I would be curious to hear painting costs in the South or Southeast US.
One outfit I talked to quoted $500 if I prepped the job - R&R'ed all the
hardware, etc, etc ad taped it up. Paint type was not discussed. It was
sort of an of an off-hand quote - prol'ly not realistic. But it would be
nice to hear costs in other southern locations.

John

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com

On 9/30/2011 4:22 PM, Jon Kanas wrote:
> Greetings Troy et al,
>
> The $6500 does not sound too far out of line.  It depends greatly on the
> amount of bodywork required and the paint quality.  Good materials are
> expensive.  Per others already commenting on the list, find a small,
> reputable shop who is interesting in working with you, and not just how
> quickly they can get it in and out to make room for the next insurance
> job.  A good place to start looking for a shop is through any local
> hot-rodders in your area.  These folks are intimately familiar with
> custom metal and paintwork - and face it, the Vanagon isn't something
> most commercial shops will have dealt with before.
>
> I had my Syncro done last year.  The initial paint and bodywork was
> $5000.  This included some small dents, surface rust under the window
> seals, seam rust on both rear quarter panels and right front step.  I
> removed the pop-top and old canvas (removed most of the interior to
> avoid dust and overspray, then delivered the Syncro and roof to the
> shop.  They removed the windows, did the body and paintwork, then
> replaced all the window seals and windshield seal when reassembling.  I
> found and acquired all of the parts and seals (the shop wasn't familiar
> enough with Vanagons to know our favorite part suppliers).   My final
> cost was just over $7700, including the canvas which I replaced upon
> reassembly.  The project took about two months.  I went to the shop
> weekly to visit,  typically on Friday afternoons.  All-in-all it was an
> expensive, but not unpleasant experience.
>
> I did add a bit to the paint cost by using a blue-tinted metal flake
> instead of the normal silver for my Wolfsram Gray, and also painted the
> roof and lower panels medium blue.  It makes my 1987 look like a newer
> Syncro.
>
> *Best Regards,
> Jon B Kanas
>
> *
>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of
>> Troy
>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 4:41 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Van painting cost
>>
>> I just got back from the body shop with an estimate of $6500 to
>> repaint my
>> van. For this price, I was going to completely remove all the moldings,
>> poptop canvas, side windows and rear, bumpers, utility outlets, door
>> handles, etc. and also reinstall. The $6500 does not include any new
>> rubber
>> seals. I'm guessing a good $1200 for a complete set of rubber seals
>> to do
>> all the doors and windows, pop top, rear hatch, etc. I do have some rust
>> around the rear window, and side windows, and in one of the rain
>> gutters,
>> and one dent on the passenger side.  I really wanted to change
>> colors, but
>> that would add an easy $1500 to the price. So, I guess I was thinking
>> in the
>> $4000-$5000 range with me doing part of the work, so was a little
>> surprised.
>>
>> I'd like to get some feedback from others who have their vans
>> painted, and
>> what they spent, and was was done for the cost.
>>
>> Troy
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>
>