RLJ Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I've been looking at Z's over the last few weeks and have come across several that are mechanically sound and the interior is in decent condition as well as the body, it just needs a paint job. Realistically, how much is it to paint a Z? I'm mot looking for a top of the line paint job but nothing real cheap either. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleaf Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 About 3-5K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240z!!! Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 it depends on how much prep work and post work you do yourself...hell if you do all the prep work and buy the paint mayco will shoot it for cheap and do a good job..then you can do all the post work like buffing sanding ext....it also depends on what color and stage your going with of coarse 1 stage is gonna be cheaper than 2 but 2 is a 100 times better.......but if your looking for someone to do all the prep and post work plus paint im with sweetleaf 3-5k if you do everything but paint itself id say 500-1000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearheadstik Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Put a fifth of what the end value of the car will be.... You can't put a 1k job on a car you think is going to be worth 25k.....you dont put a 2k job on a car that's not worth 5k... I have been painting and doing resto work since I was in high school and take my word you pay for what you get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLJ Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 Thanks for the responses.........this gives ma a ballpark. My intention is to have a Z as my weekend fun car and nothing else. I do want it to look nice and run good. My best guess is that the value of the car would probably be in the $6-8,000 range after a few upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240z!!! Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Put a fifth of what the end value of the car will be.... You can't put a 1k job on a car you think is going to be worth 25k.....you dont put a 2k job on a car that's not worth 5k... I have been painting and doing resto work since I was in high school and take my word you pay for what you get... your "you get what you pay for" quote is flawed...honestly...i mean house of color paint isnt any better than any other big name brand...all your paying for is a name...and most of the parts for the z cars that you come across is the same part that some companys have bought there part and threw there name on it...you could pay more from one person and less from another and its still the same part... its honestly based off how much work you want to put into it...the more work you do the less a painter will charge...oh and fyi...me and my dad had a dodge dakota and we had it painted in 1999...we did all the prep work and post work ourselves and took it to mayco and they sprayed it with a metallic blue and still to this day the truck look amazing with not 1 chip, run, streak or any kind of inperfection...and it only cost us 299 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearheadstik Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 your "you get what you pay for" quote is flawed...honestly...i mean house of color paint isnt any better than any other big name brand...all your paying for is a name...and most of the parts for the z cars that you come across is the same part that some companys have bought there part and threw there name on it...you could pay more from one person and less from another and its still the same part... its honestly based off how much work you want to put into it...the more work you do the less a painter will charge...oh and fyi...me and my dad had a dodge dakota and we had it painted in 1999...we did all the prep work and post work ourselves and took it to mayco and they sprayed it with a metallic blue and still to this day the truck look amazing with not 1 chip, run, streak or any kind of inperfection...and it only cost us 299 You are partly right... but dont think you can put nason for dupont or a cheaper line of some of these paints and its going to hold up the same... You will see the difference over time. I have a 1950 gmc that was my first ride, that when I was 15 took the advise of my teacher and used top of the line dupont primers and paints...It has been 15 years and kept in the garage about half the time... It can be waxed or polished and nearly looks as good as the day I painted it. Have done jobs with cheaper stuff and they look great for a while but not the long haul... I have seen some sharp krylon jobs on here but you just want and some paint guy is going to charge you double one day to get all that off... Prep is everything, You could get the best paint produced and put it over crap paint or rust and it will just last a little longer than the rest... Do it right and it will last a life time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palosfv3 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Its interesting to listen to opinions of what a paint job should cost. The comments reflect personal standards , financial affordability, knowledge variables. Now add into the mix condition of the car, color , and region and you get some complicated data to sort out. Lets look at some basics that should be considered. Time study guides (flat rate book ) .There are posted times to paint each panel on a Z. These times are based on painting a new undamaged panel and are a good reference point to start from. If you had a new replacement fender for your car the book states it should take 2.5 hours to prepare and refinish the exterior of the panel and .5 hours to paint the inner edges. All panels of the car have a time assigned to them. Hood exterior (2.6 ) Door w/jamb (3.3) ect. There are corrections allocated for overlap and ad ons for getting exterior panels to the condition of a new part. Once the total time has been calculated industry standards apply a dollar amount per paint labor hour for materials and color. Flat rate time for painting all new condition panels is around 35 hours. This time also reflects a car that is apart and requires no masking. It doesnt include the engine compartment or other interior areas. Now add the time to remove the old finish , Many believe this is not necessary . This statement only shows ones inexpierience of the correct process. Any finish over 10 years old should be stripped. You're only throwing away good money and will jeopordize the lifespan of the new paint. Figure about $900.00 to $1200.00 to media blast the body. Be aware that this will not emove any rust. Paint and material costs will vary depending on several things. Basecoat/clearcoat paints are more costly than single stage enamels. Reds are more expensive than whites and black. Pearls and tricoats are most costly than metallics. Good automotive paints ( DuPont, Sikkens , ect.) are significantly more costly than fleet paints ( Nason, Matrix. ect.). We have seen reds and orange pearls on standard late model colors at $500.00 plus for a gallon of basecoat. Yes , many will complain that that is just way to expensive but that is the going rate , if that is the color you want. I'm not going into what the body work would cost to restore each panel to new condition as that could take a long time to explain but plan at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the cost of painting minimum. Quick recap Refinish exterior panels 35 hours @ $$$.$$ per hour Rates can vary from region to region ( $45.00 to $ 95.00) Add labor for Clearcoat 10 hours @ $$$.$$ per hour Paint Materials $25.00 to $40.00 )per paint labor hour . Additional Clearcoat materials same as above. Color sand and buff can vary depending on desired finish . Figure between 12 to 20 hours @ $$$.$$ per hour. A quick add of the numbers runs a range of around $3500.00 for a quicky paint to about $9200.00 on the other side. This upper figure doesnt represent a show finish where the entire car would be water sanded with #1000 paper and recleared and buffed a second time to get an orange peel free finish. If your talented , have a work area available for an extended time and have lots of time on your hands, you can do this yourself and limit your expenses to basically material costs and your time but you wont get a quality professional job for $3000.00. Best Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Good thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psdenno Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 With the current "state of the economy", it will be interesting to see if prices come down to bring in business or remain the same due to people repainting the old jalopy rather than buying something new. A local shop dropped their quote for painting my Audi 25% between August and December due to the slowdown in their business. Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benitoz Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 the paint brand does matter... not so much in the base... although good base covers much much better and you have much less chance of tiger stripes and the clear is where you spend the money ... I love house of kolors flow klear.. it is awsome... I have heard sikkens is the best... I say dont skimp on the paint... also depending on kolor wet sand down to 600 it really helps on thin paints, like house of kolor. I work at a bodyshop restore shop and for most we charge 3k to 5k and we use a new spray bake temp controlled booth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amorfin Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Are you guys talking about 3-5k for just the exterior, or including the engine bay and inside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 You are partly right... but dont think you can put nason for dupont or a cheaper line of some of these paints and its going to hold up the same... You will see the difference over time. ABSOLUTELY! I am a BIG proponent of Maaco paint with my own prep for daily drivers, simply because you can sand it off back to the prep work every 5-7 years and put another on-sale "Presidential Urethane" topcoat on the sound underworkings and look perpetually great. BUT... Along the lines of what gearheadstik said, I painted my 62 Microbus Red in 1982 with expensive multi-coated lacquer, and my "Shark Car" Black in 1985 with Rock Poly 10:1 (Japanese Imron if you need a brand equivalent). I had my wife's 66 Corvair Corsa Turbo painted Marina Blue Metallic in 1990 at Maaco for their Presidential Urethane. ALL of these cars sat out in the sun without covering. By 1997, the Corvair had matted, and now is downright flaky...that is, the paint is more akin to 600 crocus cloth than shiny paint. The Bus, amazingly hasn't faded as I thought the red would over time. Though this year the first small checks started appearing in the paint. The Polyurethane black on the Shark Car is like it was new. Actually, better than new, as it was 1994 before I ever got around to wetsanding and compounding out the orange peel from the original painting in '85. If you use a Maaco paint job, understand there is a REASON they give you a 5-YEAR "no fading, lifting, peeling, cracking warranty". If you are O.K. with blocking the car down every 5 years and having it reshot for $300 on sale, understand that will keep the car looking great if you don't garage it. How long it lasts in a garage and covered is unknown to me. But I know if you leave them parked outside the more you spend on the materials (topcoat especially) the longer the paint's durability. Boat Paint (Linear Crosslinked Polyurethane) was given to have a 20 year lifespan under the most harsh conditions. It's one of the few places you can still find original solvent-based paints used...and then outside CA... Don't think a $299 paint job is the same as one that is $2000. The materials likely are quite different. As for buying them the paint...I've always gotten with the manager and asked what system they use and match my materials accordingly. If I'm going to buy the paint, I'm going to squirt it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benitoz Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 3-5 k with engine bay. with work slow we just shaved a civic flilled in a sun roof and did the engine bay for 3 k including good paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I was going to budget paint (DIY) my Z with that Duplicolor ready-to-spray lacquer from Autozone (hugger orange), but this thread got me thinking. Maybe I should reconsider using a better brand? Really though, I don't think the brand will matter terribly. I have a feeling that my painting outcome will depend much more on the weather at time of painting, and my ability to paint a car without any prior experience doing so. Sure, I've painted some snazzy model airplanes and cars, but this is entirely different! I'm hoping with a little luck (and care over the years to come) will help my car stay shiny for years to come, even if it is the duplicolor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5138 Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Paint is pretty expensive especially to do it right. Found out the hard way NOT to buy paint from Napa... they sold me the wrong hardener so the clear coat never cured. I'm currently in the process of repainting my Z with dupont paint... like $1k in supplies -.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benitoz Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 The main difference I have seen in "quality" of paint besides it being easier to paint ( most of the time) the good clears flow out much nicer so there is less orange peal and also even if the cheep stuff goes on smooth when it shrinks up it tends to get some orange peal. With good clear it will not shrink as much,when it does it will not get much orange peal and where you really notice the difference is when pollishing the car and keeping the car clean. cheap clear scratches way easier. also with buisness slower alot more shops will do booth rental. The booth is awsome not only because of health reason and lack of dirt or dust. But most booths have great lighting wich is very very importaint when spraying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palosfv3 Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 The main difference I have seen in "quality" of paint besides it being easier to paint ( most of the time) the good clears flow out much nicer so there is less orange peal and also even if the cheep stuff goes on smooth when it shrinks up it tends to get some orange peal. With good clear it will not shrink as much,when it does it will not get much orange peal and where you really notice the difference is when pollishing the car and keeping the car clean. cheap clear scratches way easier. also with buisness slower alot more shops will do booth rental. The booth is awsome not only because of health reason and lack of dirt or dust. But most booths have great lighting wich is very very importaint when spraying. Paint does not cause orange peel. It is a result of reduction, gun settings and painting application techniques. All paints will have some level of texture from the spray gun ,settings and painter technique. Many of the economy brand paints and clears are more sensitive to flash times ( time between application of coats) reducer temperature to ambient temperature which in turn can result in die back of the gloss of the finish. Paint shrinkage that many old timers were familiar with was from the issue of solvent entrapment in the old lacquer paints and primers which are for the most part unavailable today and are pretty much eliminated with todays urethane/epoxy materials . Many application issues also arise from the mixing of brands .Mixing one companies clear with anothers reducer and hardener. This should be avoided even with the economy brands. The economy clears dont have the clarity of product that the hi end clears do. In some instances this may result in a color not looking as clean ( brilliant ) as it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZZeee Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 ^^^ Ooooh... good info. Me likey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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