Choosing A Paint Shop for Your Classic Car

 

During the process of restoring a classic car or truck, there are a few portions of a build that are more difficult than others.  Taking a vehicle apart, putting it back together and tinkering with the mechanics is something that most people could achieve with the right tools, a little common sense and a bit of mechanical aptitude.

Doing bodywork and painting a vehicle correctly is something totally different.  It takes quite a bit of know-how and talent to make a paint job look picture-perfect.  During a typical restoration, as much as 50% – 60% of the time spent will be working on the bodywork and paint.

Whether your classic needs an entirely new paint job or just part of its color matched, you are going to wat to turn to professionals to get the job done right.  Before we discuss what to look for in a specialist, let’s talk about the cost.

If you are simply wanting a basic paint job, let’s say something less than $15,000, you may as well go to MAACO.  A local collision center body shop may also be able to give you a lower cost paint job but be aware that they often will only take the job as filler work.  That means they will work on your car in their down time when they don’t have any late-model cars with collision damage to repair.  After all, that is how they make the bulk of their money so those take priority, not your classic.

For a high-quality paint job, not show standard but something still impressive, you are looking at an average $15,000 – $20,000 to get the job done right.  Show quality paint jobs usually start around $25,000.  These numbers might sound like a lot, but you once you realize the amount of time and work that goes into it, things start to make more sense. It is a lot of work to completely disassemble the exterior, strip paint down to bare metal, and fix any minor dents and creases.  We aren’t talking about any rust repair or new metal fabrication either.

When you begin your search for the right paint shop, we suggest you start by tracking down some referrals.  Get out to some local car shows.  Find a paint job you think looks impressive and talk to the owner to see where they got the bodywork and paint done. Chances are if it is a local car show, the shop that did the work won’t be too far away.

After finding a few shops to consider, have a look online for reviews and testimonials from others that have had their cars painted.  Apart from online reviews there are also forums you can search for feedback on the shops you have in mind.

Smaller shops are usually the best way to go.  The industrial sized collision centers tend to treat cars like they are just a number.  Smaller shops tend to put more care into their work because the can focus on just a few cars at a time.

You need to investigate the shops in person to make sure you are hiring the right people for the job.  First and foremost, make sure they have their own paint booth.  There are many restoration shops that subcontract paint and sometimes bodywork.  You don’t want to hire them to paint your car for obvious reasons.

Ask to see their paint booth/room and see if it is kept clean.  It is crucial that it is.  A new car finish dries with a slight orange peel, which requires a very clean environment. Dirt and trash in paint requires sanding and buffing, which makes the paint slick and removes the factory matte appearance.

Also take note of what tools they are using for bodywork.  If their tools are dirty and disorganized, you can only imagine how they will treat your vehicle.  If they are drilling holes in fenders and using a slide hammer to remove dents, then you know they are doing things incorrectly.  Ask the shop owner if they use modern dent-pullers and if they have spot-welding equipment, state-of-the-art MIG or TIG welders.  These are the types of tools a true professional will use.

You should also peek around at the other cars and trucks in the shop.  Do they have any other cars you can look at to see the quality of work they perform?  Could you ask the owner to provide some references from past customers?  A quality shop will be happy to provide these.  Make sure you see some examples.  The proof is in the pudding.

If you are getting a partial paint job or want the colors to be OEM specific, you will need an expert to match the paint perfectly.  Especially if older paint will be showing on the car.  It may have faded from its original color and matching that takes real skill!

Most vehicles do have their paint codes attached to the vehicle.  General Motors often attached a plate to the firewall or to the top of the cowl, called a Cowl Data Tag. They have a numeric, alpha, or alphanumeric factory paint code next to the letter PNT on that tag. More often than not, Ford riveted a plate to the driver-side door.  That plate will have a code next to the word PAINT. On Chryslers, there is typically a fender data tag under the hood.  The Chrysler tag may lack a paint code, but a true paint professional will know Mopar cars well enough and know the original paint code.

Paint shops also have other resources to ensure they match the paint correctly.  AutoColorLibrary.com for instance has just about every paint code for every car ever made.  There is also a book titled American Automobile Paint Code Interchange Manual 1945-1995.  In that book is every factory paint code, along with what they call an interchange that’s used to match up factory codes to modern paint colors currently available.

One last piece of advice when hiring someone to paint your classic car and it’s about money again.  Make sure you are not required to put down too much money up front.  There are too many horror stories about people paying huge sums of money to start the project and then the painter takes their sweet time finishing your vehicle.  They will often use the money you gave them to finish another project like a Ponzi scheme.

Work out a fair payment schedule and timeline before ever hiring a shop for bodywork and paint.  30-60 days should be sufficient to do a good job.  90 days if it is a show car paint job.  10-15% down is normal.  You should then be expected to make payments as progress is completed.  Maybe a second payment once the vehicle is stripped.  This is a good time for you to go to the shop and look at your car when it is bare to see all imperfections that will require bodywork.  Once it is prepped for paint another payment can be expected and then the final payment once the paint is completed.

Do yourself a huge favor and really do your homework before you hire a painter.  Paint is too big of an investment to do twice.