How cheap can you possibly paint a car? I am talking the cheapest paint and clear (or a single stage paint) you can buy. $100, $200?

 

Nason paint kit (black)@ O'reilly's $130. Or $.97 ea. for spray paint @ Wal-Mart. LOL

 

Given any thought to having it painted in one of those in and out on the same or next day shops?

 

not sure if its been posted here but painting with rollers costs pretty much nothing. its a long drwan out process though. but the results are worth it!

 

You could always keep on the lookout for when the city is painting lines on the highway and just tailgate them. You're choices will only be white or yellow, but it's a shot.

Or leave the car in a bad neighborhood with lots of graffiti.

 

you could probably do a single stage paint for $150 but you need awesome prep work or it falls off. go to maaco get the ambassador paint job that's as cheap as your going to get. remember you get what you pay for.

 

1 gal kirker enamel.. - $30-50 price varies w/color.
pint wet look hardener - $15
1 gal enamel reducer - $12
1 gal Lazer base coat stabilizer - $20
1 gal Jet Set clear - $50
catalyst for clear - $20

That is as cheap as you can get for paint and lay a mediocre paint job that will last for a few years...

 

How much time do you have? If a lot (no, really, a lot) then buckle up and read this thread:

moparts: paint job on a budget!?

This is the grail of info for the "roller" method. I laughed at first, but it is very cheap (labor intensive) and some of the guys using it have achieved pretty amazing results.

I'm going to try it out on a scrap fender this summer and see what happens.

 

Why bother?
Cheap and paint job don't belong in the same sentance.
If the car isn't worth the money to repaint the right way, then why even waste the time on it in the first place.
The cheapest way I know how to do it, is to do it myself, to save on all the labor, but I still buy the best materials I can find, so it will be worth all the effort, in the end.

Leon.

 

Dude, I will paint your car for $15. $8.99 for a gallon of exterior gloss and the other $6.01 for a six pack, I have all the rollers and brushes

 

Yeah yeah yeah, we've heard this position before.

My cars are certainly "worth" the money for an awesome professional paint job. They're rare cars (as in 300-400 ever made). Does that mean that I have the money for such a paint job? Or the ability to construct a decent spray booth at home? Nope. So, other options need to be explored.

 

Hello Dave my compadre,
How is life treating you, all is well on the home frontier and I hope all is well with you also. Have a wonderful weekend and keep in touch.
Lawrence

 

Well, I'm sorry if my responce didn't set well with you, but I have been painting for over 20 years, and I don't care how "rare" a car is, the quality of the paint job depends greatly on how much time, effort and money is put into the project.
This "position" you've heard before has alot of meaning behind it, that's why you keep hearing it."You get what you pay for"
Take it for what it's worth, but that's the way this business is.
And if you think your car is so rare, then why would you want a substandard paint job put on it?
Just save up and do it right, and give your car what it deserves.

Leon.

 

*rattle rattle rattle*.... That's my drivers side right there, flat black primer from a can. at least it beats rust color.


Seriously, I thought you guys were talking about that primer that you can roll on (which is ok).... but the top coat? I was curious about that in the past, but was always laughed at.... Now i'm doing this! some weird areas that you can't get to with the roller would be tough tho, spoiler standoffs, etc... hmm...

 

Well, Leon, I guess it didn't set too well with me, no. If you have 20 years experience under your belt, then that's great, and I'm jealous because that means you can tackle one of the toughest parts of a project by yourself (paint and body, that is).

I am not arguing whether more professional results can be achieved by a professional painter using top-quality materials in a bona-fide spray booth, with years of experience backing him up. I am arguing that there are other methods to paint a car, and some of them might yield satisfactory, even "good" results. If you'll look at that thread I posted, there are some real world examples.

If a guy comes to this patrt of the forum and says "what is the cheapest way I can do this", then my guess is he is on a shoe-string budget, to which I can relate, and the best way to help him is to show what alternative methods there are for getting a car painted for little money. If he wanted or could afford a top quality job, I am assuming he would have worded his question differently.

I can save all I want, but I'd probably never be able to afford you and others in your profession, Leon. I am a teacher pulling in about $30k per year, despite having a master's degree and seven years of experience. My career choice will not make me rich. And, I love cars, have several, as well as the daily, weekly, and monthly expenses of life in general.

Sorry for the extended reply, but I am trying to show why someone might seek an inexpensive alternative. Now, if you want to take me on as a charity case and give my car the paint she deserves, then please let me know

 

Not this BS again regarding paint quality. Someone just stop responding, you'll never convince each other to see your point.

Cheapest paint job depends on your skill, tools available, who you know, how long you want it to last, etc. I got a bright red dupont base/cc sprayed and came out incredible for $300. Looked better than 95% of the cars on the road.

 

Since you're relatively close to me, can you share who did this for you? Or was it a favor kind of thing that I wouldn't be able to take advantage of?

 

Friend's paint booth at work, his experience with spraying, another friend's paint discount. Body work is one of the easiest things to do, it's just doing it right the first time that's tricky, haha. But yeah, no way in hell you'll find a shop to spray good paint for $300.

 

Yeah, I figured you got hooked up with connections and favors. Sweet deal. But, I had to ask anyway.

Am I ever going to see your beast cruising the streets of Amherst?

 

Auto Painting: Earl Scheib Auto Paint & Body: Affordable Auto Painting Shop and Auto Body Repair

 

Nope, I moved to Boston, hahaha.