help figure out paint cost
 

I have a body shop that might paint the car. They told me it would be time spent plus material.

How long does it take to paint these cars. Its a EM and the body is not bad.

But looking for a show quality job.

I am figuring about $2500 for materials but lost on time spend to prep, paint.

What should I expect.
Please help

My guess is that any reputable shop would give you a total cost out the door to paint your car to your specifications and satisfaction. "Time spent" could be dangerous if it's open ended.

I just wanted to find out what the average time spent was / is.

Phil,

My guess would be at least two guys full time with all the correct equipment at hand for 7-8 working days. 128 hours at $75 = $9,600.

As we discussed a while back, good paint jobs on Cobras including prep is anywhere from $7500 to $10,000. Show quality can go up to $20,000 or more. I still have to call you about the e-tube issue.

Tom

Got it. Are they quoting you a total price? Just a guess (for show quality), probably $6K and up for the labor. No idea though, since the last car I had painted was my Datsun 510 in 1976 at a joint that was one step above Earl Sheib. :LOL:

Cobra paint
 

I would never let a paint shop do a Cobra for time and material. Bad, Bad, Bad!

Shops in North Alabama and just across the border in Tenn. charge $2250 to $4500. Color and how slick you want the paint job to look detriments the total cost. We have one local Cobra that was painted by shop in the Atlanta area, cost $9700 for paint plus $3000 for media blasting. Looks great.
One of our best shop gave an estimate of $2800 to repaint a Cobra last spring.
It takes a lot of time to prep a fiberglass car for a paint job. The shop must be experienced in painting fiberglass cars.
Most shops will keep a Cobra for 3 to 6 months to paint it. Why??? Cobras enter the Black Hole when they go for paint.

Dwight

When i lived in California i was quoted $10k plus,so i moved half way across the country(before i had it painted )after the move i found a shop that did body work and paint for$7,500 and i got a show car paint job with all the extra things i wanted done i made the deal of the year and come to find out the shop had done several Cobras before mine............shop around and be careful of the materials plus time ploy.

I bought all the materials to paint my car and I think it was between 500 and 750. And that's retail.

Lots of 'smoke and mirrors' when it comes to paint jobs. The prep work is the most important...and that's lots of manual labor, both with the DA sander and with block sanding. And don't forget color sanding the clear before buffing.
Good urethane primer is about $100 per gallon, activator/reducer about $35 per qt. PPG DBU base coat color is about $100 per qt., and a gallon of reducer is about $55. Urethane clear costs about $35 per qt. and activator/reducer will run $50. Liquid buffing compounds may cost up to $50 per qt. depending on what type you use. These are discount prices, but you should be able to buy it for this amount, give or take. If you were able to prep the body yourself, and sand and polish the end product, you might get a painter to shoot it for you in his shop, but the price would have to be negotiated. Painters love to shoot, but hate to prep. Be creative, and good luck.

As a comparism, there is a very well known painter in So. Ca. that specializes in Cobras. A buddy just had his done. You take him the car with the body mounted, he gaps and aligns all the panels and then removes the body. He does all the bodywork and prep, paints it including the stripes, cuts and buffs and then re-installs the body when you come back with the frame. His work is awesome as is my friends black Cobra. Definately show quality. Total cost was approx. $6000.

Well,

I spoke to the guy about time plus material. He showed me cars he painted. Looked good. However, I told him that if he could not give me a quote with a dollar amount as to what the price would be, then I would let him paint the car and would pay him based on when I felt like it. Of course he did not like that so it's off to the next person that wants to make money.

Its unbelieveable the crap these people come up with.

Are there any more honest business people in Florida?

Priobe.
...."Are there any more honest people in Florida?" .........Answer........Probably no more than in California. When I see all the deceptive advertising it really gets me boiled. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and if you pulled that crap back then youd be outta bidness in no time. I dont even buy Cobra parts from about 1/2 the people out there. If I cant buy it and pick it up right then and then I pass on it. It's going to take a revolution to change things. Whether it turns out to be a Political revolution or a Violent one is debatable. Good luck with that paint job. I bought a nice gun from SATA and I think I will give it a shot myself. When I was 19 I worked in a paint shop painting Big rigs. I learned alot. I especially learned that anyone, and I mean ANYONE who wants to learn how to paint a car can. It aint rocket science. All the new stuff that's needed to know can be learned from DVDs and CDs and Paint suppliers can help a lot. As far as paying 75.00 an hour for labor I say this.... 75.00 an hour is ridiculous for 2 guys named Jose' that make 10 bucks an hour each.
If I had to pick one of the most overpriced parts of Rodding it would have to be the paint. When I left for college I lived in an apartment near a busy street. I had people coming at all hours of the day and night wanting to buy my 62 impala sitting out front. Just because of the paint... Dont hurry the job, Take your time, Ask pros to take a look at it. Many will offer their services just to do the spraying if you prep it and buy the materials. You can also rent a spray booth to insure the best quality job but I have seen some really good garage paint jobs. Just be careful and wear the appropriate gear. You only have one set of lungs. Good Luck.