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.
Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
I am finally ready to move on getting my car's body taken care of. I have a few minor dents and the hood/fenders,nose gaps need aligined, nothing major (IMO but I'm no professional). Most places I've talked to only want insurance work and the ones that will do it want way more than I can afford 10K+. Can anyone recommend a decent place near me that will do a quality job? I'm more interested in the body work than paint since I plan on vinyl wrapping afterward.
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
Problem is.100 views, but how many of those know the whittier/la puente area.Not critiquing, just saying.Its a rather narrow field.I can only think of one and its in OC and even then its mostly paint.Most shops here i "spoke" with are the same as you experienced...ins work or cost too much.
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
I picked up Jerry's 90 RS a couple months ago and experienced pretty much the same thing you have. Most shops nowadays only want quick full pop retail insurance work. ...and the three shops that were willing to properly disassemble the car and paint it were in the 10-12K range. That's when I looked into getting the car wrapped. Prices ranged from $3500-$6500 however, most of the shops here in Orange County wouldn't touch the car due to its age. So after a ton of calls and visiting shops I was able to find a shop that would wrap my car. The price included all of the bodywork, primer, and wrap application. HORRIBLE experience... What was supposed to take 7 business days took 5 weeks! When the car was finally done, it looked like complete ****. So much to the point I received a $1300 discount. The car looks amazing from 10' away but nowhere near what my reasonable expectation was. So my advise to you is once you find a body shop your happy with, make sure not to take any shortcuts and pay the money for proper prep which will be $1000-$1500. Any and I mean ANY imperfection in the bodywork will show thorough the wrap. Additionally, most wrap material is only 5' wide so you will have seams on the car. After doing a ton of research I decided to go with 3M's Satin Smoldering Red. This ended up becoming a complete can of worms for me so with that said, know what you are getting into. Here's a before and after pic... Good luck!
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
Originally Posted by 84 1LE
It does look good in the pics.Mines same way,but its paint and a 10 footer.So you got two 3rd gens Mike?
Hey Rick!
Everyone been telling me that the car looks phenomenal until I show them the areas in question. Then it's like "oh yeah" lol. ...and yes, I've got two at the moment. I had originally planned on selling my 89 it to a friend. However, the sale fell through. I'm in no hurry to sell it but it will be sold eventually.
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
It DOES look good in the pics.
I appreciate the insight. I'm not in a hurry so I'm doing as much research as I can. I've contacted a few vinyl shops in OC and found almost the same thing you just said. If you wouldn't mind, could you PM me with the name of the shop that did yours (so at least I know which one to avoid) lol
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
Originally Posted by MeenZ28
It DOES look good in the pics.
I appreciate the insight. I'm not in a hurry so I'm doing as much research as I can. I've contacted a few vinyl shops in OC and found almost the same thing you just said. If you wouldn't mind, could you PM me with the name of the shop that did yours (so at least I know which one to avoid) lol
Oh make no mistake... She's as hot as that little dime piece sat at the end of the bar at last call. It's when you catch her close up in the brutal honesty of daylight that you are forced to come to terms with what you've ended up with
...and I don't need to put the shop on blast. He was so upside down on this job with labor and materials it's pathetic. Sending good vibes your way in the hopes you're able to find a great shop, have a wonderful experience, and end up with exactly what you're looking for. Just remember... Block, block, block, the body because absolutely EVERYTHING will show up under the wrap.
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
The shop that painted my 84 did a great job at fixing door dings and block sanding it, but I don't think they'll do heavy body work.Paint came out great though and my car was black, single stage paint and they prefer not to do two stage.
Re: Decent Body & Paint shops in Whittier, La Puente area?
You can get dings fixed and the car disassembled and painted right for $5k-7k.. If you don’t want decals and emblems put back on you’ll save money.. decals are $600-700 for IROCs. The door moldings are cheap and look really good from Hawks.. paintable and can’t tell the difference..
If a shop is throwing you $10k number they probably don’t want to do the job because they prefer the quick, easy insurance money.. If you need frame work that won’t be cheap either.. Not sure what kind of gaps you need fixed.
You have to find a place that does classic cars. Ask people at cruise nights and car shows where they went.. There’s hundreds of body shops near me but only a handful will do restorations/classic cars.
I had to go 2 hours away to get my car done right and it took 10 months because he was slammed with insurance work. I got a deal because he was able to take his time doing it..
I think if you want the wrap to look good too, the installers might prefer a painted surface with no dents..
Just watched some videos on wrapping and how bad some of them turn out.. It’s crazy a decent wrap job is $2000-6000
Cant leave wrap in the hot sun, can’t use automatic car washes..
Seems sort of expensive for something pretty flimsy and non-permanent.. Costs the same or more than a good paint job.. I guess you can get some really cool effects you can’t do with paint, but doesn’t seem worth the money to me..
12-21-2018, 10:50 AM
