A few questions about custom paint jobs.

[nardox]

My friend is getting a Camaro soon, probably within a month or two, and he's a die-hard Transformer fans so he wants to a custom paint job done to make the car look like the Bumble Bee on in Transformers 3.

After some research we learned that the paint they used for Bumble Bee(HOK's Sunrise) is pretty expensive and cost about $70/quart, so maybe he won't get the exact same color because of the price, but definitely something similar. (As close as possible)

Understanding that full body custom paint jobs are not cheap, we have a few questions about it since we never dealt with any kind of custom paint jobs before.



1. Is the stock GM manufacture paint job considered to be normal/decent/good/show quality? He want to get a paint job that's at least the same as the manufacture quality.

2. Anyone know how much(est) paint you need to get a full body custom paint job done on Camaro?

3. How much would the labor and everything else(expect the paint) cost for a decent paint job? (We are in Houston area if that matters)

4. Does it matter what the stock color is if doing a full body custom paint job? If the stock color does matter, what will be a good stock color to get assuming that he's gonna get a custom paint job done? (Not necessarily the HOK Sunrise color, but at least something close to that)

Thanks (Really didn't know custom paint jobs are this expensive before we look into it, lol)

[vuduman67]

Expect to pay at the bare minumum 3 grand most likely more like 5 to 6 thousand and definitely buy a yellow car any other color will cost you more. If you start with yellow you might get away with out painting the door jambs and such. Stripes are gonna be more. Complete paint jobs are not cheap. Keep in mind also that at that price your not looking at show quality. Just a nice factory finish.

[nardox]

Originally Posted by vuduman67

Expect to pay at the bare minumum 3 grand most likely more like 5 to 6 thousand and definitely buy a yellow car any other color will cost you more. If you start with yellow you might get away with out painting the door jambs and such. Stripes are gonna be more. Complete paint jobs are not cheap. Keep in mind also that at that price your not looking at show quality. Just a nice factory finish.

Yes he'd be happy with nice factory quality finish, thanks

any other advice/comments?

[tangorover]

As the person above said Paint Jobs are not cheap. For 2K you will get paint that more or less matches factory paint which is already pretty good. That is you will not see any improvement. If you want Dramatically better paint. You WILL need to spend mucho Deniro unless you know someone. If you want an improvement that is instantly visible You are looking at over 4K atleast in CA. If you want a Bumblebee type paint job (deep lustrous pearl) You are looking at over 4K even without the cost of paint.

Also what exactly do you want the paint to look like. If you want factory color but want the paint to look "shiny" or "Deep" You simply need a good detail. (a proper Detail, with clay/ 2 or 3 stage polish and good wax not just a 39.99 car wash detail).
Even if were to get a 6K after market paint you will STILL need to detail the car to make it look good.
When you see someone's car rolling by with "amazing paint" You can be assured that person spent hours (or atleast $300) to detail the car. The last Time to detailed my car FULLY took 5 hours and I dont think I could have gotten a better look with a paint job.

[papabearcamaro]

Yes,HOK paint is very expensive. I have my rally stripes done in HOK Tangerine Pearl over a black base.
The cost of a full repaint depends on ALOT of factors such as quality of paint,disassembly and reassembly,hours of prep,hours of wet sanding and buffing,will jambs be done,remove and replace motor???
In my guesstimate for a killer job with everything removed,painted,with great quality materials you are looking at $10,000 plus.

[Sir Nuke]

Originally Posted by papabearcamaro

Yes,HOK paint is very expensive. I have my rally stripes done in HOK Tangerine Pearl over a black base.
The cost of a full repaint depends on ALOT of factors such as quality of paint,disassembly and reassembly,hours of prep,hours of wet sanding and buffing,will jambs be done,remove and replace motor???
In my guesstimate for a killer job with everything removed,painted,with great quality materials you are looking at $10,000 plus.

now this is what I would expect......I once had a complete paint job done, of course it was almost 25 years ago, and when I had it done, I took the BARE car to the paint shop, and I mean BARE, jsut the body and the frame on wheels....no interior, no dash, no wiring....nothing......bare.....the job cost me $3000.....and as I siad, that was 25 years ago.

the saying "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" is true.....

[Bruce_Lee]

"In my guesstimate for a killer job with everything removed,painted,with great quality materials you are looking at $10,000 plus."

Man, now I am scared.

This is what I am planning on doing to my car. I would love to do this, but I am still debating it because of the costs.

I don't know if I really want to spend 10K more, BUT, I am not really 100% satisfied with this Rally Yellow color from the factory.

It is still one of my favorites from all the available colors.

So, If I was to have it done, I would probably wont' have them remove my engine or things like that (the 'killer job'). May be just the exterior.

We'll see.

BL.

[custompainter]

It all depends on what you want. Ive done 1k jobs and ive done 25k jobs. A complete color change (underhood,jambs etc.) Is going to be around 7k to 10k at a reputable shop,and thats without graphics,stripes flames,etc. A proper paint job will mean a basic dismantling of the car,or at least loosening to wrap the paint around the edges of the panels. Agian its all going to boil down to what you want. Ask around for the best shop that specializes in custom painting and go talk to them,tell them what you want and they will give you an estimate of the costs involved. Look at thier previous jobs.(most shops keep a photo album of thier work). Be sure to ask about the proceedure,ie: wrapping the panels,nibbing the paint and pre-delivery polishing.
Ask about the warranty on the new paint. Also, if you do get a new paint job, DO NOT wax it for at least 30 to 60 days! As far as "show car finish"(zero orange peel) This isnt sprayed on. This is achieved through multiple coats of clear and hours and hours of cutting and polishing. Good luck and be sure and post some before and after pics!

[tangorover]

Originally Posted by custompainter

It all depends on what you want. Ive done 1k jobs and ive done 25k jobs. A complete color change (underhood,jambs etc.) Is going to be around 7k to 10k at a reputable shop,and thats without graphics,stripes flames,etc. A proper paint job will mean a basic dismantling of the car,or at least loosening to wrap the paint around the edges of the panels. Agian its all going to boil down to what you want. Ask around for the best shop that specializes in custom painting and go talk to them,tell them what you want and they will give you an estimate of the costs involved. Look at thier previous jobs.(most shops keep a photo album of thier work). Be sure to ask about the proceedure,ie: wrapping the panels,nibbing the paint and pre-delivery polishing.
Ask about the warranty on the new paint. Also, if you do get a new paint job, DO NOT wax it for at least 30 to 60 days! As far as "show car finish"(zero orange peel) This isnt sprayed on. This is achieved through multiple coats of clear and hours and hours of cutting and polishing. Good luck and be sure and post some before and after pics!

Does the no wax rule apply to new cars?

[LoneStar]

Originally Posted by tangorover

Does the no wax rule apply to new cars?

By the time you recieve your new vehicle, it has already had its paint for more than 30 days (on top of a more aggressive baking/curing process than aftermarket paint jobs) and had time to cure, so it's okay to wax. It's also an excellent opportunity to clay the car to remove the rail dust!

[daveagogo1]

I had my 04 CTS fully repainted with the factory color. Mind you not the door jambs, inside trunk, or anything like that. Just resprayed entire exterior. total cost $4,158 Insurance paid for it. With what your buddy wants it's gonna cost mucho dinero if he is looking for a show car quality.

[camaro4mybday]

$70 a quart expensive for hok??? dam thats cheap try $225 a pint for factory caddy cts blue from ppg now thats expensive lol