How much did you pay to have your Bronco painted?

[ObscureMachine]

I'm talking about having a professional paint it. Not a frame-off, no body work. Just basic prep and paint. No rattle can. Not painting it myself. Just a good professional paint job.

 

[clarrance]

If you can find a shop that is willing to take on the job, I would expect to pay $5k and up. Mine cost $7500. That was delivered to the body shop on a rotisserie. No body work, just the body not the top.

 

[panalukes]

I got a quote from MAACO and it was $1500-1700 depending on if I wanted under the hood, door jambs, etc. This was going to be me drive it in, they paint, me drive it home. Not a big resto job. I didn't go through with it I was just exploring options.

 

[Whoaa]

Not many "shops" will not take on old classic's. They focus on the insurance work where the parts are all simple, the labor hours are in the book, and they can streamline this work through their shop.

Labor rates are high where I live. I searched all over and talked to a lot of people before finding, someone that would paint a Bronco, and someone qualified for the level of paint I want.

I got 2 quotes from high-end painters we're for $13,000 and $14,000. Paint only.

 

[doghows72]

If you do all the prep, disassembly, and no body work I just had my painted at Maaco including under the hood, jams, tailgate etc for 2k. It's better paint job than on my hot rod.
Those guys paint all day, it's the shortcuts in prep and body work that save them time and you money.
Here's how mine turned out. I'm very very happy with it and it has a five year warranty!!

 

[KyddsPly]

Mine had light body work, skimmed, primered, painted, and color sanded/polished. I paid 8k

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I painted mine myself and have over 2500 in materials to do it. Add in the 200+ man hours in the prep and I can easily see the high prices in a complete paint job today...

 

[ep67bro]

With little to no body work I would say on the low end 5K on the higher end 12K. I got an estimate to repaint my 96 when I had it and it was 8K with same color it was and no door jambs, but that did include repairing the rust above the rear wheel wells.

 

[Blue Bastard]

7500.....blasted, light -med body work. Base clear, assembled(fenders hood grill) and polished

 

[Glass Pony]

This is on a fiberglass body done in 2013 by a local body shop.
Outside of body only as I did Herculiner inside and underneath.
They did have to smooth it out in some areas and also shot the windshield frame, dash, flares, and roadster inserts. Prime and paint approx. $3000.
I was very happy with their work.

 

[gearida]

My wife has been in the body shop business for twenty years, their current labor rate is $56/hr. plus paint and materials. As said, body shops want only insurance jobs which last no more than three days in the shop.

 

[viperchief]

Paid $8,000 for all my body work as a part of the resto.

 

[MR-CYN]

$1400 with a little body work grinding the trim holes after welding and stuff. Not a show job but looks like a million bucks for the money.

The second time was $1200 after I dropped a tree on it a few weeks later.

And I can still bushwhack it without being the crying mallcruiser guy about scratches.

 

[Timmy390]

Not many "shops" will not take on old classic's. They focus on the insurance work where the parts are all simple, the labor hours are in the book, and they can streamline this work through their shop.

Labor rates are high where I live

DITTO......I gave up trying to get my rig painted. Most shops just said no. Others gave the "I don't want to do it" price. 99% are focused on the insurance game. In and out in 3 days with set prices and guaranteed payment.

The places that would do the work wanted to do all the prep themselves so it was done "right" which I understand but just cost too much in labor.

I went rattle can flat OD green and it looks good to me.

Tim

 

[Mtgrizzlymn]

Painting with a gun is fairly easy! It's just the prep work really. Before ever using rattle cans get a gun and paint, give it a try you might be amazed how it turns out. I've only done around 30-40 cars but they turned out good not show cars by any means but shiny and no runs good enough for me any way and never got a complaint from family or buddies when I'm done lol

 

[croft75]

$7000 , I did some prep work painted and finished as good on the bottom as top , very good job with a premium PPG paint

 

[croft75]

one suggestion as stated above he did a premium PPG single stage paint , the job turned out excellent , so good and smooth ( no orange peel) he didn't cut and polish but this is something that can be done years down the road to bring it back to perfect again

 

[Broncobowsher]

It is going to vary, A LOT!

A couple years ago I got a 16' fiberglass boat painted. It took a little over 2 months and a little over $2k. Half of that was just materials. The same shop does bread and butter insurance work. They also do $10k+ SEMA show cars and full customs.

Since I did the initial body work there was no guarantee on what I had done. I gave them exactly the products that were used so they could check compatibility. The description was I wanted it to look great as it sat on the water at the dock, and good on the trailer. A shiny 5 footer. Spray, fix any runs and nibs. No cut and buff. Once we were on the same page, this isn't going to be show quality but better than painting at home, we were good to go. Another key thing, a deadline. I gave them 3 months. It was done a little sooner. Would have been a little quicker but there was some weather come through town and the boat sat it out until it was better to paint. They also had a little spike in insurance work. Everyone comments on how nice it looks, I know where there are a few flaws. I put a few scratches in it putting everything back in it. I take care of it, but I still take it out and use it.

The work consisted of another coat of sandable primer, and sand it down. 2-part white base coat. Layout a simple graphic (had templets) on the sides and back (basic 2-tone) and put a base/clear metallic.

The final paint is only as good as the prep, and the prep is what takes the time, talent, and money. As much as you think you are ready for paint, it isn't. Flaws that you don't see now will be seen after the paint is laid down. The "we paint anything" shops will paint anything. If you don't want to pay the prep, they will paint over rust, dirt, tape, dead bugs, anything.

One of the bad things is there are a lot of flakey painters. a LOT of them. Too many paint fumes? I've known several people who have been burned by a friend of a friend who will paint it cheap at home. Going over with a trailer a year or so later to try and get the unpainted vehicle back, and figure what parts have been lost in the process.

 

[jim3326]

I gave 9k for mine. I did all the metal then got the tub and fenders Line-X'd. The Line-X guy had everything blasted then he put a heavy red oxide primer on the bare metal, that stuff was hard, 220 would barely scratch it. The painter then got it in pieces and did his thing, floated everything, prime, base, clear. Then I took it out and made some more work for him;D

Jim W.

 

[allenfahey]

Here's the reason you get crazy prices all over the spectrum.
I work as a painter and we don't do rustorations simply because nobody in the shop wants to do them. There isn't enough money on them to make it worth our while. For every hour I work I turn about 4 or more billable hours. I work flat rate and the more I turn the more I make. We, especially bodymen would rather work on insurance work. That is just how body shops work. An all over paint job pays roughly 40 hours give or take 5 hours on just the paint. That is usually a dent here and there that needs primed
or a vehicle that was keyed or something. I would much rather paint the front end of a vehicle and blend the doors for 25-30 hours and spend 2 hours prep and 2 hours painting it. It would take all day if not more to prep an all over primed vehicle to get ready to paint the next day. I know you say it doesn't need bodywork and is ready for paint but I assure you it isn't. I've been called to the office many times to look over a part or car that is "ready for paint" and haven't seen a true scuff and shoot. Even if it was ready what does it look like under the primer? How thick is the body work? What grit was the body work finished in prior to primer? All these things can come and bite a shop in the future. Even if you got a no warranty paint job, why would a shop want to put their name on someone elses shoddy prep work? I know it might sound crazy but that is how it is.
You can try to find a guy to do it on the side but as Broncobowsher said there are a lot of flakey guys out there so watch out! I for one will not do side work, mainly because I know your vehicle will be at my house for a very, very long time. The last thing I want to see is another vehicle when I get home let alone on a weekend.
My suggestion.... Do it yourself it really isn't hard. The hard part of the painting process itself is blending and color match. Neither of them you need to worry about on an all over. I can answer just about any tech question you have and probably covered it in a thread on here.
Good luck!