Paint Job prices...?

[240sR4drifting]

Well i'm looking into getting my s14 painted soon and my friend said he knows a guy that would paint it for around 600$... that including labor and materials... and supposedly he does a pretty good job. that just seems really cheap for a good paint job. how cheap can a good paint job go with out being crappy?

-thanks

[silviaks2nr]

$600 is cheap for even just paint and supplies alone. If you're wanting a quality job expect to pay upwards of $3000

[T chop]

$600 is cheap for even just paint and supplies alone. If you're wanting a quality job expect to pay upwards of $3000

Your so wrong.

$300 could EASILY cover materials. $3000 is ridiculous as well unless it's Barrett Jackson quality, but even then.....

[krappy]

$600 is cheap for even just paint and supplies alone. If you're wanting a quality job expect to pay upwards of $3000
Upwards of $3k sounds about right. I paid around that to have my bay, jambs, and car sprayed, and that didn't include all the body work.

Here's the car
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/krappy/purple240sized.jpg

[shanes14]

yeah we charge average of 3k. 600 would be just in quality materials.

[s13silvia123]

i painted my bro-in-law's scion for about $300 including all material. just depends on the brand name and quality, or kind of the paint. Excluding a really nice paint guns i have.

[Flicktitty]

LOL @ saying $3000 is ridiculous. A long time family friend will be painting one of my coupes this winter/next spring. he quoted me about $5000 for a full color change. PPG Paint. 6 coats of paint and like 10 of clear.

[s13silvia123]

LOL @ saying $3000 is ridiculous. A long time family friend will be painting one of my coupes this winter/next spring. he quoted me about $5000 for a full color change. PPG Paint. 6 coats of paint and like 10 of clear.

there's a trick to paint cars just make sure you mix your paint thin so you'll land more coats

[shanes14]

u dont want 10 coats, but clear, cut, reclear is the sex.

[fckillerbee]

600 is the going rate for a cheap paintjob. Cheap means overspray, no door jams, and usually a 2 year lifespan cause sanding is over looked a little.

3k is the norm for a legit paint job.

5k and up is show quality depending on color.

Color change is much harder to do. You have to make sure you don't get the color underneath to show through...which is why people charge more. Cause they want a specific color...and the color underneath the paint determines that.

[silviaks2nr]

Your so wrong.

$300 could EASILY cover materials. $3000 is ridiculous as well unless it's Barrett Jackson quality, but even then.....

Prep alone should be 15+ hours of work. If you want to wetsand and polish the car after paint that's another 8 hours minimum. $3000 is on the reasonable end for a quality job, really. Once you paint a few cars you'll see what I mean.

[AWDtoyota]

u dont want 10 coats, but clear, cut, reclear is the sex.

where is it you work? Any pics of some cars you have done?

[tims05]

My buddy is painting my s14 right now and since im doing most of the taking apart and putting back together its saving me some. Im at roughly $2600 thats PPG supplies, labor to do all the body work n painting (body, door jam, trunk jam).

If your payin $600 for a "good" paintjob. mostly either the supplies arent great OR they just scuff the old paint and spray

all depends on where you go

[andisan]

I think most of the money would go into labor, Dont they say prepping the body is the most important thing to a paint job? Sanding and taking care of all the little dings to make sure the body is nice and straight. So if you are able to do all that prep work yourself, then you can save some money on that. The rest would be for the materials and for the painters time.

[.emerson.]

I'd like to know how much for a respray? I have so many scratches and door dings.

[smoked240]

Hell I think 3k is cheap for a complete paint job. If you can't get all the cash together for a paint job. See if your local community college has an autobody course. A complete paint job with custom quarter panels, Black base with blue flake and a ton of body filler only ran $600. Using all PPG and high end brands. They usually charge for materials and that's it. Proper sanding will be done too. If anything it's worth a shot.

[shanes14]

where is it you work? Any pics of some cars you have done?

i work at a bodyshop that just does everyday insurance collision work, but 10 coats will crack and is just to much material on the car.

im in panama city florida

[240sR4drifting]

Lets say that i do all the body work (if needed), and i sand it to being perfect and i prime it so it''s 100% ready for paint. And if it helps at all i'm looking into an electric blue color... maybe a little metal flake. but this is also a guy who is barely going to charge for labor because my friend is such good friends with him he will practically do the labor for free... but would 600$ cover decent quality paint?

[ManoNegra]

Everyone idea of what constitutes a "good" vs "good enough" paint job differs
$600 dollars is taking a gamble
the potential for disaster is there
depending on the place and the person carrying out the job
it could be a 5 to 10 foot job
and last you a few years

good enough to take pictures and post on zilvia though

is what I would probably do for a track car too

[AWDtoyota]

i work at a bodyshop that just does everyday insurance collision work, but 10 coats will crack and is just to much material on the car.

im in panama city florida

I wasn't questioning your comment....actually I agree. 10 coats of clear is too much.

I was just curious. I am looking for some place to paint my car in the near future. It's soooo hard to find quality paint shops.

Do you have a specific address for your bodyshop? I am in south florida, but I wouldn't hesitate to make the drive if the work is quality.

[SLiDe_WaYz]

It depends on who you know, I have a good friend who has a paint booth, legit guns, ext. He's doing my body work, and paint for 400, I'm buying the materials and helping out kn the body work, it won't be "show quality" but it won't have over spray, or any of that and will be done correctly, door jambs, engine bay, ext.

[shanes14]

it would be easier to find someone down south. not worth the trip up here imo. go to a few non corperate bodyshops and ask the painters if they know any good custom painters. i know one here that does all the show cars and motorcycles and he knows almost every painter in town.

[upsdude]

when it comes to painting your car..."you get what you pay for" really means something. i'm going to be painting my car myself to save cost...and because i want to learn. PPG is a popular brand from what i've learned at the different shops i've visited. but what i also heard recently is that there is water based and solvent based paint. from what i've been told water based is harder to work with but are are better quality paints. HOK has good clears, but 600 bucks for a gallon alone...jesus. i'm expecting to spend about 600 on paint/chems but that's only because it didn't make sense to me to pay for all the high dollar stuff for my first time painting.

and the biggest factor for determining a good clear is UV protection. a guy at a supply shop told me 2 medium coats, wet sand, 2 finishing coats will give your car a really nice finish. again this is all the stuff i've managed to learn while doing research...so if i'm wrong i'd like to know the right info if anyone's got it :D

[Purestock240]

the materials alone on my car cost over 1000$
its a black car ~ hours and hours of labour to get it perfect
renting the booth and other randoms
= paint job around 7k, total

[bb4_96]

The thread title should be more clear. roller/rattle can guys have no business in the same thread with ppg line customers & vice versus.

"when you go to walmart snag me two more cans" vs. "Adjusting my tip"

[shanes14]

and the biggest factor for determining a good clear is UV protection. a guy at a supply shop told me 2 medium coats, wet sand, 2 finishing coats will give your car a really nice finish. again this is all the stuff i've managed to learn while doing research...so if i'm wrong i'd like to know the right info if anyone's got it :D

thats correct.

[Purestock240]

600 paintjob = paint that doesnt shine, waxed weekly, scratches from the slightest touch, overspray everywhere, a run that wasnt sanded out because you only payed $600,

[strictly_JDM]

gotta pay to play.

sure, a 600 paint job will look nice but will it look nice in 2? 3? 5? 10? years later?

[JKL1031]

600 is the going rate for a cheap paintjob. Cheap means overspray, no door jams, and usually a 2 year lifespan cause sanding is over looked a little.

3k is the norm for a legit paint job.

5k and up is show quality depending on color.

Color change is much harder to do. You have to make sure you don't get the color underneath to show through...which is why people charge more. Cause they want a specific color...and the color underneath the paint determines that.

color change. how hard is going from red to ah brack?

[JKL1031]

600 is the going rate for a cheap paintjob. Cheap means overspray, no door jams, and usually a 2 year lifespan cause sanding is over looked a little.

3k is the norm for a legit paint job.

5k and up is show quality depending on color.

Color change is much harder to do. You have to make sure you don't get the color underneath to show through...which is why people charge more. Cause they want a specific color...and the color underneath the paint determines that.

color change. how hard is going from red to ah brack? I would rattle can my door jams and under trunk/hood. :- /

[shanes14]

colorchange is expensive because of doorjambs and what not, sealers take care of covering the original color.

[T chop]

Upwards of $3k sounds about right. I paid around that to have my bay, jambs, and car sprayed, and that didn't include all the body work.

Here's the car
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/krappy/purple240sized.jpg

Doesn't really prove anything, any competent painter would be able to do that in a dirty garage with a few hundred in materials. Not saying it doesn't look good, but any half decent paint will look good under that lighting.

[T chop]

yeah we charge average of 3k. 600 would be just in quality materials.

Should find a new place to buy materials then.

[Broadfield]

Your so wrong.

$300 could EASILY cover materials. $3000 is ridiculous as well unless it's Barrett Jackson quality, but even then.....

Barrett Jackson would be a $20,000 paint job. And $3000 is really cheap for a complete, properly done paint job. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume your idea of proper differs from mine. That would be removing ALL trim, gaskets, moldings, glass and so on. Let alone the quality of the materials, the quality of the prep, the quality of the actual paint job and the warranty. The place I have my paint work done has a lifetime warranty... period.

[Purestock240]

color change. how hard is going from red to ah brack? I would rattle can my door jams and under trunk/hood. :- /


depends how stripped the car is, basically have to take it down to a bare shell to do it right

[T chop]

Barrett Jackson would be a $20,000 paint job. And $3000 is really cheap for a complete, properly done paint job. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume your idea of proper differs from mine. That would be removing ALL trim, gaskets, moldings, glass and so on. Let alone the quality of the materials, the quality of the prep, the quality of the actual paint job and the warranty. The place I have my paint work done has a lifetime warranty... period.

I consider a "proper" job to be equivalent to a new car sitting at some dealership. The OP was pretty broad on what he wanted, he didn't mention whether he wants a colour change or just a respray.

I know from your reading your threads you don't take short cuts but for most the cars (90% at least) there is no point in getting a show quality job with fiberglass that is going to crack 2 days after picking it up or having it be a "drift car" or "track car".

You can check my build thread if you want, not saying my paint is perfect, It could have been to your standards if it isn't all ready. The whole car was re painted, engine bay, door jambs, inner doors, etc. Keep in mind the car hasn't even been wet sanded or completely polished, so it will look once that's all done. All the trim was removed and windows were removed as well.

[T chop]

double post xxxxxx

[upsdude]

did you remove the quarter glass yourself or did you have them removed professionally? i'd like to take out my rear windows.

[va240dude]

Barrett Jackson would be a $20,000 paint job. And $3000 is really cheap for a complete, properly done paint job. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume your idea of proper differs from mine. That would be removing ALL trim, gaskets, moldings, glass and so on. Let alone the quality of the materials, the quality of the prep, the quality of the actual paint job and the warranty. The place I have my paint work done has a lifetime warranty... period.

I agree. I understand some people wanting to "get by" with a couple year paint job for a track car, or car they don't plan on keeping. But if you're going to paint it, at least do it right and take all the gaskets out, strip it out, take PLENTY of PREP time etc. You don't hear the guys that have gone that route complaining that they should've just sprayed it and not wasted the time. In the end, it's really a huge accomplishment and the car will look good depending on WHO does the work, and if they take pride in their work. I turned a guy down who wanted to paint my car, just by looking at his own car he had done. It wasn't great and he made lots of excuses about why it came out poorly...

[shanes14]

Should find a new place to buy materials then.

hey you're right.

next are you going to say that omni is a good clear?

[chetos13]

macco half off sale got my 240 paint there came out clean and came with a warranty and what ever color u want

[shanes14]

how long is the warranty?

[amdnivram]

Barrett Jackson would be a $20,000 paint job. And $3000 is really cheap for a complete, properly done paint job. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume your idea of proper differs from mine. That would be removing ALL trim, gaskets, moldings, glass and so on. Let alone the quality of the materials, the quality of the prep, the quality of the actual paint job and the warranty. The place I have my paint work done has a lifetime warranty... period.


this is true, i paid almost 4k for mine, but i have lifetime warranty, all the window trim and glass was removed. Waiting for it to cure before being able to wax it got me bored so i havent been washing it as often and now i have water spots and swirls , guess i'll need to buy a DA buffer so get it looking nice,

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RqhVR0htaU8/TafNHyUe5HI/AAAAAAAAAHw/1s6Obnpum68/s720/CIMG3018.JPGhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4yBbu_zM6bA/TafNCXvyV2I/AAAAAAAAAHg/vHyxDX1j2Xw/s720/CIMG3013.JPG

[blueshark123]

Im glad i know a great painter that does work on the side for extra cash for cheap i got a complete respray for under 2k. It is deffitnetly a 4k+ job

[ixfxi]

A long time family friend will be painting one of my coupes this winter/next spring. he quoted me about $5000 for a full color change. PPG Paint. 6 coats of paint and like 10 of clear.

i work at a bodyshop that just does everyday insurance collision work, but 10 coats will crack and is just to much material on the car.

correct. excessive amounts of base and clear doesnt do anything other than add unnecessary thickness which will result in cracking due to expansion and contraction. all (good) paints have data sheets, follow the rules.


but this is also a guy who is barely going to charge for labor because my friend is such good friends with him he will practically do the labor for free... but would 600$ cover decent quality paint?

you sound like a kid. you're going to learn the hard way, regardless of what people on zilvia say. so go ahead and do it. that way when you smash into something or scratch it, you wont be too upset.

as others have said, $600 doesnt get you much. this will be a good learning experience for you and if you need better paint (job) in the future, you'll remember this and will probably need to strip all the filler and mistakes you guys made this time around. assuming you still own the car and it wasnt crashed/stolen. not trying to hate, just saying that things happen.


when it comes to painting your car..."you get what you pay for" really means something. i'm going to be painting my car myself to save cost...and because i want to learn. PPG is a popular brand from what i've learned at the different shops i've visited. but what i also heard recently is that there is water based and solvent based paint. from what i've been told water based is harder to work with but are are better quality paints. HOK has good clears, but 600 bucks for a gallon alone...jesus. i'm expecting to spend about 600 on paint/chems but that's only because it didn't make sense to me to pay for all the high dollar stuff for my first time painting.

and the biggest factor for determining a good clear is UV protection. a guy at a supply shop told me 2 medium coats, wet sand, 2 finishing coats will give your car a really nice finish. again this is all the stuff i've managed to learn while doing research...so if i'm wrong i'd like to know the right info if anyone's got it :D

PPG is a good solid brand, not top of the line but good enough for most general applications. higher end would be sikkens and glasurit. most of the old schoolers i know still prefer oil (solvent) based paints, but they're getting phased out due to the enviro-politics. water based stuff is fine but can be a pain to work with, especially when it comes to color matching and blending. lower quality clears will look better (in the beginning) and are less yellow since they dont have good UV protection, but the good clears will be harder, dullen less, and have better UV protection. its a compromise.


Should find a new place to buy materials then.

$600 on materials is not out-of-line. i think i spent around 2500 in materials alone. all depends what youre looking for.

[JKL1031]

depends how stripped the car is, basically have to take it down to a bare shell to do it right

well minus jams, it should turn out to the same price or not(by how much if not), ? Ive heard black can cover up well, but is hard to cover over or something.

Well after thought, I know there would be sanding and then priming for a new color.

[economix]

You get what you pay for.

[whiterps13]

Its amazing to me that these threads still exist. You all know that a $600 paint job is going to look like shit. You all know that a great paint job is well past the thousand dollar mark.

But fuck it, lets make a thread on zilvia and hope that someone will assure me that a $600 paint job is going to look great.

[duffman1278]

Its amazing to me that these threads still exist. You all know that a $600 paint job is going to look like shit. You all know that a great paint job is well past the thousand dollar mark.

But fuck it, lets make a thread on zilvia and hope that someone will assure me that a $600 paint job is going to look great.

LOL agree'd. 600$ is a joke for a paint job. If someone says they'll paint your car for that price, run away. Cost me just over 1000$ in supplies for my paint job and I didn't even go top of the line stuff I just went with the average stuff.

[Bodyshop]

$600 is dirt cheap. I would expect to pay over 5k for a very good quality job from a reputable shop without any body repairs. If I you can find a good tech to do if for you on the side you can usually expect to pay a little more than half of the shops door rate. FYI

[5pecialist]

In college I was happy just to get a $100 Earl Schieb paintjob. It had a shine to it & was all the same color. "Good looking" can be quite relative :D

[NoideaSR]

Sorry I just jumped in on this one but i paint cars for a living and on the side. But if u are going to attempt to paint ur car yourself i would go with nason sealer and base (it is a cheaper version of dupont chroma base). It is extremly easy to use (ask for the p sheets for mixing ratios) and use the transtar clear. I have painted a ton of complete paint jobs and always tell my customers it is up to them. I can give them a 5k paint job or a 600 hundred dollar paint job. But the cars that i have painted with this product have all been to car shows and pulled multiple awards. Its all about the time and detail you put into the paint job.http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/66597_450527355632_503570632_5537237_3287947_n.jpg
This is a ek coupe I painted three years ago and the picture was takin last summer and I used nason on it and only charged 1500.00. But u can get good quility if u just put the time into it.

[One_love_silvia]

for all the body/painter guys in here, i was wondering if you guys would be able to give me a guesstimate for a quote on a paint job. when i paint, i plan on gettin the supermade kit, vertex pfrp fenders, and a cf trunk and hood.

so, with the bumpers, skirts, and fenders already taken off (and i think they already come ready for paint?), and having a cf hood and trunk, how much do you think it would run to have all that painted? for a paint change and door jams.

and does anyone know off the top of their head how much it would about cost to replace all window seals?

[Broadfield]

Its amazing to me that these threads still exist. You all know that a $600 paint job is going to look like shit. You all know that a great paint job is well past the thousand dollar mark.

But fuck it, lets make a thread on zilvia and hope that someone will assure me that a $600 paint job is going to look great.

Too funny! I swear every year you become a bigger prick on here... I love it!

$600 is dirt cheap. I would expect to pay over 5k for a very good quality job from a reputable shop without any body repairs. If I you can find a good tech to do if for you on the side you can usually expect to pay a little more than half of the shops door rate. FYI

^^^^And this is the guy that I trust with my paint work^^^^. Nice to have you on here now that you own an S13.

[BoostSlideWayz]

i uhhh... hear macco is doing pretty good ?

:ugh:

[SLiDe_WaYz]

Lol Maaco is garbage, most of the time ( 80-90% ). They don't even sand off the existing paint or prep it with primer ext. Hell the Maaco here just spray the new color on top of the old and send them out the door for 500 bucks. No sanding or clear. Takes them 3 hours to paint a car.

[BoostSlideWayz]

whaattt ?! thats hard for me to believe they wont put clear coat or sanding.... from another thread on here some people posted some photos of their macco jobs and they looked actually really nice... i personally would sand the car and primer it, my issue is i dont have a booth... otherwise i would paint my whole car i have an hvlp spray gun and gallon of primer but i dont have experience with painting.. just primering ... im in the same issue at the poster i need a paint job but im on a budget. Any thread on here that has a step by step process for painting ?

[SLiDe_WaYz]

There's a thread called 5 easy steps for painting or something like that.

And yes there paint jobs were prob ok bc they did the prep work themselves. I've just heard and seen horrible things from them.

[KrazyS13]

Any thread on here that has a step by step process for painting ?

Here is a pretty good one...

http://zilvia.net/f/archive-faqs/141460-how-paint-your-own-ride-under-300-a.html

[ixfxi]

Lol Maaco is garbage, most of the time ( 80-90% ). They don't even sand off the existing paint or prep it with primer ext. Hell the Maaco here just spray the new color on top of the old and send them out the door for 500 bucks. No sanding or clear. Takes them 3 hours to paint a car.

whaattt ?! thats hard for me to believe they wont put clear coat or sanding.... from another thread on here some people posted some photos of their macco jobs and they looked actually really nice...

its called SINGLE STAGE buddy

wake up

[Broadfield]

from another thread on here some people posted some photos of their macco jobs and they looked actually really nice.

I can polish a turd and make it look nice in a picture. You can't tell shit from a photo.... no pun intended. It's amazing how many cars you see pictures of on here and you think to yourself it looks really clean. Then you see it at an event in person and about throw up in your mouth. A crappy paint job can look perfect from 30 feet. Well, that's what you are usually seeing in a picture. I have seen numerous Maaco jobs and they were all hideous in my opinion.

[Bodyshop]

I can polish a turd and make it look nice in a picture. You can't tell shit from a photo.... no pun intended. It's amazing how many cars you see pictures of on here and you think to yourself it looks really clean. Then you see it at an event in person and about throw up in your mouth. A crappy paint job can look perfect from 30 feet. Well, that's what you are usually seeing in a picture. I have seen numerous Maaco jobs and they were all hideous in my opinion.

I thought you said Maaco sprayed your car.

p.s. I'd like to see you polish an actual turd.

[SuicidnS13]

I thought you said Maaco sprayed your car.

p.s. I'd like to see you polish an actual turd.


Here you go buddy Polished Turds via Myth Busters!!!

YouTube - ‪Mythbusters Polishing a Turd‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI)

[Bodyshop]

Here you go buddy Polished Turds via Myth Busters!!!

YouTube - ‪Mythbusters Polishing a Turd‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI)

I can't believe I actually watched that. Good stuff though.

[pinkarrowsnow]

I work at my buddies corvette restoration shop decent normal car job is 3-5k. Cars that get restored cost probably 3-5k in materials for just painting. I did mine single stage gt500 blue. Holds up awesome looks sweet and perfect for a track car. Now that i wrecked the car probably gonna change the color up for ecb.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/gtracer123/5682962528_b264e50ab2_b-2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/gtracer123/normal_img_8505.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e14/gtracer123/wreck.jpg

[WISH ONE]

700$ Is how much I got my car painted for, granted i did alot of the prepwork myself.
door jams too.

[buentellomma]

3-5k is average for a quality paint job at most shops.... i myself am a bodyman/painter and i normally charge 500-700 for my labor and then whatever material cost is on my side projects. that includes bodywork, stripping if needed, full 2k primer , prep work, sealer,base,clear, and cut and buffing.

[tims05]

Hell I spent $600 alone JUST on clear for the paint job on my s14. Back in high school I painted my 82 camaro and only cost $330 but guess what end result it looked like a $330 paint job when it was next to my brother 91 camaro that had a $3500 paint job

When the s14 is done, I do expect it to get messed up here n there but I wanted a paint job that would last for yrs and I wanted it done right the first time.

Its really all what you want for your car and how it will look yrs down the road.

[Rsidesilvia]

You get what you pay for.
+1 it's as easy as that..

[JKL1031]

Hate to rip the OP post topic,,but what about wraps?

[silviaguy240]

they cost just as much or more than a good paintjob.

[ericcastro]

$800
FJ cruiser blue.
Took off old bumpers, mounted the whole kit
filled in wiper fluid holes, door jams, etc.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s242/castro_castro/240sx0002.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s242/castro_castro/formulaD00016.jpg

paint held up for years, car didnt.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s242/castro_castro/626drift_jan6_59.jpg

[fckillerbee]

ha...i remember the smurf blue.

[Broadfield]

p.s. I'd like to see you polish an actual turd.

Bring me your 240 and I'll take the buffer to it! :D

[AutechKouki]

My 2 cents on this subject are this.
It all depends on materials. I've painted 6 cars on my own, one my own and the rest for family or buddies. My buddies and me are all young at or around 20 years old and they're budget paint job for the most part.
It all depends on prep for the most part and if you're not prepping yourself (which you shouldn't be if you don't have any idea what you're doing) then be prepared to fork over serious cash.
Price list for budget materials: Dual stage
Primer gallon: $100
Dupont nason Basecoat: $200 average
Nason clear: $150
Sandpaper: $20 x3: $60
Evercoat plastic body filler: $20 average
Evercoat polyester filler: $30 average
$560. That's everything I can think not including polish materials, tools or labor.

Now for a quality material paintjob. Triple stage.
Evercoat plastic body filler: $20 average
Evercoat polyester filler: $30 average
Adhesion promoter: $40
Laquer thinner: $40
Epoxy primer gallon: $150
Dupont cromax basecoat with pearl: $600
Dupont chromapremier clearcoat: $350
Sandpaper (36, 80, 180): 3 x $20: $60
Wetsand/ colorsand paper (2/800, 2/1500): $24
3m polishing materials: $150
Buffing pads: $50
That's $1514 rough not including taxes.
This is all shot out of either a Satajet 3000 or a Devilbiss friki tiki with proper air pressure in spray booths. I can make both budget and higher look the same straight out the booth but the cheaper materials will only last 4-5 years until they start fading when the higher end materials can last 15+ years with regular care, but like I said before it all depends on prep work as well, since you could basically blow $1500 on materials but it'll look like crap or chip off in two months since it wasn't prepped right, I've seen it happen. I learned this all at community college, and I'm currently prepping my car for my own end paint job. :)

[S13.75DET]

did you remove the quarter glass yourself or did you have them removed professionally? i'd like to take out my rear windows.

I run a autoglass shop in Aspen, CO (Cracks & Racks), and if you want to save those quarter windows then have a pro do it for you. they are not easy to remove even for the pros. There are some specialty tools needed to cut the urethane properly without shattering this particular piece glass.

I lieterally called the paint supply store today to get some prices on top shelf materials, and with 3 quarts of paint, reducer, etch primer, base, and 3 quarts of clear the bill was $796... And thats ASPEN PRICES PEOPLE!!!!

figure a decent "bro" labor rate is $75/hr andat least 10 hours of labor on a car that is already stripped of glass, moldings, etc is $750 and you could get away with a great paint job for under $2000 for a diy job.

imho.

[burgundyandblue]

If ne1 here actually does paint/ bodywork. lmk i have an easy job for u. i need my front bumper painted. i will pay u a reasonable amount. u dont have to be a professional bc i will be drifting with this bumper. all i need is the color to match decently and for it not to peel after at least a year of use. help me out zilvia. save me from these outrageuously priced bodyshops. (i got quoted $500 at a local bodyshop when i asked them to paint my bumper).

[TougeLabs]

I payed 5.5 between them pulling the glass out and painting my s14 Signal Green...Real Signal green :)

Beware of cheap paint jobs they are just a giant waste of money...Unless your looking to just flip the car then go for it.