Thread: How much is to much

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I'll be candid.

My shop rate is cheaper than many pros, at $35/Hr. I give customers the materials at my cost, but I will not use cheap paint, as my reputation... and the pride I take in my work... are at stake. I also will be the guy held responsible, if this Arizona sun kills the color or gloss on your toy.

I get really anal about the details, and I bodywork-prime-block-touch up-reblock-seal-paint-add the graphics-clear-then buff & polish every job. On some jobs I paint inside and out, top-to-bottom... so the cost goes up.

In the last few years $10-20K is not unusual for a complete job, including graphics. Rods are often twice as much work as a car that can be painted in one piece, and does not have 60-80 years of abuse to be repaired.

It sounds like a lot of money, but it's hundreds of hours, and materials average $2500-$4000. I will add that I have seen jobs of mine that are 20 years old and still look fresh.

I never fault a guy for doing his own work, as that is how I started out. ...until my buddies started offering to hire me. If a guy is doing his own, I always offer to help with free advise. These guys are my "car-lovin brothers". :-)

I love what I do, but make no mistake. This requires a lot of work and patience!

You can get a paintjob from One Day Auto Painting for under a thousand... and if you can't see the difference... then save yourself the extra money... because you won't be able to appreciate the difference in the finish anyway.

The biggest problem, as I have experienced, is that many guys are often trying to support a family while they are building a car. This is not a cheap hobby, so some things will have to be compromised.