Just how does one go about getting their car painted?

It is time for me to get my '85 900s repainted. The clear coat has bubbled up across the roof and hood, plus a repair made by a big body shop on the driver's front wheel arch has failed miserably.

My experience with body shops is limited to two (poor) interactions. Twice I've had minor work done at big shops in town, and twice now I've seen that those big shops are only interested in insurance claim work. Which meant that the work they did for me was E36 M3.

How does one go about choosing a paint shop? I have the names of two shops in my area that are supposedly NOT the usual big insurance claim shops. I am planning to go visit each shop, but I'd like some advice on how to talk with these guys. I want good quality work- not show car, but not Maaco either. That poor repair on the driver's front wheel arch will need to be redone, but otherwise no body work to speak of is needed.

I'll have it redone in the current color, black. Any idea how much I should expect to spend?

I'm willing to strip all the trim and signals from the car to expedite the prep process and possibly save a few bucks- is this common practice? Should I ask about this when I go to interview the shops? How long should I expect the work to take? I realize that this is going to depend on the shop's lead time, but is there a reasonable range? My only reluctance with going to a smaller shop is if it takes two months to get done...

Finally, pics because all threads are worthless without them.

[URL=http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Mezzanine/media/side_view_zps7f2059cb.jpeg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Mezzanine/media/wheel_arch_zps72719c3a.jpeg.html][/URL]

I think references are your best bet. Ask your friends who have had cars painted who they used, or go to car shows and ask people there. If you like these two shops you've heard about, get references from them or at least ask to see pictures of the cars they've done in the past.

As for cost, it will be something less than $50,000. It could be done for very little or it could cost a ton, it depends on the quality of work you want, how much they're going to paint (do they need to do the door jambs and inside the trunk and engine compartment, or just the exterior), any rust or dent repair required, and how much work you can do yourself (as in removing and replacing trim, lights, etc.

A simple scuff and shoot won't take too much labor time, but if they have to strip it back to bare metal, put on sealer and primer, block sand it, put on paint and clear coat, then color sand and buff it's going to take quite a few hours - there's no way around that.

Also, remember they are most likely working on a bunch of cars at any given time so your car will not be in and out in a few days - they'll do some work, maybe spray some primer, then it will sit while the primer cures and they go do something else. For a high quality job in a busy shop it may take several months before it's done.

You need to find a shop that does restoration work as well - many shops that do collision work aren't interested in long term projects.

I recommend taking it to a shop for an emblem delete.

I LOLed. Youse guys tear me up.

I'm of no assistance, but I'd also like to know.

Also, I love your notchback. Perfect choice of wheels, and the E-codes look wonderful.

mtn wrote: I recommend taking it to a shop for an emblem delete.

I'm confused... You don't like the factory emblems?

Mezzanine wrote:

mtn wrote: I recommend taking it to a shop for an emblem delete.

I'm confused... You don't like the factory emblems?

It's an insider joke: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/how-much-does-a-bad-repaint-hurt-value-on-a-s2000-a-shop-painted-my-sons-car-as-a-favor/82245/page1/

I'd ask the local hot rod guys who don't have matte black cars where they got the paint done (provided it is nice). Also ask around the resto shops.

In both cases, you'll pay a fair amount for quality, but given that the quality is high...

Few things to consider.

You are right, collision shops like to do insurance work. The expected shelf life of these repairs is on the order of five years or so. They are not doing work to be passed down to the next generation. How long ago was your arch repair done?

Restoration shops know that they are working on stuff that is going to be around for a while. There will be (should be) attention to the repair looking like factory and some effort put into ensuring long term integrity for the repairs.

The rust on the front arch is going to be no fun. Assuming it unbolts and is under the bonnet shut line, I would replace it with a rust free or new part.

Your car is black. I see a lot of billable hours to make it smooth. Black is unforgiving of any bodywork blemishes.

Paint materials can run 2k without any problem in a full repair with Name Brand high end base-clear paint system.

I would not be surprised to see quotes from $6-10,000 for the work you speak of done to the standard you want. The trick is to make sure that you are getting what you want. Short of Wallstreet, the auto-body industry is one of the more questionable industries around; I blame the chemicals.

NOHOME wrote: Assuming it unbolts and is under the bonnet shut line, I would replace it with a rust free or new part.

Sadly, it doesn't unbolt.

Speaking as a long time body/restoration shop owner, you should expect to be paying for 25-30 hours labor if you remove trim, emblems etc. Then add in material cost of $1,200 to $1,500. A reasonable shop rate is going to depend on where you are located. Expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $90 an hour. Do the math- anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000. As was previously mentioned, get recommendations and get a specific commitment on time frame. 2-3 weeks would be reasonable, but in no case should be more than 2 months.

If you aren't doing a color change, that might help cut the cost. Assuming there is no damage or rust, all the paint shop might do is scuff the OG paint, mask the panel gaps for over spray and re-shoot the top coats. That's much less involved than a full on resto.

Repainting that car will cost more than it is worth. Sad, but true. Minimum cost on a respray for something like that will be $3000.

The only alternative you have is Maaco, they can repaint a base/clear car for around $1200 but that includes no extra repair work (such as dealing with that delaminating clear). Maaco buys their paint in bulk at such a discount no one else can compete. It is possible to get nice work from a Maaco, but they are not all the same (franchises).

Only way to fix that rust is to replace the fender.

It's a black car; you can easily just do it in sections. Do the hood one year, the fender the next, roof the next...color match won't be a problem. The sides don't look like they need anything.

Where are you located? DILYSI Dave hooked me up with an awesome body shop here in Atlanta. Great work, great prices.

Is there a local hot rod club? Ask the old guys who does their work. Ask a few and hopefully one name will pop up more than others.

I have a similar problem on the roof of my 145. What is the best way to get rid of the delaminating clear coat?

I was also going to do my best to prep the car, and take it to a Maaco or similar. These old Swedes aren't worth enough to justify anything else.

I'm surprised nobody has suggested vinyl wrap yet.

slefain wrote: Where are you located? DILYSI Dave hooked me up with an awesome body shop here in Atlanta. Great work, great prices. Is there a local hot rod club? Ask the old guys who does their work. Ask a few and hopefully one name will pop up more than others.

I'd like that reference. I'm in Atlanta and my guy passed away a couple of years ago.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I'm surprised nobody has suggested vinyl wrap yet.

That's becoming the go-to around FM for employee cars. Just don't use Oracal vinyl. Go with 3M or Avery.

ddavidv wrote: Repainting that car will cost more than it is worth. Sad, but true. Minimum cost on a respray for something like that will be $3000. The only alternative you have is Maaco, they can repaint a base/clear car for around $1200 but that includes no extra repair work (such as dealing with that delaminating clear). Maaco buys their paint in bulk at such a discount no one else can compete. It is possible to get nice work from a Maaco, but they are not all the same (franchises). Only way to fix that rust is to replace the fender. It's a black car; you can easily just do it in sections. Do the hood one year, the fender the next, roof the next...color match won't be a problem. The sides don't look like they need anything.

Yeah, that's where I am with Ugly. I'm not spending $3000 to paint an $800 car. I'll do all the prep work myself and either take it to Maaco for the final spray, or buy a Harbor Freight HVLP gun and try and add a new skill to my resume.

I'm thinking semi-seriously about plasti-dipping DD#1's Impreza wagon.

Matt B wrote:

slefain wrote: Where are you located? DILYSI Dave hooked me up with an awesome body shop here in Atlanta. Great work, great prices. Is there a local hot rod club? Ask the old guys who does their work. Ask a few and hopefully one name will pop up more than others.

I'd like that reference. I'm in Atlanta and my guy passed away a couple of years ago.

Sentry Body Shop

http://www.sentrybodyshop.com/

Cool folks. Ask how their racing Miatas are doing.

Thanks slefain! As a bonus, they're fairly close to me.

/threadjack

Thanks for the input guys... I realize that any paint work on the car will exceed its value in no time, but I drive a 30 year old car by choice, not because it is always the smartest investment. That said, I've been sorely tempted to paint it myself, and the reality of spending $4k on paint and being without a car for a month or more is motivating me to try my hand painting my spare hood first to see if I can do a decent job. I've got a HVLP gun and huge compressor with air dryers, so it just comes down to the craftsmanship.

Vinyl is also on the radar, and I may try getting a roll to see how it looks in person. I've seen lots of projects on here with it, but no first hand experience.

Damn decisions.

I'm in the Tacoma, WA area for what it is worth. Any suggestions on shops in the area?

"Just how does one go about getting their car painted? "

Take it to that one dude's shop and ask them to remove the emblems.

Dave, MTN beat you to the punch... I read that whole thread and somehow missed that the only reason he went to the shop in the first place was for an emblem delete. Awesome.

If there is a Vo-Tech school nearby sometimes the students need practice vehicles?