Paint and body...what can I get for $3500?

[mfp4073]

I have a car that really needs paint and body. I just dont have the space to dedicate to a painting and body project. Do you think I can get the rust repair (will go into that in a second) and paint done for that price if I were to strip the car and hand it over dissasembled and then reassemble myself? Rust is in normal places and in some places not small.

both 1/4 panels
doors lower front corner
rear roof pillers at the lower corner near glass
frame under battery has a several inch hole rusted in it.
would like engine compartment painted too. (would pull engine/trans)
trunk and hood would be replaced with new parts

All reassembly could be done by me with no problem. So do you think its possible? I have no idea what this stuff costs as we have always done this stuff ourselves.

 

[66moneypit]

Does that 3500 include parts ? I figure just with the hood, trunk and quarters, that's about 800-900 for those parts alone. That assumes you get full quarters and not just the skins. So round up to 1K for other stuff. The welding is what I think will make that price hard to get to. You might have to sacrifice a little on the quality of the paint job in order to get that price. How good of a paint job do you want ? The other thing that you could do is get the welding done and then the prep work yourself. That will definitely save you some coin and it's key to getting a good paint job. That way you know it's been done right if you do it yourself.

 

[68rustang]

I was told by a good shop here in town that you can expect to pay around 250-350 per panel. That is just minor bodywork and then paint. cutting and welding would add to that substantialy.

Find a paint shop that does good work and is willing to show you previous customers' cars. Then see what they can do for your price.

 

[Steve69]

I had my 69 done this last April. I had a
new hood new front fenders and door all
intstalled and it was stripped and no major
rust and no welding and it set me back
$5500.00 I had reassemble lights and
all the chrome.
Steve69

 

[DarkBuddha]

$3500 can get you some of what you want done, but it really depends on how bad the rust is and what kind of quality you're expecting. If you don't want completely "correct" (i.e. resto correct) job, then you can probably get the basic repairs done (mostly with plenty of bondo) and a basic paint job (assuming you do all the prep work and strip the car of all the chrome/trim/bumpers/etc.). Rust repair is the biggest expense, especially if it requires panel replacement or difficult fabrication/welding. This will eat up a lot of that $3500 pretty quick if it's gotta be done.

Now, I know you said you don't have space to dedicate to the work, but stuff like the engine bay painting is probably best done by you, and it'll save you money. It's mostly just a matter of a weekend's worth of labor and $75 in materials. I'd guess it'd cost you $300-$500 if you pay a shop.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[mfp4073]

yeah, was thinking that I could give them the car down to the metal, minus glass, trim, doors/fenders/panels already removed. Really should do full 1/4s on them, but would not include parts in my money. Guess I need to talk with the guy I have in mind. First stop is pete at orlando mustang. Need to take a drive out there this week.

 

[DarkBuddha]

I didn't notice you were in Orlando area. It's a long story, but my car is in Tampa. All the work has been done there, including the body work, which was done by a Tampa professional Mustang resto shop. Actually, it's pretty much one guy named Keith. He's done restoration work for decades now, including some very impressive MCA concourse competitors. Why do I mention this? Keith does good work, but he always seems to need money, so cash talks big. Paying cash, he gave me a much better deal, including both full quarters, both outer wheelwells, both full floors, both front torque boxes, door rust repair, A and B pillar rust repair, taillight panel, trunk floor repair, a bunch of other little repair and rust fixes, subframe connector welding, underrider traction bar welding, por15 bottom of the floors, primer, and a couple other things, all for $5500 including parts. Now, that's quite a bit of money, but just about anyone who's paid to have this kind of work done will tell you it was dirt cheap.

My thought is that if you're looking for good work cheap and might be willing to transport the car to Tampa area, you might check Keith out. I've lost his contact info since he's moved his shop a few times in the few years, but check with the owner of Florida Mustang... he is/was sorta in business or something with Keith for a bit. http://www.floridamustang.com/index.htm

 

[mfp4073]

I didn't notice you were in Orlando area. It's a long story, but my car is in Tampa. All the work has been done there, including the body work, which was done by a Tampa professional Mustang resto shop. Actually, it's pretty much one guy named Keith. He's done restoration work for decades now, including some very impressive MCA concourse competitors. Why do I mention this? Keith does good work, but he always seems to need money, so cash talks big. Paying cash, he gave me a much better deal, including both full quarters, both outer wheelwells, both full floors, both front torque boxes, door rust repair, A and B pillar rust repair, taillight panel, trunk floor repair, a bunch of other little repair and rust fixes, subframe connector welding, underrider traction bar welding, por15 bottom of the floors, primer, and a couple other things, all for $5500 including parts. Now, that's quite a bit of money, but just about anyone who's paid to have this kind of work done will tell you it was dirt cheap.

My thought is that if you're looking for good work cheap and might be willing to transport the car to Tampa area, you might check Keith out. I've lost his contact info since he's moved his shop a few times in the few years, but check with the owner of Florida Mustang... he is/was sorta in business or something with Keith for a bit. http://www.floridamustang.com/index.htm

Sounds like you had a lot more stuff than I need (although it might be easier to just replace my full 1/4s) so I might be close than I thought. Only concern is that with the car 2 hours away its hard to check on work or to solve problems that may arise. I have worked with orlando mustang for YEARS and know their reputation and longevity.

 

[Hissing Cobra]

I had mine done (fox body) back in 2000 and did exactly what you're thinking of doing. I stripped the entire car down to the wiring, steering wheel and 4 wheels/tires (for moving purposes.) My body guy then stripped it to bare metal and then prepped, primed, painted, clear coated (PPG urethane products) and finally, wet sanded/buffed. It cost me $4,900. This price also including the sandblasting/painting of the engine compartment, the door/hatch jambs and the backsides of the doors, hatch and hood. The only rust that I had to have fixed was in the roof. The rest of the body panels were fairly dent and rust free. I reassembled the entire car myself after it was done. This included mounting all body panels (doors, hood, hatch, bumpers), glass, trim, lights, molding, decals, door handles, keylocks, etc...etc...etc...

Of course it's not a classic, but I wanted to give you an idea of what I paid to have the work done (after giving him the car in pieces.) If you've got experience in painting, why not let a GOOD shop do all of the prep, welding and priming/sealing. Then, pick up the car and finish it off yourself?

Either way, good luck!

 

[65mistress]

If you're willing to take a chance, you could always contact a local Vocational center or a place like Wyo-tech in your area and see what they would charge to do the work and paint.

 

[FallujahMedic]

Sounds like you had a lot more stuff than I need (although it might be easier to just replace my full 1/4s) so I might be close than I thought. Only concern is that with the car 2 hours away its hard to check on work or to solve problems that may arise. I have worked with orlando mustang for YEARS and know their reputation and longevity.

Tampa really isnt that far away from Orlando. Its no where near as far as I've taken my car. I'm north of Gainesville and am having work done at Dave Miller Performance (www.Davemillerperformance.com) ,1900 North Orange Blossom Trail.

 

[yeloxr7]

Remember: Good paint jobs are not cheap, and cheap paint jobs are not good.