Paint & Body Work - painting c5 hood

i'm going to be putting a high rise hood on my z06 (for clearance purposes :devil: ) so i called around for some paint estimates.

corvette cowl hood, front and back, metallic/clear

first one quoted me ~$550, which i wasn't too upset about.

called a second body shop and the guy told me $870, plus another $2-300 if he had to blend :eyes: wtf? for a hood?

so then i called a guy here in town who's kinda a buddy... and he quoted me $400 to do the hood. $1500 to redo the whole front of the car if i wanted to (there are some rock chips on the bumper)

i'm probably either getting just the hood done because i'd rather have the whole car done that just the front but still... this would be probably $3-400 more to get the whole front of the car done by a guy who's work i know is good, as compared to just a hood by someone who's work i haven't seen.

is it normal for estimates to vary this much... or was that dude just quoting me high because it's for a corvette and that means i'm rich?

just keep in mind that you get what you pay for buddy..

so are you saying that you think $1100 to paint a hood is justifiable?

i know the caliber of the work i'll be getting for $400 because i've seen it, and he's good. i'm sure that's somewhat of a buddy deal too.

maybe it's because i'm not in the business... but i just can't wrap my mind around $870-1170 to prime/paint a hood.

so are you saying that you think $1100 to paint a hood is justifiable?

i know the caliber of the work i'll be getting for $400 because i've seen it, and he's good. i'm sure that's somewhat of a buddy deal too.

maybe it's because i'm not in the business... but i just can't wrap my mind around $870-1170 to prime/paint a hood.


No offense, but why are you still here asking, if you can get it done for $400? If his work is good, $400 is not unreasonable. Actually, it's a heck of a bargain if his work is as good as you say.

You have to remember that the time to prep, cost of materials, and possible buff time is included in the estimate(at least with me it would be). If you have never priced quality paint, I see why you think this is high. This stuff is not cheap and us body guys have to make a living, too.

As with any shop, prices are going to differ. I have never charged $1100+ to paint a hood, but I will say that a picky customer will get quoted a pretty solid price as I will have to go the extra mile to make it perfect. Especially for a Vette. See what I mean?

It's not as simple as just slapping paint on a hood, and throwing it on the car. It has to be fitted, any small imperfections(dimples/waves in the factory mold) taken out of the new hood, so that it does not show with new shiny paint on it, match color, wet sand/buff, ect...

If I were to do it, I could not see doing it for any less than $550-$650, at least. JMO..

P.S. Some shops will give you a crazy price, because they don't really want to mess with it. If you bring it in for the price quoted, great, if not, they dont lose any sleep.

no i dont think that price is justifiable however, you would have 1100 reasons to bitch if the product isnt damn near perfect. i would say if you trust your buddy and you have seen his work, go through him..

My SS hood is in the shop now. Painter said it would be a few days, tomorrow will be 2 weeks and I don't have it back yet. Can't blame them because I told them I rarely drive the car and I don't really care how long it takes, I just want it to be perfect. The original black paint on the hood was full of tiny white specks from paint chips. Very small, but a lot of them. They tell me they are going to strip the hood and get rid of all the chips and repaint black with the clear coat. Cost - $325.

My SS hood is in the shop now. Painter said it would be a few days, tomorrow will be 2 weeks and I don't have it back yet. Can't blame them because I told them I rarely drive the car and I don't really care how long it takes, I just want it to be perfect. The original black paint on the hood was full of tiny white specks from paint chips. Very small, but a lot of them. They tell me they are going to strip the hood and get rid of all the chips and repaint black with the clear coat. Cost - $325.
that price is really good for them stripping the paint and then repainting it. Are the painting and shooting a clear on both sides or just the top?

pm sent. to the top

called a second body shop and the guy told me $870, plus another $2-300 if he had to blend :eyes: wtf? for a hood?


If he has to blend, on a corvette thats pretty much repainting/clearing the whole front end. So yeah, $1100 sounds cheap to me.
But personally, the $400 and $1500 deal sounds good.

that price is really good for them stripping the paint and then repainting it. Are the painting and shooting a clear on both sides or just the top?


just the top, the underside was still near perfect.
got home yesterday and had a message to come get it. I went right over and got it put back on. It looks great and brings the whole car back to nearly brand new looking (I can't claim the the car is perfect, but it looks very good. Even to my critical eyes.)
I'm very satisfied with the job they did and the price.

most z06 colors run about $150/qt for base coat, $100/qt for clear, another $75/qt for primer.. and if its a good job he might be putting an intercoat in as well.. so with labor i think youre in a good range.. More if he truely has to blend


edit............. actually, just looked up the code and yours is $110.05/qt for premium basecoat, $38.19 for the clear minus hardener, which isnt much..