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!
Full Version: Paint estimate
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.
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.
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.
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.
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) 
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.
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.
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.
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.Click to view attachment
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.Click to view attachment
Looks great!
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.
QUOTE(JP3 @ 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.
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(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.
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914dave
Looks great! Very impressive.
[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.
[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.
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
I used less than 40 linear feet of 3M 1080 Matte Apple Green.
I found it at:
http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-1080-M196...tte1080m196.htm
40 linear feet for $360
I have enough left to do the front hood maybe twice
Fellers.com is a huge company for vinyl. You have to create an account to get pricing but they have selection.
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.Click to view attachment
Your car looks cool, I dig it.
I like the wrap as well. How durable is it? How easy is it to remove once on the car?
QUOTE(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?
The wrap is pretty durable. I have had things fall against it and did not have any scratches or rips. I have not tried taking it off yet but the installer said it is not to difficult. The main problem is if your existing paint is not very good there is a chance of pulling it up with the wrap. In my case I did not care if that happens. Most people are surprised when I tell them it is a wrap but I know where to look to see the problem areas. Slight wrinkles around tight curves and where I did not fix imperfections before wrapping. It will show any scratch or chip that was there before.
Close up view of the back. You can see small wrinkles around the lights.Click to view attachment
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) ...
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) ...
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.
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.
[/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!
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!
[/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...tte1080m196.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!
I used less than 40 linear feet of 3M 1080 Matte Apple Green.
I found it at:
http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-1080-M196...tte1080m196.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!
QUOTE(My 914 @ Jan 22 2017, 06:54 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.
From what I have read online, matte vinyl hides imperfections the best. I have seen pictures of cars done in gloss, and the paint and body on those were immaculate. I am going to be doing some half-assed body repairs (filling in paint gouges, fixing mild rust bubble, etc), but want to wait to have a full body work done for next winter.
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?
Click to view attachment
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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.
Click to view attachment
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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!
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.
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...tte1080m196.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!
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.
I've been reading up on it and Plasti-dip sounds like a great idea for temporary color and trim.
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.
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.
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.
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 
) 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
Sounds like the car ended up where it would be better cared for and appreciated for what it is. Thanks for the update
Another 914 in Delaware. 
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?
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?
Lewes? I'll have to ask my aunt if she ever sees a yellow 914 running around there. 
--DD
--DD
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. Click to view attachment
I don't know.... the idea of a hemi in that car sounds pretty tempting
[/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.
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.
In my opinion, vinyl wrap is much more practical and gives awesome look to your car. My vinyl wrap project was installed by Gatorwraps and I am very satisfied!
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
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After
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After
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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?
I'll have to see what some local So. Cal places charge.
Did they have a ton of colors to choose from?
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?
Go to fellers.com - they have the different vinyl brands, types and colors if you want to see what's available. Lots of choices.
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?
Yes they did, now the place who I got to do it charged me about half of what another place was charging, so YMMV on this one. If I have learned ONE lesson here it would be, go with the REALLY good stuff (3M or Avery), especially it doing it yourself. If I would have paid the $250 more for either of these brands at the outset, I would have been able to probably save the $1800 and done it myself.
On another note for this, don't think that you can "hide" scratches and dings with a vinyl wrap. They show up as bad or even WORSE once it's wrapped. I did a lot of filling and sanding to get it clean, and it paid off, but even THEN there were areas I should have gotten a little better and they show.
Thats a wrap? Amazing!
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.
Click to view attachment
PM Sent.
I read this entire thread this morning (that’s a lot for me...the extent of my reading usually ends with the last word of an article headline unless it’s in the automotive realm). Great information here and I truly appreciate reading the different approaches people have taken.
QUOTE(euro911 @ Mar 13 2017, 11:16 PM)
Dang, that turned out nice
Thanks for posting the before and after!
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
Click to view attachment
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.
Here's an example of on of my backyard projects
Click to view attachment
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.
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
Click to view attachment
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.
Very nice, unfortunately, I haven't the room for a paint booth. Heck, I can't even garage mine right now! We have a one car garage, and the wife's bare metal restoration 1956 Chevy 210 sleeps out there
[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
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
QUOTE(Robnxious @ Mar 13 2017, 08:04 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.
If the company you used has any references for a local so cal shop, I think several people would be interested. especially for that price. I especially like the color of the original and the wrap.
Looks great!
Can we see some pictures of the door jambs?
Can we see some pictures of the door jambs?
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