Painting questions

[Joe]

I'm looking into having my 230SL painted. It is DB050 white.
Given that it has no rust or body damage, what should it cost to paint? The previous owner put a cheap paint job on it, so the car needs a complete strip.
What additional should it cost to do the engine compartment? Is it possible to do a decent job there without removing the engine?
How long would it take me to strip off the chrome parts myself?
Thanks.
Joe

[Cees Klumper]

Taking the chrome off will take no more than half a day I would estimate.

I just had some repair work done (rear valance panel rust and, yes, some rust around the headlights again) and the car needed to be repainted for the most part (white) except for the hard top, trunk lid and hood. Cost was EUR 550, so around $750. Looks great, had it done at the same place that charged around $900 if I recall correctly 5 years ago. I could have also had it done at a more official place, and the cost would have been about 10 times higher, for 20% better quality. Some of you are probably getting tired of this story, but there it is again!

Had my normal car (Volvo C70) repaired a week ago at the Volvo body shop (two very minor dents) at a grand total of EUR 2,300, or almost $3,000. I won't be taking it there again!

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[angelo]

Joe
it is difficult to do a good job without taking the engine out.  I also believe that stripping the car yourself is a very large task.  To get a good paint job with good paint(Glasurit) you should spent about between 10-15k with no body work, with body work could be 20k

[dldubois]

I just had mine repainted.   Just minor dings, etc.  

I removed the chrome as well as most of the dash and had the car stripped and repainted.  Stripping the chrome from the exterior was pretty easy.   The dash... a little more work.   We also removed the windshield.

$7200 including body work. I was quoted $3200 to strip and paint.  The balance was body work.


Dana DuBois
1969 280sl
Corinth, TX

[Ben]

As the guys point out it really depends  on how far you want to go. Bumpers,lights etc only take minutes each but the chrome trim on the sides can take a little longer especially if someone has been there before and used incorrect fixings.

Again if you need to taske the windscreen chrome trim off then you will be there for a few hours taking out the glass and the internal trims. The chrome around this area is also boned with body caulk.

Removing door panels and handles/mirrors is not too bad, but under the bonnet would be a bigger task. I stripped mine as above, including the entire dash and everything under the bonnet except the engine itself !

I reckon I have about 20-25 hours in it.

Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.

[Douglas]

quote:Originally posted by cees klumper

I just had some repair work done (rear valance panel rust and, yes, some rust around the headlights again) and the car needed to be repainted for the most part (white) except for the hard top, trunk lid and hood. Cost was EUR 550, so around $750. Looks great, had it done at the same place that charged around $900 if I recall correctly 5 years ago. I could have also had it done at a more official place, and the cost would have been about 10 times higher, for 20% better quality.
Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

Cees,

I think you're doing a disservice to people here by leading them to think that a car can be properly repainted for $900. You've repeated this story many times, at one point even claiming that it was "90% of a show quality job." (If that's true, why not spend the extra $100 and take it to Pebble Beach?)

Your recurring rust five years later speaks to the underlying quality of the job. Clearly, they left rust underneath the paint that merely resurfaced.

I think there's a point of diminishing returns, but to someone with a trained eye, it's not $900. You can't even get a premium paint for that amount.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[mrfatboy]

While $900 might be on the "inexpensive" side there is no way I'm paying 10k -15k for my daily driver!     I'm in need of a new paint job but I'm not sure of what I really need.

I always afraid of the dreaded "upcharge" guy.  The guys that tells you that you really need more work than is necessary. Or the guy that charges 10k for a 3k job.

My car's front end (hood, both fenders) where repainted 10 years again after a tiny fender bender.  I knew nothing about what to do at the time (still don't   ).  I just took the car to the best body shop and let AAA take care if it.  


Anyway,  the front end has the new paint/clearcoat while I believe the doors and rearend have the orignal paint (laquer?)

I guess my question is "do I need to strip the entire car, only front, only back, neither?" This is not a show car! It's a nice daily driver.  The car is rustfree.

1969 280sl
signal red

[Joe]

Can someone point me to a picture showing where the black on the underside of the hood meets the body color? I guess I need the same for the trunk. The last guy who painted my car painted the undersides the body color.
Thanks,
Joe

[Douglas]

Body color is correct for the underside of the hood (aka bonnet). The trunk, however, is satin black on the backside.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA