Topic: 1977 T/A Body Resto Help

[4SPEED]

nope never done it before   

you need very deep pockets to do one right.

[brian c]

Normally Muscle Car Alley starts around $10k. They cut me a deal when they painted the Y88. VERY high quality paint job.

I received quotes of anywhere from $5k to $15k to paint mine. No body repairs, rust repairs, etc...straight paint work.

Whatever you do avoid MAACO like the plague! They painted a car for me while I was in college. The paint pealed off the bumper the day I took the car home! And they would not back their warranty at all!! Paint quality was horrendous as well - loads of orange peal.

[4SPEED]

around here it 45 to 65 per hour + materials.   
find a good place with references,  if you find one that been around for years, talk to them. see how clean there shop is first.
if they have a photos look at them.  see how old the pics are, and how many paint jobs there is.  if not many, ask.
20% down is all you pay up front.  and take pics, lots of them.  stipulate what you want done in writing.  so later down the road there is no dispute of what was to be done.
the days of getting a paint job , on a hand shake is way long gone.  sorry to say there are a few on here that were taken by a body shop. and there's nothing they can do about it.

[Hollywood]

where are you from?

[brian c]

around here it 45 to 65 per hour + materials.  
find a good place with references,  if you find one that been around for years, talk to them. see how clean there shop is first.
if they have a photos look at them.  see how old the pics are, and how many paint jobs there is.  if not many, ask.
20% down is all you pay up front.  and take pics, lots of them.  stipulate what you want done in writing.  so later down the road there is no dispute of what was to be done.
the days of getting a paint job , on a hand shake is way long gone.  sorry to say there are a few on here that were taken by a body shop. and there's nothing they can do about it.

Very good advice!

I'd add....if they're working on a car now, ask to see the work log. Muscle Car Alley kept one for my car which included:

Date, Start Time, End Time, Initials (of the tech doing the work), and description of work done.

Also ask for references and followup with phone calls to those car owners. Get at least (1) reference of a customer who was NOT satisfied to see what went wrong.

**I was ripped by (2) body shops before Muscle Car Alley saved the day. If you'd like BAD references for either Buffalo Street Rods - Buffalo NY (their other business name is Kenmore Speedometer), OR Extreme Colors - Alden NY, just drop me a line. I'd be happy to share and steer you away from them!!!

[pat]

i painted my truck my self for under $500 not perfict but a 10 foot job as i had a lot of dust get in it i plan on doing it over agein in the near futre as it was hit a week after i painted it and i never fixed it

if you want to try it your self it isnt a awlfull job but takes a lot of time and patiance and makes a mess but if you sand and prep it your self you can pay a shop to just put the paint on and it will be way cheeper

[4SPEED]

the paint isnt hard. yes you need a nack for it but, its the body work TO make the paint job look good. 

[brian c]

Agreed...painting a car is very easy. Just make sure you have a quality gun, compressor, and paint supplies. It's the prep work that'll make/break your paint job.

Ohh and if you decide to do this yourself here's a couple tips:

1. Get a respirator. A dustmask from Home Depot won't cut it. You need something to handle vapors.
2. Practice on some spare metal first. Got a spare hood/door?
3. A cheap gun/compressor won't cut it so shy away from those $20 Harbor Freight HPLV guns.

[pat]

as they said 95% of body work is prep work
of that 95% about 99% of that is sanding and more sanding

[TheBig400]

where are you from?

from New Lenox, IL

[76ta4spd]

Color has a lot to do with it too. I am by no means an expert because I have never painted one before. I have, however, done extensive research into it because I am going to paint mine. Being in the Army, I have access to a paint booth on post. The darker the color, the better the prep work must be done. A black car must be PERFECT and flawless for prep work. The one advantage to dark colors, is that they hide gaps and body lines well. Light colors are not without fault. Although the prep work does not have to be perfect, the panel alignment on a white car has to be perfect or it will be pronounced. Like I said earlier, I have never painted a car before but these are some things that have come up repeatedly when I do my research into painting my car. I plan to go BLACK against all advice not to. I will be working ALL summer on the body work before I even consider the actual paint. Hope this helps.

James

[4SPEED]

Color has a lot to do with it too. I am by no means an expert because I have never painted one before. I have, however, done extensive research into it because I am going to paint mine. Being in the Army, I have access to a paint booth on post. The darker the color, the better the prep work must be done. A black car must be PERFECT and flawless for prep work. The one advantage to dark colors, is that they hide gaps and body lines well. Light colors are not without fault. Although the prep work does not have to be perfect, the panel alignment on a white car has to be perfect or it will be pronounced. Like I said earlier, I have never painted a car before but these are some things that have come up repeatedly when I do my research into painting my car. I plan to go BLACK against all advice not to. I will be working ALL summer on the body work before I even consider the actual paint. Hope this helps.

James

I don't think so.  any color needs lots of prep time.  if you ever get to see my 79 up close you would see what I mean.  not bragging about my car , but it's a dam good paint job.  it looks like a white mirror. if it had a flaw in it , you would see it.

[turbota400]

Or you can just do like I will eventually do.... Get a trailer and make a road trip to Hitman's shop, give him the keys and a let him paint it.

[TheBig400]

Color has a lot to do with it too. I am by no means an expert because I have never painted one before. I have, however, done extensive research into it because I am going to paint mine. Being in the Army, I have access to a paint booth on post. The darker the color, the better the prep work must be done. A black car must be PERFECT and flawless for prep work. The one advantage to dark colors, is that they hide gaps and body lines well. Light colors are not without fault. Although the prep work does not have to be perfect, the panel alignment on a white car has to be perfect or it will be pronounced. Like I said earlier, I have never painted a car before but these are some things that have come up repeatedly when I do my research into painting my car. I plan to go BLACK against all advice not to. I will be working ALL summer on the body work before I even consider the actual paint. Hope this helps.

James

I don't think so.  any color needs lots of prep time.  if you ever get to see my 79 up close you would see what I mean.  not bragging about my car , but it's a dam good paint job.  it looks like a white mirror. if it had a flaw in it , you would see it.

Wow, that paint job looks incredible!

[4SPEED]

thank you