Paint question

[bellamy]

If painting the entire car, inside, outside, engine bay, everything, about how much paint would that require?

Also, I see some paint that it $200+ a gallon and others that are as little as $45. My question is is there really that much of a difference? And if so what is it?

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by bellamy If painting the entire car, inside, outside, engine bay, everything, about how much paint would that require? Also, I see some paint that it $200+ a gallon and others that are as little as $45. My question is is there really that much of a difference? And if so what is it?

It really depends on how many coats you are applying, but two gallons of paint plus reducer and catalyst should be enough for any Opel.

As far as paint costs, they've gone through the roof in recent years. Some pigments (colors) more than others. In the 1980's the most I spent to paint an entire car was $170! (Dupont Centari). That was one gallon of paint, a gallon of primer, reducer, and catalyst. Enough to fully paint the outside of an Opel.

The guy I used to work for part time who does high end restorations said the last car he painted (1928 Buick) cost $2400 just in paint, plus another $20k in labor costs! (bodywork and paint)

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by bellamy If painting the entire car, inside, outside, engine bay, everything, about how much paint would that require? Also, I see some paint that it $200+ a gallon and others that are as little as $45. My question is is there really that much of a difference? And if so what is it?

Paint is like everything else, you get what you pay for.

A good PPG base/clear coat can cost you between $600-800 for all needed. The Glasurit paint we use starts at $1400 and climbs up very very fast. This is why I sometimes laugh when I see an ad from the big "M" with the $350 paint special.

On a curious note, the big "M" advertizes a complete paint job for $350 and clearly states "some sanding as required". I just wonder how long the paint will stick to a body if you don't sand or scuff the area.

We are currently working on a very rare '67 Chevelle that belongs to a baseball player. The body has 210 hours of body work, 176 hours of preparation and the paint he selected cost over $3100 including freight from Italy. All for the bargain price of $26,500 including parts and labor.

[vikesman101]

I have painted with both Dupont and PPG and I have found the 1.5 gallons of paint will cover the entire car (inside and out) with two coats inside and 3 outside. If you use the proper value shade sealer under your paint 3 coats will be enough to get the proper color from the paint. Any additional coats will not improve the look much unless you intend to sand again. With the clear coat I generally put 2 coats inside and 3-4 outside, it really depends on how well the shoot is going. You need to leave yourself some room to color sand. My paint jobs most likely are not a 10 out of 10, but I bet they are a strong 9. If you are doing this yourself just have PLENTY of patience.

Tom

[newman27]

Originally Posted by blancojp ...We are currently working on a very rare '67 Chevelle that belongs to a baseball player...

Is it a Braves player by chance?

[ungermm]

Originally Posted by blancojp On a curious note, the big "M" advertizes a complete paint job for $350

I was asked the question yesterday, "What do you think about a $249.00 paint job by company S?" I'm sure once you get there there are additional costs before you're out the door. The paint and application of it are just a fraction of the real cost. It may end up looking shiny while your driving on the freeway, but you wouldn't want anyone to look at it very close while it's standing still. It's all in the prep work. The body has to be straight, dent less, and scratch free. The flaws will especially show through a new paint job. And, if your going to put the time/money into good prep work, you should use good paint and good equipment. Cheap paint won't last and cheap equipment will end up making the total job look cheap. And, it really helps to have someone that knows how to put the paint on and what to do if something starts to go wrong.

If you use a primer that is close to the color of the top coat, you should be able to able to apply 2-3 color coats in less than 1 gal. that is if you have good paint, you know what you're doing, and you have good equipment.
You really don't need to spray the inside of an Opel GT though.

Jerry

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by ungermm If you use a primer that is close to the color of the top coat, you should be able to able to apply 2-3 color coats in less than 1 gal. that is if you have good paint, you know what you're doing, and you have good equipment. You really don't need to spray the inside of an Opel GT though. Jerry

If you tint the primer to the car color all you need is clear!

[ungermm]

Originally Posted by blancojp If you tint the primer to the car color all you need is clear!

Thanks JB!

This is new to me. I've always done the primer, color coat and/or clear. I just picked up 1 Qt. of paint and tried it on the door hinges to check the color match. The first little batch of paint that I made was with a little wet look hardener. Within a minute the batch had jelled. So, I tried another batch without the hardener. It looked fine until it dried to a kind of florescent flat orange. Just a little too bright for me. I called the friend who had given me the paint and found out it was actually a tinted primer. I then clear coated the pieces and the results look great!

Hmmm??? I've already primed the car with red oxide and intended to paint it fireglow. I also want black matte stripes. I'm not sure if I was going to clear the top fireglow paint and how to include the stripes without having an edge between the two colors (do I tape off the area to be striped, lay the black, tape off the black, and then do the color?).

So, What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of going with the tinted base clear coat?

Jerry

PS I'm getting some free discontinued acrylic enamel paint from a friend because of the conversion to water based paints.