How much does a "correct" paint job cost?

And that is EXACTLY why we left the glass in!

 

Yes the glass is very, very hard to find and very easy to break when removing. None the less with glass in and not taken to metal that job is 5K max. As long as your happy that's all that matters! cheers, Lost

 

The key word from the post that started this thread is "correct". I think there are likely as many definitions of the word as there are 308 owners on this board contemplating a paint job.

If a car is mechanically sound but paint is tired, with checking/fading/flaking, and an owner just wants a paint job that looks good to the casual observer, 5-10K is a reasonable figure. But at this cost the paint job would be done with the windows in and perhaps the doors on. the old paint would be sanded down to the existing primer and minimal bodywork would be included. Whether you end up with orange peel at the end of this process would come down to the skill of the painter and their ability to efficiently cut and polish after paint. Some might consider this "correct" but I don't think many on this board would agree.

I think the general consensus is that a "correct" paint job involves taking the paint down to bare metal, or close to it, finding and properly repairing any rust or old accident damage (this means metal forming and welding sheet metal not panel adhesive and patches), many coats of primer and body fill, hundreds of hours of sanding, color coat using high quality paint, a number of coats of clear, and many many more hours spent wet sanding and polishing to achieve perfection. Of course all the trim would also be removed and refreshed with new paint, anodizing or powder-coat. And all the glass would be taken out, which means one might be paying a mint for a new front window. And then of course the whole car must be reassembled and any damage caused during reassembly touched up. I think if you could get all of this done for less than 25K you've found yourself a good deal.

If you have the luxury of doing a lot of the disassembly and reassembly yourself you can probably knock many thousands off of the price, but I'm not sure too many people have the facilities or time for it.

 

Just to add my two cents' worth (and at the risk of both stating the obvious and repeating what may have already been posted in this thread, whose posts I have not entirely read), I am currently restoring a 1970 Mercedes 280SL. Clearly a different animal from a 3x8, but one of the most important thing to consider is whether one is repainting over existing paint or stripping the paint down to metal (or fiberglass). The latter requires much more work, of course, but allows one to start from the original body and discover and repair any poorly done or simply aged repair/repaint work. In going down to metal (or fiberglass), one has to remove all exterior parts from the car, including lights and markers, trim and mirrors. Doing this will likely require replacing all the body seals because although current ones may be in good condition, taking them off makes it very difficult to replace on the car, so a new set of seals is required, which can be pricey. You also have to consider the person doing the work, their experience, of course, but also their interest and excitement about doing a paint resto. Being a relative newbie to repainting/resto when I started (my only other experience was having a 1959 MGA repainted with a paint job that seemed like a good deal but ended up being imperfect), I thought any good car painter would be excited and delighted to repaint/restor my 280sl. I was wrong. I did not realize that most painters prefer insurance and quick in and out work that is more lucrative than a long repaint/resto that although higher in total price involves far less profit. Finally, although many painters have heat rooms where they bake the paint overnight, perfectionists tend to opt for letting each coat 'cu' for at least a week before going to the next step, which requires space and time.

 

If you are prepared to inherit all of the indiscretions of past repairs done to the car then not taking to bare metal may be OK for you. If I owned a body shop and a customer came in with a Ferrari asking for a "correct" paint job I would want to go to bare metal or not do the job. Too much risk of having to do it all over again because of some issue with the primer or a bondo repair that affects the topcoat in 6 months time.

 

Hey , I remember these commercials . LOL

 

Looks great from here . I assume it looks as great from 1 foot away. And considering the thread what kind of cost are we looking at.

 

I think paint cost is right there with timing belt discussions!

The ONLY factor that drives ridiculously high paint jobs is time. Unfortunately for us the 308 is a royal PIA to paint because disassembly and prep is very time consuming. Once the car is stripped and prepped the paint work is no different than any other car.

As said earlier, the prep is what separates a good job from an amazing job.

I also can understand the group who insists that the car be brought down to bare metal as the "proper" way. Although I'm not sure it's entirely necessary for 90% of us who live in the real world and will drive the car.

If you are painting the bare metal spray is an added insurance policy to protect against the unknown. Don't think that it will stop rust. You could have a perfectly clean panel on the surface and not see the beginnings of rust on a backside or hidden portion. Going to bare metal helps fix the obvious areas but it's always those hidden little nooks and crannies that bite you in the end.

Every paint job should be addressed individually so making a blanket statement that all cars should go to bare metal isn't necessarily true. When I paint mine I'll take it to bare metal but that's because it will cost me nothing but sweat equity. I can say right now I won't remove the window. I will remove the trim and caulking but I don't have the pockets required to tempt taking out the windshield.

 

This is probably the best thread I've read here for this. Thanks guys.

 

To make it "CORRECT" you have to get the paint runs (drips) in there too.

And those cost BIG BUCKS to replicate.



I have not seen many of these cars, granted, but each one I have seen had paint runs in it. Mine included.

Just a (near) worthless data point.

 

I know this thread is old but wanted to thank all that contributed. Getting ready to shop a paint job for my 85 308 and this helped me a bunch.

 

Curious. What quotes have you been seeing. Thanks.

 

IMHO, a paint job is literally a toss of a coin. Its a shame, but I have found this to be true. The cheapest painter could nail it and the most expensive could screw it. But one thing is for sure, if they screw it up, they get pissed and make you feel like they've done you a big favor and somehow it's your fault that it isn't perfect...

 

My 81 is in the paint shop at the moment getting bare metal respray, paint shop only metal fills, no plastic filler. Estimated cost is 40k Australian. I'm allowing for 20% over budget. Will see how close it gets. Probably still 6 to 8 months away from getting it back. Oh that 40k was me stripping the car to a rolling shell. Whole interior out, engine and mechanicals etc. only wiring loom and wheels/steering left on car


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$30,000 US dollars and you're striping the car completely.
Dang!
Looking forward to pictures...

 

My bare metal cost was almost 35k euro vat 22%included

 

Some of the previous "quality" repairs that are being addressed, I have been lucky enough to source new genuine door skins and sill panel so far, new after market front spoiler and rear glass valance


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When looking at those prizes I suspect, that there's a lot of rip-off out there.
Seems that many paint shops make their quote based on the car make and the owner and not on the actual required time and effort.
At my paint shop I recently saw a '68 Dodge Charger (a lot of paint) after a bare metal paint job, perfectly finished in black (!)
Though it required a lot of sheet metal work, painter alone was around €10.000 including a new vinyl roof.

Best Regards
Martin

 

I recently spent approx. $15K for a glass-out, bare metal respray (Glasurit single stage) on an older 911 Targa with very minimal corrosion—completely stripped/reassembled by me. I think that same number for a 308/328 would be well spent.

 

I can't vote for what it would cost me, there isn't a <$5K option. Then again my son is in the collision business so it would (will in the future) cost me very little. It's called "parental reparations".

 

OK I'm not feeling so bad with my 911SC then... the bare metal repaint is almost done and has cost 15k so far... with the last bill it will probably top 20k. But that's including repair of tons of hidden issues in the metal.

 

I was reading this thread again after some years. And would like to comment again. First please understand and make a difference between a paint job and a body job. The paint is JUST the final coat over what is under it. What is under makes a big difference for the longevity of the job. A quick shiny layer is easy to do by almost any painter over a quick sanding. Some of you may not understand the difference between a painter and a bodyman. A ruined paint job over a good quality body job is an easy fix. A nice paint job over a butchered body job is very expensive to redo.

Read the thread about what Newman is managing on the yellow 308. That is a very good exemple.

The choice of the shop, the manager and the worker has a lot to do with he result and the cost. Keep in mind that large shops with a lot of employees and overhead cost have to charge a lot to stay in business. But it doesn't mean they do a better job.

Small shops can sometimes be much better and much more affordable. I have a good exemple. My friend who is himself a real car guy and small collector who own two Lambo, a Ferrari and a Pantera has been doing his own bodywork for years and also did some jobs for friends over the years decided last year to quit his crazy job and start his own little business at home. No advertising, just the word of mouth from customers mostly of higher end cars like MB, BMW, Audi, Porsches etc. Why? Because he is self employed and most of the time alone so he is cheaper than any other places with better results. Most of the time he works on one car at a time and sometimes two. Every customer receive a personnal service.

To give you an exemple I was talking with him about this thread and asked what he would charge to do a total body job. Remove all trims and glasses. Remove doors, headlight pods, handles, weatherstrips, etc etc. Stripped to bare metal with no major rust he would do it for $10,000 canadian. He said this is a job that would take him about 2 months to complete and between $2500 and $3000 material leaving him enough to live out of it. These kind of shops are around but you need to find them.

 

I couldn't agree more. When I was investigating paint/body shops to undertake my vehicles work, I was quoted anywhere from $15000 to $40000 and time frames from 4 weeks to 12 months.

As my car is an ex UK car (salt on roads = rust comes to mind) and there were some clear signs of substandard repairs over the decades, I elected to go with a known repairer (who coincidentally is the local authorized Ferrari body repairer). Their quote was the most expensive and most lengthy time frame however after inspecting their w/shop and getting independent opinions they got the job.

If I had better local knowledge of some of the smaller body shops around (I'm fairly new to my current city) , I think I could have got comparable work at much less cost and possibly quicker turn around.

I am well aware I am paying an absolute premium, but as I have no intention of selling the car, I am expecting a second to none outcome that will last many years with the right care.