Looking good

TKOPerformance wrote:

MACO used to do it for $299.  If you did all the body work yourself and just had them spray it the results could be quite good.  

I spent $3,500 in '95 to have my fastback stripped, body work completed, and painted.  Probably be 3x that amount now.  The guy who did it is still around, and does a lot of classic Mustangs though.  

I was talking to my brother-in-law last weekend that owns a body shop and is semi-retired.  He said he's doesn't know how anyone in their right mind would pay the $ to have a car painted.   Back before covid he said a nice paint job with little body work would cost $20K   He figures that # has doubled now.  He ordered a pint of paint to fix a scratch on my SUV.  It was well over $200 for the paint only.  Unless the car was handed down from a family member and has sentimental value or it's a super rare car it's not worth spending the $ to paint them. Unless you do it yourself or know someone.   Steve69

Steve69 wrote:

... Unless the car was handed down from a family member and has sentimental value or it's a super rare car it's not worth spending the $ to paint them. Unless you do it yourself or know someone.   Steve69

I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion but this simply doesn't make any sense to me.  I can do a lot of things, some of them pretty well.  Paint and body is not one of them.  A man's got to know his limitations and if he wants to have something done right, whether it's paint and body or appendix removal, the best choice is to have a pro do the work.

RTM wrote:

I'm far from an expert and something always goes wrong when I paint. Grant it I don't have a proper air dryer so that doesn't help. Plus painting in my dirty garage, it's a challenge. 

For the color you picked, I think it was wise to have someone else spray it.

'Sez the guy with a BEEEUTIFUL Mustang !!!!
6s6
 

They are definitely still around.  

Yeah, it was nuts when these cars were at the low point of their value.  I knew a guy in college who had bought a '70 BOSS429 for $2,000 off a dealer's lot in 1973.  It had almost no miles on it and was in perfect condition.  The dealer couldn't move it due to the gas crunch.  He campaigned it in Super Stock I think for a bunch of years until it was worth too much to risk wrecking.  He put it all back to stock and turned a '79 Fox body into his race car.  

I remember my dad buying a '69 Chevelle SS396 for $500.  It had good paint even, though the engine did run like dog poo.  We dropped an LS6 454 in it and went drag racing.  Even after all the work (cage, slicks, etc. etc.) I doubt he had more than a couple grand in it.  It ran high 10s and the engine was darn near stock (long tube open headers, a different cam, fuel pump, and carb were the extent of it IIRC).  Behind that were a basic TH400 trans and deep gears in the 12 bolt with a spool.  We took it to the track on an open trailer.  Good times.  Those were the days!  Man, I'm getting old...

Last edited by TKOPerformance (11/17/2025 6:35 AM)