jerryp58

It seems like quite a few members have done their own body work and paint prep lately. I know mine is going to need paint in the not too distant future and I'm wondering, for all of you who have or have tried to do your own body work/prep...


Oh, maybe it calls for another poll, but for those of you who have done this, an estimate of the number of hours required would be VERY interesting.

Thanks.

Techno

1 summer.
I think its going to depend on the skill, experience and tools the person has.
I think its worth it because I did it. I also have the stuff to paint other things, which I have done. And the money spent otherwise can go into more important things, like a prop or rearend.

Chris Fowler

Someday I will do it for my car.

slide

Took about 8 months but I didn't work on it all the time, plus I took the body off and replaced the frame. One thing for sure, if you do it yourself you know what shape the cars really in.

Edzred72

I honestly and truly wish I could do it myself. I have neither the time, resources, or garage space to attempt it. :cry :cry

R1234

Doing all bodywork myself, paying a professional painter to spray and the materials cost around $2500. I had to put on a new front end. I'm a novice and it took me about a year to do it. I have a place to do the work in, other than my own garage and that made a big difference to me.

According to my painter, a body shop doing it rough estimate around $8000.

Corz

seeing how i have a brand new front clip on my car, i wont have to worry about striping it down to glass and repairing the front, my car will be done in february.. hell if it took me 2 days to sand and paint the fenders, top panel and hood for it, the rest of he car will be cake.. (with one exception of the door) but that will take maybe a weekend to gut and put all the internals into the new one. I'm guessing it will take me about 2 weeks to strip, repair the 4 cracks and prime the car...... then I'm sending the car to my buddy's house to paint it.. cuz i dont wanna do it, I'll be paranoid to do it. I'd probaby be flipping out over the little things.

vettedan

I used all urethane paint, PPG products. Epoxy primer DP, Durethane for color, and 82u clear coat. I painted my shark in my garage last winter. My garage is heated and I have a high volume/ low pressure painting system. I also use a positive air respirator. Urethane paint can kill. It's nasty stuff, but it lasts for years.
Dan

Wrencher

I probabaly have 40+ hours in the body up to now, that included filling a large hole in the hood, three major cracks, and hand sanding it down to 'glass. It now has a coat of epoxy sealer on it, I have the primer, and will shoot and sand the primer in spring. At that point, I'll pay a freind of mine to shoot it in his booth with the original Burgandy using DuPont basecoat/clearcoat. Its' been a ton of work, but I don't have the funds to have this done to the level I'm looking for. If I had the bucks, I'd pay someone else!

Hans

Mac

Most bodyshops fall loosely into two catagories: jobbers (get it done fast!) or restos (get it done right!). Jobbers depend on volume for profit so they won't take the time to make sure everything is perfect. Restos will make it perfect but you pay well for their time.

If it's an option, the best option is to do the bodywork yourself, make it perfect, then have a jobber do the final painting in their booth. Unfortunately, many jobber shops won't guarentee the work unless they've done the surface prep, so they may insist on doing a primer coat.

Pete79L82

had about 85 hours in mine. That included removing and stripping both bumpers, repairing 2 stress cracks, repairing 2 4 wheeler hits (previous owner) removing and repairing one headlight bucket, hand block sanding 3 coats of uro-primer, painting, striping, and reassembling. Use all Dupont Priemer basecoat/clearcoat. Had about $1200.00 in materials. Still haven't had time to wet sand and buff-it. Maybe over the winter! :rolleyes:

vettfixr

I've done mine twice. It took me the better part of 6 months spare time and weekends to strip, repair and paint my 74. I used lacquer because I didn't want to deal with the hazards of urethane. If I had a fresh air respirator I might have given it a shot. It took about 4 gallons of stripper and about 2 1/2 gallons of paint to do the car. Lacquer is very forgiving and mistakes can be sanded out easily and reworked. Unfortunately it's becoming very hard to get lacquer now due to the EPA regulations. My next paint job might have to be urethane afterall. For more on paint go to my website. :seeya

American Boy

I am in the process of painting my car right now, torch red.

A friend of mine is manager of a bodyshop and he offer to help me do my car in his shop. I know, I,m lucky. :D

It's a lot of work, I took off every thing that I could, doors, hood, bumpers, headlamp unit, ... It took me 7 hours each for stripping the bumpers and prep for primer. I estimate the job to about 80 hours, maybe more.

But it's the result that count. If you want it done right, do it yourself.

Stephan

jerryp58

I apprecciate the replies so far, the info helps. And my hat is really off to all of you who have undertaken this task.

I thought I'd add my choice (one I forgot to put down originally) of "still thinking".

Jerry

LAvetteman

I would say I spent about 100 hours on the body.
Repairing a major tare and a crack on the front pass fender
Filling in the luggage rack holes
And various cracks on the tail and hood
I learned alot and hopefully my next paint job will be much more advanced.

Techno

I would like to mention that although the Isocyantes are dangerous and you should have a supplied air system.

The lacquer is also dangerous and you should have a supplied air. This isn't really a good reason for using lacquer.
The only reason I can think of for using it is reproduction.

I have to paint my boat this spring and didn't like the idea of buying a supplied system, Someone mentioned selling it later. This cuts the cost down for one by quite a bit. Makes it easier to do the smart thing.

I've painted both, much prefer the catylized stuff. But I'm no huge use experienced dude on this.