So I have a 86GT with 216,000 miles on it, and the original paint. For the most part it looks fine, the front bumper area was repainted after a fender bender my dad had 6 or 7 years ago. Other than that it's all original. It is starting to just look old and worn out. The black paint on the mirrors is coming off quite a bit and I was just wondering how much a quality paint job (the same color) would be?

You are asking a question that can have multiple answers depending on your readers. When I had my 86 painted a few years back it was a total of $3600.00. That included sanding down to the original primer to get out all the spidering that happened over the years. It was also painted stock black with a clear coat. Also, I did have the panels taken off for painting and then reassembled.

Abe

[This message has been edited by aconesa (edited 03-22-2011).]

$50 to $10,000 - How good do you want it to be?

$50 https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/109415.html

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My World of Wheels Winners (Click on links below)

3.4L Supercharged 87 GT and Super Duty 4 Indy #163

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 03-22-2011).]

Yep. You're going to get a LOT of answers all over the place, with a WIDE range of options

Even coloring the original color, you should AT LEAST expect to pay for a good quality job anywhere above two grand. That should be your starting budget and then work from there on how good or bad you want the job to be. Paint work is rather intensive. You can do you're own prep to save money, but if you mess up the prep then you'll still be out the money to rectify what you messed up.

It does amaze me that people think that they can pay a couple of hundred bucks and get something that lasts for a decade. It's not going to happen unless you putting down the paint yourself and doing all the prep work and after work.

Define "good" because the word "good" covers a huge swath.

Some define Good as what is on a rust free 250,000 mile car that was actually washed and waxed in it's life. My definition of good is what is on a new car in a showroom.

Also any flaws in your current paint will have to be fixed before paint goes on or it will simply show through the paint. My definition of a good paint job costs about $4500.00 with my friend discount at a local high end paint shop using cheap stock color PPG paints. Way more if I get fancy and ask for house of Kolor or a color change, etc....

The paint is only there to protect the $3000 in body work and prep. Painting is the easy part.

I paid $4500 to get my 86 GT fastback repainted almost three years ago. I too removed all the panels off the car to get them painted. The body shop removed the old paint, prepped, and painted them. See here (second post on page 2) www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/079040-2.html for the results. You get what you pay for, and things have gotten more expensive lately with most shops having converted to water-based base coats because of environmantal legislation (at least here in Canada).

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 03-22-2011).]

I paid 5500.00 a year ago at a body shop by my home. they removed all body panels, walnut blasting was used in prep and it turned out great!! Gonna show a pic as soon as i figure out how!

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restored a red 85 GT, thought it was worth saving a bit of Detroit motorsport history.

i wouldnt want to pay for a paintjob that is worth more then my car.
but it sure does look fantastic once finished!!

quote Originally posted by aconesa: You are asking a question that can have multiple answers depending on your readers. When I had my 86 painted a few years back it was a total of $3600.00. That included sanding down to the original primer to get out all the spidering that happened over the years. It was also painted stock black with a clear coat. Also, I did have the panels taken off for painting and then reassembled. Abe

thats the same scheme i want to do. gloss black on top with the flat on bottom

quote Originally posted by joshh44: i wouldnt want to pay for a paintjob that is worth more then my car. but it sure does look fantastic once finished!!

That's what separates the tinkerers from the restorers or hotrodders.

I have a paint job worth about $7800.00 on my motorcycle That I could not sell for more than $2500.00, I have spent 3X over the price of the Fiero in restoring it to like new and upgrades, and I will be spending even more on a car that I will not be able to realistically sell for more than $3800.00 when it is finished and better than new. The fiero even in rare modified form does not have any high dollar value. That was proven to us when many of the prototypes went for almost nothing at auction.

It's about chasing a vision and having something that is what you were going after, not value, and worth, and cost.

I don't know about other places, But here in Daytona Bch. the economy isn't that great. After a few bangs here and there and adding a new nose and side scoops my car is in the stage of needing new paint again. After checking 3 or 4 local paint shop, (these are not fly by night paint shop, Nor Macco or what ever.) My car completely done, including all prep, painting and buff out completely using HOK Kandy Apple Brandywine. The bids from all four shop. Low $1900.00 High $2500.00. Some work is better than no work. My car which was painted at least 10-12 yrs. ago was painted at our community collage and cost me about $1300.00 for Kandy Apple Brandywine. Agree the paint did have a few mistake in it, But probably no more mistakes than if I had taken it to Joe Blow paint shop and paid $5000.00 dollars for it. I'm sure other people have different deals, Just look around

quote Originally posted by joshh44: i wouldnt want to pay for a paintjob that is worth more then my car. but it sure does look fantastic once finished!!

I don't mean to target you specifically josh, but I humbly disagree with your logic. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Virtually no car goes through it's life cycle without a major devaluation due to obsolescence either in styling or technology. Nobody in the fifties would've paid more than a $100 for a 32 Ford, and now people are paying $80K for one that was maintained. There are hundreds of other examples. There are also millions of people who junked cars because they weren't worth more than the repairs they needed at some point in their lives. I run into people all the time who tell me they wished they had kept this car or that from their youth.

The problem with Fieros right now is that there are too many of them on the road which lack pride of ownership. That drags down the value for everybody else. If nobody took care of their Ferraris, do you honestly believe they would be worth so much on resale? But that's OK because many people do share the same logic that once the repair bills exceed the value of the car, it's toast. That just takes one more off the road and hurries the demise of the junky Fieros. At some point all the people who were willing to spend money on engine swaps, new wheels and tires, major maintenance, and anything else that was worth more than the car itself, they will be listening to people at car shows saying "I wish I would've kept that car".

My experience:

I was once quoted $2,000 for a paint job from a shop with a quality reputation. I'd seen the TV commercials for a local DeVry paint school that showed (presumably) a graduate painting at a shop, it looked pretty easy. I walked away from that shop thinking they were a bunch of crack heads high on drugs.

Then I took paint and body classes from my local community college, and painted my Phoenix. The most important lesson I learned wasn't how to do metal work, or filler work. It wasn't proper sanding technique, knowledge about paint mixing chemistry, or any of the many techniques needed to apply paint without sags, drips, dirt, or mottling. No, the most important lesson I learned is that when a shop with a good reputation for quality work quotes you $2,000 to paint your car, you better jump on that deal because it's a steal.

I still take classes there from time to time, painted my Fiero, my bike twice, and lots of odds and ends.

For a quality job you're going to pay anywhere from $600 (for the cheapest quality paint) to $1,200 just for paint & materials.
The labor will depend on the condition of the car, & whether you want a "scuff & douche" job or quality prep (including stripping any non-factory paint).
$2500 is a good price for quality work on a car that hasn't been re-painted before (& therefore doesn't need stripping). I always prime/seal the entire car with PPG epoxy primer - there is no substitute.
Just remember any cheap job you put on it will have to be stripped when you decide to do it right, & that will add around $500 to the price of the quality paintjob.
I can do quality work probably cheaper than any shop, since I don't have the overhead. I also allow friends & club members to do as much of the work as they want to right here in my shop in order to cut down on the cost. A lot of folks bring me their car completely stripped (as in disassembled) of all the panels except the two roofs. IMO that's the best way to paint one, if you're not doing custom paint/graphics.
HTH,
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"


Which do you most can't the least?
What I most can't the least, would be do not a bad job but always a good.

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 03-25-2011).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tha Driver:

I can do quality work probably cheaper than any shop, since I don't have the overhead. I also allow friends & club members to do as much of the work as they want to right here in my shop in order to cut down on the cost. A lot of folks bring me their car completely stripped (as in disassembled) of all the panels except the two roofs. IMO that's the best way to paint one, if you're not doing custom paint/graphics.
HTH,
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Paul what would be your price to paint a car like this

PAINT !!! you get what you pay for, if you go cheapo then done expect a showroom conditon car,moulding,window trim, rockers,door pannels as much as can come off will end up with a much better paint job,
I had my 86 painted 2 times 1st time 1700 second time 2500 now both prices were cheap but i also left the car there for almost a year so price was cheaper would have been twice as much had i wanted the car back in 3 weeks , car was compleatly taken appart primed and a 3 stage candy was applied i decided to put all new door mouldings and window trim but that was extra.
realy depends on what you want to spend i know a guy here in Canada that took his fiero to a porche lambo shop to get painted you dont want to know what he paid but the car looks amazing

quote Originally posted by RULOOKIN: PAINT !!! you get what you pay for, if you go cheapo then done expect a showroom conditon car,moulding,window trim, rockers,door pannels as much as can come off will end up with a much better paint job,

hmmmm i spent 100$ for my show winning kawasaki ninja for complete paint and everything i need. you do get what you pay for if you have someone do it for you. pay a man 500$ thats what you get. pay a man 5000$ you get A+. if you are a do it yourself kinda guy and or want to save $$$$$$$$ then read up and do it yourself. if done all 100% the right way without taking the motor out it should cost you no more then 400$ total. it is really easy and just start out with a junk yard hood. once you got it down then paint your car. trust me it is really easy. it just take a little time! i really cant see how people have 4000$ into there paint job at all! yea it looks really good but wow thats allot of money for such a small car. hell we have painted full size SUV's for cheaper and look as good.

quote Originally posted by IIKool: Paul what would be your price to paint a car like this

Hard to tell with a photo on a computer monitor, but that looks like the new "chrome" paint or a true candy. If so you wouldn't want it on a street car - it can't be touched up or blended in if you get rock chips or damage. But probably around 6 grand.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

ok well in the meantime then since I don't have a small fortune sitting around; the fin is pretty oxidized. There is white stuff covering it, but it disappears when it gets wet. (it's raining now so it looks normal)

How can I remove this? Or can I go somewhere and have them just touch up the fin? Honestly the rest of the paint looks ok, but the fin looks like crap.

quote Originally posted by rmbrown09: ok well in the meantime then since I don't have a small fortune sitting around; the fin is pretty oxidized. There is white stuff covering it, but it disappears when it gets wet. (it's raining now so it looks normal) How can I remove this? Or can I go somewhere and have them just touch up the fin? Honestly the rest of the paint looks ok, but the fin looks like crap.

is it aluminum? if so take it off and use light sand paper over it like 300 grit and get yourself some black spray paint in a can. it will look like new. of yea primer it first with dark gray

quote Originally posted by Ruffy: if done all 100% the right way without taking the motor out it should cost you no more then 400$ total.

You have got to be kidding. I'd really like to see the itemized list of supplies you think you'd need to refinish a 25 year old car for $400. Don't include labor, just the supplies: how much of each product, and the name of the products.

quote Originally posted by Bloozberry: You have got to be kidding. I'd really like to see the itemized list of supplies you think you'd need to refinish a 25 year old car for $400. Don't include labor, just the supplies: how much of each product, and the name of the products.

just cause its 25 years old dont mean nothing. hell the car is all plastic so no rust! if his car was badly damaged then he would need to get new skins and filler. also 400$ is an easy price! like i said its not a huge car so one gallon is plenty to do this car unless you want 100 coats of blaaa.
now if your going with exotic colors it will run you alot more. ive seen paint that costs 700$ a quart but its all in what your wallet can do for you and if you have the money for that stuff im pretty sure you would have a pro do it anyhow. The paint i use cost anywhere from 100-250$ a gallon and thats good stuff.

quote Originally posted by Ruffy: is it aluminum? if so take it off and use light sand paper over it like 300 grit and get yourself some black spray paint in a can. it will look like new. of yea primer it first with dark gray

Well... My GT is red. and aluminum? i dunno it's the one that came with lol

quote Originally posted by rmbrown09: Well... My GT is red. and aluminum? i dunno it's the one that came with lol

sorry i was thinking of the spoiler. many spoilers are made of aluminum and are an easy fix to sand and paint. not sure what the fiero one is made out of because i never had an original spoiler.

quote Originally posted by Ruffy: just cause its 25 years old dont mean nothing. hell the car is all plastic so no rust! Also 400$ is an easy price! The paint i use cost anywhere from 100-250$ a gallon and thats good stuff.

There's a lot more to painting a car than paint, and the age of the underlying paint means everything. The OP was looking for the price of a good paint job so that means the 25 year old paint has got to come off. It's oxidized to the point where it's white.

So discounting the cost of the sanding media, tack pads, fillers, solvents, tape, primers, weatherstrip and trim clips that will break when you take them off, etc, etc, then all the overhead equipment needed to paint, like a gun, compressor, air dryer and filter for the compressed air etc etc, let's just assume the OP had all of this stuff on hand and still didn't know enough about painting cars that he decided to come here for advice. All he needed was just the paint and the clearcoat. What brand and quantity of color and clear coat would he need, and where would he buy it so that it would cost under $400? Just a simple question.

I've used several discount shops - Maaco where I paid about 500 bucks for my first Fiero. It looked okay for about two years. The next Fiero was painted by a friend that had a body shop. He charged me the cost of paint - about 450.00. That one lasted about three years. I finally decided to bite the bullet and pay for a quality job. The paint looks great, but after about four years, it is starting to flake off in a few places (but it is still nice and shiney) - and the shop that painted it and gave a life time guarantee is no longer in business.


So the next time I get it painted, it will be with a well established shop and I anticipate spending about 5 grand. I will probably get her paintd this winter or early next year.

quote Originally posted by topcat: I've used several discount shops - Maaco where I paid about 500 bucks for my first Fiero. It looked okay for about two years. The next Fiero was painted by a friend that had a body shop. He charged me the cost of paint - about 450.00. That one lasted about three years. I finally decided to bite the bullet and pay for a quality job. The paint looks great, but after about four years, it is starting to flake off in a few places (but it is still nice and shiney) - and the shop that painted it and gave a life time guarantee is no longer in business. So the next time I get it painted, it will be with a well established shop and I anticipate spending about 5 grand. I will probably get her paintd this winter or early next year.

Bring it to me & I'll do it right cheaper than any other shop (less than 5 grand). Which includes stripping all the old paint off - which is the reason the second/third job is peeling now (improper prep).

quote Originally posted by Bloozberry: What brand and quantity of color and clear coat would he need, and where would he buy it so that it would cost under $400? Just a simple question.

Dupont Nason is what I use on "cheap" paintjobs for street cars like on my BMW.
http://angelonearth.net/BMW.html
Base coat will be around $120 (depending on color) & clear is about $150 with catalyst. Add basemaker reducer for the basecoat (I think it's about $70), & you come in under the $400 he's talking about spending - just for paint. Of course, I like to prime it with PPG epoxy primer, & that adds about $150 to the cost of a daily driver paintjob. It's the cheapest quality paint I've found, & will last decades if all the prep is done right.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 03-25-2011).]

quote Originally posted by rmbrown09: Well... My GT is red. and aluminum? i dunno it's the one that came with lol

By fin you mean what we generally refer to as the wing, or spoiler. If you rub a white paper towel on it and it comes off white and not the body color it means that just the clearcoat has failed. If body color comes off then the basecoat is compromised and you'll need new paint. I generally do not recommend painting with a spray can unless you decide in advance that you'll never get a regular automotive paint job for the car. Once you start rattle-canning about the only way back is to sand it all off and start over.

Your options are varied. You can repaint single stage, where the paint you spray on is the final paint and shine, or you can repaint the factory way with a base color coat topped by a clear coat. This is commonly referred to as two-stage. If your basecoat is intact you could probably just sand the oxidized clear off and just put new clear on, though it probably won't look as good as new. Also, getting a color match will e challenging since each car fades differently over time due to variations in storage and usage environments.

Also, you can check with your local automotive paint supplier such as Sherwin Williams to see if they can do a paint pack for you, it's a special type of spray can that has a catalyst in a capsule inside the can. You bang the can on a hard surface to break the capsule then shake to mix. Once mixed you paint your part and toss the can when you're done. They should be able to mix whatever paint you want and put it in the can for you. If you take them a buffed and polished headlight door they can use a machine to get a match off of it, that's likely the closest you'll be able to get for the wing.

BTW, I generally recommend doing a two-stage paint job for durability reasons.

quote Originally posted by Bloozberry: :bla: There's a lot more to painting a car than paint, and the age of the underlying paint means everything. The OP was looking for the price of a good paint job so that means the 25 year old paint has got to come off. It's oxidized to the point where it's white. So discounting the cost of the sanding media, tack pads, fillers, solvents, tape, primers, weatherstrip and trim clips that will break when you take them off, etc, etc, then all the overhead equipment needed to paint, like a gun, compressor, air dryer and filter for the compressed air etc etc, let's just assume the OP had all of this stuff on hand and still didn't know enough about painting cars that he decided to come here for advice. All he needed was just the paint and the clearcoat. What brand and quantity of color and clear coat would he need, and where would he buy it so that it would cost under $400? Just a simple question.

really now. not here to get into a pissing battle here but you wanted name brand stuff well here it is

3M masking tape: 4 rolls= 7$
Duplicolor Lacquer Thinner1 gallon=16$
Masking Paper=10$
Cotton Towels=10$
Bondo Lightweight Filler (1 qt.)=12$
Duplicolor Clear Coat 32 oz= 23$
Summit primer 1qt=20$
House of Kolor Designer Pearls base coat=86$
3M 11x9 400 grit wet or dry (10 sheets)=9$
3M 11x9 500 grit wet or dry (10 sheets)=9$
3M 6 inch sanding disc's 320 grit (40 count)=19$
WAX/GREASE REMOVER=10$
clips and fasteners=20$
Total 251$ for most of all his needs. i maybe forgetting something but im sure the cost of the few things isnt 4000$ :rolleyes:

now if your talking about the tools he needs ill keep this simple because i dont think hes going to do this but if he was i dont think he would be painting 2 cars a day. so simple it is.

2 HP, 8 Gallon, 125 PSI Portable Air Compressor=120$
6" Dual Action Air Sander=25$
20 Oz. High Volume Low Pressure Gravity Feed Spray Gun=15$
total 411$ and most of that stuff is over kill.

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West Coast Customs dont have shizzle compaired to pennock boys

quote Originally posted by Tha Driver: Dupont Nason is what I use on "cheap" paintjobs for street cars like on my BMW. Base coat will be around $120 (depending on color) & clear is about $150 with catalyst. Add basemaker reducer for the basecoat (I think it's about $70), & you come in under the $400 he's talking about spending - just for paint.

Great, so now let's add the taxes, shop supplies, equipment, and primer. And then we have a "cheap" paint job for, at the very least, $2000 if he does everything (and I mean everything) himself. This isn't what I believe the OP asked for, but neither is he stepping in to clarify what he wants. Lesson learned: everyone has a different opinion about what a "good paint job" is.

quote Originally posted by Bloozberry: I'll repeat: you've got to be kidding. A quart of primer? A 2HP compressor feeding an HVLP gun? A $15 gun? Like I said, everybody has their own interpretation of quality, and in this case, reality.

i said in the post if you didnt read it all. i dont think hes going to become a pro and he dont need a 600$ snap on air gun, he dont need a 50 gallon air comp. hell ive used 15$ guns before and it came out extremely nice. its not the gun its the painter. and thats a 8 gallon air comp! thats more then enough for him to start with. not only that but hes not painting a bus for gods sake lol. i dont know about about you but here in the states a gallon of good named paint isnt 2000$.i really really hate to argue this but ive been around this stuff sense i was 15 years old and seen thousands of automobiles of all sizes get painted. maybe paint in canada cost more then the states who knows?
EDIT:
example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-gFvemapQ
quality of video sucks but this is my 100$ paint job! jet black with fine chrome metal flake. this was taken right after i put the body on. a week later i added more mods to the bike and i have 5 trophies for best in show 1st place. i have 3 best paint 1st places. FOR 100$

[This message has been edited by Ruffy (edited 03-25-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Ruffy: Duplicolor Clear Coat 32 oz

I'm sorry: where's that smilie that has the guy rolling on the floor laughing his ass off & slapping the ground?
A quart of clear (lacquer no less) to paint a Fiero - yeah right.
& the rest of the list is BS too.
EDIT: the OP said a GOOD paintjob not a lacquer screw-up.

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 03-25-2011).]

I was quoted 3500-4000 for a panel off paint job with stock paint.

You guys ought to check out Steve Enerson's Forum thread, painting his Lambo orange '87 in his driveway. It's got to be one of the most beautiful paint jobs on a Fiero! He calls it his "Tangerine Beauty" as I recall.

quote Originally posted by Ruffy: i said in the post if you didnt read it all. i dont think hes going to become a pro and he dont need a 600$ snap on air gun, he dont need a 50 gallon air comp. hell ive used 15$ guns before and it came out extremely nice. its not the gun its the painter. and thats a 8 gallon air comp! thats more then enough for him to start with. not only that but hes not painting a bus for gods sake lol. i dont know about about you but here in the states a gallon of good named paint isnt 2000$.i really really hate to argue this but ive been around this stuff sense i was 15 years old and seen thousands of automobiles of all sizes get painted. maybe paint in canada cost more then the states who knows? EDIT: example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-gFvemapQ quality of video sucks but this is my 100$ paint job! jet black with fine chrome metal flake. this was taken right after i put the body on. a week later i added more mods to the bike and i have 5 trophies for best in show 1st place. i have 3 best paint 1st places. FOR 100$

Since you've been around this since you were 15 you should also know that he's not painting a bike....it's a little bit bigger requiring a bit more paint, a bit more air and a bit more money for everything else. It's not a bus but it's not a bike, either. Spraying bike plastic is pretty easy and doesn't take much in the way of spray skill....painting a car does. Spray patterns are demanding.....paint flow....air flow....paint mixture....and so much more. It's a different class of painting and you apparently think that just because you can spray a bike for $100 you can do a whole car in it, too. Nope......when I spray bike parts, yeah....I can probably do it with $100 for the materials using my nice expensive paint ( I use PPG Deltron ) and give it a showroom quality finish. You're spending $100 for a lacquer clear job? Shame on you....


There are cheaper Harbor Freight guns that can do a decent job. They are just not going to hold up to for the long haul and perform continuously. But the air compressor needs to have a bit of power behind it. HVLP guns use a lot of air and need a larger tank and heavier duty pump to keep up. You little 2 hp unit isn't going to do the trick. It'll run forever, lag behind the air usage, generate more moisture in the compressed air itself and just not do the job. So, it's the painter and it's the equipment that the painter uses.

So since you've been around this stuff since you were 15 does that mean that those of us that have been around a long time and do this professionally don't know what we are talking about? I've been painting for over 30 years and have a couple of cars under my belt. Is my advise bad? How about these other guys? We have professional painters, guys that have painted their cars themselves and guys that had their cars painted by others ( after doing their own research ). Are they wrong? Just because you got trophys with your $100 bike job doesn't mean that you will get that kind of job on a car.

Have you ever painted a car? I didn't see where you had painted anything other than that bike. If you have painted a car, could we see a pic or two? How much did that paint job cost you? Maybe you could compare your car paint prices with what has been suggested here. I usually spend upwards of $1000 for materials depending on the color cost and I seem to be right in line with the others for total paint cost including labor......if not a bit less. Could you please offer us your background on car painting?

Mark

I think some people who pay 5k for a paint job have to justify to themselves that it was worth it and part of that is saying that you can`t get a quality job for much less than that.

I think all of these 4 to 6 thousands dollars paint jobs, people are forgetting that there are a lot of people outta work and that puts a hurting on these paint and body shop. Maybe if and when the economy goes again then you might be able to get those figures. But until then maybe half of those figures