hey guys. im looking to get my camaro painted. as far as damage goes the only spot where i see problems is the drivers side door which has a spot of cancer to the point where its made a hole in the door the size of a quarter. so i figured id just swap in a new door before i get it painted. but anyways thats besides the point. i was wondering how much would a good solid paint job cost me? and what to ask or look for when i visit some paint shops. i was thinking of paying between 1000 to 1500 for the paint job. and id have no problem doing my own prep work. i was thinking of a black or dark red painjob if it matters. thanks

Agreed on replacing door. Used parts are cheap and makes restoration much easier. You might be able to find a shop that will spray car for $2000 if you do most of prep work. Seems to be about $3,000-$3,500 for a shop to do prep and paint. You could also ask around local car shows to see who else paints. Odds are you can find a guy that does good work for himself or on the side. Best paint process is two stage, base coat followed by a few clear coats. I would just read up on paint process and techniques so you are familiar with it. You can also check out cars that person has or is painting to get idea of their work. Any pics of your car and what color is it? Can't go wrong with black or red on a thirdgen. More $$ for changing car color since you have to paint a lot more items (door jambs, under hood, engine bay).

http://www.autobody101.com/

2000 thats a rip off. I did the body work myself on my mustang. I bought House of color paint myself. I paid about 350 for the paint and a local paint shop painted the car for 200 bucks. Later I wet sanded it and paid a guy to high speed buff it for 100. He even taught me how. I have since bought a high speed buffer and for that matter learned to paint and am in the process of restoring my camaro. Its not that hard to do and the key is prep more prep and never stop moving the device. (whether it be the high speed buffer (burn the paint) or the spray gun (drips). Some shops will even rent their paint booth. Food for thought.

IMO $2000 is not a "rip" the cost of paint and supplies could easily reach $1000 for doing the whole car AND removing the doors, hood, hatch, prepping and painting jambs, and realigning all of the panels is no picnic... just thought i would throw that out there...

It will really depend on how much of the prep you do and who you are working with. A larger operation is less likely to work with you. Your best bet is to find a small operation that you can trust if possible. If you can find that and then bring in a car that has been sanded, primered (if changing color), and disassembled then many small operations will just charge you materials plus a couple hundred dollars for their work.

Hope you find something that works out for you.

what i was considering was taking it to a cheap place like maaco or earl schieb already stripped completely down. all the taillights, headlights, spoiler, small hardware and trim pieces already removed. then take the car home and wet sand and wax. the color im thinking of going with is either a dark red or black.

Just to make sure were on the same page. You wet sand (do a search on youtube) and then High speed buff which is not the same as waxing. I wouldn't put wax on the car for several months to give the new paint time to fully harden.

You will need a buffer with a couple pads a cutting compound and a polishing cream. Get yourself some 1200 or 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper and foam block, a hose or a sponge to keep it wet and sand in one direction back and forth avoiding any creases so that you don't sand through the new paint. Try and avoid the edges. After that you use a wool bonnet with some cutting compound and go over the whole car at about 1200 to 1400 rpm on a 12 inch buffer pad. Again avoid any corners or edges. After that switch to a foam pad and slow to 1000rpm or so because the foam can't disapate the heat as well. In my kit I have 2 different foam pads One is medium and one is fine. I usually go straight to fine after the wool. Fine using a polish and it turns out great. You have to make sure you never stop in one spot for too long or it will burn the paint and if your lucky you can wet sand it away. After a while you will get a feel for what to do and how much pressure it wants, buffer speed etc. Its extra work over what most people out there care to deal with but in the end its well worth it.

In case your interested, Here is a video of my mustang that I did the body work on. It didnt need much but I did shave the antenna off the right front fender for a cleaner look. I wet sanded and high speed buffed it and waited to wax it for a couple months. It is very dirty in this video but you can tell its shiny under all that dirt. I need to give her a little TLC but its a solid car.

Just so you know my first love was the 79 corvette and then came my camaro which I have had since 85. The camaro is in the garage with the doors off of it getting ready for paint as of this date. I can't wait to get her back on the road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Fxs1yUN5I