Maregratia Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 What sort of price would be a fair price to pay for a panel's off total respray? I am having difficulty in getting anyone to even be interested in the job seems to be more money in the small dents and scratches, and body shops around here do not want a tub and panels cluttering valuable space up for days. John TR6 (Bangor N Wales) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianhoward Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 (edited) Hi John I believe up around the £1500 - £2000 mark, depending on what sort of prep is required - that was what I was quoted for the 6 I had (before getting rid to make way for the 5). Have you approached TR Trader or Tr Bitz - they are relatively near you are they not? Or is it still further than you would wish? Good luck with the rebuild - and I still have a few more bits left! Brgds Edited March 18, 2006 by ianhoward Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maregratia Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Thanks Ian I would have prefered to have someone local to do the job 90% of the work is done. I am confident i could do the respray myself in cellulose but would be happier with two pack., we all know the dangers of this mix without the proper equipment!, But i have read somewhere about a water based two pack system for car refinishing anyone alse got any info on this? IF i cannot find anyone local to do a decent job i will give John at TR Bitz a ring and see what kind of a price they come up with. thanks John tr 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 More and more of the paints are going over to water based products - health and safety issues with the isocyanates used in 2 pack paint which has a tendancy to induce asthma. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paul7 Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 Hi John, I would be interested what costs you arrive at. I live near birmngham and will soon be looking for a fair cost for a respray. Will you let me know. Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 Are we talking about painting a perfectly prepared surface? This is just a finishing touch, often left to the highly skilled as they can do it as cheaply as the less skilled. I guess in my case it will cost about 10% of the total bodywork ( which was virtually rust-free to begin with - just needed loads of fettling for fit, dents, etc. etc. etc. ). That much only because paints are not cheap today Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest harry dent Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 To do a proper and I mean a proper bare mettle body off with all the panels removed,will set you back around the £5000 to £6000 mark.It is all in the preparation before the final coat that you do not see.The labour cost is quite staggering.Be very aware of cheap quotes as you will only get what you paid for.The cost should include fitting the body and fitting the panels back up.The only way to do it cheaper is to learn how to prep it yourself and paint.I did this on my first TR way back in 1989 using non isonide two pack paint which is no longer available. Harry. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 To do a proper and I mean a proper bare metal body off with all the panels removed,will set you back around the £5000 to £6000 mark. If you can get it done for this figure, do so without a moment's delay! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Marvel901 Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 Hi All, My TR5 body has just recently gone off to the paint shop. The estimate currently stands at £4800 + VAT = £5600 in total) The paint cost alone (though of course I'm paying a retail price) is some £1200. I am not sure spending £1500 on a paint job will be any good at all, probably the proverbial dust over. What does a good paint job cost in the US Tom, you seem to indicate that £5 to £6K is a good deal. Dont know what the exchange rate is at present but that must be approaching $10K. Still sounds a lot but thats what it costs here. I had one quote for my last TR5 (some 3yrs or more ago now) from a reputable TR company and that was £6500 +VAT!! I didnt have it done there.. can't think why!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 What does a good paint job cost in the US Tom, you seem to indicate that £5 to £6K is a good deal. Dont know what the exchange rate is at present but that must be approaching $10K. Still sounds a lot but thats what it costs here. I have no reason to suspect any difference in cost for the same result I know of (3) anecdotes where owners have spent in excess of $50000 having TR250s professionally restored, and the bar is rising ever higher. The job I'm having done may push it to a new high with respect to result ( but I hope not cost ), but I have no doubt it will be surpassed sooner or later. Fact is, these are now starting to get the kind of treatment Jags, Astons, Ferraris and so many other marques which are far finer than they were to begin with. The bodywork on mine may approach 1500 hours, if that's any indication, and precious little rust was present. Years ago C&S or T&CC featured a TR6 on offer for 14,000 quid. An impeccable example in the finest order, restored by a racing mechanic. Reportedly it had over 4000 hours of work in the resto Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Marvel901 Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 Hi Tom, Well $50K for a restoration is not I think out of court with prices here, but we were really addressing the cost of a respray, that is, after the resto of the body has been completed and does not include any part of the chassis engine etc. I have the idea that most restorers will put together their restored body panels, get the door gaps right and the general alignmnent of the body. Then it comes to smoothing out the dents, leading the parts that dont fit too well (probably cos of repro panels or the like), fetching off earlier paint and many other ops that I cant (well wont try) to do. I spent 1500 hrs on the last car and am up to 950 hrs on this car so to have this done commercially (and assuming they are MUCH more efficient than am I ) lets say 500 hrs to date at £30 Hr thats 15Kof labour alone and thats BEFORE the spray job. For a commercial venture including resto, paint, commissioning and problem solving I think, were I a commercial operator I would want £60K to do a TR properly, AND make a SMALL profit. Sadly there is no-one around with that sort of money for a bespoke TR5. If there is I'll build one for them... I happen to have a spare 5 to do it with .. but.. even then I doubt I would take the commission because of all the legal problems involved. If however you did mean $50K for prep and spray then things are MUCH more expensive in the US than I had ever dreamed, it is some 12 years since I was over there though so I would be interested in your comments. By the way .. dont have a set of American Racing 8 spoke alloys for sale do you???? Kind regards to all Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maregratia Posted March 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 Thanks for all the replies so far makes interesting reading. I can not believe some of the prices being quoted here. To me £2000 would be the maximum I would ever consider for a re spray the only thing left to do on mine on the body is minor refinishing work and then a re spray carried out all the work so far myself to a high standard over a two year period. I would estimate my 6 has so far cost me over 10k without even starting to put it together again. After seeing some of these prices I only hope my wife does not read any of the posts on the forum! I have a local man coming to have a look at the six tomorrow with a very good reputation going back years for refinishing work so will let you know what kind of price he comes up with. John TR6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Well said Alec! But if you want a super looking TR it will cost you £6k for paintwork and fitting - thats the going rate, £1500 for materials and £4500 for labour at £40 is per hour (thats only 3 weeks work ......) Personally if you end up paying less, you get a less than super job. Youre choice. The paint on my TR4a cost me £4500 nearly 15 years ago. the paint on my TR4 rally car cost me £1000 3 years ago - guess which one I thrash the bits off ? Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest harry dent Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 (edited) Alec, You can not be on our planet as these are the going prices and up to date.Yes you can get a blow over and will look okay for a short while,but long term, no.They have to make a living also.You only get what you pay for and a cheap job will cut corners.The majority drive their TR,s for enjoyment and not to put them in ditches or scrape them along walls.That was in the 60s and 70s when they were used and abused.Although my TR5 is of a concours standard,I thrash it around and DO take it on the TR Register track days as a lot of North London Groupies do.So we still enjoy our driving but have moved on from the 60,s and 70,s.I am not including the TR rallye and racers who I have the upmost respect for. Harry. Edited March 25, 2006 by harry dent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bald Rick Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 "Hi Tom, Well $50K for a restoration is not I think out of court with prices here" Hi folks Thank god I'm driving a shed! My enjoyment comes from driving my car, not spending hours making it look better than it was when new, so I am lucky that perfect panel fits, the right colour, the correct servo hoses etc are not important to me. As long as the car is sound, dry and safe, I'm happy. I hasten to add that I have empathy with those to whom it is important, I just don't have the money! Besides if my car was concours, I would be scared to death to take it out. We must now be approaching the point where, originality nothwithstanding, it is cheaper to buy a complete new body and chassis than to have one restored? One thing I do believe about resprays, prep is vital! many compaies offering cheaper resprays do not properly prepare. On any respray it is a waste of time unless all ancilliary bits are taken off, bumpers, badges, external hinges, door handles, bonnet rubbers, the hood, (even the windscreen) and the surface is properly cleaned and rubbed down. All these items harbour dirt and grease which will prevent the new paint adhering properly. 'Nuff said, I'll put my wooden spoon away now Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maregratia Posted March 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Well the Body shop man has been to have a look, happy with the work carried out by me so far and quoting a price of £2000 to finish off and painting with a two pack finish in sapphire Blue. The body will go in first followed by the wings etc the week after, then if necessary back to the shop once I have the wings bonnet etc attached for any touching up if needed. This man has been recommended to me by quite a phew people in the last month I have also seen the work he has carried out on a E type and a Austin Healley as well as modern cars. As for the price of paint I have enquired at the supplier where I get all the sand paper filler sound proofing pads etc I would not expect to pay no more than £400 have a look at www.paints4u.com for prices of any type of finishing paint and codes. Thanks for all the response. John TR6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Remember boby shop sees anyone paying for paintwork themselves as easy money. If they have an old sports car they double the figure on the grounds that we are mugs with more money than sense! Do the insurance companies pay them anything like that rate? I doubt it. Look round until you find someone who knows what they are doing and just as importantly doesn't take you for a mug! Materials are not hugely expensive. Labour rates reflect cost of background overheads of bodyshop. But how the hell can it cost £5k to paint a body shell? Materials are at worst a few hundred so assuming the shell is sent ready to paint (minor filling only needed) then 3 weeks full time work seems pleanty of time to do the job. So 50 grand a year isn't bad! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 (edited) It can be worth checking your local factor for paint in stock - I picked up a stock last year, under £100 for 5lts cellulose and 5lts primer - both ICI. An authentic finish for not a lot of dosh, and my bodyman likes using it. I checked out ICI but could not believe the prices so I chatted around & after a bit of deliberation, tried my local factors ‘own brand’ cellulose products. I concluded that being a well known, nationwide franchise they could not afford to sell a **** product to the local trade &, starting with the Leyland colour code, they did a perfect colour match on a sample I gave, all included in the price. I’ve done a limited amount of spraying over the years, including some with ‘brand name’ products, but I couldn’t really tell the difference in use. The gun finish was perfect (but this is very dependant on prep work!) & I then lifted this to concourse standard with a bit of flatting & hand polishing. The paint job is now over 3 years old & shows no signs of any deterioration; I will certainly use the same stuff on my next restoration, it’s at least ½ the price of the branded stuff. Edited March 25, 2006 by Richard CRawley Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhodri Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Looking at the website mentioned earlier, the company appear to be stopping their supply of cellulose paint in May, due to yet another EU directive. My concern is what will the amateur use then? Two pack being lethal without proper, expensive clothing and an air fed mask. Or do I have to order enough now, and try to store it ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Surely to goodness the whole point of a TR is that it's a cheap tough sportscar - as in you can thrash the b*lls off it, and if perchance that involves ditch-hooking or bouncing it off the nearest scenery, then so be it. It's not the end of the world to unbolt a panel, throw it away, flash over a replacement and bolt it on. Equally, whatever you can break mechanically, you can replace in a weekend. \ Ah, those were the days What with a TR5 door mirror fetching $300+ and a crownwheel and pinion set for $430 and taillights for TR4/5/250 fetching $500 and surrey tops fetching $3000+ etc. etc. ad infinitum it appears that, inexorably and whether we like it or not, those days are going fast. Cheap examples and readily available cheap replacement parts are fond memories. A few cars over time have established themselves as classics; works of art in their own right - most don't as we all know. This is where TRs now are finding themselves, for better or worse. Of course, if money ( and time! ) are no object one can blithely thrash a TR, or anything else, with reckless abandon. Some of us consider the recognition and appreciation of these cars as a celebratory development; even so it is a little sad to see them lose their former aspect bit by bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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