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Posted by: socal1200r Jan 13 2017, 05:48 PM

So I had a little free time this afternoon, and on a whim, took the car to three different paint shops to get an estimate on getting the exterior repainted. Man was I NOT prepared for the estimates! Can you believe between $5K to $6K for a fricking paint job?! WTF, over?! This isn't Gas Monkey Garage, Counting Cars, Unique Whips, or Bitchin' Rides for chrissakes! I'm thinking more like Wheeler Dealer! Maybe I should've told them this is not for a PCA Concourse event, or to take out the liquid gold in the paint mix. There's NO WAY I'm paying that much for a fricking paint job.

I was straddling the fence as to whether to keep this car or not, guess I know which way I'm going now...

Posted by: Montreal914 Jan 13 2017, 06:03 PM

This is well within the prices I've heard of.

There is always Maaco if your looking for something cheap

Posted by: Coondog Jan 13 2017, 06:05 PM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 13 2017, 03:48 PM)

Posted by: sb914 Jan 13 2017, 06:32 PM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 13 2017, 03:48 PM)

Posted by: Cal Jan 13 2017, 06:37 PM

It all depends on what your looking for....a $5-$6K is for a decent driver quality job. The paint materials alone are expensive. An excellent /show quality paint job can cost $8-$10K.....a concours job can run a lot higher.

Posted by: Mike Fitton Jan 13 2017, 06:45 PM

I paid 6K for my paint job on my 914-6, I took it completely apart and reassembled on my own. Did not paint the door jams or trunks had an old timer (45 years of painting) do it on the side for me with his son. If a shop did it at same quality would have been double. You get what you pay for.

Posted by: mepstein Jan 13 2017, 06:46 PM

QUOTE(Montreal914 @ Jan 13 2017, 07:03 PM)

This is well within the prices I've heard of.

There is always Maaco if your looking for something cheap

Posted by: Cracker Jan 13 2017, 07:24 PM

Best color ever on a 914 Mike! Fantastic!

T

Posted by: Chris914n6 Jan 13 2017, 07:38 PM

Body shops are like any other industry dominated by insurance work. The Ins Cos want discounts, but because they are the majority of the work have to be the "retail" price, so outsiders get the published "retail" prices which are close to double.

Posted by: somd914 Jan 13 2017, 07:38 PM

Paid $600 to repair a large scratch on a door a few years back. Priced out paint materials in the $1,000 range to do my own respray on my green car, let alone sanding materials and other prep materials. Paint is not cheap...

Posted by: BuddyV Jan 13 2017, 07:38 PM

My buddy owns a successful paint shop. He shared with me what the materials cost him for a good paint job...... more than most would expect to pay for the ENTIRE paint job.

That said, he did tell me that he offers the following deal for friends...... pay his crew to prep the car well.... that's AFTER I take off all the trim, etc...(about $1600 for my car).... and then have it taken to a Maaco, etc., to get sprayed. He claims the sprayers at these places can be very good since they spray all day long.

But the paint they use will be cheap-o stuff.

So.... I guess there are ways to get a sub-$3500 paint job...... but you iwlll do a lot of the work, and be rolling the dice on the end result.

The estimates you got seem very, very fair to me.

Good luck.... hope you keep the car.

Posted by: Mowog4 Jan 13 2017, 09:00 PM

$7K for the paint job, that included epoxy primer, block sanding the car, painting it, then blocking it and buffing it. I thought it ended up being a great deal.

Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 13 2017, 11:46 PM

5-6 is on the low to low average in a shop.

Posted by: lonewolfe Jan 14 2017, 02:09 AM

I think at these prices I'll paint mine myself. I have 2 914's and a '70 VW hardtop Westy to get painted.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Jan 14 2017, 07:13 AM

I painted my 1st 914 myself. Removed all of the trim, bumpers, lights, glass, etc., and shot it. I did not re-paint the jambs, trunks or engine compartment. I kept the factory color. The car was easy to shoot and then I color sanded and polished it myself. Car looked beautiful when I was done. But when I was growing up I worked in a body shop and was painting cars pretty regularly. That was a long time ago - late 60's and early 70's. So it is completely doable if you have the time, patience and desire to do it yourself. But with today's paints and paint booths, (and my age) I would rather let a professional like Scotty do it.

Posted by: iamchappy Jan 14 2017, 08:35 AM

Tape, sand paper, buffing compounds, masking, etc all cost more than you think not to mention the paints, primer, sealer, paint with the solvents and catalyst s, are expensive, add the man hours to do the job. 4 to 5 is a good deal. I wouldn't do it for that. I did most of my car, all but the final spray, and I spent more.


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Posted by: mlindner Jan 14 2017, 08:45 AM

Mine was 10,000. but did enclude trunks, engine bay, door jams and bottom and inner fenders. Car went to painter stripped on a dolly. Best, Mark

Posted by: Shadowfax Jan 14 2017, 09:01 AM

What about a vinyl wrap?

Posted by: 87m491 Jan 14 2017, 09:17 AM

I had bodywork/paint sticker shock a few years back, not having needed that type of work for well over a decade. Given the fact that 3 local shops were that close in price should tell you something. I'd be lucky to find three quality shops within 50 miles of me to get quotes.

Honestly with a 914, I might also use it as a starting point because who knows what they will find when they strip your car down.
If they are quality shops, I'm guessing they also told you there was a fairly decent wait to get the work done.

There is a difference between collision shops, mixed shops, and purely restoration shops. Seems pretty conservative for a glass out full respray, buff out reinstall.

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 13 2017, 03:48 PM)

Posted by: cary Jan 14 2017, 09:59 AM

QUOTE(Shadowfax @ Jan 14 2017, 07:01 AM)

What about a vinyl wrap?

Posted by: Cracker Jan 14 2017, 10:07 AM

For many of us, I believe its a challenge to rationalize the cost of a "decent" paint job as compared to the cars value. Most 914's are not worth in-total what the job costs...classic conundrum of maintaining and restoring cars. You can pour tens of thousands into something that has a quarter of the costs value.

A "real-six" is more far easier to rationalize the associated build costs - its inherent value are multiples of a 1.8/4 - in any condition but especially the typical driver/beater. The cost of an excellent paint job for both will be the same - I feel for the OP - I get it. If you are not committed to the "914" then I would suggest selling as you mentioned.

All the best!

Tony

Posted by: Mikey914 Jan 14 2017, 10:12 AM

Another reason to do the work yourself. You will spend $1500 pretty easily in materials, and have 150 hours into it. But you have to ask how fast do you want the job done. If you can stretch it out over 6 months or so, and have the free time great. You will also know that all the parts are put back on correctly.

Posted by: matthepcat Jan 14 2017, 10:20 AM

My guess is $2500-3k. Wrap installs are time consuming and they only last like 5 or so years depending on exposure to elements.

QUOTE(cary @ Jan 14 2017, 07:59 AM)

QUOTE(Shadowfax @ Jan 14 2017, 07:01 AM)

What about a vinyl wrap?

I'm going to get a quote at PDX Wraps down the street in Sherwood. I don't have time to work on my own car. But I'd like it to look as nice as it drives. So I'm hoping to fix 3 or 4 rust issues, prime the repairs and have it wrapped before WCR 2017.
That should make me happy and get me by for a few years.

I'll report back I get an estimate.

Posted by: Coondog Jan 14 2017, 11:07 AM

QUOTE(Cracker @ Jan 14 2017, 08:07 AM)

Posted by: 914_teener Jan 14 2017, 11:16 AM

QUOTE(Shadowfax @ Jan 14 2017, 07:01 AM)

What about a vinyl wrap?

Posted by: TJB/914 Jan 14 2017, 12:30 PM

Yes, painting is expensive!! My paint restoration was done in 1997 and it cost me about $7K using German Sikkens, base coat clear coat "chrome Yellow" a long time ago. I did all the diss-assembly and grunt work to get it ready for a 2-year completion. It was done in the back yard of a 1-1/2 car garage by a rather strange perfectionist OCD guy. One day I went to look at the car & he was laying in the trunk sanding up under the rear window. I asked him what he was doing & he said I just want it to be perfect. Painters are strange people , I went through many moment of stress with him, but it was almost perfect. Today it would be a $20K+ job. The secrete is doing as much work as possible & leave the painting to the expert to save costs.
Tom


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Posted by: Cracker Jan 14 2017, 06:05 PM

Regarding painters being "strange people"...I've always said "they've been around the fumes too long!".

T

QUOTE(TJB/914 @ Jan 14 2017, 01:30 PM)

Yes, painting is expensive!! My paint restoration was done in 1997 and it cost me about $7K using German Sikkens, base coat clear coat "chrome Yellow" a long time ago.
Tom

Posted by: Perry Kiehl Jan 14 2017, 06:46 PM

How about the guy that spends all that money on materials, does a marginal job, because he never has painted a car before, and as a huge negative bonus he permanently damages his health because he doesn't have the right safety equipment?

Posted by: lonewolfe Jan 14 2017, 06:48 PM

Don't do it yourself if you don't have the proper safety equipment. That's a great point!

Posted by: cary Jan 14 2017, 08:38 PM

QUOTE(matthepcat @ Jan 14 2017, 08:20 AM)

Posted by: socal1200r Jan 14 2017, 10:06 PM

Yeah, I'm not going to spend $5K - $6K on a frickin paint job, when I only paid $7K for the car in the first place. If I did spend that kind of money, I'd get pissed off every time I set foot in the car. So it doesn't look like it's going to get a paint job, at least with me being the current owner. I never should've bought this car...

Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 14 2017, 10:21 PM

Lots of ways to look at it. If you have a fairly nice car with the exception of faded paint and some minor repairs needed to bring the car up to a very nice car it is likely worth doing. With the rising values 5-6k is not a serious consideration.

Yes you can try it yourself, effit up and turn your 5-6k paint job into a 7k repair when the shop has to strip off your mistake. Or set the value back when you try to sell it and the guy looking say's I need you to knock off 3k so I can afford to have the paint fixed.

Not everyone is a natural painter. It takes lots on practice and lots of expensive lessons when even the shops effsit up sometimes. The paint department is always the lowest producing profit center in the shop. I went through several painters over the 18 years I was in the collision business. Some good some average a few didn't make past the first week.

Remember, this is your hobby. It's your disposable income. If you look at as an investment you may as well join a bridge club or take up knitting. Very few guys ever really make a stack on a restoration. The shop is a service not your buddy. If they don't make money they end up flippin burgers and a truck stop somewhere.

So enjoy your car. Start a Christmas saving account. By December you'll have the cash to get it done right. There is a saying we used at the shop to remind us of the importance of stopping to check it over for the last time before paint.

You always have the time to do it right the second time.

Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 14 2017, 10:28 PM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 10:06 PM)

Posted by: Costa05 Jan 14 2017, 10:31 PM

QUOTE(Cracker @ Jan 14 2017, 07:05 PM)

Regarding painters being "strange people"...I've always said "they've been around the fumes too long!".

T

QUOTE(TJB/914 @ Jan 14 2017, 01:30 PM)

Yes, painting is expensive!! My paint restoration was done in 1997 and it cost me about $7K using German Sikkens, base coat clear coat "chrome Yellow" a long time ago.
Tom

Posted by: GregAmy Jan 14 2017, 10:39 PM

Yup. I paid $6.5k a couple summers ago to a shop in Long Island...and he was a buddy, cutting me a deal. And while it was a very good job, it wasn't a "concourse" job. Between materials, time, paying the guys to block the car, not to mention expenses to meet EPA regulations (among others)...I'm grateful to have gotten that deal.

Posted by: Mike Bellis Jan 14 2017, 11:07 PM

$5-6k is cheap. Sounds like you have sticker shock. Shop rates are usually over $100 per hour and prep is very time consuming. Doing a quality job your self is not easy. But is is easy to fuch it up. I just had my Charger painted. I sanded it myself. It took 6 weekends to get it ready for paint. Luckily I did not need any body work. I had it professionally painted because I did not want dust in the paint and I wanted an expert to shoot it.

Posted by: Randal Jan 15 2017, 12:07 AM

Painting is a ton of work to get right, but actually isn't all that hard, you just need to learn each step. It really helps to have someone to walk you through the basics, i.e., refurbishing, preparation and gun control/coating, then go for it.

The easiest way to learn is to practice all 3 or 4 steps with other metal material that you have.

If you're using single stage paint you can always color sand out any runs, with two stage it actually easier as you put the first stage on, then correct any errors, then finish up with the top coat.

I like two stage as you don't need much material for the color coat. If you screw something up, then just sand it out and recoat.

Practice and your will find a way.

I'm going to paint the DSR when it's ready. Going to follow the pattern in the second photo below, but use BRG as the base coat and silver for the front.

Here's an example of final product that I didn't even need to color sand once I learned how to float final coats.

Posted by: Cracker Jan 15 2017, 06:38 AM

To my original point...teeners are not for everyone - they are for special people.

Tony

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 11:06 PM)

Posted by: Cracker Jan 15 2017, 06:41 AM

Lucky (you are!) I am not closer to you...I would have my DSR "Ranalized"! I do not have nearly enough patience to prep and paint myself - I know my limits and weaknesses. My hats off to all of you who do it yourselves.

A good old friend of mine painted his car himself - it probably rated out about 6 out of 10 - he knew that but loved the fact he did it on his own. That is worth allot in and of itself.

Tony

QUOTE(Randal @ Jan 15 2017, 01:07 AM)

I'm going to paint the DSR when it's ready. Going to follow the pattern in the second photo below, but use BRG as the base coat and silver for the front

Posted by: TJB/914 Jan 15 2017, 07:08 AM

Ok, my paint is not perfect Here is a magnified photo of a bug that crawled into my new paint job during the last clear coat. Shit happens.

I know it's there, but no one can find it but me.

Tom


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Posted by: Perry Kiehl Jan 15 2017, 07:51 AM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 08:06 PM)

Posted by: Front yard mechanic Jan 15 2017, 08:27 AM

Tractor supply 1gallon of paint ,2 bottles of gloss hardner, 1 gallon of high quality reducer,1 harbor freight respirator,4 roll masking tape, today's newspaper. Total cost! 150.00

Posted by: The Cabinetmaker Jan 15 2017, 09:31 AM

I had my car painted last summer. Cost me 10k with minor rust repair. Is my car worth 20k now? I don't know. I don't care. I wouldn't sell it for 30k. Was it worth 10? Every penny!

Posted by: JoeDees Jan 15 2017, 09:41 AM

I've done the Tractor Supply paint jobs before and there results were directly related to 2 things: prep work and gun quality. Helped one friend paint his old Toyota truck with a HF gun and his half-assed prep job and it was a 20ish footer. My dad and I painted my uncle's CJ5 hunting Jeep, prepped well, used the Binks7 and it turned out a 7 footer. I've also bought the $400ish dollar paint at the paint shop and done a Triumph Spitfire with good prep and the Binks and got a good cruise-in/local show quality from the garage. Then again I don't trophy hunt.

I've priced the paint for my 914 and materials alone were about $1000.

It really all depends on what you want. If an original 6 w/ matching numbers fell into my lap, I'd shell out the cash. If I wanted to win carshows, I'd shell out some cash. In my case the car won't be original/perfect, but I'm putting so much time/effort in that I'm going to prep the shit out of it and buy the good paint and hope for a 1-3 footer. My beat up 1970 VW bus with a high light replacement nose and stuff will someday get a good prep Tractor Supply job.

Posted by: somd914 Jan 15 2017, 09:55 AM

Growing up in the midwest rust belt in the 70's, rust perforation was not uncommon in cars by 3-5 years old. Body work was more affordable then, even factoring in inflation, perhaps it was my low cost location, or perhaps it was the market - large customer base (even I as a high school student working fast food I could afford to have new metal put in my quarter panels), EPA had not declared most of the shop's materials hazardous, shops were numerous, and insurance work wasn't their bread and butter.

A few years back I tried to get surface rust repaired due to a chip on the fender next to a the head light cover. I went to three reputable shops in the area, only one would entertain the thought of performing "rust repair", estimated $1,000 minimum, but ultimately said no. But they all referred me to the one restoration shop we have in the area with a 12+ month backlog. Ultimately I put it on hold for a few months until I found the time to fix it myself - simple repair... Yes, if you look you can see it, but it is a driver's car, not a show car.

Posted by: gandalf_025 Jan 15 2017, 11:01 AM

3 years ago.. Started looking for a shop to paint my car.
Took a year to convince a place I knew that did good work
to take it.
Had to promise never to call or bother him.
No Rush, Take your time thing, use it as filler work.

A year later I got it back.. I had stripped it as far as I wanted.
They sent it out to get soda blasted. prepped and painted it.

8000.00 CASH.. No paperwork.. I'm happy with it...

still apart though...

Posted by: porschetub Jan 15 2017, 12:26 PM

QUOTE(Mikey914 @ Jan 15 2017, 05:12 AM)

Posted by: Rob-O Jan 15 2017, 11:08 PM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 08:06 PM)

Posted by: Phoenix-MN Jan 15 2017, 11:31 PM

Did it all myself, about $2000 or so in paint and supplies and this is single stage.

Posted by: Coondog Jan 15 2017, 11:51 PM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 13 2017, 03:48 PM)

Posted by: Cracker Jan 16 2017, 06:39 AM

Bravo Paul!!!

T

QUOTE(Phoenix-MN @ Jan 16 2017, 12:31 AM)

Did it all myself, about $2000 or so in paint and supplies and this is single stage.

Posted by: Mike Fitton Jan 16 2017, 07:27 AM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 08:06 PM)

Posted by: mepstein Jan 16 2017, 08:36 AM

Budget build is going to stay ugly for now. The hot 3.2 will be our little secret.


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Posted by: mbseto Jan 16 2017, 08:45 AM

I posted a question about estimates about a year ago here, and EVERYONE said paint it yourself. I think I'd pay 5k to have someone else do it in a heartbeat. This is going to be a working car, not a show pony, and mainly I just want the best rust-proofing I can get on it.

Posted by: mepstein Jan 16 2017, 08:59 AM

QUOTE(mbseto @ Jan 16 2017, 09:45 AM)

Posted by: JoeDees Jan 16 2017, 09:07 AM

QUOTE(mbseto @ Jan 16 2017, 09:45 AM)

Posted by: zach914v8 Jan 16 2017, 09:41 AM

Since we are on the topic of DIY vs cost, has anyone considered plasti dipping?


Low cost compared to paint. Can do it yourself. Super easy to fix scratches and easy to get rid of. I priced out a car at the shop last year and it was only like $700 to do.

Posted by: Randal Jan 16 2017, 10:47 AM

Forgot to confirm that the cost of great paint/clear final coat does get pricey. Just doing my flares was like $200. And when I had trouble with a milky clear, I called the supply house and asked for help, their paint technical guy came to my place and showed me what was wrong.

What was wrong - the clear I bought, while expensive, wasn't "great" stuff. The technician gave me a "very expensive" clear and problem solved. Of course I had to sand and color coat again, but it worked. Can't remember exactly what he said about the cost, other than it was crazy expensive.

Long story short, there is a monster difference between materials.

Posted by: JamesM Jan 16 2017, 12:06 PM

One of these cars was painted at Macco for $1000 bucks a few years ago, including both trunks, door jambs and some minor body work.

Its not perfect but when i closed my hood with my wipers still up and chipped the paint i just reminded myself it was only a $1000 paint job. If I spent 10k on it I dont think i would let myself drive it like I do.

Posted by: rhodyguy Jan 16 2017, 12:19 PM

People around here are paying more than 5-6 for a paint job. WAY more! Shockingly so. X2+. With owner take apart and reassemble. Without a bunch of rust repair. Dependent on the shop, I don't even ask the price.

Posted by: stugray Jan 16 2017, 12:51 PM

Or, you could go the route I did.
~$400 in materials, 2 days work, no paint booth or fumes, repairs are simple.
This was my first attempt at vinyl with no experience other than watching some youtube videos:









My plan was to verify that I liked the color before shelling out the $4-6k for real paint.

But now I like the vinyl so much I don't know why I would want paint ever again.


I painted the car with primer in a DIY paint booth, and all the black.
But all of the green was 3m 1080 vinyl.
The $400 in materials left me with enough spare to do the rear trunk (again) and any one body panel.
So I would have had enough to do the front trunk as well if I hadn't opted for the black.

Posted by: Robnxious Jan 16 2017, 02:53 PM

QUOTE(stugray @ Jan 16 2017, 10:51 AM)

Posted by: siverson Jan 16 2017, 03:23 PM

Doesn't the vinyl fade too (like paint) so it's not that simple to just "replace a panel"?

-Steve

Posted by: Brian Mifsud Jan 16 2017, 03:39 PM

QUOTE(TJB/914 @ Jan 14 2017, 10:30 AM)

One day I went to look at the car & he was laying in the trunk sanding up under the rear window. I asked him what he was doing & he said I just want it to be perfect. Painters are strange people

Posted by: mepstein Jan 16 2017, 04:01 PM

QUOTE(stugray @ Jan 16 2017, 01:51 PM)

Posted by: GregAmy Jan 16 2017, 04:19 PM

Vinyl is a reasonable answer; I've used vinyl in key areas of my race cars. However, you still have to do good surface prep, and imperfections (cracks, wrinkles, orange peel, etc) will still show through.

Use a matte finish and it's less obvious.

Posted by: Chris914n6 Jan 17 2017, 03:05 AM

My local Tech school has a paint and body program. I did the Painting class one semester and got to do bondo, all the prep stages, shot paint in a booth, and wet sanded & polished for $150-200. The paint store that supplied us even gave us a discount on our first order.

When the time comes I'll paint my car. It may not turn out perfect but it will be better than it is now

Plastidip is not that durable and the grey I used faded in a year. For short term stuff, like my wheels, I like it.

Vinyl wrap is usually UV coated so it lasts longer. There are tricks to the trade to keep it from peeling up but there are plenty of vids that tell all. I'd be all excited about it but materials cost is close to what good paint does here. If you are a few years out or want to try out a color I say go for it.

Posted by: socal1200r Jan 17 2017, 05:44 AM

QUOTE(rick 918-S @ Jan 14 2017, 11:28 PM)

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 10:06 PM)

Yeah, I'm not going to spend $5K - $6K on a frickin paint job, when I only paid $7K for the car in the first place. If I did spend that kind of money, I'd get pissed off every time I set foot in the car. So it doesn't look like it's going to get a paint job, at least with me being the current owner. I never should've bought this car...

Let's see it!

Posted by: zach914v8 Jan 17 2017, 07:40 AM

I know pictures can make it look better than it is, but it doesnt look too bad. Had you tried rubbing compound? We have some old volvo's at the shop and with a few hours of rubbing compound, and polish we get them looking nearly brand new.

Posted by: mbseto Jan 17 2017, 08:32 AM

QUOTE(JoeDees @ Jan 16 2017, 10:07 AM)

QUOTE(mbseto @ Jan 16 2017, 09:45 AM)

I posted a question about estimates about a year ago here, and EVERYONE said paint it yourself. I think I'd pay 5k to have someone else do it in a heartbeat. This is going to be a working car, not a show pony, and mainly I just want the best rust-proofing I can get on it.

I think the key to rust-proofing is making sure it's all gone before any paint goes on it, and the first layers of primer (typically the epoxy) is put on right. I've always thought of the paint itself being mostly decorative with the primers being your protectors.

Also, Cincy should be a good location for paint quotes considering stuff is typically cheaper than national average there are 3 states to compare (differing environmental costs etc) and some good hillbilly communities in each that may offer some cheaper rates. But I would still at least consider painting yourself, it is extremely satisfying.

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 17 2017, 11:51 AM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 17 2017, 03:44 AM)

QUOTE(rick 918-S @ Jan 14 2017, 11:28 PM)

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 14 2017, 10:06 PM)

Yeah, I'm not going to spend $5K - $6K on a frickin paint job, when I only paid $7K for the car in the first place. If I did spend that kind of money, I'd get pissed off every time I set foot in the car. So it doesn't look like it's going to get a paint job, at least with me being the current owner. I never should've bought this car...

Let's see it!

Here ya go...like I said, it's got a 5-foot paint job right now, but up close, there are cracks all over the paint, on just about every panel...

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 17 2017, 11:52 AM

Duplicate post

Posted by: r3dplanet Jan 17 2017, 10:58 PM

I can sympathize. A couple of years back I went to paint my 914 and all I could find were $10,000 quotes. Except for one douchebag who wanted $50,000. I understand that it's a huge amount of labor to prep/paint a car and therefore expensive. But I didn't have $10,000.

Well, I did, but wasn't willing to spend that on something as minor as changing the color of my car from wrong orange to correct orange.

I asked around and finally met a retired guy that used to run the auto restoration program at a community college. He worked out of his own home shop and worked on one car at a time. We struck a deal where I would do half of the labor for a few hours every day and more on weekends. In return, I got half off the price. I think mostly because he wanted to work on something else. I ended up paying $4k, he ended up buying his own 914. That's probably the best deal I'll ever get, and the work he did was amazing thanks partially to having open access to the college paint shop / booth. Now it's correct orange.

Enter my Barracuda. It needs paint and bad, but thankfully it hasn't rusted. Like you I've also been running around town getting quotes and just can't justify spending $10,000 on a $5000 car that maybe I could sell for $7000.

We need a new plan.

Plan A: I found a guy in Seattle that does dry ice blasting and if you remove the glass and trim yourself, the car can be stripped without leaving any media behind and won't deform the sheet metal. Cost is about $500 and takes two to three hours. If you do this, you have to get it into primer right away. I figured by doing that and buying some good materials and finding someone to do a good job of shooting it can save a lot of money and have good results.

Plan B: Enroll part time at another local community college and spend a year doing their auto-resto program. You can do your own car and here the tuition is about $2000 overall. Yes, it takes a year (but so does getting a car painted by a shop) but you can pay as you go for materials and what-not. That lessens the blow. The main problem for me is that I hate sanding. I'd rather pop out my eyeballs than do that much sanding.

Just a couple of alternate plan ideas. Food for thinks.

Posted by: lonewolfe Jan 18 2017, 08:57 AM

QUOTE(stugray @ Jan 16 2017, 10:51 AM)

Or, you could go the route I did.
~$400 in materials, 2 days work, no paint booth or fumes, repairs are simple.
This was my first attempt at vinyl with no experience other than watching some youtube videos:









My plan was to verify that I liked the color before shelling out the $4-6k for real paint
But now I like the vinyl so much I don't know why I would want paint ever again.


I painted the car with primer in a DIY paint booth, and all the black.
But all of the green was 3m 1080 vinyl.
The $400 in materials left me with enough spare to do the rear trunk (again) and any one body panel.
So I would have had enough to do the front trunk as well if I hadn't opted for the black.

Posted by: euro911 Jan 19 2017, 06:54 AM

My black car ('BB') looks fine from 20 feet away. The dings, dents and scratches all add to the character. Driving it (when it runs ... ) is what counts in my book. Actually, it runs great, just need to fix the clutch cable issue




That being said, I have a friend who's a professional body & paint guy. He's agreed to tackling the minor bodywork and repainting the '71 (no trunks, engine bay or door jambs) the original L80E color for only $1,500. I'm currently striping all the trim bits and will be dropping it off at his place when the rainy season is over



My wife and I enrolled in an auto/body course at a local occupational center (years ago), where we learned a lot about the subject. We were able to do some minor body work on two of our vehicles ('80 Chevy LUV and a '76 BMW 530i), then had a friend who was currently working at a 1-day paint shop paint both of them. He added some extra hardener in the paint and they both came out looking great. We sold the LUV 10 years later, and it still looked great ... sold the BMW 20 years later and it still looked OK, but starting to show it's age. Wax does wonders

Posted by: Darren C Jan 19 2017, 07:25 AM

QUOTE(socal1200r @ Jan 15 2017, 04:06 AM)

Posted by: Cracker Jan 19 2017, 07:37 AM

I was straight forward but I like how you said it much better! LOL.

Tony

QUOTE(Darren C @ Jan 19 2017, 08:25 AM)

Posted by: 914dave Jan 19 2017, 05:30 PM

Had to chime in since I just finished painting my car. If I'm honest , I spent close to $5k just doing it myself. That is including all the tools (except the compressor) and supplies that I used. At home in my garage over a 3+ year period. I won't count all the rust repair work but will count installing the flares. I had 2 quotes. Both had the car being delivered to them on a rotisserie totally stripped including wiring removed. both quotes were for full paint trunks, engine bay , underside of decks and bottom. Neither quote included the price of paint which I already had. First quote $12k for narrow body. Second was to install flares and full paint $19500. Since I didn't have the $$ and wanted it nice, I went ahead myself.
So here's a bit of a breakdown to give you an idea. I used all PPG paint products, Deltron clear, Shop line color (custom mix) dp90 expoxy primer and PPg satin clear on the bumpers. rockers and roof. 3M sand paper. I also used a 20% discount at our local supplier because of my school affiliation.
I believe in buying good tool and product. My inexperience was enough of a handicap. I didn't need cheap tools or product messing me up. So here goes

1) $2200 for 4) 60 hour semesters of body shop classes. Got to do everything first with supervision before I tried it at home
2) $1400 for color, clear and special clear for bumpers. Keep in mind the bumper were painted three times before they were good. The outer shell twice and the front deck three times. After I had stripped it down to primer
3) $500 paint guns . Devilbiss starter kit primer/finish $189 and a divilbiss GTI finish gun for $320
4) $300 for paint booth
5) $400/500 for sandpaper, solvents, sanding blocks, tape, masking paper and plastic.

I couldn't have afforded the quality of job that I have. There are minor flaws because I'm a rookie. Nothing glaring. Friends who've had cars done in the last few years have either paid dearly or been disappointed with the results. I can always repair or redo if the need arises. That being said, I probably won't do another one.

Posted by: tygaboy Jan 19 2017, 05:47 PM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 03:30 PM)

Had to chime in since I just finished painting my car...

Posted by: Randal Jan 19 2017, 05:49 PM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 03:30 PM)

Had to chime in since I just finished painting my car. If I'm honest , I spent close to $5k just doing it myself. That is including all the tools (except the compressor) and supplies that I used. At home in my garage over a 3+ year period. I won't count all the rust repair work but will count installing the flares. I had 2 quotes. Both had the car being delivered to them on a rotisserie totally stripped including wiring removed. both quotes were for full paint trunks, engine bay , underside of decks and bottom. Neither quote included the price of paint which I already had. First quote $12k for narrow body. Second was to install flares and full paint $19500. Since I didn't have the $$ and wanted it nice, I went ahead myself.
So here's a bit of a breakdown to give you an idea. I used all PPG paint products, Deltron clear, Shop line color (custom mix) dp90 expoxy primer and PPg satin clear on the bumpers. rockers and roof. 3M sand paper. I also used a 20% discount at our local supplier because of my school affiliation.
I believe in buying good tool and product. My inexperience was enough of a handicap. I didn't need cheap tools or product messing me up. So here goes

1) $2200 for 4) 60 hour semesters of body shop classes. Got to do everything first with supervision before I tried it at home
2) $1400 for color, clear and special clear for bumpers. Keep in mind the bumper were painted three times before they were good. The outer shell twice and the front deck three times. After I had stripped it down to primer
3) $500 paint guns . Devilbiss starter kit primer/finish $189 and a divilbiss GTI finish gun for $320
4) $300 for paint booth
5) $400/500 for sandpaper, solvents, sanding blocks, tape, masking paper and plastic.

I couldn't have afforded the quality of job that I have. There are minor flaws because I'm a rookie. Nothing glaring. Friends who've had cars done in the last few years have either paid dearly or been disappointed with the results. I can always repair or redo if the need arises. That being said, I probably won't do another one.

Posted by: Cracker Jan 19 2017, 05:55 PM

I applaud your effort Dave! Bravo!

Tony

Posted by: 914dave Jan 19 2017, 06:37 PM

Thanks guys!

Posted by: lonewolfe Jan 19 2017, 07:02 PM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 04:37 PM)

Posted by: mepstein Jan 19 2017, 07:04 PM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 06:30 PM)

Posted by: altitude411 Jan 19 2017, 07:28 PM

^^^ get in line Nice work, great color

Posted by: saigon71 Jan 19 2017, 07:42 PM

Your car looks fantastic Dave!

Posted by: saigon71 Jan 19 2017, 07:53 PM

To address the original post.

I was looking for a nice driver quality paint job and was fine with single stage paint.

I handled all the prep work and shot the primer. Things went bad when I tried shooting the color myself. I stopped in at a local restoration shop and talked to the owner. We sanded the botched color coat down to primer, I bought more paint and he shot the color coat in his booth.

All in, including paint X 2, primer and paying the guy to shoot color...I'm at about $950 and quite pleased with the results. The paint job is holding up well after 3 1/2 years of driving.

I see you are in Virginia. If interested, PM me for the contact info on the guy who painted my car. It may be worth a trip north.

Posted by: forrestkhaag Jan 19 2017, 08:12 PM

Hey Eddy: You have seen my clunker paint job. I agree with your assessment.

but. On a budget and living on a fixed income in a tiny one bedroom house built in 1935 on a dirt road (PCH) I can tell you that you can beat the 4 dige numbers but you have to be prepared to live with persnickety examinations at your local Cars and Coffee etc.

I built my booth in my carport with 8 dollars worth of HFT plastic and a few 2x4's to secure the booth from blowing away in the afternoon gusts....

I then purchased a disposable top load gun, a gallon of acetone, mixing cups and a few 914-event tee's cut into 6" squares. In my case, I took off the doors and the lids. Then prepped the jambs and other hidden things.

Prep is everything in any half decent paint job.

If you have a good rust free car, take it to bare metal with twenty dollars worth of sanding disks (or in my case bead blast) then have the door dings and others rolled out w/o any filler or mud. If rust issue show up fix them while it is easy.

Spend good money on a good two part epoxy primer.

After that I mixed and applied epoxy primer then sprayed a float coat to find the little imperfections here and there.

Sand to level and get ready for the pucker phase.

Do not have a beer or joint here.

This is the phase of beating-the-5k-norm-cost is beat.

I mixed up two stage paint in several batches. Have many plastic cups from the paint store ready to mix properly and efficiently.

On trunk and hood, spray flat on sawhorses. If your lovely earning Wife is away from the home, use the living room or study for curing of parts in the primer stage... and the paint stage after.

On the car prep, cheesecloth all dust away and make sure now wind storms are imminent. In my case, they showed up.

Anyway.

So clean guns and mixing pots / spray and set the part aside for the next panel. Then on to clear coat. Same thing. Clean gun and mixing cups and mix ratio is everything in success.

Once all is together, assemble everything and call in the critics.. They are everywhere.

In my case, my lovely Wife wanted a red 914 / .......verses gold..... It is red... and I saved 6K to invest in the 6 build and future paint job... . The 914 shows up at our drives with a half decent paint job and 5K in the wallet for another day.. The engine bay and body are banked on not spending money on eyeliner before the beauty pageant.

I am focused on mechanical workings of the 6 conversion. Excellent Paint can wait my rattle can will do for now and base primer is good to go with any system.








Attached thumbnail(s)


Attached image(s)

Posted by: forrestkhaag Jan 19 2017, 08:14 PM

Also check the weather.................

Posted by: forrestkhaag Jan 19 2017, 08:15 PM

And the total budget was under 4 bills... not 4K.........

elbow grease is king

Posted by: Rob-O Jan 19 2017, 09:24 PM

QUOTE(forrestkhaag @ Jan 19 2017, 06:15 PM)

And the total budget was under 4 bills... not 4K.........

elbow grease is king

Posted by: My 914 Jan 19 2017, 09:34 PM

Painting is fussy work and certainly not for everyone. A little dust in the air can ruin hours of hard work. Price is relative and has a lot to do not only with the total cost of the car, but also with how important color and finish quality are to the owner. After all, its the first thing everyone sees.

Posted by: Localboy808 Jan 19 2017, 11:12 PM

Have you thought about painting it yourself? I did the body work and paint on this Nova in my garage. It was my first paint job. Watched a lot of videos on YouTube first. Spent under 600.00 for the paint and primer. I went for it because I don't have 6 grand laying around for a paint job. It can be done!

Posted by: lonewolfe Jan 19 2017, 11:57 PM

QUOTE(forrestkhaag @ Jan 19 2017, 06:15 PM)

And the total budget was under 4 bills... not 4K.........

elbow grease is king

Posted by: 914dave Jan 20 2017, 06:29 AM

QUOTE(lonewolfe @ Jan 19 2017, 08:02 PM)

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 04:37 PM)

Thanks guys!

Great job and a beautiful car. Was the $300 for a paint booth rental or to build your own temporary paint booth?

Posted by: 914dave Jan 20 2017, 06:59 AM

I was penciling myself in for this summer
[/quote]

I didn't know you guys were lining up! hehehe Dion thinks I'm shooting his quarter and trunk when the bodywork is done. Won't he be suprised when I hand him the paint gun. PS Don't tell him.

Like the old saying goes " Speed costs, how fast do you want to spend" That includes time or elbow grease as it was stated here. Amateur painters like us have a higher chance of success if we use quality products and tools. Even pros chase their tails sometimes. They just have more experience to solve their problems. As long as your outcome expectations match your effort, you should be fine. If you don't want the mess( and there is mess involved!) and tools that you'll never use again, do what you can and hire it out.

We are all at different places in life that allows different resources and time. We all love our cars and want to have fun with them. Sometimes we can barely afford to put gas in them and other times we have lots of $$$ and time to invest. I say do what you can to enjoy the hobby. I really admire some of the posts I see here. Guys and gals who do so much with very little. There will always be people who haven't done anything willing to tell you how your project has flaws. Forget them!! There are plenty of people who are just here to enjoy there cars. I know there are plenty here in the northeast. So get out those paint guns. All you need is nerve and beer, plenty of beer!

Posted by: 87m491 Jan 20 2017, 07:14 AM

Very cool/unique color, also very cool wheels. Nice!

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 03:30 PM)

Posted by: jd74914 Jan 20 2017, 09:51 AM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 06:30 PM)

Posted by: saigon71 Jan 20 2017, 10:58 AM

QUOTE(forrestkhaag @ Jan 19 2017, 09:15 PM)

And the total budget was under 4 bills... not 4K.........

elbow grease is king

Posted by: 914dave Jan 20 2017, 11:15 AM

QUOTE(jd74914 @ Jan 20 2017, 10:51 AM)

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 06:30 PM)

Dave-Have to chime in here...I think you might have my favorite flared car ever and it's not even assembled! The color is just awesome and the gold Campagnolo wheels match so perfectly! Really incredible!

Thanks everyone for the tips! I painted my gar in the garage too with a makeshift booth but the quality really isn't near some of the DIY jobs here. I agree with Dave on materials; I went with all PPG stuff (the mid-high grade) because I didn't want any more handicaps than experience. In the end the whole job ran ~$1200-1400k in materials and guns (I used the same Devilbliss that Dave did actually and had to repaint the whole car twice). It wasn't perfect then, but was pretty good and I was happy to drive it for a number of years. Hopefully round 2 will come out better.

Posted by: Robnxious Jan 20 2017, 11:33 AM

Dave, Forrest and Saigon, VERY nice jobs on your cars. I get what everyone is saying on the cost of painting a car, especially here in CA. I just bought my 74 1.8 in November, and wanted to have it looking nice for driving in spring and summer, so I looked at someone else to do the paint and interior.

The first quote got on paint was starting at 10K (this was without seeing the car). I thought that was obscene and called a few more places and found out that probably was a damn good deal. I even tried taking it to Maaco, but since everything matches on this car, I wanted it shot with the L96B Alaska Blue, and was told they couldn't find the code, but they matched it pretty good, which is not what I wanted. On a side note, the guy at Maaco told me to bring my wife with me to look at the color match so she could decide, which killed the deal right there. I am going to do some of the body work I need to do to paint it, and then wrap it right now, since it's new and I want to drive it, not have it torn apart and spending a ton for a paint job.

I think I am going to end up doing the paint myself, but am going to wait until this fall or next to do it. Thanks for the inspiration guys!

Posted by: forrestkhaag Jan 20 2017, 11:39 AM

Thanks to all who commented positive.

I knew, after driving my 993 and my 914 on the same day, that a 6 was going to be the only way for me to keep the 914.

The self inflicted paint job saved me all the money needed to disassemble and rebuild my 3.0SC motor including Webers, webcam work, and all - including the core. So, for me, it is worth a daily application of the 30-30 rule for paint jobs.

At 30 MPH from 30 feet out, it looks OK.


Attached image(s)

Posted by: ntmatter Jan 20 2017, 01:36 PM

I did exactly this on mine. I had motor out, all glass off, all trim and rubber off, bumpers off, interior out - basically a rolling shell. Every latch, switch, etc that I could remove was removed - the three lids were held down with bungee cords, as were the doors.

Maaco charged about $2000 to prep, prime, and paint, in 2014 Porsche Orange. This was for a good single stage paint job, with some body finishing and full prep. The job was very solid - one small dust mark and one sag, both easily buffed out. There were some runs on the vertical engine firewall, but these are all covered by the firewall padding - everything exterior looks very good. They sprayed the wheel wells in black truck bed paint, and for a driver car I'm very happy. There was a bit of overspray to correct but really nothing to bad.

The key is in the prep - I was doing a full rust cut-out-and-restore so it was a fairly minor increment in work to pull off the other stuff to be ready for paint. I'd say this was maybe an extra 2 afternoons worth of work, not counting the body work that I had to do to cut out and repair rust in the targa b-pillars.

At the end of the day, most of our restorations are for driver cars - a fully restored 914-6 is going to be worth a $10K paint job (or more), but for many of these the money can be better spent elsewhere. Also, I learned there are "good" Maaco places and bad ones - ask around to get recommendations. For a similar restoration I'd easily do it again.

QUOTE(BuddyV @ Jan 13 2017, 05:38 PM)

Posted by: Andyrew Jan 20 2017, 01:48 PM

If you want a how to on diy paint jobs see my thread on painting Peters car. It goes through what suprized you can find and how to work through them.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=133838



Also for more custom stuff you can see the first part of my build thread as its mostly me painting my car.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=114780

Both paint jobs were done in my garage.

Posted by: JP3 Jan 20 2017, 04:15 PM

I had mine wrapped because I plan on taking the body kit off at some point and going with gt flares. When I do that all I have to do is have the new parts wrapped. To do the whole car was 1500.00 and had it back in three days.

Posted by: mepstein Jan 20 2017, 04:51 PM

QUOTE(JP3 @ Jan 20 2017, 05:15 PM)

I had mine wrapped because I plan on taking the body kit off at some point and going with gt flares. When I do that all I have to do is have the new parts wrapped. To do the whole car was 1500.00 and had it back in three days.

Posted by: flat4guy Jan 20 2017, 07:27 PM

More and more of my friends are going the wrap route - looks great, much cheaper and you keep your original color underneath. To buy the material and do it yourself runs around 750, to take the car in and have it done is 2000 - 3000 around here. The blue 914 looks nice.

Posted by: Robnxious Jan 20 2017, 09:35 PM

QUOTE(JP3 @ Jan 20 2017, 02:15 PM)

Posted by: Mitox Jan 20 2017, 09:40 PM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 06:30 PM)

Had to chime in since I just finished painting my car. If I'm honest , I spent close to $5k just doing it myself. That is including all the tools (except the compressor) and supplies that I used. At home in my garage over a 3+ year period. I won't count all the rust repair work but will count installing the flares. I had 2 quotes. Both had the car being delivered to them on a rotisserie totally stripped including wiring removed. both quotes were for full paint trunks, engine bay , underside of decks and bottom. Neither quote included the price of paint which I already had. First quote $12k for narrow body. Second was to install flares and full paint $19500. Since I didn't have the $$ and wanted it nice, I went ahead myself.
So here's a bit of a breakdown to give you an idea. I used all PPG paint products, Deltron clear, Shop line color (custom mix) dp90 expoxy primer and PPg satin clear on the bumpers. rockers and roof. 3M sand paper. I also used a 20% discount at our local supplier because of my school affiliation.
I believe in buying good tool and product. My inexperience was enough of a handicap. I didn't need cheap tools or product messing me up. So here goes

1) $2200 for 4) 60 hour semesters of body shop classes. Got to do everything first with supervision before I tried it at home
2) $1400 for color, clear and special clear for bumpers. Keep in mind the bumper were painted three times before they were good. The outer shell twice and the front deck three times. After I had stripped it down to primer
3) $500 paint guns . Devilbiss starter kit primer/finish $189 and a divilbiss GTI finish gun for $320
4) $300 for paint booth
5) $400/500 for sandpaper, solvents, sanding blocks, tape, masking paper and plastic.

I couldn't have afforded the quality of job that I have. There are minor flaws because I'm a rookie. Nothing glaring. Friends who've had cars done in the last few years have either paid dearly or been disappointed with the results. I can always repair or redo if the need arises. That being said, I probably won't do another one.

Posted by: JP3 Jan 20 2017, 11:04 PM

[quote name='Robnxious' date='Jan 20 2017, 09:35 PM' post='2446273']
[quote name='JP3' post='2446116' date='Jan 20 2017, 02:15 PM']
I had mine wrapped because I plan on taking the body kit off at some point and going with gt flares. When I do that all I have to do is have the new parts wrapped. To do the whole car was 1500.00 and had it back in three days.[/quote]

Wow, that looks fantastic! I am pretty much sold now on wrapping it and holding off on paint for a year or so.

Is that a matte finish on it?
[/quote


Thanks. It is a matte finish and the black stripe is a satin finish. I like the fact that I can change colors a few times before coming close to a cheap paint job.

Posted by: stugray Jan 20 2017, 11:32 PM

QUOTE(Robnxious @ Jan 16 2017, 01:53 PM)

QUOTE(stugray @ Jan 16 2017, 10:51 AM)

Or, you could go the route I did.
~$400 in materials, 2 days work, no paint booth or fumes, repairs are simple.
This was my first attempt at vinyl with no experience other than watching some youtube videos:


My plan was to verify that I liked the color before shelling out the $4-6k for real paint.

But now I like the vinyl so much I don't know why I would want paint ever again.


I painted the car with primer in a DIY paint booth, and all the black.
But all of the green was 3m 1080 vinyl.
The $400 in materials left me with enough spare to do the rear trunk (again) and any one body panel.
So I would have had enough to do the front trunk as well if I hadn't opted for the black.

I think this may be the route I go, at least until I decide to finally break down and paint it. My question is, how much did you buy? (40 ft? 50 ft? 60 ft?). I plan on buying a bit more than needed, just so I can "re-do" parts as I learn.

Thanks in advance

Posted by: mepstein Jan 21 2017, 05:38 AM

Fellers.com is a huge company for vinyl. You have to create an account to get pricing but they have selection.

Posted by: zach914v8 Jan 21 2017, 08:15 AM

QUOTE(JP3 @ Jan 20 2017, 04:15 PM)

I had mine wrapped because I plan on taking the body kit off at some point and going with gt flares. When I do that all I have to do is have the new parts wrapped. To do the whole car was 1500.00 and had it back in three days.

Posted by: My 914 Jan 21 2017, 08:27 AM

I like the wrap as well. How durable is it? How easy is it to remove once on the car?

Posted by: JP3 Jan 21 2017, 09:32 AM

QUOTE(My 914 @ Jan 21 2017, 08:27 AM)

Posted by: JP3 Jan 21 2017, 09:54 AM

Close up view of the back. You can see small wrinkles around the lights.

Posted by: euro911 Jan 21 2017, 09:47 PM

Today, a friend showed me the Dodge Ram P/U that he had shot with Plasti-Dip back in November. His is matte-black, but he said they company has a bunch of colors they can spray ... and it cost him $800.

He also said that it will peel off when needed and doesn't damage the paint underneath, although he said they sprayed something else on the original paint before applying the Plasti-Dip.

It looked pretty good for a matte-finish.

I'm going to call the company to see what they charge to do a small car (914) ...

Posted by: flat4guy Jan 21 2017, 10:57 PM

Painted the trim on my son's car in Plasti Dip, love it. A friend did his polished HRE wheels, peeled it off a year later and they look brand new still. Great product.

Posted by: My 914 Jan 22 2017, 08:54 AM

A lot of the cars I've seen with vinyl wrap have a matte finish. Has anyone done a car with a gloss finish. Wondering how the look compares to paint. Also wondering if small creases in corners as mentioned in other posts would show up more with gloss.

Posted by: Robnxious Jan 22 2017, 10:11 AM

[/quote]

Wow, that looks fantastic! I am pretty much sold now on wrapping it and holding off on paint for a year or so.

Is that a matte finish on it?
[/quote


Thanks. It is a matte finish and the black stripe is a satin finish. I like the fact that I can change colors a few times before coming close to a cheap paint job.
[/quote]

Looks really nice, I am going to go with a darker blue matte, since the car is originally Alaska Blue and I want to see what it will look like finished with the first wrap I do. And I agree, at the price of wrap vinyl, it allows you to change paint colors on a whim!

Posted by: Robnxious Jan 22 2017, 10:14 AM

[/quote]

I used less than 40 linear feet of 3M 1080 Matte Apple Green.

I found it at:
http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-1080-M196-Matte-Apple-Green-Vinyl-Wrap-p/matte1080m196.htm

40 linear feet for $360

I have enough left to do the front hood maybe twice
[/quote]

That's good to know, since I was looking at 45 feet, hoping it would give me enough extra to "learn" on a few panels, and redo them with fresh vinyl. Went and rechecked my numbers, and I factored in a TON of extra material for each panel.

Thanks a ton!

Posted by: Robnxious Jan 22 2017, 10:17 AM

QUOTE(My 914 @ Jan 22 2017, 06:54 AM)

Posted by: socal1200r Jan 23 2017, 06:38 AM

Hmmm...vinyl wrap might be a good option...I had a silver 2014 Yamaha Bolt that I got wrapped in carbon fiber vinyl (front fender, gas tank, rear fender), and it turned out great. I'm thinking with the CF pattern, it would probably hide any body flaws even better than a matte finish?

Posted by: mepstein Jan 23 2017, 07:19 AM

QUOTE(914dave @ Jan 19 2017, 06:30 PM)

Had to chime in since I just finished painting my car. If I'm honest , I spent close to $5k just doing it myself. That is including all the tools (except the compressor) and supplies that I used. At home in my garage over a 3+ year period. I won't count all the rust repair work but will count installing the flares. I had 2 quotes. Both had the car being delivered to them on a rotisserie totally stripped including wiring removed. both quotes were for full paint trunks, engine bay , underside of decks and bottom. Neither quote included the price of paint which I already had. First quote $12k for narrow body. Second was to install flares and full paint $19500. Since I didn't have the $$ and wanted it nice, I went ahead myself.
So here's a bit of a breakdown to give you an idea. I used all PPG paint products, Deltron clear, Shop line color (custom mix) dp90 expoxy primer and PPg satin clear on the bumpers. rockers and roof. 3M sand paper. I also used a 20% discount at our local supplier because of my school affiliation.
I believe in buying good tool and product. My inexperience was enough of a handicap. I didn't need cheap tools or product messing me up. So here goes

1) $2200 for 4) 60 hour semesters of body shop classes. Got to do everything first with supervision before I tried it at home
2) $1400 for color, clear and special clear for bumpers. Keep in mind the bumper were painted three times before they were good. The outer shell twice and the front deck three times. After I had stripped it down to primer
3) $500 paint guns . Devilbiss starter kit primer/finish $189 and a divilbiss GTI finish gun for $320
4) $300 for paint booth
5) $400/500 for sandpaper, solvents, sanding blocks, tape, masking paper and plastic.

I couldn't have afforded the quality of job that I have. There are minor flaws because I'm a rookie. Nothing glaring. Friends who've had cars done in the last few years have either paid dearly or been disappointed with the results. I can always repair or redo if the need arises. That being said, I probably won't do another one.

Posted by: 914dave Jan 23 2017, 07:38 AM

Dave - looking at your car & your engine, I think people are going to ask you if Singer built it. It has that look - and I mean that in a good way!
[/quote]
Thanks Mark. It would be hard to take a comparison to a Singer car as an insult.

Posted by: stugray Jan 23 2017, 08:11 AM

QUOTE(Robnxious @ Jan 22 2017, 09:14 AM)

QUOTE(stugray @ Jan 20 2017, 10:32 PM)

I used less than 40 linear feet of 3M 1080 Matte Apple Green.

I found it at:
http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-1080-M196-Matte-Apple-Green-Vinyl-Wrap-p/matte1080m196.htm

40 linear feet for $360

I have enough left to do the front hood maybe twice

That's good to know, since I was looking at 45 feet, hoping it would give me enough extra to "learn" on a few panels, and redo them with fresh vinyl. Went and rechecked my numbers, and I factored in a TON of extra material for each panel.

Thanks a ton!

Posted by: JoeDees Jan 23 2017, 11:14 AM

I've been reading up on it and Plasti-dip sounds like a great idea for temporary color and trim.

Posted by: charliew Jan 23 2017, 11:43 AM

I put a 5x7 foot roof on my kubota rtv made from 3/16 aluminum with some bends at the front for a visor and a 1 inch lip in the front and rear. I put a camo pattern vinyl on the bottom side to see how hard it is to work with. The sheets were 4x5 so I had to have a seam in the middle. My left hand doesn't have any grip. It was a little hard getting it square but it turned out good except for the inside bends. It was laying flat upside down so the soapy spray tried to puddle in the bends. It was hard to work the bubbles out. vertical would be the way to go.

I have painted for about 50 years. I found that laying anything flat for painting is always going to cause problems if there is any dust in the air. Two part paints attract dust like plastic attracts dust. Sure it levels out easier but sanding or digging the bugs or dust out is no fun and wastes paint. If you are painting without a real good booth and climate control you can figgure there will be about a 30% waste on the paint to correct problems. also of course there will be that much time extra at least. reds will be the most expensive of the non metallic colors.

Painting can be done good if you have patience and don't expect to have perfect results at first. I have never seen a perfect overall paint job, but there are some that are good enough to be called perfect.

that motorcycle looks great in the pictures.

Posted by: AZBanks Jan 23 2017, 01:47 PM

I've used plastidip a few times and will not use it again. Unless you put it on really thick, it does not want to come off. It sticks better to the surface you put it on than it does to itself. It tears off in tiny pieces and sometimes wont even do that. You have to rub it off with your thumb or a big eraser.

Posted by: pmead Feb 23 2017, 08:47 PM

I hate to revive an old post but I recently purchased the Saturn Yellow car from socall1200r (he started this thread) and wanted to provide some closure about the fate of this car. After buying the car I accidentally started to find post about his displeasure with this car. The PO did not like the way the car performed. I found that the dizzy was not working correctly and the timing was way off. After a little cleaning, dwell adjust and proper timing, the car runs excellent. The paint is single stage enamel that looks like it was not compatible with the primer or piled on too thick and cracked. I will strip it and start from scratch finishing with a nice urethane base/clear coat in the factory color. I don't expect to many surprises as the rest of the car is in excellent shape with no rust, and has a perfect interior. Classic car ownership requires a passion that can see beyond small issues. In fact, it is these "issues" that make it such a great hobby. I am glad the PO was not happy with the car. It gave me the opportunity to get a rust free fairly original car, and return it to its former glory. I am enjoying the car as-is for now, but after I finish the metal work on a 55 Plymouth 2dr wagon (major issues ) I will get the 914 in the shop and begin work! Paint and body work is all about patience and dedication. Its not for everyone but it is nothing to fear. Even the best paint guys screw up. That's why they make sand paper

Posted by: BeatNavy Feb 24 2017, 06:45 AM

Sounds like the car ended up where it would be better cared for and appreciated for what it is. Thanks for the update

Posted by: mepstein Feb 24 2017, 03:59 PM

Another 914 in Delaware.

Posted by: KELTY360 Feb 24 2017, 05:14 PM

Glad to hear the car ended up in the hands of someone who likes the car instead of someone with excessive expectations and no interest sorting it out.

Love to see some pics of that Plymouth. '55 was a very good year for them and a 2dr wagon is rare and interesting; nice little fins and a great grille. Is it a V8 car?

Posted by: Dave_Darling Feb 24 2017, 05:36 PM

Lewes? I'll have to ask my aunt if she ever sees a yellow 914 running around there.

--DD

Posted by: pmead Feb 25 2017, 07:56 AM

The 55 Plymouth is pretty unique. Its a 1 owner car with original title. It was stored in a semi trailer in the woods for over 20 years. Mice did a number on the front seat and rust has won the battle of the floor boards and rockers but it is all there and I had it running good after an afternoon of cleaning mice debris from carb/intake/exhaust etc.... It has the flat 6 with 3 on the column. I am resisting the temptation of putting a early Hemi in it (got one on a pallet) I have collected numerous period correct flathead speed parts Fenton, Edmunds, etc... and will be doing a "retro hotrod restoration" to keep the vintage look.

Posted by: My 914 Feb 25 2017, 08:06 AM

I don't know.... the idea of a hemi in that car sounds pretty tempting

Posted by: Robnxious Mar 3 2017, 07:24 PM

[/quote]

That's good to know, since I was looking at 45 feet, hoping it would give me enough extra to "learn" on a few panels, and redo them with fresh vinyl. Went and rechecked my numbers, and I factored in a TON of extra material for each panel.

Thanks a ton!
[/quote]

If you use the 3m 1080 material it is VERY forgiving. Watch some youtube videos. You can lay it down, squeegee it out, and if it is wrong, you can peel it off and try again.
I got a whole door panel about 1/4" off, peeled it off and tried again, and it was good as a first try. You almost cannot damage the film.
[/quote]

You know there are times where "getting a good deal isn't really one". I ended up winning an auction for some really nice Vvivid vinyl online for a great price, complete with tools. VERY unforgiving, and basically ended up scrapping the entire car when I was almost done, and am just writing off that money, and paying someone to professionally do it with a doing the jams and such. Should have just bought the damn 3m product and paid a bit more.

One thing I DID notice, and this is for anyone else who is thinking of doing it. You HAVE to make sure all chips and scratches are cleaned up. I thought the vinyl wouldn't show things as clearly as it did. The dents and scratches were even MORE noticeable with the wrap over them. I ended up feathering in filler and sanding with a fine grit paper after I took everything off.

Posted by: Outdoor_funguy Mar 9 2017, 05:34 AM

QUOTE(matthepcat @ Jan 14 2017, 08:20 AM)

My guess is $2500-3k. Wrap installs are time consuming and they only last like 5 or so years depending on exposure to elements.

QUOTE(cary @ Jan 14 2017, 07:59 AM)

QUOTE(Shadowfax @ Jan 14 2017, 07:01 AM)

What about a vinyl wrap?

I'm going to get a quote at PDX Wraps down the street in Sherwood. I don't have time to work on my own car. But I'd like it to look as nice as it drives. So I'm hoping to fix 3 or 4 rust issues, prime the repairs and have it wrapped before WCR 2017.
That should make me happy and get me by for a few years.

I'll report back I get an estimate.

Posted by: Robnxious Mar 13 2017, 09:04 PM

Hey gang, when I first heard someone on here say how about a vinyl wrap, it was like "no freaking way". After finding out what it costs to do a top end paint job here in CA, I decided that I would rather put that money into a new motor and exhaust right now, and to get it wrapped. I tried doing it myself, but was a moron and bought inferior vinyl, which was hard to work with. After taking it all off, I decided to have a local company bid to do it, and they did the entire car (stripping it down like a paint job, and doing the door jambs too) for 1800. I am VERY happy with the way it came out.

Before



After

Posted by: euro911 Mar 13 2017, 11:16 PM

Dang, that turned out nice

I'll have to see what some local So. Cal places charge.

Did they have a ton of colors to choose from?

Posted by: mepstein Mar 14 2017, 06:36 AM

QUOTE(euro911 @ Mar 14 2017, 01:16 AM)

Dang, that turned out nice

I'll have to see what some local So. Cal places charge.

Did they have a ton of colors to choose from?

Posted by: Robnxious Mar 14 2017, 07:10 AM

QUOTE(euro911 @ Mar 13 2017, 10:16 PM)

Dang, that turned out nice

I'll have to see what some local So. Cal places charge.

Did they have a ton of colors to choose from?

Posted by: iwanta914-6 Mar 14 2017, 07:21 AM

Thats a wrap? Amazing!

Posted by: ThreeV8s Mar 14 2017, 08:46 AM

QUOTE(saigon71 @ Jan 19 2017, 09:53 PM)

To address the original post.

I was looking for a nice driver quality paint job and was fine with single stage paint.

I handled all the prep work and shot the primer. Things went bad when I tried shooting the color myself. I stopped in at a local restoration shop and talked to the owner. We sanded the botched color coat down to primer, I bought more paint and he shot the color coat in his booth.

All in, including paint X 2, primer and paying the guy to shoot color...I'm at about $950 and quite pleased with the results. The paint job is holding up well after 3 1/2 years of driving.

I see you are in Virginia. If interested, PM me for the contact info on the guy who painted my car. It may be worth a trip north.

Posted by: Shadowfax Mar 14 2017, 09:07 AM

QUOTE(euro911 @ Mar 13 2017, 11:16 PM)

Dang, that turned out nice

Posted by: Minerva's 914 Mar 15 2017, 07:34 PM

I've had many restorations, most of which I painted myself and as such I know what it takes to get a good job. It's a ton of work! I figured if I valued my labor at about $4.75 / hour then I probably broke even on paying someone like Dee Lashley (who painted Minerva's 914) to do it for me. The materials are expensive, and the prep work is HARD and takes forever. Plus if you cut a corner or rush thru the prep work, more than likely if you care about the outcome, you do it all again.

Here's an example of on of my backyard projects



A 30' Shipman, a 1972 Swedish sailboat. That's me, my daughter Brittany and Sunny. The boat was named Pepper and took 3 1/2 years to complete. Yeh, I built a spray booth around it AFTER I sprayed the top deck section white just as a breeze blew pine needles in about $1,000 worth of paint. Another 3 weeks to sand all that expensive paint smooth and then build the booth, and apply another $1,000 worth of white paint, followed by $1,200 of bright red on the hull and freeboard, finished off with black below the waterline.

Posted by: Robnxious Mar 15 2017, 07:49 PM

QUOTE(Minerva's 914 @ Mar 15 2017, 06:34 PM)

I've had many restorations, most of which I painted myself and as such I know what it takes to get a good job. It's a ton of work! I figured if I valued my labor at about $4.75 / hour then I probably broke even on paying someone like Dee Lashley (who painted Minerva's 914) to do it for me. The materials are expensive, and the prep work is HARD and takes forever. Plus if you cut a corner or rush thru the prep work, more than likely if you care about the outcome, you do it all again.

Here's an example of on of my backyard projects



A 30' Shipman, a 1972 Swedish sailboat. That's me, my daughter Brittany and Sunny. The boat was named Pepper and took 3 1/2 years to complete. Yeh, I built a spray booth around it AFTER I sprayed the top deck section white just as a breeze blew pine needles in about $1,000 worth of paint. Another 3 weeks to sand all that expensive paint smooth and then build the booth, and apply another $1,000 worth of white paint, followed by $1,200 of bright red on the hull and freeboard, finished off with black below the waterline.

Posted by: Robnxious Mar 15 2017, 07:54 PM

[quote name='iwanta914-6' date='Mar 14 2017, 06:21 AM' post='2464019']
Thats a wrap? Amazing!
[/quote]

Thanks, I'd post pictures of when I tried it myself, but the kids I paid to do it did a MUCH better job than I did

[quote name='Shadowfax' date='Mar 14 2017, 08:07 AM' post='2464059']
[/quote]
Thanks for posting the before and after!
[/quote]

You're welcome, I figured it would help to see before and after. Before, it was a 50 foot beauty, meaning, from 50 feet away, it looked fantastic, but then when you got closer you saw all the warts. I didn't do a FANTASTIC job on the body work I did, so when you get up to like a foot away, there are a few places that are not perfect, but I am quite happy.

Now to slam a new engine in it and I am all set

Posted by: drem914 Mar 15 2017, 08:51 PM

QUOTE(Robnxious @ Mar 13 2017, 08:04 PM)

Posted by: scott_in_nh Mar 16 2017, 02:28 PM

Looks great!
Can we see some pictures of the door jambs?