Thread: How much is to much

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Great advice.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

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.

Mine was $8000 by the time it was all said and done. Frame, body, flames, and pinstriping plus materials. It was worth every penny. And it was done in one month from the time it went in the shop.