[DM3]

After 4 years of slow progress, but progress, its time to start thinking about paint.

All the metal work is finished and some of the body work. I have a estimate of 7 to 8k for the finish work, paint and cut and buff. I have seen finished products, the car will be perfect.

A buddy was talking to me about it, why would you spend that much on a paint job on a driver car. The first scratch or road chip and I would be freaking out. He told me to just get a good paint job so I will not lose my **** when something happens.

Just to be curious, I called and emailed several places and Pontiac club members, 5 of the 6 recommended a certain shop, Maaco. This Maaco has a guy that just does old car restorations, and several of the guys I talked too had their car done there and where very happy with the results. As a side note, after the money that has been spend, can I drop off my baby to Macco? I am having a hard time with this.

Back to the issue, its gonna be a driver, do I go crazy and do the perfect body and paint job or do I save some money and more gray hair and go with a good (not embarrassing) paint job?

PS. Macco is backed logged for months on the old car restorations.

[68tpls400]

I guess I am old enough where I remember the $50 Maaco paint jobs where they paint right over your trim and windows. So in that case, not happening!
Perhaps they are a bit better these days?
I'd say it all comes down to cost, and if they stand behind their work.
The local guy that worked on my car was a perfectionist body man and was a bit more expensive, but it was awesome work. And yes, I was (am) very careful and anal about anyone or anything that comes near my car, but I'd say it was money well spent.
On the other hand, if you don't mind parking in the second spot near Target's front door and regularly get door dings and shopping cart scratches, maybe you should head over to Maaco.
You don't mention how much cheaper Maaco is. Is it half? 80%? You will need to weigh all the options and considerations.
The local body guys usually stand behind their work and even offer free touch-ups for the inevitable boo-boo too. Not sure if Maaco would do that.

[DM3]

They are a 1/3 the price.

[vertigto]

The old adage that 'you get what you pay for' usually holds true. That said, there is always an anomaly, You have to decide if it's worth the risk to you.

FWIW...I've rarely heard people complain about a perfect paint/body job at any cost, more often from those that wish they didn't cheap out.

[Jerry H.]

Just curious if Maaco will paint your car in the correct colors? Back in the Earl Schieb days they advertised $29 paint jobs, but it was in 'their' colors. Sometimes they were close, sometimes not.

[roger1]

Since you've seen the finished jobs from the higher end shop, I'd stick with that over Maaco. I bet the paints they use are a better quality too.

I will paint my own GTO that I'm working on and between primers, sandpaper, paint, thinners and polishing supplies I will have about $5K in materials alone.
So 7 to $8K for a complete job doesn't sound like an expensive paint job to me.

[DM3]

Originally Posted by Jerry H.

Just curious if Maaco will paint your car in the correct colors? Back in the Earl Schieb days they advertised $29 paint jobs, but it was in 'their' colors. Sometimes they were close, sometimes not.

LOL, my boss showed me that commercial the other day.

[DM3]

Originally Posted by roger1

Since you've seen the finished jobs from the higher end shop, I'd stick with that over Maaco. I bet the paints they use are a better quality too.

I will paint my own GTO that I'm working on and between primers, sandpaper, paint, thinners and polishing supplies I will have about $5K in materials alone.
So 7 to $8K for a complete job doesn't sound like an expensive paint job to me.

Here's an estimated breakdown from original shop: block and sand car 3 times (2000 to 3000), car off to paint shop (3000 to 4000), wet sand and polish (1500 to 2000).

Macco: block and sand car once, paint job, 3 coats of clear 3500 to 4000), wet sand and polish (by others).

[gtobird]

If you take it to Maaco, you've got to make sure the guys doing the blocking and sanding are really good. If you know who they are and their work is to the level you are looking for, then be sure the contract calls them out by name. The same goes for the painter. I've seen some of their paint jobs that were very nice and it surprised me as to how good they were.

One of the "GOTCHAS" you need to be careful about is urethane wave. Painters that pour on the paint too fast between coats encounter this (ask me how I know arrrrrrrrrgh). The car as a driver will look "good enough", but if you ever decide to cut and buff the paint to perfection and the car had urethane wave, you won't be able to fix it without sanding the finish down and recoating as you'll take too much paint (clear coat) off in the process. I would also think about the color you are painting it. A white solid color car can look decent if with a novice painting it, but if you want it black or a dark metallic color, you may want to opt for the higher end shop.

OJ

Tough call on what to do.

[Greg Reid]

There have been a few people on this site that had really nice paint jobs at maaco. One was a former member here, member name 'GTO John' that had a great looking triple black '69 GTO done there. It was beautiful.
What I recall is that everyone that had gotten good results from them pointed out that it couldn't just be any Maaco you picked out of the phone book. In fact, they were shops just like you the one you pointed out...the particular shops they used had a local rep for laying down good paint jobs.
I may have a pic of his car somewhere.

[Stuart]

I spent a lot of money to get a show quality paint job on my off topic daily driver about ten years ago. I wanted it to look good, and it's a pretty rare car that I thought deserved it. Today it still looks just about as good - there are a couple small chips (mostly self inflicted) but most people won't notice them unless I point them out. It's mainly a matter of being careful where I park in parking lots, that sort of thing.

Part of the cost was for good paint, but the biggest part was the labor for all the block sanding required to get the surfaces flat and smooth.

In the end, I don't regret having it done and it makes me happy every time I see it. The way I look at it, it's a 'forever' car that I'll probably be driving until they put me in the old folk's home, so the cost of the restoration and paint work isn't that big a deal when spread out over the years.

[Greg Reid]

Two cars belonging to PY members, painted at different Maacos. Neither were basic bottom price paint jobs and both knew the reputations of the individually owned shops.

[1stGenFB]

I had my 76' TA painted at a Maaco shop in the 80's and also my first gen at Maaco in the 90's. They laid down enamel paint and the quality of spraying was very good. But they used a cheaper grade of Dupont paint which faded pretty quicky for cars that were parked outdoors. The cost at the time was only $250 (imagine that). It was a great deal at the time.

I imagine if they were skilled in laying down basecoat/clearcoat finishes and you brought to the right shop you would be OK. Expect to pay lots of labor costs and materials aren't cheap either. I would say yes though you can get a good quality paint job there so long as you are involved with the process and know who you are dealing with.

[turbo69bird]

I'd say after having a lot of "for sale" cars paired at shops there's maacos that get great painters in and there's good body' shops that get bad painters in. I've had some awesome paint jobs at Maaco but I always masked the cars myself. Masking at least the edge with 1 inch tape will get you better results. Also I'd make sure that you have final say on the paint job. Meaning of yiu dint like it they fix it. Put it in writing. That'll make them do a little extra work with the prep.
Hope this helps you.

[LStathas]

I'm strongly considering doing a boat paint called Alexseal that's a roll on paint. I'm on a budget and don't have proper space to spray it.