Which then begs the question - are there any shops in Reno that are good and knowledgable with Vanagons?

On Oct 1, 2011, at 9:45, Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Paint costs seem to vary greatly by location.  I know the supplies here in
> CA are very expensive, but the same supplies are much cheaper  in NV.
> Several of the small body shops I deal with will commonly get their supplies
> from Reno.  Technically, it's not legal for them to do so, however... I
> doubt the paint police are patrolling the border.  It's also a fairly common
> practice among the hot rod set to take their vehicles to Reno for paintwork.
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Jeff
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Jon Kanas
> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 10:37 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Van painting cost
> 
>  Greetings John et al,
> 
> I'd very very concerned about an estimate that low.  The
> materials alone to do my Vanagon were nearly $1K.  High
> quality paint alon, when I did mine in 2009 was nearly $200
> per gallon.  There's lots of surface area on a Vanagon -
> takes lots of primer, basecoat and clear.  If you're going
> to take the time and effort to do all the work to
> disassemble and prep, you'll be unhappy if the paint doesn't
> look decent at all, or doesn't last more than a couple of years.
> 
> *Best Regards,
> Jon*
> 
> 
> 
> On 9/30/2011 7:56 PM, John Rodgers wrote:
>> 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
>>>> 
>>>> ------------------------------
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>>