Help with painted stripes

[Sapper1]

Ok so I need the expert advice from the Camaro5 Crowd. I currently have Vinyl matte stripes and have been drooling at the though of painted ones.... so my wonderful wife and I sought out some quotes as to what it would cost to change over. Who knew that this would be such a daunting task? not us obviously.

After going to 3 respected body shops and a dealer with a body shop I still have no idea how much it should cost to lay black stripes on a VR camaro, I also inquired about going with a black hood and matte clear.... as well as a some black on the front and rear bumpers in the usual place.

I thought that some of it was comical when the dealer body shop guy stated that 2k was a fair price for a fair job that would not be show quality..... and thought wow you work for chevy? a fair job for a fair car? maybe?
'
Moderator sorry for if this is not the proper place to post.... feel free to move
Well maybe it is me and what my expectations are, I just didn't think that it would be that pricey. Sooooooooo I will sit hear and wait for your professional feedback to reassure me that I have just not found the right place or to topple my wishes by stating that it truly is that expensive.

[2LTRS]

I have a good friend of mine that has owned a body shop for years.. The truth of the matter is paint work is not cheap! He quoted me $1550 to have my stripes painted, and that's at a "I'm not making any money" price. The state of California has so many laws on chemicals voc's ect. That the cost of doing business is astronomical for small business'. A gallon of clear coat can cost upwards of $500 just for the stinking clear coat because of all the stuff they have to use to make it compliant. Spraying a non-compliant paint can result in fines of $10000 or more.

So 2quarts of the color I want $450, $500 for a gallon of clear $950 just for the paint! Then they have to pay a striper to prep, stripe and paint. Bake the paint, color sand and buff the orange peel...

I'm probably going to pull the trigger when I have the extra cash, but I have heard of stripe jobs being sub $3000 range for custom work...

[IBM/2SS/RS/LS3]

for matte rally stripes I dropped just over 1k

[Sapper1]

Thanks Guys,

I guess I just had no idea that it would cost that friggin much to get a little paint sprayed......I will still continue to look and meet people, there has got to be someone out there that does quality work without charging an arm for it.

feel free to continue to post your thoughts on this matter.

[2ndgenz28]

decal removal, prep, taping off 90% of the car, quality paints and supplies, maybe a hand pinstripe to clean up the edge , pro tools and shop, having to stand behind the work if it lifts 2 weeks later, your in for an easy grand.


But you tape off the whole car [cept vinyl], then you peel the vinyl stripes, you scotchbrite where the stripes were, you buy $30 in matte paint and $10 thinner, ill paint em on for $100 in my drive way, if it lifts in two weeks, its on you, you did the prep, And no charge for any bugs that get stuck in the fresh paint. [they will buff out once dry]


Or do first 3 steps but use 99cent spray cans

[h2oplay]

remember, you get what you pay for, it sounds like a fair price to me.

You don't want to trust this job to a backyard guy or anyone without a booth.

[UHP-CAMARO]

Mine cost me $1,600.00. I think I got a killer deal.

They painted the Silver Stripes and cleared over them. The transition from Black to Silver is seamless. Also they painted the Vented Fender's, SLP Spoiler, Hertage Grill and Engine Cover.

[Sapper1]

Killer look! very nice, it seems the more I hear and see the more I am starting to realize that my expectations were way off. Man I just cant believe it is gonna cost me that much dough!

From an earlier posting "you get what you pay for", I get that but man Paint?

I had a 2003 Z06 that I had the rear blacked out on and some Black around the front vents, very high quality work and flawless paint was a few years ago but I know that it was less than $500.

[midnighter]

I was quoted $1,000.00 for the white oem style stripes that finish at the end of the bumper cover on the front and over the rear spoiler on the rear. This included painting and clearing over the whole hood, trunk, rear spoiler and front bumper cover. I decided to wait awhile and focus on performance mods first......been a year and still stock though

[Hess Motorsports]

We will do any standard Camaro stripe paint job for about $1500 under new clear. However this is with a standard transition and you will still "feel" a small edge on the stripes. Laying stripes under clear thick enough to have a seamless transition means lots more prep, lots more materials, and lots more sanding which all costs time. But with quality paints (not the best but WAY better than factory) with new clear and polished properly, $1500 is a great starting point. That's not charging an arm and a loeg, thats just getting paid for the time and materials it costs to perform the job.

[Uncle Harvey]

Mine cost $2,400. The guys who did it job only work on custom cars. There is a lot of work involved. They basically had to take the car apart. I also have two colors in the stripes. This adds to the work. You can not feel the edge of the stripes. It is a lot to pay. In the end I was happy and am glad I did it.

[VcrusaderV]

buddy you get what you pay for... My stripes are the best thing going man, I love em. If you ever want to look, just let me know. They are really worth it.

[GRSCAMARO]

I live on the east coast of central Florida. Last year I paid $901.00 for stripes that are similar to the decals. Doug at Body's by Doug did the work. Doug removed the hood and trunk deck to paint them. He prepped the parts, painted on the stripe, cleared the parts, wet sanded then cleared again and finally cut and buffed. You can't feel any edges. He also removed the spoiler and painted it separately so you can see the stripe going under the spoiler.

He did a great job. I think the key to my lower price is I did NOT continue the stripes onto the nose or the tail light panel like most folks are doing. This would have been a lot more work is more money.

[Without Remorse]

Originally Posted by Uncle Harvey

Mine cost $2,400. The guys who did it job only work on custom cars. There is a lot of work involved. They basically had to take the car apart. I also have two colors in the stripes. This adds to the work. You can not feel the edge of the stripes. It is a lot to pay. In the end I was happy and am glad I did it.

Wow! That is the nicest looking stripe job I've seen.