$11,200 paint job

[Bryan Thompson]

Good morning,  Wondering why a 26,000 mile car would an $11,200 paint job?  Mack Truck encounter?  Re-entry from orbit?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1974-Cadillac-Eldorado-Convertible-26-131-Orignal-Miles-DMV-Certified-Miles-/140904382292?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item20ce8e3f54

[Davidinhartford]

There is alot of trim and moldings to be removed from these cars before painting.  And that is labor intensive.  Cha-ching.

Plus replacing those front and rear plastic fillers require alot of 'fitting" so that adds time especially if you haven't replaced alot of them.  So it could be that the bodyshop just had a  whole lot of hours into the car.   

And if there is rust to be cut out and replaced with patch panels add more $$.    It would be nice to see restoration pics when the seller has that kind of investment in a paint job.   But then again, if the car was a rust bucket before it might scare away buyers.    Low mileage doesn't always mean a car was stored in a time capsule.

[R Schroeder]

I cant believe the prices people pay for the paint jobs. Glad I don't need one.
Isn't there pin stripes on this model ?
It is almost as bad as the 61 ,with the $15,000.00 interior.
Thats a lot of money.
Roy

[Guidematic]

The price of paint work and bodywork has exploded lately. The cost of the materials, has anyone priced out a gallon of good quality paint lately, has gone through the roof. Plus there is a lot of labour. One hell of a lot of labour to prep the body, do bodywork and so forth.

An old Cadillac such as this amplifies all those factors. To do the job properly, all that trim has to ne removed, there is so much acreage to prep and paint, then it has to be all reassembled.

$11,200 for a proper job on one of these cars is not out of line at all.

Mike

[R Sotardi #11719]

Re. Paint jobs... Try to go to the TCP Global website. They have paint and PPG codes for nearly every car  ever made. Then check the price of their brand vs PPG. Every type from laquer, to enamel, to single stage uretane, to BC/CC, then hold on to your hat. $350-400/gallon for PPG enamel, a base coat is 25% more. Then add hardeners and reducers etc. The materials alone for a Caddy will bust $3K. Add labor for removal of trim etc, and some replacment parts or polish/buffing, voila,$6000 for a medicore job. Then reassembly of bumpers, trim,etc. Labor for a collector specialty shop( that is a shop that will actually do a collector car vs insurance claims) cost upwards of $85/Hr in the hinterlands. $125 in the major cities. And the hourly "clock" is running even on phone calls by the shop... after all this is a business not a hobby for the shop owner. Yes, I can see $10k on a 70s "boat".Ron

[joeinbcs]

I paid about $10K to paint my '63 Continental a couple of years ago.
Rust-free, no major body work...but if you want a show quality paint job, I don't think you're going to get it a lot cheaper, at least not where I live.  I was amazed at the amount of labor involved in doing the job right.  Mine was a color change from white to black so everything..hood, trunk, all four doors, chrome, stainless, complete interior, trunk material, much of the stuff in the engine bay (but not the engine) had to be removed.
I actually think I did it cheap...

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

The seller is incorrect about 1974 being the lowest production year of Eldorado convertibles "of this style" (7,600). It was the 1971 model year with production of 6,800.

[KD]

I've got $30,000 in the body and paint on my Auburn and I had to do all of the assembly.
Ken D CLC#26801

[R Schroeder]

I sure am glad I don't need a paint job.
But ,I'm like Bryan, why does this low mileage car need one.
My car is a low mileage car , and it still has paint on the bottom that is as good as the top.
Roy

And again Joe. You have some beautiful cars.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I sure am glad I don't need a paint job.
But ,I'm like Bryan, why does this low mileage car need one.

Yes Roy, you undoubtedly have the most perfect original '78 Cadillac known to man. We mere mortals accept this as a cornerstone of our very existence! 

However, it is a fact that a car can have 0 miles and still have the paint ruined. It may've sat outdoors in rain snow and sun for decades without a single mile racked on the clock and the paint will be shot in no time. Keep in mind lacquer was never the most durable finish to begin with. Remember- and I cannot emphasize this enough- not all wear is due to mileage alone. There's simple disintegration and decay because of age. Other problems result from non-use over time. Then you can have all kinds of issues due to storage in a damp environment. "Garage rot", I call it- where chrome, is ruined, frames and untreated metal all rusty- without a single mile on the car. I've seen very low mileage cars that literally have rusted from the inside out when they've been subjected to the salt air when they resided in coastal areas.  Contrary to popular belief, mileage in itself means very little in the overall scheme of condition- especially the older a car gets. I'd sooner take a well cared, regularly driven and maintained 100,000 mile car over a 10,000 mile car improperly stored, poorly maintained that sat for decades without ever being run- any time, any day of the week.

For what it's worth, and in my experience- the cheapest and best paint job- make that the cheapest and best restoration- is a car that doesn't need it in the first place- just like you did when you got Mulberry: When you pay for the best up front, you'll never be sorry. Or as we say in the car business, "Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten". Cheers!

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

I fully agree with most of the other posters (having been there, done that).  Paying $11K
for a paint job is really not much today.  That would be about average for a quality job
that required little or no bodywork.

I have a '73 Eldo which I bought new.  There is quite a bit of work required to pull off all of
those pesky body fillers (removing the bumpers) and replacing and fitting new ones.
I've done it.

Also, if you're repainting the entire car, all of the trim pieces must come off.  This means at
labor rates of $60+ per hour lots of cash.

It's easy to spend $20k for a true "show car" paint job -- even assuming no rust repair or
body damage is involved.  If your happy with the job then you did well!!

Mike

[R Schroeder]

Eric, I agree with you 100%.
I guess I am out of touch with the cost of repainting a car.
But, how much do you invest in a 74 Eldo and still keep you sanity.
This guy has 11,200.00 in paint and 2600.00 in a new top.
What is the car worth to someone ?
I would never put that into mine. It just wouldn't be worth it.
I can see it for an Auburn, but this one ?

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Yea - I agree $10K+ seems like an awful lot of money for a respray. Probably would be a lot less if it were not for all the rules & regs imposed on the industry. However that figure is really not all that unusual these days plus when dealing with Cadillacs, there's sheer volume as well as complexity. 

*Many overspend on cars all the time-  it's one of the biggest hazards of undertaking a resto. I was recently told of a car that had a concours level restoration that cost over $100,000. The car was just offered last month at a well advertised auction where the car was sold for $36,000. Less seller's fee.

[N Kahn]

Not an unreasonable price, just the materials are unbelievably expensive, never mind the labor. If I didn't do most of my own work it would be prohibitively expensive for me to indulge in this passion, and I don't even use top of the line paint.

[Renato]

It's a joke, but I do not know the prices in the States

[R Schroeder]

I know two things for sure now.
One, you guys are in a different tax bracket than me.
Two, if I told my wife I needed 15 grand to paint my car, I would be singing soprano..........ha
Roy

[Renato]

Guys we can make professional resto job approx 35-40.000$ Full frame off (chrome, engine, body, interior etc...). 12-20.000$ for a paint it's impossible. We are working with PPG paint which is not the enter level.

[ninosdad]

The hours involved in R&R of all trim can be 20 +- and if you are paying even $50/hr (low for quality work) ther's a grand, I just purchased at wholesale the primer, paint and clear for my La Salle at Wesco and that was over $1500. The hours to prime, block, longboard and mask the car are another 20 or so, another grand. The prep is the key to a good job skip a step and you will surely see it. The paint is another couple of days so another grand, then the clear. Then color sand and buff.

Want it cheap go to Earl Scheib, want it good it will cost about $10K or more and that is at a wholesale rate, most first rate shops are closer to $100/hr, not the $50 I am using for these figures.   

[MB49Caddy]

I hate to agree with the other guys saying 11k isn't that much, but.......it isn't too bad really. I am involved in some other car communities (some of whom have VERY deep pockets - much deeper than mine) and 11k for a paint job is something not uncommon for a middle of the road respray.

[INTMD8]

I paid about $10K to paint my '63 Continental a couple of years ago.

Nice reflection! Looks great.

And I'm in agreement with some others here, 11k isn't a huge amount of money for a paint job, just depends on the level of quality you want and it can go WAY up from there. (or down I suppose)