earl schieb

Aw c'mon 3310, I was just trying to bring some humor to a serious discussion....
I figured Mike C would chime in with an experienced viewpoint--no point in me doing the same (I'm in the business too, PPG certified, a handful of magazine features, blablablah)...... but Mike's reputation and skills overshadow mine(i.e., I'm a "nobody")

@ Mike...."driver" quality......means about what you said--show quality at shadetree price!

vettebuyer6369

Lots of people love to suggest painting it yourself like its just a matter of a little practice and off you go. You are working on a fibreglass vintage car, not an MPC model.

Guys learning how to paint on their 1974 entry level $5000 coupe makes sense. Learning how to paint on your C1 and ending up with an expensive mess that you just might end up paying someone AGAIN to strip, repair and do over, doesnt.

Full strip and paint jobs are going to cost upwards of $10k, and it will take longer than you wanted. Get used to it unless you want to trade your gem in on a '78 Camaro.

Oh, and after the paint is gorgeous, you will be shocked by all the other parts that you thought were OK that now you have to replace because they suddenly look shabby.

1snake

I do all my own body and paint because I want it done right. Been doing it for 35 years. It really isn't rocket science.
The number one rule regarding body shops - It will take twice as long and cost twice as much as their estimate.

Jim

1-2-b-67L89

The good places around here (only a couple) are not body shops and charge strictly time and materials and will not give even an estimate until the body is stripped to see what is going to be involved. After stripping then they will give a ball park price but again it's time and materials. Spending time at a restoration shop has given me much appreciation to the hours of labor needed to complete a great paint job. But agree it's not for everyone but as cautioned, do your homework as more than one have been screwed with the amount of time it took, actual cost compared to quote, or work that just stopped after the body shop found they had quoted too low.....
Good luck,

ChattanoogaJSB

I'd suspect there aren't many who can do paint and body well enough to satisfy themselves (not talking NCRS) when painting a classic learned to do it without a little helpful oversight. If you have a friend who can guide you in technique you won't waste as much paint in the learning process. You don't need someone to do it for you, but a little guidance can put you way down the road.

Seriously I have always advocated that people who are interested in bodywork AS WELL AS saving money can learn to add that to their list of talents. Improperly applying expensive shades of base and clear can cost, but the flip side is you can do it several times over before you get to a fraction of a body shop cost. So long as you get enough clear on, you can learn to cut and buff it.

As far as fiberglass goes- unless you're piecing together a front end or something and really do need a professional- I say dive in and go for those smaller repairs. Mess it up? Grind it off. Have a cup of coffee or a beer. Start over. It was messed up when you started, right?

I hate to see people told they can't learn to do something non-mechanical if they wish. It'll take you longer but the rewards are tremendous.

However- when the only reason to do it is to save money (and not because of enjoyment) then the car will probably wind up painted by someone else and it is probably easiest to pony up and start with a shop.

C-1 Generation 2

Mine was estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 and ended up at 12,000.I presented the car to them with all chrome,interior,windshield and soft top removed and hardtop partially dissassembled.They removed all old paint and had the car three months.I assembled everything myself. DuPont Hot Hues candy apple red.
On an average car show season (April to October) I'll get six best of show and six best paint and 1st my class 99% of the time.

John S 1961

two ways to go on a budget

1. Go to the local votech or community college and take a class, this is enjoyable and always have very good instructors, plus you may find some student labor to help you sand (low cost)

2. Do the legwork and get out there with your car and drive around and talk to all the shops you can find, get their impression of the scope of the job. I have had a few cars painted by others and there is no substitu for getting around and talking to shops. they will be all over the map on price, location facilities. and get references!

1955 copper

I think the high cost of a paint job is caused by the owner and shop by wonting a better finish then the factory ever put out. What I mean is that most owners don't wont to see body panel seams that most C2's show in time. Or C1's owners removing the factory character of the fire wall line, waves and body fit . Most owners don't wont the factory waves or body fit as the Corvette came and the painter feels the same by hours of blocking the body to satisfy the owner . That takes time and big $$$ driving the job to those high prices.
I was lucky to find my 55 with no previous body damage and original paint so I had my friend lightly sand it and paint it so that the body retained all it's character having waves and body panels showing as it left the factory . So now when for the first time at a NCRS national meet in 05 some people questioned my 55 against trailer queens that looked like the body were made of GLASS being so perfect . But my answer to those people is that I did a body off to freshen up the 55 as close to original that I could so I could enjoy driving it. ( my answer doesn't go over very well with NCRS people)
So the bottom line is what you wont and most people wont a NCRS looking Corvette. So pay $10,000 or more and be happy and afraid to drive it like most do! That's my 2 cents
But then I wont to add that people on the sight mostly do drive their Corvette , that's why I like this web sight forum.

OldKarz

I just had a friend get his 63 swc painted last summer in lacquer for 10k. He is a NCRS member, car shows that. I looked at it and I am very picky, and looks great. Had it painted about 70 miles from here. Not sure what prep work he did before taking car in though...

GCD1962

If you've owned it for 49 years you have almost nothing in it vs the value of the car. Give it its just treat and paint it. It took me 37 years to get my '62 back to like new condition and it was all worth it. I paid $1,000 for it in 1972 and even putting in close to $30k over the years it is still worth twice what I have in it.

Frankie the Fink

I got my '61 painted in 2008 for about $6,200 when all was said and done...that included stripping and fixing a few "Bubba" items like doing fiberglass patches over the original paint on the fender.

The guy that painted it had done some old Mustangs for me and this was his first C1...he said he would have charged me $3,000 more if he had known what he was getting in to. I got d@mn lucky and the car has taken 'Best Paint' awards in several shows. If I had known Mike at the time he would have painted it. My only complaint about the paint job is the reassembly either screwed up the trim or the trim got half-@ss replaced with incorrect fasteners or the wrong number of fasteners -- the shop clearly didn't know diddly about C1s.

When people say 'driver quality' what they generally means is that they want a first rate paint job for 1/2 to 2/3 of what it should really cost. If you want old repairs and bonding strips to show up 2-3 years after the fresh paint just go ahead and 'cheap out' on the work.

Kerrmudgeon

Three levels of paint jobs.....
1. it's for sale, so make it look straight and shiny for a little while. Read:used car job!$
2. daily driver keeper, make it look good, and durable for more than a few years.$$
3. show car, investment quality, make it look awesome for years, cause it won't be driven very often anyway. $$$