My bodykit should be in early next week, so to save as much dough as possible, I'd like to do as much of the prep work as possible.

I intend to do all fitment/sanding, etc., but in my discussion with a local painter (done work with the shop before, was VERY impressed), he basically said I couldn't do anything.

Am I correct in assuming Bondo is the correct material to fill in any holes, gaps, pits, etc. for fiberglass? For priming, do I need to use anything special, or is the standard spray-can stuff from Home Depot good enough? He said certain materials may not mix well, like incompatibilities between primer/bondo and the paint. Now it may just be me, but I seriously doubt someone uses paint that would have a reaction to a common fix-it material linke Bondo I think he's just trying to get as much money from me as possible (I dealt with the owner last time, not this guy).

He quoted me a rough estimate of $600 to do all priming/painting, extra if anything more than basic sanding needs to be done. I got my rear bumper repainted as well as some metal work done and the bumper sanded smooth from the rough cuts created y the accident for $150, so this price seems well within reason for the amount of work involved. I'm hoping to drop that price down by bringing in the pieces, smoothed, primed, and ready to paint.

Can anyone confirm/deny this?

Thanks!

 

I'm SUis1 using my son's id.
1. Bondo is ok
2 . Don't use the home depot stuff. Go to an autoparts store and use body primer. It's thicker and sandable...this is important
He is right about the reactions between paints, it's not that they don't stick, but they don't look as good (orangepeel) or they peel later.
After you fill the defects and apply a coat of primer sand it out with fine sandpaper. The primer is usally red, Get a can of black paint. Spray a very light coat on the part and block sand again. The black paint will show up any low spots. Prime them again and sand again, and spray the black again. There's no reason why you can't do a BETTER job that the body shop prepping the parts. Time is not as important to you as it is them. Good Luck!!!!!

 

$500 for installation and primer/paint for a decent paint job is the usual in CA.

 

Something not relatedf to preping but in ensuring overall strength of the paint afterwards... Remember new paint takes a good month or so to reach full strength. I would minimise all on road activity in this time as much as possible!

 

RJ/SUis1: Thanks for the info...this is exactly the type I'm looking for. OK, so the primer should come from an autoparts store, but what about the black paint? Is it used only to show the rough spots, so standard spraycan stuff is OK? I would rather spend the time myself and lower the price...I just love doing this kind of thing. Also, the final paint is Silverstone Metallic, so should I give a final coat of white, gray, or black to keep the final paintjob nice looking, or can I assume the final coat will be thick enough to cover any primer show-through?


Lee: Thanks for the confirmation on pricing. I've seen a few here suggest prices as high as $1500, but that seemed way out of the ballpark to me.


Kid: I remember the 30-day waiting period from my rear bumper, but thanks for the reminder. I'm going to the Fall Colors event in October, and I'd like to have this all installed by then. I'm hoping to finish the kit up by next weekend, get it painted, then let it sit in my place for a few weeks before the final install and waxing. That should give it time to fully harden and let any setting agents evaporate.

 

installation prices vary greatly on location and body shop.

Good installation and paint is more than $500. That is for probably an average job. A really top notch job is a bit more.

 

min,

This is for paint only. I'm doing the prep work and install, so these guys are basically getting an item that should require nothing but a coat of paint. It's not on a car already, so no need to remove and/or mask anything.

 

Dan i do body work every day let me know if you want help

 

MAX!!!

Steve told me you did bodywork, but I never got around to asking you for pointers. Final cost is of the essence here, so I'm all ready to do the work myself, but if you'd like to help, who am I to turn you down?

I'm going to make a trip to the local autoshop to see if I can get some Bondo and primer paint, but if you can get me something for cheaper than the local shops, I'm all ears. And it would be nice to have an expert on hand, just in case things don't go well. Hey, I was going to take the kit to a shop I've worked with before, but if you can suggest someone you work with that you trust (and maybe give me a good deal <nudge nudge> ), I'm all ears.

 

are you coming monday to GC? if you are i will go over everything with you..