OK, it's finally time to paint the beast. I'm getting sick of driving around in a car that looks like it's been in a demolition derby.

Here's the car. It's been like this since I bought it (was a theft recovery and I think the PO had a carbon fiber hood and fancy fenders on it because I can't figure out any reason someone would steal a car just to strip it of OEM body parts). You'll have to excuse the quickie garage pics.








The entire car needs to be sprayed. The clear on the sides and back is faded and the roof is pink. There is a very very small amount of rust on the rear fenderwell on the driver's side. On the roof and doors, there are a few little dimples and pockmarks, but nothing too bad. The right front fender and hood are cheap crash-fix pieces, and the left front fender is OEM. The bumper seems to be a cheapo crash-fix part too because it doesn't really fit right and the PO cut holes in the grille for big ugly foglights. I'll probably just grab a junkyard bumper to replace that.

I'd like to take it somewhere to be resprayed since I don't have the time, materials, or really the desire to take on a project that big. However, I will deliver it in "paintable" condition, which means I'll pull all the lights and trim, mask off the interior and engine bay, and pull the glass if I need to. I'll also pull off the bumpers if necessary. I want the car resprayed Milano Red so I don't have to mess with matching the jambs or engine bay.

So, my question is.. can I get this done realistically for $1000? Will it make any difference in cost if I remove everything that isn't sheet metal, or will it matter? I don't need a showroom-mint paint job, but I would like a base/clear job, no single-stage. I am not above taking it to Maaco if they'll do a decent job on it.

Any thoughts? Am I completely out of line, or would it be doable?

 

knowing the right people can help u a lot i work at a chevy dealer and they r willing to paint my ek hatch any color i want the paint is gona cost me like 600$ from sherwin williams and they r gonna charge me 400 to spray i have to do all the body work witch is not much but i can spray it my self for 100$ including tape ect. but for 1,000 make sure the body work is done good.

 

Yes, just don’t go to a major body shop like auto body world, etc. (the insurance shops)
Ask around and you should be able to find some local guy who’s willing to do the job for $1,000.00 or less, he may have a crummy shop but that’s where you save the money. My car should be complete in two days and the guy charged me $900.00 (he had it for three weeks now), the moldings were eliminated, holes welded shut, 20 door dents have been fixed, the radiator support has been fixed, a lip kit is being installed, etc. The quality of the work is really good so far.

 

Or find a friend that paints and does body work. I'm doing a friends 240 along with the 30-40 dents/dings on his car for around 600 total.