ISO a Prissy Paint Job

[asudchiman]

Guys,

If you wanted a head turning paint job worthy of the PRISSY category, how would you go about selecting the right paint shop?

Sure you get what you pay for, but so many shops just want insurance work so they can max their $$$.

For those shops that will paint a car without the insurance company covering the bill, what are your "must haves" vs " want to haves" for hiring someone to paint your Jeep?

I have million dollar tastes but no million dollar budget. The thought of paying someone a lot of money to paint a vehicle, and then hate the result really scares me.

P.S. - all input is appreciated!

[DarkMonohue]

It ain't gonna be cheap no matter how you do it, but hopefully you'll get what you pay for.

No matter who does it, there will be flaws. You have mentioned some OCD concerns in other posts. I don't know if that's real or if you're just saying you're fussy by choice. If legitimate, it may be more worthwhile to work on that issue than than obsessing over cosmetic flaws on what is, if we're honest, a hastily-assembled vehicle built on thoroughly worn-out tooling by workers with no incentive to do anything better than "good enough".

In a nutshell: Find some really boss hot rods in your area, and ask who did their work.

Try to work with an established, reputable, locally-owned shop, small enough that the owner can take the time to fully understand and answer your questions. Don't be discouraged if you are politely declined; there are a couple of shops around here who do beautiful work, but they stick to insurance and commercial contracts, as customer-pay work just has too many variables for them.

Big-name chains (Maaco, etc) are generally a no-go in my book. They seem to specialize in selling an attractive price tag rather than meeting a quality standard. In other words, you may not always get you pay for, you almost never get what you don't pay for.

Wherever you go, if you get the impression your work will be done by $10/hr flunkies who float from one shop to the next to keep their parole officer off their back, keep shopping. I kid, to a degree, but the very bottom rung of paint and body shops seems to attract undesirables. Maybe they like the fumes.

Maybe Goldhammer will step in with something more useful than my anecdotal soapboxing.

[440sixpack]

Where you're at will have a lot to do with what your options are and what it will cost.

I live in a small town and I know a few guys who do good work at a reasonable price. reasonable on a pretty clean rig like a Wagoneer would be $5000 - $10000 depending on many factors. if you need rust repair and lots of body work double that. the more work you do the less you'll pay of course, you can save a bunch if you strip it down and do the heavy work. let them do the technical body work and paint . then put it back together yourself, put the money into the things you can't do and get a better end product for the budget you're on.

You get what you pay for, sort of. the difference between an $8,000 paint job and a 45,000 paint job can be hard to see from 3 feet away, like in everything perfection is expensive. it's the difference between a very nice high end driver and a trailer queen. that's your call.

always look at some work by the shop and talk to customers if possible. if they can't show you any work they've done walk. I won't ask for an exact price just an estimate, if you want a bid they'll go high and cut corners. work with them and ask they work with you. time is also an asset, I figure a year at the shops I use, if I want it faster I'm going to pay for it. most shops want to use these jobs as fill in and they cut you a break for it. if you don't have time stick to shops that only do these types of jobs, if you can find one.

[joe]

Are you in/around any car towns in the Carolinas? Don't mater, custom, hot rod, classic, sports etc. Most car towns have a few cafes/bars they frequent. Or inquire into local car clubs. They'll know what shop or person does quality work. Probably also get a look at some examples of their previous work and you can see how well it's held up.

[asudchiman]

Yes, I definitely find I have an issue with trying to make everything on the Jeep perfect. With only 90k miles on the Jeep, I feel I owe it to the GW to put it into the best condition I can. Plus there is the pride factor too.

The woodgrain on my tailgate needs replacing, and after seeing how well Jim's gray GW turned out after paint and replacing the full woodgrain, I think I may regret just trying to fix the tailgate woodgrain.

The paint on my Jeep looks nice from 4 feet away, and with a fresh coat of wax it really shines. Up close there are flaws that bother me and cannot be color sanded and buffed since it is a single stage paint from a previous owner.

I already worked with one vinyl shop to replicate the woodgrain and installed it, but it isn't quite right. It looks perfect in the shop, but morning and evening sun make the vinyl show a greenish tint.

This leads me back full circle. If I need to do the full woodgrain kit, I think it would be worth doing the minor body work to remove the few dings in the door panes (currently hidden by the vinyl) and then doing a proper color/clear paint job so I can maintain the paint through color sanding / cut / polish.

I may decide to just enjoy what I have, but part of the decision process is learning how to evaluate paint shops. Plus, this is good knowledge to have for future vehicles.

[DarkMonohue]

...cannot be color sanded and buffed since it is a single stage paint...

This is news to me. I've wet-sanded and polished a couple of OEM single stage paint jobs. I think it's standard operating procedure if you want a really nice finish. You do have to be careful about paint depth, but it can be done.

[asudchiman]

This is news to me. I've wet-sanded and polished a couple of OEM single stage paint jobs. I think it's standard operating procedure if you want a really nice finish. You do have to be careful about paint depth, but it can be done.

I've had two paint shops and one detailer say they would not touch it. They had each been burned by single stage paint in the past. They scared me too much to try. Since I wasn't there for the painting, I have no clue how deep it is, or if I would really foul it up.

[ShagWagon]

For 4-10 grand?

I wonder how much a sprayer and paint booth costs.

Because I'm gonna drive my Jeep and I don't want to be like worried when I park it that some dumbass will door ding it, rockchips on the freeway from the truck in front of you, or if I brush up on a branch, or slide off the road in a snowstorm etc....

If your going to garage queen it then yeah get a nice pearl paint job and trailer it to car shows and such. But it's a Jeep. For kids, dogs , camping, fishing etc... do you care what your Jeep thinks? It has feelings you know.

And if you got your own paint gear then you can fix any scratches and blemishes that can and will occur.

I can't paint so take with a grain of salt. But for that cost I might learn some.

[SOLSAKS]

asudchiman,

i know where you are coming from.

i have had several high end paint jobs done

and after 25 years of maintaining several old cars,...
having them restored,... obsessing over details,

i have learned that you can enjoy the kind of paint you have a lot more than you can enjoy a perfectly restored vehicle.

for me,... restoring what is already enjoyable, and making it more perfect just leads to even more OCD behavior,....

you will obsess more over the new paint, than you do now !!!

when you finish a restoration and have a 10,000 plus paint job,....
and you want to drive it......

be ready for the moment you hear that first rock come out of the tire and take a chunk out of the rocker panel paint, or a bird craps on it, and it slightly eats into the clear coat, or someone opens a car door against it, etc, etc.... then you are going to be sick.

i have done it, and i do not obsess like i used to....it is a vehicle and
if you drive it,... you cannot keep it perfect, the only way that happens is to keep it garaged and just look at it....no fun.

my advice,... enjoy what you have,...
your wagoneer looks fantastic as is !
a paint job like you want would involve a couple years, and an almost complete dismantling of the vehicle, and 10 to 20 thousand dollars,
( "IF" you find someone willing to do it.)

hope this helps.
dave in NC

[asudchiman]

asudchiman,

i know where you are coming from.

i have had several high end paint jobs done

and after 25 years of maintaining several old cars,...
having them restored,... obsessing over details,

i have learned that you can enjoy the kind of paint you have a lot more than you can enjoy a perfectly restored vehicle.

for me,... restoring what is already enjoyable, and making it more perfect just leads to even more OCD behavior,....

you will obsess more over the new paint, than you do now !!!

when you finish a restoration and have a 10,000 plus paint job,....
and you want to drive it......

be ready for the moment you hear that first rock come out of the tire and take a chunk out of the rocker panel paint, or a bird craps on it, and it slightly eats into the clear coat, or someone opens a car door against it, etc, etc.... then you are going to be sick.

i have done it, and i do not obsess like i used to....it is a vehicle and
if you drive it,... you cannot keep it perfect, the only way that happens is to keep it garaged and just look at it....no fun.

my advice,... enjoy what you have,...
your wagoneer looks fantastic as is !
a paint job like you want would involve a couple years, and an almost complete dismantling of the vehicle, and 10 to 20 thousand dollars,
( "IF" you find someone willing to do it.)

hope this helps.
dave in NC

Thanks Dave. You know I always value your opinion.

As for the worry about driving it, I kind of feel that way already because it has less than 100k miles. Part of me wants to sell it and do another one that is truly a driver that is purely for fun. I love nothing more than to load the family up and go on a road trip. I have done it, but I did count the miles before taking the Jeep.

Here's our latest trip: 529 miles, 9 hours and 13 minutes... (but who is counting )

http://www.myjeepandme.com/7-dads-11-daughters-1-jeep-mountain-adventure/

[SOLSAKS]

that is a great photo.
it also confirms my opinion
leave it as is and continue to enjoy it.
dave in NC

[440sixpack]

Okay , you didn't say it was that nice, so you just need a paint job it's not a fixer upper.

If you strip it down I bet you could have a first class pain job done on that for $5000 - $6000 , and I mean nice paint job one to be proud of. around here anyway.

It does make you wonder if you shouldn't leave it as is and enjoy it until it really needs a paint job. but I'm the one to talk I can't stand any imperfections.

Whatever you do will be the right call. do what makes you enjoy the rig most.

[Jays jeep]

here is my 2 cents. I have been a painter for 20 years. I own and operate a high end car shop in Arizona. In my opinion your jeep looks amazing (based on that picture). We do sanding and polishing on single stage vehicles all the time. It can be done but with much care. The best is if you can find a high end detail shop and just do a polish. That will bring out most oxidation and minor scratches and put the depth and shine back. And as always top it with a good wax. And good meaning buy it online from places like Chemical Guys, or Armor wax , not AutoZone Miquieres stuff.

As far as a paint job is concerned, to do a proper exterior factory appearing paint job you would be looking at the $10k to $20k range. To get a complete show car finish that would look like concourse flawless paint plan on over $40k. Yes you can save a lot of money buy taking apart and rebuilding yourself but keep in mind if you scratch it putting it back together that is more money on a repair. The labor is just part of what factors in to a good or great paint job. The material is just as important. There are clears out there you can buy for $85 a gallon and will look great for a few years or will give your trail rig a great shine. But if you are wanting high quality paint with great UV protection and durability those clears will cost $600 to $1000 per gallon. Same goes for primers, fillers, and color.

Painting cars is like building a house. If you build the foundation with crappy materials it doesnt matter how hard you work or how perfect you install them, One day your roof will cave in.

Great jeep, I am a perfectionist too and I would drive it, enjoy it, keep a good coat of wax on it, and let the people drool as you drive by to yet another road trip.

Guess that was more like a quarters worth. lol

[xabn82]

A buddy of mine is painting mine, I had the entire body vapor blasted, at a cost of $1200. The paint job alone will be $7000, so I'll have about $8200 in paint and body work. It's a really nice paint job, but no Riddler Award winning paint job

[asudchiman]

here is my 2 cents. I have been a painter for 20 years. I own and operate a high end car shop in Arizona. In my opinion your jeep looks amazing (based on that picture). We do sanding and polishing on single stage vehicles all the time. It can be done but with much care. The best is if you can find a high end detail shop and just do a polish. That will bring out most oxidation and minor scratches and put the depth and shine back. And as always top it with a good wax. And good meaning buy it online from places like Chemical Guys, or Armor wax , not AutoZone Miquieres stuff.

As far as a paint job is concerned, to do a proper exterior factory appearing paint job you would be looking at the $10k to $20k range. To get a complete show car finish that would look like concourse flawless paint plan on over $40k. Yes you can save a lot of money buy taking apart and rebuilding yourself but keep in mind if you scratch it putting it back together that is more money on a repair. The labor is just part of what factors in to a good or great paint job. The material is just as important. There are clears out there you can buy for $85 a gallon and will look great for a few years or will give your trail rig a great shine. But if you are wanting high quality paint with great UV protection and durability those clears will cost $600 to $1000 per gallon. Same goes for primers, fillers, and color.

Painting cars is like building a house. If you build the foundation with crappy materials it doesnt matter how hard you work or how perfect you install them, One day your roof will cave in.

Great jeep, I am a perfectionist too and I would drive it, enjoy it, keep a good coat of wax on it, and let the people drool as you drive by to yet another road trip.

Guess that was more like a quarters worth. lol

Jay,
This is exactly what I wanted to know. There are such wide ranges of prices it's really hard to understand the pros/cons.
I am very good at polishing vehicles (cars and boats), but I have never worked with single stage. The finish on my Jeep has an awesome gloss and finish. The issue I have is the paint is soft. Just a few gentle hand washes and it starts getting scratches in the hood paint.

Since you have convinced me not to paint what do you think about this?

I was considering doing one more paint correction to the hood and then having a $400 custom cut clear vinyl suntek wrap installed to protect it. My friend has it on his Porsche and it looks invisible and adds great protection.