Full Repaint Question

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Burista

Burista

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Las Vegas, NV
The time has come that my dart is ready to be painted. I'm in college so I don't have the time or space, or skill right now to do it myself. I'm aware that every shop is different and that cost generally depends on the quality but can anyone shed light on what I should expect to pay for a full repaint with OEM or similar quality. Any info would help. Thank you.
 
Burista said:
The time has come that my dart is ready to be painted. I'm in college so I don't have the time or space, or skill right now to do it myself. I'm aware that every shop is different and that cost generally depends on the quality but can anyone shed light on what I should expect to pay for a full repaint with OEM or similar quality. Any info would help. Thank you.
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I should add that it needs virtually no body work, the car is super solid, and that it wouldn't be a color change, just a repaint of the stock color.
 
Burista said:
I should add that it needs virtually no body work, the car is super solid, and that it wouldn't be a color change, just a repaint of the stock color.
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"Virtually needs no bodywork" is famous last words. They always always ALWAYS need more than you ever thought. What if they get to sanding and find a big hunk of bondo.....and it falls off? What if they get to sanding and find hidden rust? The fact is, while YOU see "virtually no bodywork", you just never know.

...and that 5-8K figure is insanely low. The materials alone will likely eat up HALF that guess.
 
mopowers said:
If you're in college, you're not going to like the answers you get. Hope you're sitting down...
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Lol, I only asked because I've heard such a large range in prices on the internet, I have a good amount saved up and I've put so much time and money into the rest of the car that I don't want to cheap out now. I'm on spring break so I'm planning on going around and getting quotes but if I'm going to get my feelings hurt price wise I'd rather hear it here first.
 
Paint supplies alone on my Bee were $6850 Canuck bucks... $5400US. I'll spare you the hours in labour it took to get it ready for said paint...
 
Thanks for everyone's response so far. As much as I'd like to hear it not cost that much I appreciate real-world input on this so I know what I'm getting into.
 
RustyRatRod said:
"Virtually needs no bodywork" is famous last words. They always always ALWAYS need more than you ever thought. What if they get to sanding and find a big hunk of bondo.....and it falls off? What if they get to sanding and find hidden rust? The fact is, while YOU see "virtually no bodywork", you just never know.

...and that 5-8K figure is insanely low. The materials alone will likely eat up HALF that guess.
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thinking scuff and shoot fantasy.
 
It depends on your idea of good work, it really should be taken down to metal and if you do that I guarantee you'll find some areas that need body work. I'm the second owner of my car and owned it for 40 years and I believed it to be a cream puff but before the sanding was over it took two patch panels, door strikers boxed in ,front valance and some other assorted welding I use PPG paint and ended up spending close to 9k
 
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Take my advice. I've been in your position young in college and trying to afford to restore a car. It rarely ever works out. If the car is solid just drive it and enjoy it have fun with the little stuff and repaint it later in life after you graduate and have a good paying job.
 
BTW If the car you are wanting to color change is the one in your avatar I love that color combo.
 
As has been said, be ready for 10K+++ 15-20 wouldn't shock me... You live in Las Vegas, driving it with cooked paint isn't going to have it rusting like a car in the land of salt & humidity would so just drive, it, enjoy it & wait on painting it.....
 
I have 30K in my paint and bodywork. Appearance of the bodywork isn't the issue, it is weather the new paint will "stick" to what is on the car now. Prep is everything.
 
As said material costs are extremely high.
But in your case you may want to check around Vegas for a place called One Day Paint.
A local guy took his AMC a few years ago and had the paint done same color and I was surprised how well it came out.
Cost ? I have no idea,but knowing the guy maybe in the $1000 to $2000 range if that.
 
TCP or some **** has all the stuff you'll need. Last I priced paint and the rest.. the supplies were 700-900

It's the labor that gets you, not the paint.
 
Maaco. LOL
Really, I would just drive it until you can afford the whole enchilata.

The only affordable way to paint our old car is to DO IT YOURSELF. $1200-1500 in decent materials the rest is YOUR labor.
 
There are a couple guys on hear with Maaco/Earl Schieb paint jobs that look awesome. I wonder what a place like that charges these days.
 
Here's the thing. People always say you HAVE to take it down to bare metal. 99% of the old Mopars out running today, and that are not still sitting in the pasture, have been repainted at some prior time. Therefore they will have some amount of filler (Bondo). So you take it to bare metal, grind away the filler, and guess what, now it requires the filler to get it smooth. MORE $. Or someone's labor pus that good $100 a gal filler. and paper.
If that filer was done the old fashioned way before it was applied over epoxy primer, but over bare metal, there is where the problem can arise. If that bare metal was not perfectly clean, and surface rust has started under that filler. That leads to problems.
I have seen plenty of these old cars with the OEM paint that has a wonderful base for further prier/paint. Good body shop will take it to bare metal and therefore guarantee there $100 minimum per hour work!!
Sometimes, perfection is not in the cards, and a repaint over cleaned scuffed paint is the answer. Easy to figure cost of materials, the labor is where the big question lies!!!!The question is, whats ya car worth anyway!!???
 
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