Go back and read the OP...all bodywork is already completed and the truck sanded with 320. CFP has kept us posted on all the fine work he has been doing on this classic fire truck. I really don't believe that he will send it off to the paint shop until he is happy with the condition of the body.

 

I am going to agree with this post in 100% accuracy. It doesn't take $10000, or even $5000 to get an excellent paint job. Most high dollar jobs include the hundreds of hours involved in the body work, that is the only reason they are so high. As stated in the first post, bring it to him ready for sealer, so that all he has to do is shoot it, and the $1800 sounds a lot more realistic. Paint is not expensive until you start getting into custom mixed colors, and graphics, and special attributes. I spent less than $500 when I painted the Falcon I did, and it turned out excellent. Large shops, like Government utilized facilities, and such get huge discounts because they make large orders. Government purchased products are not taxed, or taxable, so if it's bought for fire service, it is not taxable. If the shop owner is offering a discount because of the circumstances, it doesn't mean the job won't be done right. A business owner isn't required to mark up the cost of parts or materials, so perhaps it's a win win in his eyes. He does it at cost, he gets free advertisement at shows and such. We've all seen the videos of the truck, including the one from the news. I see an opportunity for the truck to get painted nicely, and an opportunity for the painter to get some excellent advertising.

 

Thanks Charlie & Joe. You guys both got!!

The only "waving" will be my kids to the crowds on parade days!!

 

Sounds like a really good deal. Can you tell us the brand and type of paint/ clear he will be using? Hopefully not one of the "budget" lines.....

 

I am curious, and this is me asking seriously, why people assume quality products are extremely expensive. In the automotive paint industry, I am under the impression through articles, and consumer comments, that PPG, DuPont, and House of Kolor are the top three brands. Going on that impression, I checked the prices through various suppliers of those brands. A gallon of PPG basic "fire engine red" could be had in their top quality line for $130-$175 + activator, and reducer which are around $30 ea average. DuPont can be had in the same name for around $200 a gallon, again in their top line product, and HOK for around $150, again in their top line product. So, an average 48-56 F-100 would take one full gallon to paint, and that would be approx 3-4 mils thick of product, which is subsantial for anything under a clear coat. All of the above names have top line clears ranging in the $125-$200 a gallon area, and again one gallon would yield approx 4-5 mils of clear, which is more than enough to be able to wet sand and buff to a mirror like finish, and be able to sustain years of washing, and waxing. So, superior brand products, and an entire materials list would be under $500 to put a gallon of color, and clear on an average sized vehicle. Obviously, a fire truck will take more, but not much more. The cab is the same size, and the front end only has about 1-2 sq ft more surface area. The bed would obviously have more, and likely take a gallon in itself. The fire truck could probably be paint on less than 2 gallons of each color, and clear, and that's still less than $1000 in materials, and it doesn't take more than a day to paint in a shop equipped to force dry the paint. The painter could be paid $50 an hour, and he'd be able to devote two full 8 hours days to the truck. I'm just curious, since it seems that paint is abnormally expensive in certain parts of the country. If the body work is done, than $1800 would be more than enough to apply top quality products, and give the painter two full days to work on it, assuming he is indeed only applying paint, and the steps associated directly to painting it.

 

That's the big difference there. Hardly anyone takes a car/truck in completely satisfied with their own prep work, or else their prep work is not adequate and the painter insists on re-doing it or other extra work, so that he can get what the client really wants.

BTW you didn't include any costs for priming or sanding the primer, that would normally be done on a higher-end car job. That is usually a big part of the cost, because it adds another whole step of taping and masking in addition to the labor and materials.

 

It would be enlightening to see a cost delineation of a $10k+ paint job. One can then better appreciate how the estimate was determined.

I believe that some of the costs are related to how much disassembly/assembly is required to paint areas in lieu of masking or are inaccessible unless some disassembly is done; this assumes the body work has been finished.

Many of the top quality paints are highly hazardous to your health and require an outside air source to prevent inhalation. Many states have restrictions against venting these pollutants into the atmosphere. Therefore, most of these costs of during business must be absorbed by the consumer for the shop to retain viable. These costs usually don’t stand out but are markups to other costs.

I have seen expensive paint jobs and they are a thing of beauty. Most, if not all, of these vehicles were ground up restorations that were painted when disassembled. Determining the cost of the paint job alone would be very difficult.

I believe $1800 will get you a quality paint job, show good value for the money, and enhance your pride of ownership. I hope it turns out as expected.

 

You're right, I excluded the cost of primer. A gallon of self etching is typically around $75, and it needs no activator, and is optional to reduce. Primer sealer is typically around $100 a gallon, and a good primer filler around $100 a gallon, both needing an activator. So, it would still be within $1000 in liquid material cost. Sanding is part of the labor cost. But still, why does a paint job offered under $2500 have to be automatically assumed to be of poor quality? I do agree, that the offered estimate assumes that all the paint prep, and body work is finished to the standards approved by the owner, and probably the painter, which ws clarified in the first post. The first post stated that the painter would do for that amount "if" the object is brought in ready to wipe, and spray condition so that he could seal it, prime it, sand that primer, and paint it. Is it really unrealistic to assume a quality job could be had for that offer? This is my curiousity, not an intent to argue. Superior quality shops in my area average $45-$75 an hour shop rate. What are the hourly rates in other areas. We pay no sales taxes here, so I know that is part of it as well. Is $45 an hour automatically garbage if it uses the same materials as the $150 an hour place? If the guy who does it for $65 an hour, and has years of professional experience going to be automatically garbage compaired to the guy doing it for $150? That seems to be more the case when debating the cost of a quality paint job that anything. The cheaper guy is crap because he is cheaper.

 

Funny how people that NEED a paint job think it costs too much......

People that DO the paint job think they are not charging enough......

 

Welcome to my world. I deal with body shops all day and they always complain about the high cost of materials.

 

Funny, I deal with auto body shops daily, and also do paint and body work. Paint and body work on custom sport planes is also in my resume. I still disagree with why so many people say it can't be done for less than thousands. I guess I must be the only one in an area where the exact same materials are less than every where else. From my personal experience, the average "paint professional" marks up the product cost nearly 100%, and charges for a gallon when only a quart was used. Charges for an entire bottle of activator, reducer, and such, and puts the left over in stock. When doing the air planes, that had to be FAA certified, a gallon of PPG brand paint in standard colors was $45 our cost, because we used high quantities. I suspect the estimate given for the fire truck will result in a superior quality job that will look good, and last for years, even if it isn't a $10,000 job.

 

Joe, I'd like to know the name and phone number of your supplier that can sell PPG DBC basecoat, or even DCC Concept urethane reds for $100/gallon. When I quit the painting business 9 years ago, we were paying (being charged for) over $400/gallon for blue base. Materials prices are insane. I recently picked up a quart of DP epoxy primer for a project I was doing, and it was over $50 by itself. Not counting the hardener. If you are quoting correct numbers, that jobber will get all my business.

 

i'd ask around about the guy. if the guy has a good reputation i'd go for it. if he's not having to do body work and then a ton of blocking i think the price is in line.
i think the extensive prep work our old trucks need is what gets the price up in the 10-20k area.
i've been getting quotes on my 59. one guy will go with the body work the p/o did, block it and shoot it with 3 stage for around 4k (this guy does great work) with no guarantee because he didn't do the body work. i've got another guy that will take it back to the bare metal for 1500 and we see where we go from there. he seems to think he can take it down do all the sheet metal work and paint it for around the same price. these guys both always have a couple of old cars or trucks in their shops.
the guy that's taking it to the metal says that if i don't like his estimate after it's to the metal he'll shoot it with primer as part of the 1500 and i can do what i want after that.
i think i'm going to give him a shot. i've seen pictures of his work and it looks plenty bueno for an old hot rod.
sorry to get long winded. if you're happy with your body work i think it's a good deal.

 

Many times those Crazy High quotes are thrown out there because the shop really doesn't want the project, so they're just trying to get rid of you. That said, I think $1,800 is quite a fair price. I estimate that I spent about $100 on my urethane paint job(Summit Racing single stage that I also used to paint my son's S-10----sand paper, tape and other materials included) to paint my Fiero. As it was a practice warm-up prior to painting my F100, I can honestly say that great buffing can make up for cr*ppy painting any day!

 

Carnut, and heavyhitter just nailed the issue of the high quotes on the head. Those high quotes are based on the shop doing the body work, or to scare off a job they don't want to take. But, that's not was going on in this particular case. We've all seen the F-7. From the pictures I've seen, that truck was in superior original condition, and wasn't in need of extensive body work. The $1800 was for shooting a truck that had everything done already. Which brings to the point my questions. If the truck is ready to spray, is it unreasonablt to say $1800 will land a high quality job that will last for years, and look great? That is what I am asking, nothing more, nothing less. Obviously, it wouldn't be hard to add up a $10,000 bill at a body shop. I'm not disputing that in any way, shape, or form. I am debating, and wanting to know, why $1800 will automatically land a crap job as many of the earlier posts seem to suggest.....ie: you get what you pay for, it won't be straight, what kind of paint is being used. We have a store here locally, and I can get a gallon of PPG brand urethane base coat in any primary, or secondary color for under $200 a gallon. Paid $45 for a 3/4 gallon of the PPG shop-line (not top end, mid road stuff) just a couple months ago. Their top line stuff was twice that.