Little Rock Maaco??? is that even a choice?

Here in the next few months I will have gotten the body work on my 65 done, now I plan on doing all the prep and prime and sanding and filling and metal work on my own. which I know saves a ton of money...heres my issue though...My original plan was to just shoot the truck with JD blitz black...then well maybe I might want to paint it nicely one day...so then hothues flat black....doing this myself of course...now im kinda thinking I might want to do a shiny paint job....now Ive only painted a motorcycle and it turned out ok.. we used acrylic enamel....single stage.... I dont want to get into the base coat clear without having done it...and certainly dont want to mess up and then be out the money for the paint....So since this is a driver and just a fun truck not a show truck... I wondered if something like a maaco or if you guys in arkansas know a better location... for a decent base clear job...for not much cash. If I do shiny I want it to look factory not orange peeled to death....I spent a day wet sanding the tank on that motorcycle....

Anyway, what do you guys think of the Maaco in little rock, or any of you know someone who can do a great job for not much cash. my paint and body guy mickey fortner ."mickeys" in conway would run me about 3 grand to paint and finish. he does great work...but 3 grand for something that in a year will probably have rust spots coming through...just dunno. that semi gloss black is looking better and better. Advice! please!

 

I don't know about Little Rock,but like any other business,there's good shops and bad shops. I would say go there and look at some of their work. If you aren't looking for a "showcar" paintjob,then they can do good work. You have to do the homework,and check them out. There is a One-day paint by me that does really nice work. They get a bad rap,cause they mostly do cheap patch jobs. But I have talked to the guy a few times and he said that it all depends on what the customer wants. If you want cheap,you get cheap.

 

Hey Josh... you coming to breakfast on Saturday... talk to the guys there... they might be able to help...

 

I fell for the MAACO cheap paint pich before... Sold my truck soon after. MAACO is known for poor prep work, peeling, fading paint, and poor quality. Their single stage (urethane based) paint will likely have to be completely stripped when you go to repaint it. You are better off buying a Harbour Freight paint gun and spraying it in a garage. My 2 cents...

 

Yeah that is what I fear... that hot hues hot rod black is looking better and better.

Hey, yeah Ill try and get there... depends on what my father inlaw has me doin...
Looking forward to being able to drive the thing up there....maybe by next month.
it wont look pretty!! its about 4 shades of something. Finally got the front end swap bolted up..havent run the brake lines yet...that orta be fun.

 

hey, i am the manager at a maaco here in stratford ct, the way it works is if you pay for a shit job...what do you think your going to get. if your going to go for a nice shiny job the go for the base coat clear. they call it the signature service. do all the bodywork you want to and even sand it if you like but the paint will come out fine. we do a lot of hotrods and restored cars here at this location, but we are all car guys. but you have to remeber that the good jobs arnt paying 249.00. also ask what paint they are using, most of us are using dupont so look into that. also too the name is a brand, the work is the people in the shop, just because it says maaco does not mean the work is bad, its all about the employees that work there. look at some of the jobs they have in the lot, that will tell you about there work. hope this helps at all

 

Completely true.I am dealing with this now.I thought it would happen,so I primed the fender and it cracked and blistered all to hell.Entire car is now being stripped to bare metal.It was painted by maaco from the p.o.

 

Exactly. I have used Maaco before, and with all the results and then some that I wanted. I paid like $300 and got a decent job out of it. I wasnt expecting the world, but thats where the name gets slandered. People go in looking to pay $150 but want a $3k dollar job. Not going to happen there, or anywhere.

My friend just got his VW painted there and for $700 it doesnt look bad at all. He needed a paint job and I recommended them, looks nice! He just dropped his car off, I sanded and drove mine over in tape myself tho, didnt want to take any chances.

 

No such thing.

Years ago I went this route and learned the hard way that you get what you pay for, or you do it yourself.

If you can't afford to have it done right, put a car cover on it and save your money until you can.

Oh yeah, go and google "Maaco ripoff", and read the pages of complaints. That might also aid in your decision-making process.

 

I was suprised how easy BC/CC was after I tryed it.
Do a bit of homework first, read the can's instructions, listen to the paint salesman, take your time, and I bet it will come out just fine.
And you can say you did it yourself.

 

First off, anyone can paint a car. If you can read, see, and are not colorblind, its cake. Read the tech sheets on all the products you plan to use and follow them! They are made for a reason. In the end, there will be paint on the car and it will look nice.

I'm not cursing Maaco, I'm sure there are good ones around, I just haven't seen one. Believe me though, for $300 or whatever the case, you are getting more than what you are paying for. Paint on the car and one less headache. However it isn't BC/CC for that price as far as I know. The problem is that if it costs you even $500 for an entire paint job, and they are making a profit, paying materials, and paying labor to their workers; how can anyone touching your car actually give a crap about what they are doing making the wage that they do.

Before you drop it off at Maaco, look into the cost of doing it yourself or maybe finding a local shop that can offer you a decent job if you prep.

 

I recently outfitted my garage to do paint. With the Compressor (230V 60Gallon) and the guns (including some smaller ones) it came out to be about 800 Bucks. Add a couple hundred in paint on top of that and you should be ready to rock and roll. It isn't terribly difficult.

John

 

while i have seen some crappy paint jobs from Maaco , i have also seem some real nice ones too. the guys who hold the gun do a lot of cars and can get very good at it. i know a guy with a `40 Ford with a Maaco paint job and it looks beautiful after 10 years. he did all the prep work himself. he also color sanded and buffed it after he drove it home.

i suggest you do all the preparation yourself , including removing all trim and bumpers..and do any masking. the quality of the prep will directly effect how the paint comes out.... are you up to that? talk to the shop manager about a step up in paint, maybe even bring your own paint in .

 

Like any paint job on anything, all the work and therefore time and money needed for a good paint job is mostly in the prep and only a small part in the actual painting itself. Honestly, you really just can't be expecting much good for under $500. If you can even get a half assed job for that, it is at least worth what you paid for. But, if you do all the prep. work and do a good job at it and get it ready for them and all they do it spray some decent pain on it for you, that might work ok depending on what paint they are actually going to use and who is going to do it. Go talk to them, research the kind paint they use and talk to the person who is actually going to do it and see what kind of work they can actually do. Check locally to see what other past customers might have to say and see how their paint jobs are holding up, but keep in mind the success of any paint can't be anymore that what's underneath.

 

Yeah I agree with you guys about doing the prep, I fully intend to do all of that myself...
There are a few shops here that do great work...but most them are "collision centers"
and make all there money with insurance jobs....I had a 96 z71 in mickeys body shop here...when it came out it looked like a show truck....but for him to do a job like that for a paying customer would cost me a loooott of pennies. just to spray it even.

Which is why I wonder if I can get some hotrod black by ppg,dupont,kirker, or Kustom...take it to a shop like a maaco...or who ever...get it painted only. since suede black doesnt get wet sanded... just drive it home and put it together again.
I would think someone that shoots multiple cars a day would do a better job than I would and faster... Im going to look around town here there are some smaller shops here that may do the job better and for a reasonable price. I wouldnt mind paying Several hundred bucks to get paint layed on... but If I cant Ill just have to out fit the garage!

 

If you are not at the HAMB breakfast, I'll send you a PM. I'll tell you a couple of options that I can help you with.....

 

Hey Josh, hope to see you at breakfast. I've had one of those paint jobs done in Memphis, but did all the prep work myself and stripped all the trim off like 36-3window said. Turned out decent. But, you wanna talk to Toadfrog about his options. I did!

 

Jeremy Phillips here in Conway had his '50 Chrysler done in maroon by the Little Rock Maaco shop, and it turned out nice. He paid more than the advertised prices, but not what Mickey charges.

Mike Hill shot stillkruzn's Mustang and it was a nice job, too.

And toadfrog has lots of connections.

So, we have a breakfast this Saturday?

 

Here's my 2 cents....you would be surprised how many guys that work at the best shop in town and do the best work around have their own little bump and paint shops at home...Make friends with the people whose paint jobs you like, find out who painted it-not what shop so much but the name of the painter...then find that painter and quietly ask them if they do any side work at home...Again many will do a great job if you're not in a hurry and take a lot of pride in their work...and need the extra cash too. Be prepared to pay good money, but you'll pay your painter at home less than you will at their day-job and get a great result...but in general, you're already doing the right thing, keep asking around....go to an AACA meet, or a musclecar show, import show,the drags, a lowrider show and ask around. You'll find a good answer eventually.

 

My opinion...and I've been painting cars for over 30 years, including lots of custom paint.
I used to send some cars to the local Maaco. If they were 'quicky' bodywork and paint overalls, or just a bit of collision work and paint, it wasn't worth my time to clean the shop, mask, make a mess, clean up, etc.
I would do ALL the prep work. Bodywork, primer, and clean and sand the entire car. Remove any trim that was easy to do, or needed to get paint behind.
I then brought it to Maaco......along with my choice of paint, including reducer, AND hardener (back then it was usually Centari, single stage acrylic enamel)
I would talk to the painter, and slip him $20...this was many years ago!.

Why is this better than doing it at home?

First, they usually have a first rate paint booth...so very little dirt in the finish...that means littel to no "afterwork", like sanding and buffing.
They usually pay their painters a good rate, and get good talent. These guys paint all day, so they should be good! But I'd check your own local shop to be sure of this.
Health concerns.....do you have a "shoot suit"? the proper fresh air system, or at least a VERY good respirator? Gloves, eye protection? ALL this stuff costs money, and your health is at risk whenever painting with modern paints!
Mess......even if you clean up and put plastic all over your garage, and run a fan, it's still messy. Overspray will go out the fan and get on your house, car, shed, whatever is just in range outside the shop window. The fumes will be murder, if the garage is attached to the house! What about the wife and kids? Their comfort, and safety? Even if know how to paint, it probably better to rent a spray booth than fuck up your garage/house.
Last....paint is kind of expensive today. Yeah there's cheap stuff out there, but it IS cheap stuff, do you want to scrimp on paint after all your hard work, stripping and doing your bodywork? To save a couple hundred bucks? If not, then do you want to take a big chance buying all those materials, then doing a lousy paint job, if you are inexperienced? Lots of money wasted.

 

Mike Hill is good, but I know he is really busy right now and I don't know what it would cost... but you need to hear what toadfrog's options are...

And yes, Duncan, there is a breakfast this Saturday... hope to see you there...

 

well said, Chopolds!!

 

Maaco has their high prices, but they arent high compared to custom paint shops.

1500 for the entire car, 2 tone. all exterior, door jambs, inside, under hood and trunk.

I would never pay 300 for a paint job, it would come out CHEAP. If you're gonna spend 300 or so, buy it yourself and learn to paint. You'll get the same, if not a better job for 300.

 

Talk to Toadfrog.

 

lol aight...looks like im talkin to toadfrog.

toadfrog didnt you use tractor supply paint on your truck?

last month I painted my father inlaws motorcycle with tractor supply paint.
turned out ok...this was my first time to paint with HVLP... Im a graphics and video editor for AETN... so the concept of doing the work I get but im green at using the gear.
heres the bike







Im still a few months from paint...Ive got to get it driving first...
still have to do the brakes, get transtech to fix my parking gear...
exhaust, cut out the rusty bed floor...weld in a sub frame to lay wood
slat floor on, and buy a lokar shifter and kick down cable. o yeah, I have to get some
brake lights! More than likely I will replace the front fenders, one is bowed a little and the other is dented and rusted out inside. but luckily the fenders are only 249 a piece.
Once thats done I can get the bed straight and patch one hole...then paint primer and filler can get done. My fun job will be cutting out the bed floor ...wish I had a plasma cutter! welding in the sub frame will be an interesting job as well.

 

pay no attention to the 3m glaze in the stripe and on the rear fender....I thought I got all that off !!

 

A fellow here in Mass. who restores his Model As to A++ condition (he has a few) used a MAACO shop (though one well known for quality work) and paid I think it was in the $1K - $2K range for a paint job... came out excellent... you get what you pay for....

 

Josh... before you buy the Lokar, check out our Gennie shifters... I have one in my car and toadfrog has one in his Model A... They are pretty sweet...

 

I got one, just started using it last week. Cut the whole back off a 56 olds in less than an hour. Come on by.

 

Nice Shifters! With these do you need to lower the trans to attach? one I was looking at from lokar was a cable operated unit that could mount on top of the floor in the cab...
Im not against cutting a hole in the floor though.

thanks drdave... I might have to take you up on that offer. That metal on the floor is tough stuff...well at least for a grinder with a metal cutting wheel. went through a wheel in about 3 feet on my father in laws old bed sides we cut down to take to the scrap pile.