Liquid Wraps vs Paint

Due to the high cost of a paint job, I am considering putting on spray liquid wrap on it for a few years until I have the money for a proper paint job. Plus it will give me the matte finish I wanted anyway. Thoughts?

Do all your own prep, get it completely ready, and then take it to Maaco for the spray. I've done this a couple times with good results. Most people talk poorly about Maaco, but remember a paint job is only as good as what is underneath it. Cheapie shops like that will squirt paint on whatever you bring them. If you take the time to prep it properly yourself, you can get good results for not much $.

I called them and they quoted me 2k.

weirdbeard wrote:I called them and they quoted me 2k.

That's a good price to paint a van.That's a lot of real estate to paint.

they told me $600

600 to 800 is a single coat paint job. The 2000 price is for the factory style oNE. Thst does not include the cost to paint the dash doghouse door jambs. That's all extrA. A professional body shop quoted me 3500 for a really nice 2 tone dupont paint job. Show quality.

Just out of curiosity, how much is the liquid wrap?

$1000

Any examples, pictures of what a$1000 liquid wrap looks like?

http://jerseydips.com/

Most of these were $600 to $1,000

Magic Bus, how much did you pay for that sweet paint job?

Does every piece have to be removed from the vehicle in order to be dipped? I was quoted $2000 to do a vinyl wrap on my van.

weirdbeard wrote:600 to 800 is a single coat paint job. The 2000 price is for the factory style oNE. Thst does not include the cost to paint the dash doghouse door jambs. That's all extrA. A professional body shop quoted me 3500 for a really nice 2 tone dupont paint job. Show quality.

the cheapest quote I had gotten from a quality paint shop was $6000, and that did not include rust repair.

That is a great price if it's a quality paint job.  the problem is, there is so much more involved what you start pricing out new seals, etcetera.

I was quoted $3,500 for a quality paint job at a reputable body shop if the prep work was done, $6,000 with them doing the prep work.

It all depends on what you want and how much $ you want to drop on paint.  To me, it makes no sense to spend a great deal of money for the finest base/clear paint job when its just going on a 50 year old vehicle.  Especially on something that is regularly driven, and get road grime, tar, rock chips, scratches, door dings.  Unless you are going to keep the thing on a trailer, whats the point of dropping thousands on paint?  

A single stage paint job was just fine with me, and that's what I've always gone with.  I've done two classic musclecars and a van so far, all single stage, and they all came out looking good.   Had my '65 done 4 years ago, and it still looks great.  Paint itself, can be done affordably.

Hey Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ur picking the =WRONG Paint Shops!! Find the small guys!! advertize on craigs list =for the backyard guys doing paint & body work. Also it doesnt have to be a 2 part paint job either!! thats like painting a vehicle 2 times!! U need to find the guys that are "Hungry"!!

Forget that =WRAP=CRAP!!

When I had my '67 442 done, after I made the deal with the manager, I went back the next day and the body guy was working on the car.  Some body repair needed to be done, including replacement of both lower quarter panels.  I slipped the body guy and extra $100 bill when we were alone, away from the boss, and asked him to please do an extra good job because this car was 'special'.  He really appreciated that, and I could tell he put alot more effort into the car then, and it showed in the final product.  The guys who are actually doing the work at the big bodyshops get paid next to nothing, so go take care of them personally and they will do a good job and actually care about your van.

I had two cars done at 'one day paint and body' in Albuquerque, and my '65 van done at the Macco here in Federal Way

That 442 was a numbers matching car and I sold it on eBay. Nobody ever had any problem with the fact it had a single stage paint job. I could have spent a bunch of extra $, but it would not have been worth a penny more.

Do some searching on the liquid wraps. It's been found that it tends to peel in some places and stick too well in others. This will make it a nightmare to redo later.


If you want to make it nice on a budget, here's what I recommend.
You will need to remove all the trim you can, then wash it. Bumpers, lights, insignias, wipers and handles. Don't bother with glass.
Start by sanding the whole thing. A DA sander is under $50 at Harbor Freight.
Get a box of quality 80 grit paper. You will need an air compressor for the DA unless you do not have any access to one. In that case, get an electric.
Go over the whole outside. It doesn't need to go to bare metal, just smooth out the paint and remove any areas that flake. Get something to stand on to do the roof. You need to be able to reach the middle from each side. If you paint it, you will also need to reach. DA all the flat areas. When the paper loses it's bite, use it by hand to get the edges and tight spots. There should be no shiny spots or unsanded areas.

Once the whole outside is sanded and there are no more untouched spots, wash it with a strong detergent and a scotchbrite pad. Dawn is good. Rinse it off very well. Dry it off with clean towels. Let it sit long enough that all the water is dryed off.

If you choose to have it shot by a shop, hang the minimum trim necessary (brake lights, turn signals) and take it over.

If you can do it yourself, tape all the windows and openings and any trim still on. Don't forget to cover the tires or install some junk that can be oversprayed. Make sure they are clean if you are using junk! Wipe it down with a wax and grease remover, then you're ready.

I'd suggest a sealer coat, especially if you have various layers and old primer. This is either a special mix, or often a primer that is thinned slightly. It also give you practice for shooting the van before your paint coat.

Shoot the sealer, then wait the recommended time. Most allow a top coat after an hour, but must be shot within 24 hours without scuffing. Plan ahead!

Then shoot the paint. A solid, light, bright color will hide the lack of bodywork. Avoid dark colors and metallic colors!

Now, to prove I'm not just offering something I haven't done, here's an example.

I started with this


I replaced the side doors with solid ones, and got some nice trim parts.



Stripped it down and sanded it over three days. Then masked it and sealed it with two coats. This was shot at the local college in the morning.
The sandpaper was about $50 and the sealer was $130. I used U-Pol primer but I'd suggest going with what your local pro paint shop recommends. I used almost a full gallon.





I then went back that afternoon and shot two coats of color. This was a single stage solid color, using off the shelf Advantage brand industrial paint in School Bus Yellow. It was $150 for the paint, activator and some reducer. Again, I used almost a full gallon. It probably could have been covered with 3 quarts of paint plus activator and reducer, but it's cheaper to buy by the gallon.

First coat. Notice the bumps near the bumper hole? No bodywork!



Second coat, out of the booth. Again, notice the ding in the corner? The bright shiny color hides this stuff.


I had decided that I wanted to break up the large expanse of color with a graphic, which cost more than the whole paint job. The paint was under $500 total. The vinyl graphic was $700. It's starting to crack and peel.
So here's a BEFORE and AFTER.




The paint has been on for 3 years now, always outside. I'll wash it from time to time, but it's not pampered. Snow, frost, rain, dirt and baking heat. Here is a closeup of it from a few months ago, still looks decent and has held the shine.





So if you are going to the effort to really prep your van, I'd strongly suggest getting real paint on it. Nice trim helps too, along with blacking out the wheelwells and behind the grille.
It was less than a week's time for the paint from start to blacking out and all trim back on. Cost was less than $500, as said. I did have use of the booth and gun, plus bought a proper respirator that is a MUST with catalyzed paints. Do NOT shoot catalyzed paint in your driveway, it's poisonous. A cheap gun is harder to use, but can get decent results. You will need a 1.8 tip for primer and a 1.5 tip for paint, or two guns. This was my first full vehicle paint job. It has been on local paper covers and has won trophies. None of the jambs were painted, and it has been daily driven.

With the liquid wrap, the prep time would be the same unless you don't care about it holding up. Material cost may be less, but after doing all the work, you might as well get a good, long-lasting finish out of it.

Advantage even has a Hot Rod Black, which is probably the flat look you are looking for. The others in the line are also listed here. Again, avoid metallics and dark colors for best results. Ford Blue, Allis Chalmers Orange, International Harvester Red would all be good choices.
http://www.advantagerefinishproducts.com/custom-factory-pack-paints/701-custom-factory-pack-paint-hot-rod-black

Here it is before the graphic. It was fine like this, but I had planned on the graphic even before the paint went on.

weirdbeard wrote:http://jerseydips.com/

Most of these were $600 to $1,000

Magic Bus, how much did you pay for that sweet paint job?

..

I used a local independent to spray it, He had a booth. I bought the material, which was quite a bit. I primed, sealed, and painted the interior with base clear using matte inside. Outside got a coat of primer, sealer and base clear with gloss. With the two different colors and the striping and two clear finishes I had around $2200 in paint materials and labor. About half for paint and half for labor..I did all the body work and prep myself and it took me about 3 years in my "spare" time to get it ready, I thought I would never get done sanding.

I know nothing about the liquid wraps except that I was bent on putting a matte finish on mine. At the 11th hour I chickened out at spraying the outside with matte clear because I was unsure of the outcome. It appeared that the wraps have a very cool matte finish that is tough for most guys to lay down with a paint gun.

Rod, et. al,

Can you guys shed light on single stage vs. other options? I thought single stage just meant primer and base coat with no clear coat? My van currently has single stage job and it lacks "pop" and deep luster. I realize that wet sanding can help that.

Also, I am curious if anyone has suggestions on a reliable place that would allow an outside painter to work in a sterile environment. My guy did a nice job on the car I viewed as his latest work, but my biggest "complaint" would be that there was some trash in the paint. He admits that he doesn't have a sterile environment and that no matter how hard he tries to exhaust out and clean up like a champ, there will be trash.

Trash is the one thing that can't effectively be buffed out like orange peel and drips.

I'd like him to paint it, but would love to find a sterile environment for him to work.

As a side note, I ran into a retired painter that worked at a very reliable body shop in town, and he said that the brand of paint made no difference and that it was just the skill and prep work of the shop. I pressed him on it and he stood by his comments. Said their go-to paint was Dupont but that it didn't matter.

Thanks for the input in advance.

Lazarusvan,
Single stage is paint with clear and UV in it. Base coat/Clear coat (BC/CC) or two stage is a color coat then a clear coat that has UV protection. Do some research or talk to your local pro paint shop.

Suggestions = that would be local only. I doubt anyone that has a very clean booth would rent it out to anyone else. That's how it will get messed up!

Trash will happen. Cut and buff can get it provided it's not buried in the paint.

Brands = just like catsup, different brands have different fans. It is true that prep is 90% of the job. But after all that work, most will pick something that will provide good results.
You can read up on various opinions, but it comes down to what works for your painter. Asking them to use a brand they are unfamiliar with is like asking a chef to use a different ingredient in their best recipe that takes weeks to prepare.

BTW, this is about the 4th time I've tried to reply to this. A combo of internet issues and a new laptop and new computer have caused the others to get lost and much frustration. Sorry I didn't answer earlier....

Mam this is so helpful am getting ready too start boby work on both of mine 65 and 66 if you have any more info please help