MrClean, you really hit it, "how deep do you want to get?" The year my brother and I showed his '22 Buick Roadster in the "Grand National Roadster show" (a very prestigious show on the west coast) the car that won best in his class of "altered street roadster" and took the coveted "Americas Most Beautiful Roadster" award had a $65,000 paint job! And that was "discounted" as it was rumored the painter (I forget the guys name "junior" comes to mind, he use to work for George Barris in the old days) spent 1750 hours on the paint alone!!!
However, just because someone spent the time doesn't mean they did the job that time would result in if you knew what the heck you were doing. As I have said many times, the home hobbyist with no experiance can do a heck of a show quality paint job just because of the fact that he has the time to do it.
My brother has a 55 Ford pickup that my dad "rodded" back in 1965. He recently had the body and paint done at a "friends" shop. I do NO side work what so ever nor do I have a place to do such a big job and so he sent it out. He had an appointment to do it where I work but was pushed back a little on the schedule and got impatient. And took it to this "friend" who said he would do it for about $8,500.00. Now, mind you, this was a "decent" 55 Ford truck cab and fenders. "Decent" means it will need every square inch worked as with all 50 year old metal, but no serious metal shaping and all patch panels were welded in. From the cab back was NEW, brand new OEM Ford fenders and a beautiful repro bed. One NOS running board, the other I had already done. So, with just the cab and front clip to do and paint the whole thing (the frame was already done, all in black) for the $8,500.00. Well, one thing led to another and it ended up being $20,000!!!! No change in work, nothing added, the truck was stripped to bare metal and in etch primer so he could see EXACTLY what he had to work with.
This &%#ing MORON, THIEF, put 300 hours in this truck. Now the real sad part, it is NO WHERE NEAR "show car" work. This is a "driver" and it wasn't even good enough for that! My STUPID brother paid him and took the truck. After complaining to him about the work he gave back $2,500.00 (I hope he doesn't die from enlargment of the heart). My brother still has to have the cab painted again being it is three different colors! The MORON didn't buy enough paint and bought another quart here and there and the truck ended up like a friggin patch work quilt!
The texture was SOOOOOOOOO rough it looked like gravel guard. In fact, using gravel guard at work seldom gives you the kind of texture this MORON ended up with. Hows this for a kicker, the &*#%@#^$ CHARGED MY BROTHER BY THE HOUR to buff the paint out just to make it presentable!! Any normal shops "out of the booth done" job would have been fine for my brother (well, maybe a little shoe shine) this MORON couldn't do that to save his life!
So, I now find myself doing bodywork over. Oh, by the way, a few of these panels were reshot because the guy left dents in them! We are talking DENTS not "waves" or less than show car flawless kinda stuff like my brother was picky. We are talking Quarter sized 1/8" deep dents. The guy did things like moulding off welds that couldn't even be seen when the truck was together yet left things like these dings, and a crack in the back of the hood, and dents on the dash board, and.............
If you didn't notice this subject kinda ticks me off. :boxing:
This guy is one of those guys who makes me hate the "every painter does things a little different" comment I often see. This MORON does cars that end up pretty nice, yet he knows NOTHING. He can eventually redo mistakes, repaint mistakes, cut and buff to a nice shine but that doesn't mean he is just doing it "different" than I would do. It means he is doing it WRONG and he just makes do. Ok, I think I will go have my cavities filled. No kidding, I am leaving right now to go to the dentist. I rather go there than think about that MORON anyway.
imp: he had an engine guy spend three hours tuning it, adjusting valves. i am worried about the engine now because he said there is a slight vibration he cant get rid of or narrow down. maybe in the lower end. i did not have the crank turned. but that is another post.
