I''ve got a 98 Mustang (original color electric red) that I've decided to try and squeeze a few more years out of before buying another car. I'll say up front that this isn't a pampered vehicle. It has 172,000 miles on it, and I drive it to work everyday. I'm not looking for show quality, it's just that the current paint on it is chipped, scratched, and generally faded to the point that the car has that "old" look :).
Now, given the Maaco horror stories I'd like to avoid them, but then again the car isn't exactly worth a lot, so I'd like to TRY to keep my cost under $2000. Is this a reasonable goal for a respectable (but nothing special) paint job?
A good paint job would run you a few thousand dollars. My suggestion is to have any glaring chips/dents fixed by a body shop. Then strip all the wax off the existing paint with Prepsol and tape up anything you don't want painted. THEN bring it to Maaco. 90% of the results are in the preparation so if you can take that part away from the wage slave painter at Maaco and just have them shoot the paint, it will probably come out OK.
I second that advice, but wouldn't let Maaco shoot a dog let alone a car. If you put in the time effort & energy to properly prep it, then take it to a competent shooter. An overall budget of $2K should have a decent end-result.
Another thing to check is your local HS Vo-Tech program. A lot of schools run an autobody program and the instructors & students usually do a good job if you bring them quality materials to work with.
MAACO, Erle Sheibe (now gone), Miracle type will cost you BIG if you want the job done even close to right. It's like a menu at a Chinese eatery. The cheap paint will cost $X, but if you want premium paint it's gonna cost $Y. Then it will cost $Z if you want it masked off, etc.
Meanwhile, for the $2K you can shop around for a decent shop that does good work. Once had Erle shop say they would have (mandatory) to remove any body filler and redo it before painting.... for an added cost.
And... if you want to get a good job for minimum money, here is a suggestion.... check local high schools, trade schools, and college automotive departments. My local HS and local college both use privately owned and donor autos for training purposes.... for the cost of materials. Donor cars are paid for by auction/selling when the car is completed.
A local painter, who has been singled out for his abilities in Hot Rod Magazine, etc, was going to paint my 66 Mustang, inside and out, for $2K IF I stripped everything out first, helped prep it, did any of the masking required, etc. Engine well included since I was going to have the engine out anyway. No body work was required for that car, which had a MAACO paint on it when I got it... and the paint was chipping off.
So, you might be able to swing a deal with a local painter where you do a lot of the labor. Being retired, I have the time. Not everyone does.
I got turned down by nearly all the local shops because there's no money in that kind of work. They get theirs from doing insurance work. The only way they would consider it was if I fronted the all the money, or, if I was willing to wait and they would do the job on a "as time permits" basis... which one shop estimated at least six months to a year.
The paint on my 65 was $5K materials and labor. Could have been a lot more if there was body work required. I had been quoted $6K for standard paint, and it went up from there for exotics (like color changing paint).
Irving and western in chicago for one. It actually was a topic on a local radio show today and a caller said that the one irving which I've been by many times, but not in a year or so is still in business.
So true. it's not just the paint... :0) Transmission shops... SMOG shops, not even dealerships. Some from the west may recall Cal Worthington and Ralph Williams.
That's one of those things you'd hear in Maine....
'Eh? Get a good paint at Erle Scheibe? Ya cahnt git thar from heah.'
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