6788notch

I can't blame ya, I already have a gun and a decent compressor but I am not really that "artistic" and I think you have to have a certain amount of that to do the finishing body work. I am very "mechanical" but I am kind of a spazz at anything that involes highs & lows etc.

The only major tool I don't really own is a welder & I am seriuosly considering buying a gas MIG unit and learning to weld decent to save myself a huge bill. The only problem is it takes so much time! My girlfriend is already starting to wonder if the car is more important then her!

I think this has been asked before but the answers seemed unclear to me. If I get the car media blasted and bring it to my garage (clean & dry) can it sit in bare metal or would I have to bring to get it epoxy primered right away?

anybody have an idea how much it costs to get a car blasted? I am thinking it must be around $800.00? I am even close?


Thanks
Darcy

Dan66

Like others have done, I smoothed and primed and stripped my car of its trim. Then took it to Econopaint (which is like Maaco's cheaper cousin). I paid less than $1000 for a base coat/clear coat of Tahoe Turquoise (that they mixed up special for me), and that was 10 years ago. I wet-sanded it and buffed it to a mirror-like shine and it still looks just as good. No lifting; no flaking; no fading; no rust. To top it off, the car was my daily ride for many of those 10 years, and subjected to all types of weather. There are deals out there if you look hard enough...

6788notch

That's exactly what I figure I am sure there are plenty of places with skilled painters & body guys that don't think that they are "Gods" like the two guys I have been talking about! It sounds like you did a good job of the prep work and they stuck the paint good....your post gives me motavation & hope....thanks

Dan66

Sure, buddy... Don't give up hope! Here's a pic of that cheapie paint job:



[IMG]local://upfiles/13087/2FDEA1C5D5D54691BDF4FD8A80966DAA.jpg[/IMG]

6788notch

It looks good! I had no doubt about what you said Its actually funny as hell that you have a car that looks that nice for that long while others fork out huge dollars and get less. I am being kinda dramatic when I talk about hope...I just love these cars and I want to be able to get mine done nicely for me and other people in my life to enjoy without a crazy price tag.

Places like this forum & some people I have met sure help to separate the reality of this project from the crap some people try & feed you!


edit
am I allowed to say "hell" ...haha

65mojoe

notch, it's not so much about cutting the best deal as it is taking the time to do your research and finding a place that has a nice, clean operation going and is straight forward about labor and $$$ estimates. You may find that the cheapest guy is the best, you may find that the 10k guy is the best. Regardless, ask to see some previous projects or current paint jobs to get a feel of that particular shops' craftsmanship. Also, let them know what your budget is, what kind of finish you are going for (i.e. full on show car, daily driver, or in between?...), and what kind of turn around time you are expecting. You'd be surprised how fast body shops will cut to the chase when they know how much you wanna spend and what kind of final outcome you are looking for.

As for Dan66's option, I have seen MAACO jobs that can rival some 10k paint jobs, BUUUUUUT again, I'm guessing Dan didn't just dump his nice fastback off after all that preping and say "hit it with some turqoise". Do your homework. If you've seen work done by a particular painter at MAACO, then maybe its an option not to count out.

In one long *** nutshell, paintjobs are more than just the $$$. Some 1k jobs can rival 10k jobs...its all about the preperation, the cleanliness of the operation, and the body shops understanding of YOUR expected outcome.

daves67

I read somewhere that a do-it-yourself paint job is 80% preparation, 10% skill and 10% luck. Hopefully my prep job will rival the best. I've painted a few old work trucks that came out looking decent.
Worst case scenario: sand and paint again.

6788notch

Hi 65mojoe

I work in sales & I know exactly what you mean by "cutting to the chase" I have been completely up front with everyone so far. I wasn't reffering to your car at all when I made the comment about price & quality, your car looks awesome I think its on a different level then the "average" project people have in there garage. One shop I went to had a 65 galaxie in there that the paint looked ok on but under the hood etc didn't look that hot, but he told me straight up the guy who owned the car didn't want to spend the a bunch of cash. I am not just trying to "cut the best deal" I know a few people personally that I could get to do this job for cheap that's not what I'm after. My main problem with the 9K shop is they aren't giving me even close to enough value for that money or I would (maybe) consider them. The other shop didn't even show up or call!

here is a link to the guy that had the galaxies website the site is kind of crappy but check out the chrome machine! I have never seen that before I wonder if its any good?
http://www.hollywood-hotrod.com/

Has anybody just gone to a regular body shop and asked them to work on there classic? We have plenty of those here in town I wonder what they would say or if they are to busy with "insurance" jobs?

Hi daves67
That how I feel now about the little bit of sheet metal work I need done. I could afford to buy a MIG and screw it up several times & probably do more things that I don't even realize I need yet before I even came close to the amount I would pay out. I just don't think I have the skills do do the finishing body work & paint so I don't think I will try to go that far myself. Good luck with yours post some pics when your done and let us know how it goes!

65mojoe

notch, no worries, I wasn't mad or anything. Thanks for your comments about my car. My last little speel was mostly a summary of what you have to do to truly get a "quality paint job experience". Good Luck with everything and make sure you post some pics back once you go with your selected body shop.

(wouldn't hurt to see pics of the cars condition now too, that way others would be able to judge whether those 9 and 10k prices you were getting were legit)