03YellowPony

Maaco is a HELL of a lot better than Earl Scheib or Miracle..but I still wouldn't go to them....

waxyourboard

Never experienced Macco, but I got my '67 painted by ElectroBake, overall same basic kind of company. Here's my opinion of them:

I got a two stage paint job (base coat-clear coat) and did very little prep work myself. They did an amazing job on the top surfaces (none had any rust, but the previous original paint wasn't smooth and it was chipping etc in places). The top of the car, hood top and trunk, looked A+. No orange peel, fish eye or anything (the paint was black also). The sides were something different, apparently they didn't put... any prep work into them. Terrible orange peel on the sides, but from 5 or 10 feet away, it looked like a beautiful paint job.

The rust spots (some above the rear wheel wells and right below the pass. side quarter window) did come back.. within about 6 months and started b ubbling up... and the one by the quarter window they just filled with tons of bondo and it cracked rather soon.

Overall, i paid something like $1500 for body work, prep, and paint. If I had to do it again... I probably would. But I'd get them to put more prep in on the sides and maybe go wetsand-buff.


Anywho, just know what you're getting yourself in to.


As for getting a new door, mine got backed into once and needed either a new door skin or new whole door. After getting quotes, it would have been about $1300 (at a different shop) or so to get a used door off some other car, prep and color match the paint. Or $1400 for a new door skin installed, prep, and color matched. I ended up going for the door skin because I felt it would be better quality than a used door (no dings or dents, plus who knows how the donor door was treated). The color match involved painting the door, quarter panel and fender on that side. Can't tell a difference between that and brand new.

I also got a quote for it at ElectroBake... something like $600-800 to hammer out all the dents and paint. (A full size truck backed into the door... no way in hell were those going to hammer out.)

JD1969

These places are great for a car you don't want to keep. If you do go to them don't exspect much. There is a reason that good shops have to charge what they do for a good paint job. It takes lot of skill and tons of time to do it right, I cannot stress this enough.

tictac

another reason i would NEVER get a color changing paint job. if you ever get hit or dinged or whatever, you need to paint the entire car over in order for the color to match around the car.



sorry, i wouldnt even get the mystic cobra....... okay.. so i would, i'd just take it and get it painted comp orange!

corvetteguy

If I had to choose between a MACO job for $1000
and something else. I would choose the ELSO.
One suggestion:
Buy a $300 air compressor
a $50 spray gun and hose
assorted wet/dry sandpaper , block and tape
Supplies like Bondo, thinner and primer/surfacer
$400 in Acryl enamel paint.
$ 100 buffer/sander/polisher
And learn to do it yourself. You definetly will learn
with the primer job, before you get to the finish paint.

It is a hobby you can use for the rest of your life.

wildazme

ive looked into doing an earl scheib or macco paint job on my neon. i have found from lots of people that if you do the sanding down on your own and the taping off that the paint job comes out nice. the problem with their paints is the formulation they use, it takes them along time to really dry out and cure. i mean if your looking for a paint job that will last a few years the most like 2 or 3 then i think its cool to do it. you can also look into buying your own paint and seeing if they will spray it on for you.

gregariousgreg

I've learned a little trick about going to Maaco:

I had a budy who got his done at a Macco in a normal city. It was total crap. But I had another friend who went to a Maaco near a rich area (Bellvue, WA near where Bill Gates lives) and they did a damn good paint job for the same money. I guess since rich people complain more and have lawyers, you tend to get better work done at Maacos in areas with a lot of money. :P

Of course that's purely anecdotal evidence, but if you're dead set on using Maaco you might wanna try the theory out.

2VNA

you get what you pay for.
start saving again now so next year you can have them do it agan.

JD1969

Ask this guy about his Maaco/EarlSchibe paint job https://mustangforums.com/showprofile.asp?memID=15103

03YellowPony

Earl Scheib spends more time in court than in his shops....