preparing body for paint

[nimblestix]

So ive been mauling the idea of having my car painted over the winter break, I went to a shop yesterday and got an estimate.

i told him i would supply new window seals for the 3 rear windows and i would remove the windows and seals prior to bringing it to his shop, he told me he could prep/paint it and fix a dent on the door for $4500. I may have access to another door for about $100 which may be cheaper than fixing the existing dent.
Im looking for a full re&re paint job here, so i want the existing paint removed and then a full new prime, paint, and clear.

I was thinking afterwards that i could probably save a little more money if i was to do the prep myself before bring him the car to be painted. So im asking if any of you gtrc'ers have any words of wisdom before i just start sanding my car one night...

I figure i would have to remove headlights, tail lights, front bumper, rear bumper, hood, and do a full sand down. I've also contemplated removing the engine and have the bay painted/tucked all at the same time. But that's another decision process in itself.

So any advice or words of caution?
Is the price reasonable? Do you know of a good place to have paint work done here in the lower mainland?
lets hear it all! This isn't no sunday after noon project lol

Thanks!

[MKIV]

Please excuse me for anything I say that is found to be rude, having worked with making lots of different brands of paint and delivering body supplies to the biggest body shops in the GTA area and seeing first hand the good & bad paint jobs, I am going to be very blunt.

*ahem*
1) Understand that what you are planning is a risky project that could yield disastrous results in the end. If the body shop you take it to after prepping for paint (which I assume by "prepped" you mean completely ready to go with the primer coat) finds any errors in your prep, if they are any sort of professional (which judging by their price) they should re-do the entire thing, meaning you'll have wasted time, money, and even more money now that the shop must fix your errors. In the end what did you save? Not much... of course, there's a chance you may just do everything to that body shop's spec. In that case I would bow down to you.

2) Understand that your attempt to save money may also be taken the wrong way. To do nearly half the work at any place of business is odd, especially when they don't usually get car's already prepped. You don't go to McDonalds and tell them you'll deep fry the fries for them and they just have to put it in the box, and you expect a lesser price. Same way, you wouldn't go to a mechanic shop and tell him you'll drain the oil, he just has to put in the new oil.

With that said, is there technique to painting a car? Yes, absolutely.
Will he still make a sufficient amount of money by spraying your car? Yes.
Will he be less motivated to do a better job since the pay is less? Perhaps. I've seen this first hand.

3) $4500 to me sounds like a good price at a good body shop. Understand that there are certain shops in operation with body guys and painters with just as much experience as you and I. With a service like a paint job, you can't exactly go back once started, nor get a refund. So yes based on the price it sounds like a good shop that wouldn't waste their time/resources painting a car unless it was worth their time, but do your research on them first and make sure of that because it is a big investment into your car.

4) The fact that you're willing to pull the motor out to do a good job on the engine bay as well says to me that you want quality and are willing to pay to play. On another note, the whole want-to-do-it-myself is bringing another side of it. It isn't cheap, I know. I have customers like you come in everyday telling me they want to paint their cars. I give them a price of a gallon of Nason basecoat and they run away. It's pricey, but if you're willing to pay to do it properly you'll love the end results.

Either way man I hope your car turns out great no matter which route you take.

I hope some of this is helpful and again sorry if it was rude or too blunt.

[nimblestix]

Not rude at all! I dont people that dance around and play word magic.

What would you say is a realistic ballpark budget for a full re and re paintjob on these cars?. Thats not including the engine bay because i havent fully decided where im going with that idea yet.

Were talking jams and all panels with removing rear three glass.

Sent from android using Tapatalk

[flipridah17]

pm'ed you

[TheyKilledKenny]

There's nothing wrong with prepping a car yourself as long as you do a good job and take the time necessary to accomplish the desired results. These paint guys think only they know how to prep and paint. If you have a keen eye for detail and the motivation, a quality prep can be achieved. These guys who paint cars make sweet FA for a reason. It's not that hard to paint vehicles, however it is a lot harder to be great at it...like in most of life's ventures.

[BRN32]

Be very careful removing your 1/4 glass as the seals are not replaceable.

[trickey1991]

my paint job was suppose to cost $4900 from a Cadillac dealer..i'd say 4500 is a good price

[Supraclean]

To add to this, were should a guy get a good base clear in our Oem paint codes?

I tryed Napa but it says it obviously the car/model isn't in the system. I gave them KG1 Jet Metallic Silver and still nothing.

I don't really like the Idea of color match as my paint is a bit old.

I don't wanna order threw the dealership but If I have 2.

Let me know what you guys figure.

[cschepp]

^ go to Nissan and ask them for a paint chip of the 350z silver, I pretty sure it's really close if not dead nuts the same color. That color can be had all day and Nissan will be able to provide you with the paint code to help you out.

[MKIV]

^ go to Nissan and ask them for a paint chip of the 350z silver, I pretty sure it's really close if not dead nuts the same color. That color can be had all day and Nissan will be able to provide you with the paint code to help you out.

Not to be rude but where did you get that piece of false information?
Nissan's KG & K2 color lines are not similar at all. The KG1 R32 silver contains aluminum excel and blue toner, whereas the newer Nissan Z-car's use metallic toners and are made with Cromax pro from factory. Cromax pro is a waterbase toner used on all car's from the factory. Definitely not cheap.

This is the common misunderstanding a lot of people have with paint by a similar manufacturer. The color codes are designed to keep a specific color, specific. And if you keep reading, I'm about to reveal the secret to the famous KG1 that needs to be found.

To add to this, were should a guy get a good base clear in our Oem paint codes?

I tryed Napa but it says it obviously the car/model isn't in the system. I gave them KG1 Jet Metallic Silver and still nothing.

KG1 in Japan = KG1 in North America
Color codes are color specific. This does not change once you go overseas.

"So then MKIV, why did Napa (or CMAX, Napa's paint division) say they don't have my color?"

KG1 in Japan = Jet Metallic Silver
KG1 in North America = Platinum Blue

Same color code, different name and manufacturer.
Ask for KG1 Platinum Blue from a 90-94 Subaru

Let me know how it goes, or if you need more help