When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey guys, new to the forum. Just got 1990 Camaro v6 3.1 white color. Thinking of getting it repainted the same color to avoid touching hidden areas, engine compartment etc. Any tips on average prices body shops ask, number of coats etc? Thank you
It doesn't look like the car needs a repaint. On a standard issue base RS, a full repaint that looks as good as the car looks in the photo, would cost you about 3 times the car's book value. You can drive to a few body shops and get estimates, but anything more than an Earl Scheib or Maaco spray-n-pray, you're going to have a few to several thousand dollars into a decent paint job. That's why it's generally not possible to restore a thirdgen for less than what it costs to buy a nicer one already finished. Paint isn't cheap, the labor to properly prep for paint isn't cheap, the common idea of just having a car repainted for a few hundred dollars is a fantasy.
Welcome! I'm a painter at a body shop, and you'd probably be looking at $4 grand for a repaint....if there's no major dings or dents to fix. People paint them all the time, though.....just depends on how much you like the car
I would buy one of larger air compressors that still runs on 110V (20-30 gallon) and one of the at-home DIY'er marketed HVLP guns by Eastwood, DevilBiss or the like and just pain it one panel at a time. Honestly, if you follow the prep work and buy name brand paint you can't permanently screw up. You can screw up, sure, but you just sand it back down and respray. If you sand through the primer or clear coat you just spray more. If you get a sag or drip, you sand it out. Basic body work and spraying a solid color is easier than you think. However the skills for some of the custom paint jobs that dagwood has posted pictures of come with lots of experience. Just work within your box,
If chips are the only issue, assuming rock chips, get a bit of touch-up paint, and a fine detail paint brush from the craft store, and carefully fill the chip with paint. If it's very deep, or all the way to bare metal, it may take a few applications. Once it's about level with the paint surface or a little above the surface, let it dry a few days and buff/polish it smooth. It might take a little time, but nothing close to the expense, labor, or potential for calamity with a full repaint.
Just stay away from the nail polish bottles with goopy Wite-Out looking paint and a felt tip applicator pen or coarse plastic brush. For GM white, a squirt of the color matched duplicolor spray can into a dixie cup, and applied with a fine brush works wonders.
