heck, Dub, There are 7 different alternates for something as simple as Pewter. And that was factory deviations, much less a different aftermarket supplier. This exercise is useless anyway, we are not painting it for him. The cost is between him and whoever does it.
Heck, Dub, There are 7 different alternates for something as simple as Pewter. And that was factory deviations, much less a different aftermarket supplier. This exercise is useless anyway, we are not painting it for him. The cost is between him and whoever does it.
Yeah I know...and THOSE Pewters are what they have ON file for us painters...not to mention the ones that are not on file....but I thought that I could shed SOME LIGHT on the situation. Because I DO want him to have a nice car...eventhough WE aren't doing it. It's the "custom" side of me coming out.
Until educated...most people have NO CLUE on what it takes to get it right.... think that is a "mindless" process that takes no effort and skill......until they get "rear-ended".
"DUB"
Dub thanks for all your advice. This car has been in 3 magizines and i just purchased it and want to change the hood however the paint would have to be done right. Thats why i need advice.
MDR1970,
Then the costs can be a wide range depending on what is done...like what has been previously mentioned in the other posts. Color variations due to variations in the factory color and other issues can cause this to make you need to blend the front panels so it looks correct. You bought a "poster car" and it costs $$$$ to keep it that way.
Some useless info:
I have made a jig that allows me to place all front end parts on it and paint them without the car being in the booth. It saves me on tape and masking time and I know that there is NO WAY overspray is getting on any part on the car. Needless to write, it does involve removing these parts...but I have done many of these 97-08 Corvettes and I rather do this than worry about oversrpay. But that is just me and the way I like to do things. This may be an option for you...so you do not have a potential problem with overspray in areas that are hard to mask and keep a clean look.
Hope your decision works out for you and your car. I do LOVE the look of carbon fiber. I fell in love with it when I worked for a friend who has a NHRA Nitro Funny car....doing body repair at the track when needed...due to having only ONE body.
"DUB"
Corvette Store
Cost of painting this hood?
...$1000
