Glass Out Paint Job Cost

[kahunahead]

Rough order of magnitude, what might I expect to pay for a glass out paint job on a long hood with "no" rust/damage and keeping same color. Not looking for a concours restoration paint job, just a good quality driver.

Some sort of paint removal would need to happen, how would folks go about that? Would not want to remove interior/electrical/mechanical systems, but maybe that is a pipe dream?



Bill

[Scott72]

Not sure what a driver level job goes for these days, but we are going to paint with our 69S now that the metal work is done. Car is a shell that had been stipped and is now in Epoxy but will need final bodywork, primer, paint, etc. Being quoted 20-30K for a high end job. This is for the entire shell including all the detail work. Not a great comparison and this is "North East" prices, but give you an idea that it gets expensive.

[Eminence Gris]

My favorite local high end shop will do it for $10K if it's as straightforward as described. There are alternatives as low as $6500... A lot depends on the part of the world you're in.

[Scott A]

Can you tell us the year of your car, your location, if the paint is metallic or clearcoat, coupe or targa?
All these make a difference in the numbers.
Will you have to replace glass, or trim, or headliner, or rubber seals?
Can you tell us the color it is now? And if it ever had a repaint?

Many paint jobs are a can of worms, you start removing paint and parts and you find things you didn’t expect.

[TheBen]

+1 on what Scott A said...

[Frankr]

$10K-$15K should do it. Did a similar job on my 69 Targa. Metallic Blue as original. Still looks good 20 years later. Driven reg. and garaged.

[raspy2point2]

Beautiful blue targa-- another way is to find a shop that does porches from time to time and does other cars as well. A shop that is off the radar from our hobby group. Porsche shops tend to keep track of one another's work and pricing. and these tend to be high. 10K to 14K. These shops that are out of the Porsche loop of popularity can be good or bad, so do your homework and get some referrals. You might get a great paint job for 5K to $6500. Chris

[swcarroll]

Rough order of magnitude, what might I expect to pay for a glass out paint job on a long hood with "no" rust/damage and keeping same color. Not looking for a concours restoration paint job, just a good quality driver. Some sort of paint removal would need to happen, how would folks go about that? Would not want to remove interior/electrical/mechanical systems, but maybe that is a pipe dream? Bill

Anyone who has ever disassembled/reassembled bumper decos (and busted the requisite number of frozen T-bolts) will get a kick out of your question. Painting an early Porsche properly will furiously gobble up labor hours. Be sure to take a couple Rolaids before checking the prices on decent quality seals (doors, windows, bumpers, lights, decos, trim, etc.). The paint alone can be an easy four figures. Unless you're satisfied with masked trim a-la Earl Scheib, I can't imagine getting a long-hood painted to a reasonable standard for less than $15-20K, and that may be low.

[Scott A]

regarding paint.
here in bay area california, some are charging 40 grand for painting a car.

paint supplies alone, will be 2-3 maybe even 4 grand, for high quality paint. (so it would not be any cheaper than that)
At best the labor price will double it, to 6 grand. But really more like 10 grand plus, for the job, for acceptable work.

one gallon of good color alone will be $1000 plus. Sometimes one color is far more expensive than the other. White is probably the cheapest.

taking the glass out and leaving some interior and wires is very possible....
there are several levels possible....each of the lower levels will show that the car was repainted, there will be some evidence somewhere, or everywhere...the more work you put in the more that doesn't show.
glass out gets a little tougher and expensive, because then you start replacing rubber and bright trim....and can easily damage a headliner...break a windshield or rear window.
if there is a crack in your windshield, it will probably, 95% break.
rear window is a killer with the heating wires....if they work, and you want to make it work again.

Almost every panel with color paint joins with a rubber seal. Inside the doors, at hood, around the windows, on the bumpers...so all those seals get disturbed, damaged, etc. so it often becomes necessary to replace.
Especially if they have previous paint on them. It is really these edges that give away poor work.

these are ideas based on my personal work, (i have painted about 14 cars) and I only paint my own cars...i am not a business.
i don't do clear coats, i avoid metal-flakes, that just makes stuff harder. (some of your paint job will depend on the year of your car....clear-coat or not, some will depend on if it is a targa or coupe.)
but i would only do a glass out job. And suffer the surprises, but turn them into better work.
i do not like seeing evidence of a paint job, especially on the outside of the car.
So, in the end, there are many ways to paint a car, and many bad ways, and only a few good ways to do it right or well.

[John912]

+2 on what Scott A said. "Painting" is relatively quick and inexpensive; it's the preparation that makes or breaks a paint job. It's amazing how much rust is revealed when you strip one of these older cars completely down to bare metal. Driver quality paint jobs may look good when you first get the car home, but rarely withstand the test of time. And IMO some Porsches like O-Series and S models deserve more than driver quality. In the end, you get what you pay for