I doubt MCR will just lay paint on a body, I bet part of that quote was to go over the body and fine tune it before painting.

IMO, figure in the 15k to 20K range.
If it has rust , expect that to increase and I guarantee more will show up once its blasted. Doing a 68 charger now, and practically every panel on it needed work once it was blasted clean . Its almost ready for paint now, and its rapidly approaching $30K just in body and paint ( this includes labor and materials )

Maybe you misread that ... that's 15 THOUSAND dollars - just for paint.

Let's just say 5,000 is for materials (just paint), at an exorbitant rate of $100 per hour that's 100 hours JUST TO PAINT - no bodywork. Are you kidding us !!!!

I spent 22K on everything, small patches in the quarters, part of a floor pan, trunk pan, rear valence, sail panels repaired, on a rotisserie, US car tool reinforcements, stitch welded all over, 3500 was just 5 star paint, PPG clear and DP primer...so I bought quality materials. Just needs a good wet sand to polish it up. This was a guy in his garage. Did excellent body work, sucked spraying the clear though. Tim

If this is a 71 RR where are you getting the parts? I thought quarters and other sheetmetal was hard to come by.

Assuming you need both quarters "Fixed" and the A frame I'd say you have 6 days right there, best case.

You'll have three days for minor body and two days to roughly block it out

That's 11 days or 88 hours so $8800.

There will be $2000 in materials.

That's you supplying all the parts and getting a car in primer that will still need final blocking, sealer and paint.

And it's probably best case - $10800

Maybe for that kind of CASH I ought to sell off all my Carpenter tools and get the 263 piece Harbor Freight Auto Body and Paint Kit with the instructional DVD, $19.99.

The only place I am aware to get quarters is auto metal direct. If needed, this is where I would most likely get my metal. I have seen (as I am sure many of us have) many projects that have been started, stripped and abandoned because the cost was too much. I just don't want to jump in and end up with a car that is useless. Right now it drives and looks good from 25 feet. Thanks for the info guys, this is good information to consider.

Minimum. More if the guy is blasting and priming the undercarriage, inside floor pans, truck, engine bay, etc.

You might want to check these guys out. They don't do blasting and they don't do paint but I don't think you'll find a better, less expensive shop to do panel replacement properly.

http://www.amdinstallation.com/

I can spend $3000+ easily on paint products as I won't prime and paint with junk or cheap crap, and 100 hrs can easily be spent blocking a car prior to paint,plus jambing, underchassis prep/paint, interior, trunk, etc, as well as actually painting the car, plus color sanding, buffing/polishing, etc

Plus a shop wants a "cushion" on the costs when/if something goes wrong during the paint process, as product/time to repair/redo something can eat into any profit quickly, a quality resto shop is going to have a paint/bodywork rate at $85-$100 per hr

Something that's always intrigued me is guys will spend thousands on an engine which an engine build is not that labor intensive. On the other hand those same guys will baulk and squeal when they see body and paint work costs. You get what you pay for. I've hung quarters and block sanded panels until the tips of my fingers bled and I'm a hobbiest. No matter how ya cut it, it's really hard work.

It can be an expensive hobby and a car owner really needs to research exactly what it takes to get their car to a standard in which they can live with.

I always tell the one's that complain constantly about what it costs to do a car. If you don't like spending the money then maybe take up knitting.

Your reply breaks it down correctly in my opinion. If it was mine I would not send it to a shop that would do it as " fill-in" work, you may grow tired of the project before you ever see it again.

My RT needed both quarters patched with front, rear, and lip panels, outer wheelhouse and drop fab, a door jamb cut out due to a hit, a few super small spots welded, etc. without pulling engine and doing under hood it was over 300 hours at 45/hr. Self employed body guy whose car won 67 b body atCarlisle several years back. This included trunk, paint, cut, buff. He is inHarpers Ferry WV if you are interested. Pay as you go.

Yep, you missed the point ... "quoted me $15K just to paint a perfect body". Note the "perfect body" part !!!

Nope didn't miss the "point", I've quoted $10-$15K "just" to paint "perfect bodies" (which really are never that perfect, only in the owners mind, esp when they want a black paint job)

I'll assume your talking, prime, and blocking? I can spend $800-$1200 just on primer, and an easy 60-100 hrs blocking the car and components in primer, as far as the cost of paint, sky's the limit, depends on brand, how many stages, and quantity required for the job, I can expend up to 400 hrs into a finished paint job, if the vehicle is going to be painted top to bottom, inside/out, along with additional components that need to be painted off the vehicle, scoops/flares/spoilers/etc/etc, color sanding would consists of taking to car from 800 to 1000, to 1500, to 2000, to 2500, all the way up to 3000 (that's 6 times minimum around the vehicle color sanding) grit paper finish, most shops will cut the car with 600/800, then compound the piss out of it, then polish, only to have it re-orange peel a month or 2 down the road as the paint gases out, you get what you pay for, FYI...I know a few high end painters that get $30K minimum, "just for paint"

If you don't prep or paint, (which most don't) then you have no clue what your asking of a bodyman/painter when you outline the desired requirements for the vehicles finish

But I watched Chip Foose do it in a week......

400 hours into a paint job ... talk about monotonous work! No wonder most painters are alcoholics!

I am by no stretch a professional but I do my own paint and body work. I have gotten pretty good at it over the last 30 years. Even a relatively straight car has issues that must be sanded and worked to make perfect. If not you will have wavy panels. This is especially true if the car has been sandblasted. If you do it right that can quickly add up to hundreds of hours. Then you have to do work to prep the car to paint, paint, clear, cut and buff... That's a lot of time. Not to mention paint and supplies aren't cheap. I don't paint for other people but if I did I would easily charge 10K to paint a straight car. It's brutal, tedious work if you want it to look good. If you want a quick spray go to Maaco but don't expect much. You get what you pay for.

Sorry no alcoholic here, just a dedicated, and meticulous individual...here's approx 30 hrs a week (actual work hrs), for 3 months straight just for paint, from epoxy coat, to prime/blocking, to paint, color sand (3000 grit finish) to polish...do the math, it adds up quickly

Mike

Take it to Canada to get painted, with the exchange rate a $ 15000 paint job will cost you $ 11500 US