The Ford Barn

PepeLoco · 08-31-2014, 04:02 PM

I pulled both front fenders. Found a guy that will paint and clear coat them for $120 each. They have several coats of enamel on them and when I went to sand them, two spots went to the metal where there were high spots. I asked the guy if he was going to acid etch and prime the spots and he said he was going to spray a protective coat on them. When I asked the number of coats paint and clear, he said whatever it took. Is this common?

Can he just paint over the enamel, primer and metal without any primer?

What should I ask for or expect for $120 per fender?

I was going to take each fender off and work on them individually, then take them in to have them painted as I worked on them.

They are in great condition, no rust, pits, cracks, etc.

Thanks,
Chris

rusty12 · 08-31-2014, 04:14 PM

In my neck of the woods and from my experience, you should not expect much for 120.00 per fender. Body work, prep and paint work are time consuming and expensive, and the cost of just the paint and primers are not cheap. I doubt any professional can answer the questions you asked until he actually starts working on the part(s) to determine exactly what is needed. A lot will depend on what your expectations are and what quality of workmanship the car deserves. That being said, there are professional restorers/painters on this site that can probably comment more accurately.

Kurt in NJ · 08-31-2014, 04:51 PM

Since you sanded it the painters expectations will be low, it won't be his fault if it doesn't come out, probably a quick coat of sealer, then color,clear, what is done to the clear depends on how it comes out, it might get sanded and buffed if there is too much dirt

350$ doesn't get nuch here --they just had a bumper painted, dirt specs all over, and lines around where it was sanded through ---it was a budget job

top of the line materials could cost more than 120,cheap stuff 50-75

OR---the person has the materials, doesn't value his time very high and does a perfect job even correcting some of your sanding errors

Bill in NJ · 08-31-2014, 05:26 PM

Are they going to paint both sides??

bart78 · 08-31-2014, 05:33 PM

The guy must have cheap labor. If you know the guy let him do it. A few guys I know that paint. Won't paint anything they did not do the body work on. They got tired of the people not liking the results of the paint due to their own body work.

pooch · 08-31-2014, 05:58 PM

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I once had a guy bring in a self prepared car just for final colour.

It was primered all right... right over dirt.

Not even rubbed down or WASHED.

If you give the painter a prepared fender that is rubbed 400 wet and dry and dead smooth and straight after guide coating, he may be able to blow a couple of coats of black over the outside and get a reasonable job .

Of course he will never give you any guarantees or comes backs for that price.

Roadster62 · 08-31-2014, 06:27 PM

That is a lot like putting icing on a cake, but you don't know who baked it.....or when. Bob

Mitch//pa · 08-31-2014, 06:36 PM

i agree with all the above your going to end up with a schlock job at that price

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 08-31-2014, 07:04 PM

Well quite frankly, I look at this in a different view. The O/P knows enough about questions to ask the painter about the job but is coming here asking US if this is a fair price. The O/P also commented how these were a great set of fenders yet two places he sanded immediately went to metal due to high spots (dents). My opinion is only the O/P can know all of the circumstances involving the transaction and the level of expectation. Maybe $240.00 is all the budget he has, or maybe this level of craftsmanship is all that he is seeking. If so, that will be fine.

FrankWest · 08-31-2014, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bart78

The guy must have cheap labor. If you know the guy let him do it. A few guys I know that paint. Won't paint anything they did not do the body work on. They got tired of the people not liking the results of the paint due to their own body work.

That price is too cheap!
I paid over 300$ just for the paints primers, hardeners and reducers, etc
No to mention painting equiptement for a quart of enamel.
I would imagine a real professiona; job to do my 2 fenders and a gas cover plate would have been 1500 dollars.
Professional paint jobs are very very expensive!

PepeLoco · 08-31-2014, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill in NJ

Are they going to paint both sides??

Nope.

PepeLoco · 08-31-2014, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

i agree with all the above your going to end up with a schlock job at that price

Mitch,
Can I determine if it is a Schlock job? (I being not "paint smart")

He is going to do one fender first, I figure if is screws it up, I am only out 120, if he does it nice, then we agreed to do one at a time/week. He paints for a car dealership on the "quarter mile" here in Austin.
I am wet sanding (400) these baby butt smooth.
One I had to weld at the corner where it meets the running board and got it looking perfect, plus reinforced that corner.
I really appreciate these comments.
Pepe

PepeLoco · 08-31-2014, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Well quite frankly, I look at this in a different view. The O/P knows enough about questions to ask the painter about the job but is coming here asking US if this is a fair price. The O/P also commented how these were a great set of fenders yet two places he sanded immediately went to metal due to high spots (dents). My opinion is only the O/P can know all of the circumstances involving the transaction and the level of expectation. Maybe $240.00 is all the budget he has, or maybe this level of craftsmanship is all that he is seeking. If so, that will be fine.

Brent,

I always look forward to your comments.
My buddy down the street spent over $60k on a Chevy 5 window that is incredible.
While I can appreciate that level of commitment, mine is significantly less, and so is my budget.
With two 8 year olds, my Chief Financial Officer has budgeted very little for my car.
Pepe

H. L. Chauvin · 08-31-2014, 08:48 PM

Hi Chris,

I think you already can imagine that the work depends a large part on the guy doing the work.

FWIW: To add to the similar above responses, I have a very particular almost perfect self employed body man across the street from my office who just retired after about 45 years of doing body work & painting.

I asked him one day what he thought about going to one of these real cheap car painting shops who like offer something like buy one car paint job & get the other one Free.

He said he had witnessed on a few occasions where beautiful paint jobs came from places like this; but, on the other hand, some of the jobs looked like the car wasn't even washed & the paint was applied with a hand operated Flit Gun.

He said that today, body men come & go & paint shops change them about as often as one changes socks; hence, one just really does not know what to expect.

Like with some medical decisions, maybe just bring your fender(s) somewhere for a second or maybe third opinion.

Mitch//pa · 08-31-2014, 08:52 PM

another possibility is since he has a full time job at an agency maybe he is able to paint them at his place of employment and also borrow

the materials needed to do the job.

Terry,NJ · 08-31-2014, 08:55 PM

I paid my painter $500 for the same, only I had prepped the fenders. By prepped i mean sand blasted, acid washed. primed with a high fill primer, sanded, put more Evercoat where it was needed, primed again, sanded again, a couple of times. Then delivered them for appraisal. We agreed on the price and that he would do a final sanding, and then he would shoot them. They aren't perfect but they're pretty good. Go to my profile, under" My 30 T.S." and you can see them. Oh yeah, I bought the paint etc. He also shot the running boards with the fenders. But I knew if there was a huge error it would be my responsibility.
Terry

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 08-31-2014, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PepeLoco

Brent,

I always look forward to your comments.
My buddy down the street spent over $60k on a Chevy 5 window that is incredible.
While I can appreciate that level of commitment, mine is significantly less, and so is my budget.
With two 8 year olds, my Chief Financial Officer has budgeted very little for my car.
Pepe

Yep, that is as I suspected and I think your priorities are admirable! Get the job you are happy with and go enjoy.

bart78 · 08-31-2014, 09:47 PM

There is a old Mexican guy here. That will paint a car for 500 bucks. You buy the paint and do the body work. He does real good work. And does it at his house under his car port. He is hard to deal with. Because of to much painting without a mask his whole life. You won't win no big show with it. But it looks pretty good for the money.

Logan · 08-31-2014, 09:50 PM

For a $120 you're going to get a black shiny fender. With the same dents and bumps in it before, and I highly doubt it will be sanded and buffed. Just strait out if the gun. It'll probably look okay for a while, but it's not a lifetime paint job. The paint will probably be a 10 year lifetime if it's kept inside out of the sun.

jr-41ford · 08-31-2014, 10:18 PM

If you were to ask me to paint your fenders, after you have prepped them, probably $100 per fender.

But here's the catch. You will tell me what type of paint you want, you will reasonably supply most materials, and prep the fenders in accordance with my directions and to my specifications, or no paint. Believe me, it will be prepped correctly when you are ready for paint. You whould end up with a paint job that will last many years.

I did body and fender, including custom painting for a living, years ago. I've kept my hand in it just for my friends and family.

I'm going to repaint my brother in law's Harley again. I last painted it in 1985, Corvette red, there is not a thing wrong with the paint, it looks as good as the day it was painted with acrylic enamel. He just wants to do something different with it.

I think you can find someone that will work with you on painting your fenders. Good preparation work is very essential to getting a good paint job and you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to do it.

I've always enjoyed painting, but I got out of it because of the chemicals back then were making me sick, even with good protective equipment. These days I have even better PPE and paint approximately once ever 12 to 18 months. Right now, after having carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists, trying to learn how to pinstripe again. Ain't gonna happen........

08-31-2014, 04:02 PM	#1
PepeLoco Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Austin Posts: 118	If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender I pulled both front fenders. Found a guy that will paint and clear coat them for $120 each. They have several coats of enamel on them and when I went to sand them, two spots went to the metal where there were high spots. I asked the guy if he was going to acid etch and prime the spots and he said he was going to spray a protective coat on them. When I asked the number of coats paint and clear, he said whatever it took. Is this common? Can he just paint over the enamel, primer and metal without any primer? What should I ask for or expect for $120 per fender? I was going to take each fender off and work on them individually, then take them in to have them painted as I worked on them. They are in great condition, no rust, pits, cracks, etc. Thanks, Chris

08-31-2014, 04:14 PM	#2
rusty12 Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 89	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender In my neck of the woods and from my experience, you should not expect much for 120.00 per fender. Body work, prep and paint work are time consuming and expensive, and the cost of just the paint and primers are not cheap. I doubt any professional can answer the questions you asked until he actually starts working on the part(s) to determine exactly what is needed. A lot will depend on what your expectations are and what quality of workmanship the car deserves. That being said, there are professional restorers/painters on this site that can probably comment more accurately.

08-31-2014, 04:51 PM	#3
Kurt in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: on the Littlefield Posts: 6,158	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender Since you sanded it the painters expectations will be low, it won't be his fault if it doesn't come out, probably a quick coat of sealer, then color,clear, what is done to the clear depends on how it comes out, it might get sanded and buffed if there is too much dirt 350$ doesn't get nuch here --they just had a bumper painted, dirt specs all over, and lines around where it was sanded through ---it was a budget job top of the line materials could cost more than 120,cheap stuff 50-75 OR---the person has the materials, doesn't value his time very high and does a perfect job even correcting some of your sanding errors Last edited by Kurt in NJ; 08-31-2014 at 05:01 PM.

08-31-2014, 05:26 PM	#4
Bill in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,159	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender Are they going to paint both sides??

08-31-2014, 05:33 PM	#5
bart78 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Stephenville tx Posts: 1,019	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender The guy must have cheap labor. If you know the guy let him do it. A few guys I know that paint. Won't paint anything they did not do the body work on. They got tired of the people not liking the results of the paint due to their own body work.

08-31-2014, 05:58 PM	#6
pooch Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: South Coast NSW Australia Posts: 2,596	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I once had a guy bring in a self prepared car just for final colour. It was primered all right... right over dirt. Not even rubbed down or WASHED. If you give the painter a prepared fender that is rubbed 400 wet and dry and dead smooth and straight after guide coating, he may be able to blow a couple of coats of black over the outside and get a reasonable job . Of course he will never give you any guarantees or comes backs for that price.

08-31-2014, 06:27 PM	#7
Roadster62 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ridgefield, Ct Posts: 3,441	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender That is a lot like putting icing on a cake, but you don't know who baked it.....or when. Bob __________________ They don't have to run to be enjoyed. I'm here to enjoy the hobby, and enjoy the cars no matter what they look like. Most of the worlds problems are electrical.

08-31-2014, 06:36 PM	#8
Mitch//pa BANNED Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bucks County, PA Posts: 11,454	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender i agree with all the above your going to end up with a schlock job at that price

08-31-2014, 07:04 PM	#9
BRENT in 10-uh-C Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Eastern Tennessee Posts: 11,509	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender Well quite frankly, I look at this in a different view. The O/P knows enough about questions to ask the painter about the job but is coming here asking US if this is a fair price. The O/P also commented how these were a great set of fenders yet two places he sanded immediately went to metal due to high spots (dents). My opinion is only the O/P can know all of the circumstances involving the transaction and the level of expectation. Maybe $240.00 is all the budget he has, or maybe this level of craftsmanship is all that he is seeking. If so, that will be fine. __________________ . BRENT in 10-uh-C . www.model-a-ford.com ...(...Finally Updated!! ) .

08-31-2014, 08:48 PM	#14
H. L. Chauvin Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 4,179	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender Hi Chris, I think you already can imagine that the work depends a large part on the guy doing the work. FWIW: To add to the similar above responses, I have a very particular almost perfect self employed body man across the street from my office who just retired after about 45 years of doing body work & painting. I asked him one day what he thought about going to one of these real cheap car painting shops who like offer something like buy one car paint job & get the other one Free. He said he had witnessed on a few occasions where beautiful paint jobs came from places like this; but, on the other hand, some of the jobs looked like the car wasn't even washed & the paint was applied with a hand operated Flit Gun. He said that today, body men come & go & paint shops change them about as often as one changes socks; hence, one just really does not know what to expect. Like with some medical decisions, maybe just bring your fender(s) somewhere for a second or maybe third opinion. Last edited by H. L. Chauvin; 08-31-2014 at 09:57 PM. Reason: typo

08-31-2014, 08:52 PM	#15
Mitch//pa BANNED Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bucks County, PA Posts: 11,454	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender another possibility is since he has a full time job at an agency maybe he is able to paint them at his place of employment and also borrow the materials needed to do the job.

08-31-2014, 08:55 PM	#16
Terry,NJ Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Northern Bucks Co. Pa Posts: 632	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender I paid my painter $500 for the same, only I had prepped the fenders. By prepped i mean sand blasted, acid washed. primed with a high fill primer, sanded, put more Evercoat where it was needed, primed again, sanded again, a couple of times. Then delivered them for appraisal. We agreed on the price and that he would do a final sanding, and then he would shoot them. They aren't perfect but they're pretty good. Go to my profile, under" My 30 T.S." and you can see them. Oh yeah, I bought the paint etc. He also shot the running boards with the fenders. But I knew if there was a huge error it would be my responsibility. Terry

08-31-2014, 09:47 PM	#18
bart78 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Stephenville tx Posts: 1,019	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender There is a old Mexican guy here. That will paint a car for 500 bucks. You buy the paint and do the body work. He does real good work. And does it at his house under his car port. He is hard to deal with. Because of to much painting without a mask his whole life. You won't win no big show with it. But it looks pretty good for the money.

08-31-2014, 09:50 PM	#19
Logan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 1,055	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender For a $120 you're going to get a black shiny fender. With the same dents and bumps in it before, and I highly doubt it will be sanded and buffed. Just strait out if the gun. It'll probably look okay for a while, but it's not a lifetime paint job. The paint will probably be a 10 year lifetime if it's kept inside out of the sun. __________________ Cowtown A's

08-31-2014, 10:18 PM	#20
jr-41ford Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pasco, Washington (USA) Posts: 241	Re: If you did prep, $120 painting expectations on a removed front fender If you were to ask me to paint your fenders, after you have prepped them, probably $100 per fender. But here's the catch. You will tell me what type of paint you want, you will reasonably supply most materials, and prep the fenders in accordance with my directions and to my specifications, or no paint. Believe me, it will be prepped correctly when you are ready for paint. You whould end up with a paint job that will last many years. I did body and fender, including custom painting for a living, years ago. I've kept my hand in it just for my friends and family. I'm going to repaint my brother in law's Harley again. I last painted it in 1985, Corvette red, there is not a thing wrong with the paint, it looks as good as the day it was painted with acrylic enamel. He just wants to do something different with it. I think you can find someone that will work with you on painting your fenders. Good preparation work is very essential to getting a good paint job and you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to do it. I've always enjoyed painting, but I got out of it because of the chemicals back then were making me sick, even with good protective equipment. These days I have even better PPE and paint approximately once ever 12 to 18 months. Right now, after having carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists, trying to learn how to pinstripe again. Ain't gonna happen........