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Bodywork and Paint question  Rating:  Rating
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 Posted: 03-21-2005 02:11 am
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John
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My jensen is now about to be repainted. The mechanics have stripped the jensen of engine/transmission/suspension/seats/dash and the rest of the interior. All that is left is a shell- a unibody the guy called it. The paint and body shop has it in their posession. They quoted a price to strip the entire car of the old color/ undercoat the body/completley change the color of the car/ fixed all the minor dents and dings. Replace all the rubber and body seals around all the lights/ straighten the rear bumper and repaint and polish the wheels/fix the hood.... it's got a warp from the dreaded hood lift mechanism. They said they would use top quality paint with a clearcoat and utilize a "tinted primer". The price was $4500.00 - ouch and the process would take about 2 months......... I guess I don't understand painting..... Macco does it for a lot less..... How does macco do it and not this bodyshop? IS the paint the expensive part or is it the labor? Anyones thoughts would be appreciated... Should I get a second Opinion even though the bodyshop has an excellent reputation? I don't want a cheap job... nearing the end of the restoration but i am watching my pennies. Thanks

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 Posted: 03-21-2005 11:15 am
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Jerry Anderson
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The price quoted is very good. Prep work is the foundation of a good paint job.

Labour is the largest part of the cost.

Jerry Anderson

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 Posted: 03-21-2005 01:04 pm
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Mitch Ware
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I agree, $4500.00 for everything you described sounds like a fair price. When I quote paint jobs I begin in the $3000.00 range and go up depending on how much body work needs to be done. If the person has already done the body work and has the car in primer, then I start at $1000.00 and go up.

 

Mitch Ware

1974 JH-5 #111119670
1971 TR-6 #CC66950LO

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 Posted: 03-21-2005 07:49 pm
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Glen
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Maaco

1) uses cheap paint that will fade by the sun in 2 years.

2) Doesn't do any bodywork at those cheap quotes.

3) Doesn't strip the car before painting it.

Items 2&3 are labor intensive and require a lot of time to do it right.  I have a vastly improved respect for a proper paint job after doing it myself.   If you want to own a restored classic car, you have to strip it and do the bodywork.  If you want to sell the car in 6 months, Maaco is the answer.

The price quoted you is highly dependent upon the amount of bodywork that needs to be done.  Take however long you think it should take to fix the dents and multiply by 10.   The paint probably costs about $500.  If you do it yourself, it'll only cost that, plus about 150 hours of your time.  You could maybe just strip it yourself (about 20 hours), which should save quite a bit of money, and isn't technically difficult to do.

The price for the complete job they're proposing doesn't seem way out of whack.  It wouldn't hurt to try another shop for a quote, but check their credentials before you leap. 

Last edited on 03-21-2005 07:49 pm by Glen

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 Posted: 04-18-2005 03:12 am
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Jensenman
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Add me to the 'it's a fair price' chorus. Bodywork (good bodywork, that is) has to be one of the most labor intensive projects of any restoration. FWIW: they are saying 2 months, it took me a year of nights and weekends to get mine ready to paint- and I still missed a couple of small things.

MAACO is where the used car lots go for quick resprays.

 

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