Tudor paint job prices

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galaxyjb

Junior Member
Hi, I'm looking into buying a Tudor that has old enamel paint on it that could use a new paint job, both the body color and black fenders. It is pretty much rust free (aside from a few paint chips) and straight, but has some scratches that will need taken care of along with the old paint flaking in some areas.

Looking for a nice job but not show quality, keeping overspray, orange peel, etc. to a minimum. Keeping the colors the same.

Any ideas on ballpark costs from others that have done theirs?
 
I doubt thar you will find a body shop to paint what you describe without taking it to bare metal. To much chance for a poor job that will not last when you paint over the old paint. Good luck.
 
what you want is around $3000, do the sanding yourself on the scratches and flacking paint on the body then prime it with a good 2 stage primer, remove the fenders so the body wont have to be mask twice, then the cost would be around $500, the more labor you do your self the less the paint job will cost, check with Macco if there is one near you, and Brent in ten uh c will be along in a while and he can give you a real accurate estimate
 
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Now is the time to purchase a paint outfit. I have done all my own painting over the years and you get better and better at it. You will easily pay for equipment by doing it yourself. Tell yourself that this is not my last Model A. Ed
 
Depends on where you are located and which shop you choose. What may be a good price in California might an insane price in Oklahoma.

I paint a fair number of cars each year(both vintage and modern) and each job has it's own pricing.

Like Desotoguy said, you need to account for removal of the old topcoat & substrate.
 
Thanks for all the info so far, I need to update my profile for location, but I'm in the Chicago area.

Not opposed to doing some of the work myself, just would be my first time doing it and would want to do more damage prepping.
 
Talk to Mark Maron and the guys in his Model A club. Many of the guys in that area do a lot of prep work, then with the help of Ken Ehrenhofer they get a very nice paint job and can safe money by doing a lot of the prep work themselves.
 
You get what you pay for. My paint guy was a week away from finishing my car for ten months. Nice paint job, but he held me hostage for a long time. "My cousins buddy" will have a great price, but I promise you will be sorry if you cut corners here.
 
$500 won't even buy you decent materials, so be very careful. An average quality overall repaint using decent quality materials should set you back at least $500 for the materials, and likely closer to $1000.


Deron
 
A friend just bought some paint for his Model "T". I think $1100 was the material cost. Another friend spent about $900 for material to paint his 1970 pickup. I like Rust-o leum primer in the rattle can. You can touch it up yourself and not worry about the first scratch or gravel chip.
 
I am going to abstain from jumping in on the price quoting because I think that area has been covered but there are several questions I have back.

First off, please define what "show quality" is. I hear that word alot but when I ask someone to describe it it is usually followed by a long pause of silence. Therefore I guess it is like the Supreme Court Justice said about the definition of *****, --"I know it when I see it." My point is if you want all the dents removed and the panels straight, and you do not want any 'Runs, Drips, or Errors', doesn't that really describe the paint work on a show car? It also sounds like a paint job on a brand new Ford pick-up! So how are you going to convey exactly what you want to a craftsman who's name is going to be attached to his work? Generally speaking, the honest craftsman does the best of their ability on each job. The difference is that some craftsmen are more talented than others. Therefore expecting that person to do a better job than they are capable of is unlikely to happen, ...and expecting a great craftsman to lower their standards to meet your lower demands usually don't work either.

The next series of questions is where do you stop on the paint job? Do the windows need to come out to do a good job? What about the windshield or visor? What about the door handles? What about the cowl band or cowl lamps (if so equipped w/ either)? What about the fenders and body aprons, --do they need to be removed? What about the top material or drip rails? Finally, how would we deal with the old enamel paint? Personally I would not be interested in painting over it because I don't want my name attached to the upcoming failure that will likely be eminent.

The next line of questions is what year is the car because that greatly affects the amount of labor. To do what I would consider a satisfactory job will require removing body aprons, running boards, and fenders. At a minimum the fenders need to come off but a 1930 fender is much more work to remove. Does it have hood shelves? I could go on but it all comes back to what is acceptable to you and the craftsman.



My personal advice to you (and I have not even seen this car!) is to pass on this one. I tell folks that a re-paint is 1/3rd - 1/2 the price of a full restoration. The reason I say that is because we have done many re-paints and they always start off by saying "The car is very solid and all we need to do is ...." Then within the first hour of the process, something major has surfaced and it usually spirals downward from there. I've seen everything from fenders tack-welded onto the body, to screen wire & Bondo used to sculpture an entire body panel. Once any of the defects are found, what do you do? There is no way the craftsman can quote a price for work they cannot see, ...and now you are over budget. The only other advice I can offer you if you have decided to overlook the advice I gave in the first sentence of this paragraph is to find a shop/craftsman who is in the Restoration industry and not in the Collision Repair industry.

.
 
Got a quote of $6000 to paint my coupe. I had all the old paint removed, fenders and hood off and blasted...front & back bumpers off. The body was in better shape than most but fenders needed a lot of work. Oh yeah....I ddn't use the $6000 paint guy.
 
Brent is right. There is no way to estimate this way. I think the only good way to get an estimate is to take the project to a few restoration shops and let them see and examine what you have. Then they can give you a more accurate answer and you can make a more educated choice. There may still be some problems crop up after they start. Be sure to ask how they are going to prepare the surfaces, how many coates of color and clear coat will they apply. What about sanding before and between coats. You can see that you need to know almost as much as your craftsman in order to judge the quality of his work. This is not easy for you or him but there is a lot of money at stake and you need to know something ahead of time. Don't make any desion on the spot. Go out for coffee and cool down. Go back the next day. You will hear about cars usually modern - that were painted for $1000 but they are only one color and they are painted as an assembly. Model A painters have to handle dozens of small parts and they must all look perfect when finished and assembled. Now having said all that I hope I can follow my own advice when I get a paint job later this year. Bill G
 
Pay the money up front and buy the "best" Model A that you can reasonably afford, especially if you are going to have to pay someone to work on it. Also, ugly Model A's are just as much fun to drive as the pretty ones so I would worry more about the mechanical side than the cosmetic. New paint can be expensive because 95% of a paint job is labor in the prep. A cheap back yard hobbiest job (20 footer) will be around $1,000. A pro job could be "the sky's the limit".
 
You calling us Okies insane:) can't blame you most of us are. How did you like the swap meet.


UOTE=LukeDahlinger;397001]Depends on where you are located and which shop you choose. What may be a good price in California might an insane price in Oklahoma.

I paint a fair number of cars each year(both vintage and modern) and each job has it's own pricing.

Like Desotoguy said, you need to account for removal of the old topcoat & substrate.[/QUOTE]
 
Only after one has bought all the needed materials and supplies to paint a car will they ever realize what is costs. $500-$1000 is VERY reasonable for the materials alone. Starting from bare metal to shiny finish is a long road. If you do the work yourself of course the time is worth nothing. But there aren't many people that will look at your car with the same passion as you will. Therefor, you will pay them their price. Ask yourself "would I do all this work for nothing?" This is why I do my own.
 
I would pass on that one. You might open a can of worms, I've been there. Keep looking, you might pay more up front but in the long run you will be money ahead.
 
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