$1200 sounds like a premium paint such as PPG Vibrance 3 stage. I just repainted my "57 Camaro" for $411 in materials which included 3qt PPG Shopline Basecoat metallic with some fancy multicolor crystals, 1 qt metallic silver with course aluminum flake for bumpers, 1pt med silver pearl for highlights a pt of custom pearl white with white crystals and a gallon of JC630 clear plus all the reducers and some activator for the silvers so I could mask and layer without having to worry about pulling the paint off and wondering if it would ever fully cure. I used about $40 in various sand papers and $35 for thin line and regular masking tape. Anyone who has seen the car can tell you how good the paint looks. The more expensive paints cover better but at the end of the day shooting 2 coats or 3 coats of base isn't a big deal. The higher end paints have a wider range of tints available and other additives. A good paint supplier will know which additives (the crystals and activator for me) can be used in other lines. I choose JC630 clear because it has a very good reputation and isn't so hard that every stone causes a chip. The next clear up does have a better depth but costs 3x as much. Prep work on the body has far more affect on the final job than if you use a $100 / gallon BC or a $450 BC. I learned that adding a bit of reducer (10%) to the epoxy primer makes is flow out ultra smooth when used as a sealer. It won't fill any scratches but will provide an excellent surface for the base coat. It also reveals any blemishes that need more attention before the base coat goes on.
My advice: find a good paint supplier and start going thru the paint chip books... don't get stuck looking in only the GM book... the base coat I used started with Lighting Blue from a 2010 BMW then I added the multicolor crystals. The white is from a 2008 Toyota plus the white crystals I added. The silver on the bumpers and other "chrome" is Viper Silver from a 2009 Viper and the med. silver is Bright Silver from the same viper chart. The paint shop can tell you what can be mixed BC/CC and what will need a mid coat (most pearls) Another option is to use the first coat of clear as a mid coat and add pearls, flake or crystals to it. Then shoot 2 plain coats of clear over that. Have a test panel done because the final effect is not fully predictable. The blue I used has only 3 grams of crystals but on the finished car they very visible. If you were to add 10 grams of metal flake to a clear you probably would completely hide the base coat.
Better base coats have more options and effects but won't last any longer... it is the clear coat that take all the abuse. Opt for an extra coat of clear and you can cut and buff many times without worrying about breaking through to the base.
Charlie.
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Originally Posted by HardcoreZ28
What kind of materials are they using exactly? I can't buy base and clear with the reducers and activators for less than $1200, let alone sanding, masking supplies, primer/sealer, buffing pads and compound, etc.
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