paint jobs

[alffie]

Good luck getting a painter to respray a car because of sink back or your not happy with the finish. Paint usually will be around $600 to $800 depends on what paint you use, Desothane will be around $1200 but its the best going around. The labour content in a paint job is the best part of 90% of the cost. Most shops will do the full spray jobs as they get time thats why they take 6 weeks to 6 months to do, they make more money out of the insurance touch ups that only takes a few hours to do.
and because theres a lot of work out there they arnt real interested in full spray jobs.
You think the price is high because its a cobra try asking them about resprayng an old car and see the quote then!!!! If they will do it.

[Mando]

Schipps, I agree with you that "cost does not equal quality". That is exactly what Im afraid of, but trying to find that guy that does a fantastic job because he has a passion for his work and hasnt yet discovered that being in business is to make money is proving to be very difficult. I dont have a problem paying someone to achieve a top finish but if they dont there is usually not much you can do at that stage. The shop always has the upper hand. The spray is one of the few things you only get one chance to get it right, and if you stuff it up your f$cked.

Regards.

[Merv and Sharon]

It is worth the time finding painters who have a good reputation, especially with glassfibre and even ones who have done other Cobras. What are 'gumballs' (above)?

Merv

[Tenrocca]

Originally Posted by Merv and Sharon

What are 'gumballs' (above)?

Merv

Meatballs - the round bit your race number goes on.

[Rebel1]

Me thinks painters are like hookers.

The more regulars they have the less passion goes into the job. The bigger the reputation the more you pay and the longer you have to stand in line.

Much better to find a local who wants a " bit on the side", appreciates the work, knows what they're doing, and puts their heart and soul into the job.

Where are you Damo, Brisbane? .... One of my good mates is a painter and a cobra owner on Brisbane Northside. Send me a PM and I'll pass on his details. Excellent tradesman who will show you past jobs.

[Mando]

Much better to find a local who wants a " bit on the side", appreciates the work, knows what they're doing, and puts their heart and soul into the job.

Thats my problem Rebel 1, finding this local!

Regards.

[Rebel1]

They are around Mando, and the longer this credit squeeze goes on the easier it will be to find them.

[Aussie Mike]

Sorry, Are you guys talking Painters or Hookers?

[Rebel1]

Painters of course Mike. I know nuffin ( Sergeant Schultz voice) about the other profession you speak.

[Wazza]

Don't get those hookers mixed up with painters.....

And certainly never ask a hooker to quote on a spray job....


BIG mistake !!!

I learned THAT the hard way !!!

[damo]

I have been talking with a local bloke here in Cairns who runs a business called " The Touch Up Guys" and he has quoted me $1500 if I supply the paint and primer he has got all the same gear as the paint shops except he has a mobile van. He will do it in my work shop one Saturday afternoon with all doors shut to keep the dust down, it is well worth looking into this option as I believe he will do a great job at a fraction of the cost.
Damo.

[Tenrocca]

Damo - what are you doing for prep? theres no way he can prep and paint a body in one day?

Cheers

[ledge]

Well where do i start

I work at a resto shop and we do everything from MG to Rolls and Ferrari, even build replica ferrari's.
For some reason you guys think that a Crash repair shop is the way to go well i will tell you this for free . Every crash shop gets screwed by the insurance company so for them to make money they use the cheapest gear they can get. So if you get a quote for 6-10 to prep and color you cobra GOOD LUCK. because you will have the cheapest paint on the market put on your car.
If you can got to a crash shop that use PPG or Glasurit. The paint and primers will cost around 2-3g For a show job .
Now if you go to a crash shop the staff there a pumped to go as fast as they can, Sweet hey cost less but guess what is sacrificed , yep Quality.

I worked out how much time i spent on my Harrison body and added 2500 for paint ( PPG ) came to 12000, If i had done stripes and gumballs maybe another 1500 cause it takes time to set them up etc.

So buy all means guys go for the cheapest paint job you can get and put away about 50 bucks a week into a spare bank account cause in three years time you will probably be doing it again.

Philm
for you to get a house of colors job for 12 thats the steal of the century
they probably put 4-5 g of paint on your car.well done
Sambo
You cant put a waranty on shrink back on a cobra because its fibreglass and fibreglass is prone to move and shrink for a bloody long time,An ally one would be different though.

Mando
Surely by know with the amazing quality of your car you must relize that if you want it at the highest of levels like you do no mater who paints your car it will take time to get it perfect , And time equals money.

Please all of you guys do research on the painter of your car
The body is what every one will look at, Not underneath,Not inside your engine or gearbox,And not at the dyno report.
But alas we all spend thousands and thousands in these areas.

Regards
Paul

[Rob. Smith]

Originally Posted by ledge

Well where do i start

I work at a resto shop and we do everything from MG to Rolls and Ferrari, even build replica ferrari's.
For some reason you guys think that a Crash repair shop is the way to go well i will tell you this for free . Every crash shop gets screwed by the insurance company so for them to make money they use the cheapest gear they can get. So if you get a quote for 6-10 to prep and color you cobra GOOD LUCK. because you will have the cheapest paint on the market put on your car.
If you can got to a crash shop that use PPG or Glasurit. The paint and primers will cost around 2-3g For a show job .
Now if you go to a crash shop the staff there a pumped to go as fast as they can, Sweet hey cost less but guess what is sacrificed , yep Quality.

I worked out how much time i spent on my Harrison body and added 2500 for paint ( PPG ) came to 12000, If i had done stripes and gumballs maybe another 1500 cause it takes time to set them up etc.

So buy all means guys go for the cheapest paint job you can get and put away about 50 bucks a week into a spare bank account cause in three years time you will probably be doing it again.

Philm
for you to get a house of colors job for 12 thats the steal of the century
they probably put 4-5 g of paint on your car.well done
Sambo
You cant put a waranty on shrink back on a cobra because its fibreglass and fibreglass is prone to move and shrink for a bloody long time,An ally one would be different though.

Mando
Surely by know with the amazing quality of your car you must relize that if you want it at the highest of levels like you do no mater who paints your car it will take time to get it perfect , And time equals money.

Please all of you guys do research on the painter of your car
The body is what every one will look at, Not underneath,Not inside your engine or gearbox,And not at the dyno report.
But alas we all spend thousands and thousands in these areas.

Regards
Paul

Exactly...when I painted the mustang it took months of preparation, at least four hours each day, every day. ( I used the monotonous rubbing time to dream up all the stuff I was going to do to the cobra) The paint I used was an Australian made stuff called "SprayChief" made in Adelaide. It was acrylic lacquer and fool proof. Back in about 1999 it cost $800 bucks for four litres of colour---Black Pearl. This stuff was black in the shade or a cloudy day but flashed to peacock blue in the sun at the right angle...awesome. I'm afraid that anything mentioned Cobra attracts a price hike regardless of what is to be done. One of my fine examples was several years ago when I was looking for "original" tail lamps. 1964 hillman minx 'coffin' shaped lamps...there is a hillman wrecker in victoria and I told him I wanted the lamps for my dads restored hillman. He dragged them out of the dirt (that's how I got them. Full of mud) and said $50 bucks for the pair. I said OK. Then he said that the Cobra blokes want these particular lamps so he charges $50 bucks each.
"those blokes are loaded" I said OK and thanks......you can't hide the fact that the car to be painted is a Cobra but remind them that it is a fibreglass body ...it could be a boat or a bloody replica hillman.

[Merv and Sharon]

Finding a paint shop that specialises in fibreglass is a challenge and a bonus if you can find one. What I suspect that you don't want is the painter 'learning' off your car. Also I spent a great deal of time selecting the paint type that I wanted - not just the colour.

Merv

[ledge]

Guys
There is only a couple of things that you do differently with a glass body
as opposed to an ally or steel body.

First
which is a bonus you can block back the gel coat a bit so you dont need as much high fill primer. Dont go through or you will need to re gel those areas.
Second
You need to apply an etch that is designed to go on to fibreglass.
we would do this before any bog would go on.
Third
aplly filler to bad areas and file back.

Then you just approach it like a normal steel or ally body .
High fill and block
But all thes products are two pack to help resolve shrink back and the glass
moving to much. Then leave it in high fill for as long as you can before final block and colour.
Hope this helps

Regards
Paul

[stiffy]

My 2 cents worth,


When I modified the Cobra a few years back I was shocked at the price of the materials. It was over $2k, I asked if I would need a trailer!!!! I got a few box's of stuff

The cost of paint varies depending on brand.....


Different bodies have different finish qualities, some of the older bodies require over 200 hours to get right!!!! No one works for free..........
you get what you pay for.

IMO the paint/interior finish of a Cobra is what makes the car.
You can have a $2k motor or a $20k motor, who cares its what it looks like that counts.

Therefore it depends on what you want with your car, i.e. Street Car, Race Car or just the experience of building something.

STIFFY

[Aussie Mike]

I bought a bunch of paint prep materials on the weekend It was all really good quality. House of Color KD2000 high fill etc. I spent about $800 and I still havent bought the base coat or clear coat. That's just to get it into primer.

I'm filling the seams etc at the moment. Then the whole body will get 3 coats of spray polyester. Blocking, blocking and more blocking before it gets a coat of KD2000 hight fill. More blocking and then a coat of sealer befor the base coat and clear coat goes on.

I'm going to do all the prep at home but I'm tempted to hire a booth for the base coats and clear coats.

Cheers

[cameron02]

Hi Damo,
$1500 and painted in one afternoon.
This means zero prep, just painting it. You will be amazed how many defects will suddenly show up once the car is a consistant colour.

Most of the $ go into the prep.

Whatever you do make sure you bake the car in an oven before painting it. Otherwise bubbles may rise to the surface on the first sunny day. Then you car will look like swiss cheese...and thats no gouda.......see what I did there

If you are doing the prep yourself and dont want to spend the money on an oven then at least leave it outside on a hot sunny day and maybe put some plastic over it to keep the heat in.

My cobra is currently getting painted. The painter is doing an excellent job on the prep. Its a lot of work and he has had to bake the car more than once.

[Merv and Sharon]

I used to go around and watch the prep on my car and that is most of the work. Messy, dusty and even dangerous job. I used the 'under black plastic' technique in the summer sun with mine last year before painting this year. One hopes ....

Maybe some of the guys that do all those glassfibre boats up there in Cairns can give you some input? Worth checking as in the North a lot of multi-skilling goes on that we don't see in the South.

Merv