I need an affordable place in Los Angeles/Pasadena area. I've currently got a ball park of $1400 from Maaco and have an independant guy coming over soon (Aaron from West Coast Recon).

I'll have the car stripped and down to 400 grit (or lower) before handing it off. I could even work with the painter to help mask the car as necessary. It will need a barrier coat, color (L99A Delphi Green), and clear.

Anybody else I should look at for a decent, but affordable paint job? I simply don't have $5K for this project. I'm looking at sub $2K ideally.

Or you could do a vinyl wrap for more like $350:







I did the body work and primer myself (didnt need a "real paint booth" for primer) and had never done a wrap before.

I think I could do a 95% pro job if I ever had to do it again.

Aaron,

Try not to use MAACO if you can help it - both their work & pint sucks - Sheerwin Williams low grade. Delphi is metallic - ergo multi-coat application, so more expensive than just a single coat non-metallic (except black). The keep their prices down by doing it quickly & half-fast! Then their paints don't last - the `06 Maaco job on my 85 BMW 325e is peeling at the roof already, & it's a half-fast super wafer thin coat peeling off to boot!!

If you have to use them of !-Day, Sheib, & the other hacks, then plan to do all of the body work, skim coating & block sanding for the prep (everything shows on a metallic paint job & black), then also do all the masking yourself, since they'll do a crappy job anyway, & you'll have all sorts of overspray to clean up.

The wrap may not be a bad idea, & you could do clear if the current paint hasn't failed yet to where it's oxidizing or peeling, but I think it may go a bit more than $350 in SoCal.

I think that $3-5k is the going rate for most reputable shops using quality PPG or Dupont paint around SoCal, & many won't want you to do the prep, unless you waive the warranty & any flaws left by you in the prep - & maybe still won't want to have it go out with their name on the job over which they had no control over the major part of prep.

I can give you my guy in Huntington Beach & he can do a DD level job with PPG - non-color change, but I don't know how much, & my guess is in the $3-5k range. Just shoot me a PM or email.

Good Luck!
Tom
///////

Paint is not ready for clear.

Click to view attachment

Keep us posted on what you end up doing and let's see the pics. I have Delphi Green paint job in my near future...

with Aaron. You need to buy all the materials so you know what your getting.

Put some of that rust paint on and do a "rat-teener" look. Opens up lots of options for the placement of Porsche stickers too.

Can't go the rat rod look. Way too many hours in getting it dead nuts straight.

A quality paint job will have $2000 in paint and supplies, especially in EPA California

I just got a bid for painting my 73 2.0, car has no rust at all to repair. Body shop shows 100 hours of labor and $3000+ in materials. I don't think there's any way to get a really high quality paint job cheaply. I feel that while it hurts to write the big check, you have to live with the paint job for a long time. Get the best you can.

Had mine painted for 2K. I spent about $1200 in supplies such as paint, sandpaper, spray gun and booth rental. I had a paint store match the paint from under the hood. Then I paid $800 in labor to straighten out the body plus I helped out. Here is some inspiration, mine is a 74 delphi also...

Click to view attachment

It was near $800 in material to wrap my neighbors Dodge Charger with 3M stuff. Granted it's probably double the surface area of a 914. What they don't tell you, based on my experience doing commercial taxi wraps, the more you wash it the more it peels off on the edges. Also the car needs to be concours clean if it's going to stay stuck. Surprisingly the printed stuff we did was cheaper.
Plastidip is an option for 2-3 years until your wallet is ready.

Painting- visit a few paint suppliers, talk quality grades and prices. Out here a mid grade ProSpray combo in 997 Midnight blue was $500. Colors will vary in cost, some significantly.
Painters will usually have only one brand that they spray as they differ enough to make it a learning process. They will also lie about what paint they actually use. PPG labeled premium paint will easily cost $1500, compared to the economy labeled Omni @ $500.

Sorry to say but you have a lot of woodgraining,(high and low spots),buy a primer gun and blow a good high build primer over it,then block it flat.
Your painter can then do a better job,this process done by you will save big $$$$.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/Restoration-Shop/

I have painted 4 cars with this in the single stage stuff, I would trust this for base/clear as well. (Urethane on either)

By far the best band for your buck material wise. Nopr
E its not a top tier paint but your spending 1/5 that of a top tier paint.


Buy all your consumables and primer at the same time to save on the expensive shipping. If you go this route let me know so I can help you (for example you need reducer with your paint)

Also I would almost suggest painting it yourself if you have time.

You can learn to spray with primer, then do your jambs and underside of the hoods till your comfortable, then spray the tops of the hoods, then under the targa bar and cowl, then the left side and then the right. You wont have color missmatch issues or at least any you can see and it will be much easier.
You can do all of this in your garage in one week after you do all your bodywork and primer.
Or you can do the jambs, under targa bar, and under hoods in one day and the body the other. But as a first timer I would suggest breaking it up more. Its more enjoyable/less stress, and you can fix your process as you go along.


I would then suggest single stage, and put down at least 6 coats. 3 for coverage and 3 for wet sanding. I did 7 on mine.

Not sure why you think that... You certainly can't tell from the photos. The car has been blocked down to 220 with Dura-Block tools (took FOREVER to get it right) and random orbital at 320. I'll move on to a quick once-over with 600 by hand before I take it for paint.

This morning a nice, independant painter (Aaron of West Coast Recon) come out and take a look. He thinks if I finish the rest of it (window frame, engine cover, and the like) as I have the main panels that it will be ready. He also suggested that I just take it to Earl Scheib in Glendale. For $1400 they will shoot it with Matrix brand paint and give it a 5 year warranty (fading, wrinkles, peeling). Joe there seems like a nice guy and really gets what I'm trying to do. Going to run by their shop today and check them out...

That was my plan too, but getting a paint both is expensive. I don't have a garage I can use myself and since I'm doing a metallic I can't sand the base coat(s). So if I mess up I'm sanding it off and starting again.

At the very least I would spray a gallon of primer over it, guide coat it, and block it with a 17" block.

I dont agree that you can see imperfections in a picture that far away. But the fact that I can see paint there means you are not looking at the whole picture. You need to be looking at primer when getting ready to shoot color. Going much above 320 before primer doesnt give it much to bite into. Once you have a good primer base and all the low and high spots worked out, you can respray another primer base and block it to 600 prior to metallic. At the very minimum 400. Dont use to aggressive grits when sanding your last layer of primer unless the painter is going to do a wet/wet primer/paint application.

I would say 180 then say 220ish then 320 then 400 then 600. You can probably skip a step there, but the more grits the easier it is. Fresh paper is a dream.


And I would not paint metalic in a driveway, or by yourself. Pay someone to do that for sure.

what happened to the shop in mexico that more than a few guys brought cars down to have redone, and it was alot less money?

rich

1. Mexico. 2. The Wall.

...