Paint Job Costs
Short answer: (Prices noted as of 1999.) For a basic “sand and paint” driver-quality job — no rust or bodywork, and you do the disassembly/reassembly — roughly $1000–$1500 was reasonable. A true strip-to-metal, high-quality job costs much more once labor is counted.
A realistic breakdown: at $60/hour and ~60 hours to strip, prime, paint, and reassemble, that’s about $3600 in labor alone. Quality paint runs $200–$400/gallon (a base/clear specialty color was quoted near $1000 in materials), plus primers (a couple hundred) and sandpaper/tape (another hundred) — none of which covers hidden dent or rust repair. Even at $35/hour that’s about $2100 in labor. So a $1000 “complete paint job” should make you ask what you’re really getting.
Use quality paint (PPG or DuPont, base/clear) and avoid cheap synthetics. Check several shops and look at their work. You can offer to help with prep to lower the cost (it slows the job down). A local tech/vocational school can do a good job for less if you fit their schedule — just remember the students are learning, and spray painting is an acquired skill.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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