North American Turbocoupe Organization



Paint Budget
Steve Boyce Offline
Junior Member
#1
This is probably a really dumb question, but how much should I budget to paint my 85 TC? Assuming all the small dings and couple of rust spots are repaired, what should I expect to spend? I'm not trying to do a 100 point concours job, but I also don't want a rolling monument to orange peel, either. I want to paint it in the original factory colors (charcoal metallic) and trim to look like it did when it was new. It still has what's left of the original paint and some primer on the roof and hood where the factory paint disappeared. Thanks for any help you guys can offer!
Steve
Steve
1985 TC 138K bone stock (original owner), 1999 F150, 2013 Fusion Titanium
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Shane Wherry Offline
Senior Member
#2
That is a real open question.Without pics you could say anywhere from $1200 - $5000. If it is peeled the paint off down to primer then that will have to be sanded down to metal and primered. Then if it is 2 tone.....more money.Door jambs and under hood and trunk...more money.Rust repair......this can keep going up.
1988 Thunderbird Sport 351w/5.8L swap, Mustang 4R70W trans swap, Turbo coupe front brakes and rear diff swap with turbo coupe prop valve, Turbo coupe hood, Turbo coupe wheels.
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thecrusher315 Offline
Senior Member
#3
Steve, On the average car that just has a few dings or very small dents and needs the paint surface sanded and scuffed, we charge between $4000 and $4500 at the body shop. That is removing the window trim, belt trim, door handles and locks, front and rear lights so there won't be any tape edges on the outside. If you want the door, hood, and trunk jambs painted add another $1000 to $1500. If there is any rust repair, it can be from $500 to $2000 more depending on the severity and extent. So if you had a car that had minor rust and some dents and dings and you wanted the jambs painted, it would cost somewhere in the ballpark of $5500 to $8000. If you just wanted a quick, cheap job without removing the trim and such and just fixing a couple of dings and scuffing the existing surface, your probably looking at about $2000 to $3000. We do a lot of car lot jobs that way. They turn out pretty nice but you can tell it when you look close. It all depends on what you want to pay and the type job you want. Hope this helps...Tommy
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Steve Boyce Offline
Junior Member
#4
Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your input. I don't have the facility, or ability to paint it myself, and needed some guidance from the experts. Since I'm not planning to change colors, and the jambs, trunk and engine compartment are in pretty good shape, it looks like I can save some money there. The only rust is a spot at the base of the rear window. It has the usual parking lot dings along the sides. Other than that it's solid. Any recommendations on type/brand of paint I should look for? Thanks again!
Steve
Steve
1985 TC 138K bone stock (original owner), 1999 F150, 2013 Fusion Titanium
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thecrusher315 Offline
Senior Member
#5
Most body shops use a good quality name brand paint like DuPont, PPG, Spies-Hecker, or the like. We use PPG and have good luck with it. We have also used the other brands above and have had good luck with them as well. So, If you stay with something like that, you should be alright. Also, ask what type of warranty the body shop has on workmanship and material. Most quality shops have a warranty on workmanship and most paint companies have warranties on the sprayable material as long as the shop prepped it properly and applied it properly. Hope this helps...Tommy
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Steve Boyce Offline
Junior Member
#6
Thanks, Tommy. That really helps. I've talked to people around here and heard numbers ranging from Maaco-type $399 to trailer-queen custom jobs at $12 - $15K. So, it's good to have a reasonable range to work with, and have some knowledge of appropriate products to use. The tough part in this area will be finding a reputable paint shop. There used to be some good ones, but they've all retired or shut down now. Thanks again for the advice!
Steve
Steve
1985 TC 138K bone stock (original owner), 1999 F150, 2013 Fusion Titanium
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