Hello,
I'm in the process of painting my car, and all estimates I got were in the same range as you're describing....$4000-$5000.
For that, I had to strip the car myself and move it myself. The car would be sanded to bare metal, the loose parts from valances to doors, to quarter extensions would be stripped in a thermal process.
Then the body would be repaired where necessary and finally primed and painted.
Yes, it is a lot of money, but I wouldn't want to do it myself. Over here in Holland it is the labour that does it. Sanding a car down to bare metal takes ages.
Luckily I was able to strike a deal with the body shop that makes it a bit more attractive, but I expect to have paid $3500 if not more when it is finished.
And.....don't forget that much of your chrome may not be good enough to put back on a perfectly painted car. I'm replacing much of my chrome now as I want the car to look its best inside and out. Besides, the windshield moulding for instance is so tricky to remove that it is easy to damage the paint if you want to replace them later, which to me is also a reason to replace them now.
Good luck finding a cheaper place! It is possible, but the quality of the work usually goes down faster then the price!
Columbo
First time '66 Mustang rolling restoration, nearing completion.
I'm in the process of painting my car, and all estimates I got were in the same range as you're describing....$4000-$5000.
For that, I had to strip the car myself and move it myself. The car would be sanded to bare metal, the loose parts from valances to doors, to quarter extensions would be stripped in a thermal process.
Then the body would be repaired where necessary and finally primed and painted.
Yes, it is a lot of money, but I wouldn't want to do it myself. Over here in Holland it is the labour that does it. Sanding a car down to bare metal takes ages.
Luckily I was able to strike a deal with the body shop that makes it a bit more attractive, but I expect to have paid $3500 if not more when it is finished.
And.....don't forget that much of your chrome may not be good enough to put back on a perfectly painted car. I'm replacing much of my chrome now as I want the car to look its best inside and out. Besides, the windshield moulding for instance is so tricky to remove that it is easy to damage the paint if you want to replace them later, which to me is also a reason to replace them now.
Good luck finding a cheaper place! It is possible, but the quality of the work usually goes down faster then the price!
Columbo
First time '66 Mustang rolling restoration, nearing completion.