308 Respray - Paint options?

You won't get a good quality paint job for $2000. If you are already seeing a few rust bubbles, you'll want to take the car down to bare metal and make sure all of the cancer is removed before repainting. Also, to do a really nice job, you will want them to remove many of the trim pieces so that they can paint around edges and not just mask things off. A high quality paint job with all prep work could easily be $8000 and probably more. You can certainly do a quick and dirty paint job for less but your car deserves better and it'll just be wasted money if you haven't fixed the rust spots.

Paul

 

I little fender bender will set you back 2 grand. Your probably loaded with bondo. Paint that car for 2 grand and loose 10-15 Grand on resale. No ones buying a Ferrari with a 2 grand paint job. Your car will be a white elepant. Do it right or just leave it the way it is. The prep alone will be double that. The only positive thing about a 2 grand paint job is if the color is black, at least the overspray will make your tires look new!

 

I just got a quote yesterday of around $10k for a complete, glass out, blocked, sanded, rubbed, no orange peel perfect paint job. Or I could have the window frames masked off and the job could get done for $6000. The job might look good from 20 feet, but when you get up close, you'll see the tape lines and the two jobs will look very different. My car has no rust or problems that need taking care of (fiberglass car), those prices are just for paint.

 

To evalute a shop, look at the work they have done on other cars and talk to the car owers. Better yet, go to a car show ( any type) and ask around for recommendations. As stated before, there's a big difference between a $5K and $10K paint job (besides the money). I learned a long time ago that you will forget the price long before you forget the quality.

 

If the paint's not that bad now, just leave it alone, that's one way to go.

$2K is typically a cheapo paint job. I happen to know a place where I can get a decent paint job for $2K and a mediocre job for $5K, so it's all a bit relative. In other words, you gotta look at what they've done. I have a Lotus Europa (fiberglass). The body needed tons of work, old paint needed to be sanded down - a ton of prep work: $1200!! I tempted fate by adding a racing stripe – $100 extra! – I gave him $200 extra and asked him to do a REAL good job!! Car looks awesome from everything from a foot away!! (And the racing stripe is the weakest quality link.). What was I going to do, spend $7K to paint a $9K car!! Sometimes we have to compromise!

I just think it's nonsense to say that just because you own a Ferrari that you have to spend $10K to get a paint job. 308's are beautiful, special cars, but $10K to paint a $20K car? C'mon!

If you want to see an awesome article of why it costs so much to PROPERLY paint a 308 in general read this:

http://www.ferraris-online.com/Articles/SCM_0006.html

 

If you invest your time to strip all of the parts from the car I would think you can get an excellant paint job for 3K. A lot of the cost is in dismantling the parts on the car. Also a good painter can tell you if you need to strip the car and what areas need to be stripped. They should be able to let you know if there is any body dammage that was repaired and an est. on any rust. Talk to the car show guys or ask around your area and see who a good body shop guy is. It doesn't make since to spend 8-10K on a 30K car. My 2 cents

 

Because the car left the factory loaded with body filler.

 

Try local car shows that have old muscle cars or hot rods, ask who did the work. A shop that specializes in Ferraris is going to charge a premium, lots of talented painters that can paint a Ferrari though they are a PITA to paint from the little problems that turn up from having so much filler and parts bodged to fit by bending and hammers.

$2000 will get you a Maaco paint job, for a basic respray without removing windows with no suprises with rust expect $4500-$5500 then go up from there depending on what they find, a complete strip $10k-$15k

 

I guess I'm the only one to fix the trouble spots...tell the guy "blend it" and drive on, eh?

I've saved enough with that approach to have two now!

I've left the second one totally alone....it's true that the roof rails have to come off to do it right, and maybe someday the value will allow for a 12K rework...but that ain't today...IMO.

I'd fix the rust in the trouble spots and go on..the comment about a lower door bubble indicating a total strip is just off the mark, IMO.

 

I have to agree with Big Tex. I would pay $10k for a repaint for a showcar, but I consider my 308 to be a driver and I intend to keep that way. I just had my car painted earlier this summer. I had obtained estimates from Resto shops ranging from $8k to $11k; I passed. My insurance agent, who is a Corvette Club member, told me that a fellow club member painted his car for $2k. It is a very nice paint job. He is a retired Engineer who set up a very nice shop behind his home. He has a one man operation and low overhead. I got an estimate for the Ferrari and with some repair work to both doors it came to $3.2k. It is a very nice paint job, but not concourse quality. It is just what I wanted.

The key is to shop around and find the right painter. Ask anyone who has had a car painted. They are the best source of info. Spending a lot does not guarantee a quality job either.

 

This thread has been very interesting.

I'm curious about what it really means to go "concours"? The original paint work on some of these cars seems impossible today -- ie there's better paint today but it's not like what was done back then.

I observed a '79 with a supposed 7K paint job. It appeared phenomenal to me. However, I could clearly see the original paint in certain areas such as the door sills.

Seamus

 

As for a complete body-off respray to a 308 - do what you think the car is worth to YOU - If you love the car and really want perfect paint, get a through $10k job done, and like a previous post said, this does not guarantee quality, not to mention proper re-fitting of the body panels, trim, etc......with that said, I'm am as picky as they come, but based on the work I have seen from supposedly one of the BEST shops around (and based on my experience), I would fear for my car's life to have body panels and trim removed by these (well, this particular shop's) so-called experts - I had damage done to my car (nicks, scraps) after a week while in for a minor repair - can't imagine what would have happened after weeks in the shop - make sure you know who you are entrusting your car with or do the leg work yourself...

My car actually has some original paint ('76 GTB had a DEALER-farmed mask respray due to crazing way back when) - It frightens me to think I will have to leave my car somwhere for weeks when I decide to get it done completely (15-20 years?).....

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

Anthony

 

My favorite definition of a “Concourse” restoration is one where the car looks like the day it came out of the factory if it had been assembled by people who cared. Even Ferrari’s were production cars not being built for show.

 

That's right, "concours" paint job by today's standards is actually BETTER than what the car originally came with. People looking for a 100 point concours car expect the paint to be absolutely perfect, no imperfections whatsoever, smooth as glass, perfect original color, and everything (outside, inside all compartments, door jams, bonnet, engine compartment) match perfectly with no seams or ridges. That ain't the way these cars came from the factory. But for a concours respray today, the factory imperfections are not accepted.

Does that mean you need to go for that standard? No, not if you have a daily driver. You can get a perfectly good paint job done at a reasonable price. But don't expect it to be perfect. As PAD said, you'll forget about the price long before you forget about the imperfections you get with a cheap paint job. You don't have to go for the $20K super-perfect job. But do have it done right, make sure they get to all of the potential rust and rust areas, that they don't leave you with tape marks or with obvious mismatched spots like inside the bonnet or engine hood where it meets the outside surfaces. If you are planning on keeping the car, spending a couple of thou extra now will make you happy for years to come. If you are selling the car, a cheap paint job will hit you in the pocketbook, but a good paint job will make you money.

So, like the old saying, "yous pays your money, yous takes your choice." Choose wisely, grasshopper.

 

I have been in the auto repair industry off and on for many years.
The only way you can save money on a quality paint job is for you to do as much of the work as possible at your home. All the sanding, trim, lights, and glass remove it yourself, you will know where all the previous repair was done and where all the new repair needs to be done. My experience has been P&B shops will take the car in and it sits and sits, while they do insurance jobs. Insurance jobs get first priority. It is not uncommon for a complete respray with all the glass, lights and trim removed to take a year. Find a mobile glass and trim removal company that goes to Automobile dealers and talk to that technician and pay him directly to come to your house after hours to do the work. Expect your car to be down for many many months. Get plenty of references. Once you pick a shop, pick a car that shop is working on and track the progress, see how long it takes for them to finish it.

Take plenty of close up pictures before you drop off your car. Take a photo of the speedometer showing the mileage and the date. Take pictures of the engine and interior the more pictures the better.
Get a written estimate and a delivery date, ask the owner what happens if they miss the delivery due date. Go by and check the progress of your car every few days. Ask the owner if you can take photos of the progress.
What has worked for me in the past, was I told the repair shop I was going to submit articles to the Club magazine on my restoration project and would use the shop's name if it was OK with him. My project turned out very well, the repair shop got free advertising. This project was on my Porsche 911.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Charles

 

If the paint isn't bad now, maybe it just needs some aggressive TLC.

Instead of stripping & respraying, consider having the car color sanded,polished, glazed & waxed. Often that will take all the swirl marks & fine scratches out & leave you with that deep wet 'new' look. It's absolutely amazing how paint in reasonable condition will respond to this treatment.

Even fairly serious scratches will be minimized.

The rust spots will need to be delt with of course, but if it's just the common locations (door bottom & lower panel sections between the door & the wheel well, then the rust spots can be sand blasted out & panel section repaired & resprayed. With today's computer color matching, a shop can exactly match your car's current color. That black waistline recess on the 308s makes it easy to respray the bottom half of a door, the lower panel sections between the door & the wheels, or the section just behind the wheels.

Yes, you'll need to find a good shop, & they'll need to understand that overspray, etc. won't be acceptable.

Since you'll have color matched paint, any chip marks up front can be invisibly touched up.

 

I would recommend very strongly AGAINST this approach. I tried this very approach and came away with a very poor result. No doubt the hot rod / muscle car / etc. shop will do a beautiful job on the prep and spray - but (at least in my case) they did not have a clue how to put the car back together - it all fit well but any ferrari guy would find glaring errors: incorrect size/time (american?) rivets, incorrect style gaskets, etc. Took ALOT of money to redo the job the non-ferrari specialist did - paint was great, but it was clear that the reassembly was done by someone who did not have a clue about ferraris (when I complained they protested that "a rivet is a rivet, whats the difference"). Much $$$ later, my car is back to "original".

A

 

I did mine in 2005. Down to bare metal. Had to reskin the front hood(1200.00) and the windshield broke on removal(1200.00) so the final body shop bill was 13,500.00. I really did not have any rust issues and their was suprisingly little filler on the car. From reading over the years I was expecting more of that. As far as shop and paint, pick a top notch paint shop that is clean, organized, and has the best facilities. Talk to the owner and make sure he has the time to get it done right. Someone with a great reputation that stands behind their work. I could not get the formula using the old glidden paint code. You can color match, but not always right using faded paint to match. I matched the best color and used a modern paint with clear coat. Good luck!

Of course WHILE I WAS AT IT before I took it I went ahead and had a new clutch put in, valve job, engine service, you know you don't want anyone leaning over it when the paint is done, and then as that paint takes shape you know the trim needs some work, and then why not go ahead and put new leather in, and then......we must be crazy!

 

My 308GTB had a few little bubble of rust. When we media blasted it, EVERY (steel) panel had some degree of rust! As for the $2000 paint job, expect to pay that much for the paint! Not really but paint is VERY expensive. I paid about US$10,000 for my refinishing. That included the rust replacement materials and labor as well as the prep, paint and post-paint polish. See for yourself...
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Who in Houston did your car?

 

I think he has just moved here, Sean.

 

We spray BASF Diamont. Very similar to Glasurit. The primer with catalyst will be about $250 a gallon. I will be painting a rear spoiler for a dodge avenger in the near future and that red is $52 a pint. A gallon of clear with catalyst and reducer is about $300. If your budget is $2k I would fix the rust and blend the paint.