General estimae

[xtremekustomz]

So a guy I know is wanting me to paint his truck. A picture is included below. We are changing the color to a metallic blue so all jambs, under hood, inner fenders, behind cab and front of bed will all be sprayed. He will also want it color sanded and buffed. What would something like this run in your shops? Lets just say it didn't need any body work. Just the labor portion and not materials.

[MARTINSR]

$8500 and up

Brian

[xtremekustomz]

Wow that's expensive lol

[Len]

Wow that's expensive lol

In my shop it would be between $3500 and $5000.

[tr6oldtimer]

Wow that's expensive lol

At $100 an hour that is 85 hours of work.

Perhaps the question should have been how many hours to do the work, than set what your time is worth to you to come up with a price.

Disassembly and assembly is time consuming... Then if you scatch something, well more time.

Oh, not to mention, panel straightening.

[another2centsworth]

More than what the truck is worth.

[MARTINSR]

We don't mask anything, think about it, do to do the jambs means rubber, panel, kick panel threshold, everything comes out of the jambs. In fact the door would probably come off to make it much easier. The bed would come off, all the windows, the hood would come off, everything needs to come off to make it right. That is a LOT of labor.

Brian

[tr6oldtimer]

A tr6 with all the stuff striped off the body, the interior gone, no dash, no electrical, no glass in the doors, no wind screen, all the crap out of the engine compartment, and the engine and transmission out, just the bare body, sitting on a frame costs around 5-8 grand. But that includes stripping it down to metal, and hope you do not find rust. (That is one of the reasons I did it myself, but not totally)

As to the difference in price between Len and Brian, may have a lot to do with where their shops are located.

[solidecho]

Day 1 - panel prep and door jams
Day 2 - exterior paint
Day 3 - DA sand
Day 4 - polish

So if you want to do the job stream lined, I would charge $2500. If 500 went to material and it took you a week, 2000 in a week isn't bad. Then when all his friends want you to do their cars 2 at a time.. Serve to the masses, eat with the classes.

[MARTINSR]

You don't plan on putting it back together?

Brian

[Mooch]

Cheaper to take it to Style and have it chromed .


Mooch

[frostje]

Day 1 - panel prep and door jams
Day 2 - exterior paint
Day 3 - DA sand
Day 4 - polish

So if you want to do the job stream lined, I would charge $2500. If 500 went to material and it took you a week, 2000 in a week isn't bad. Then when all his friends want you to do their cars 2 at a time.. Serve to the masses, eat with the classes.

Wow, 2000, thats cheap. You work for 10 dollars an hour? Starbucks is what your skill is worth? EEEkKK. Removing hood, doors, bed, prep(prime), paint, color sand and polish for huh???? Thats about 100hrs work. Working for food huh? When you are too cheap, you get all the BUMS who cant afford to pay for it wanting you to paint their car for a nickel. Bums that cant afford anything, but want a show car finish. Do you REALLY WANT that??? To this day I still resent people coming up to me asking me to refinish their POS and compare you painting it to spray cans. Thats insulting. And if people can get it for nothing they will. Just for instance someone came up to me the other day just wanting a scuff and shoot on their hood. Ok, 100 including materials. They thought Id do it for 25 dollars. Are you guys insane, but thats just how people view it when you come in cheap.

[MARTINSR]

Wow, 2000, thats cheap. You work for 10 dollars an hour? Starbucks is what your skill is worth? EEEkKK. Removing hood, doors, bed, prep(prime), paint, color sand and polish for huh???? Thats about 100hrs work. Working for food huh? When you are too cheap, you get all the BUMS who cant afford to pay for it wanting you to paint their car for a nickel. Bums that cant afford anything, but want a show car finish. Do you REALLY WANT that??? To this day I still resent people coming up to me asking me to refinish their POS and compare you painting it to spray cans. Thats insulting. And if people can get it for nothing they will. Just for instance someone came up to me the other day just wanting a scuff and shoot on their hood. Ok, 100 including materials. They thought Id do it for 25 dollars. Are you guys insane, but thats just how people view it when you come in cheap.

It's simple, we set our price and quality level, it is our choice. Unless you are pricing yourself out of the market for that quality level, you are going to have customers.

We send people to the Macco down the street for completes. We speak with respect for the Macco, they are good people and have a great value for the customer. We have a lifetime warranty on everything we do, we MUST remove all the parts and so on, it costs a lot more. We send people to Macco for this type of work and Macco sends late model collision repair to us. We are both being honest with the customer and giving them what they want.

By the way, here in the SF bay area, that truck being done at Macco would be about $2500 I am sure, maybe even $3000. A straight up paint job with no jambs with bs/cc is about $1500 over there.

Brian

[frostje]

1500 is fair for a scuff and shoot. We are not talking quality materials though, probably econo brands nason omni. A scuff and shoot is enough work to make it clean and respectable. But I was referring to the people who want their entire vehicle painted for nothing, or when I say nothing <500. Sad, I dont think I could even prep it for that little. Not worth the labor to me. I get 50hr right now for my work, PS I dont work in autobody , its just a hobby, so my time is not worth 10hr. I just wouldnt do it, so anyone coming to me for 40hrs of work for lets say 500 is out of their mind. Maybe Maaco can do it because they pay their workers less than 10hr, I just wont do that.

[smooth]

We don't mask anything, think about it, do to do the jambs means rubber, panel, kick panel threshold, everything comes out of the jambs. In fact the door would probably come off to make it much easier. The bed would come off, all the windows, the hood would come off, everything needs to come off to make it right. That is a LOT of labor.

Brian

x2........