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MG MGA - spraying costs

Hi all, Well it's been a very long time to get my car to the point of its restoration that it is now ready for spraying. I would like to have this done locally and have approached a few companies who have come and inspected the vehicle prior to quoting.(these companies are familiar with classic vehicles). The quotes range from £5k to £6.5k. Now I know it is almost impossible to seek information of spraying costs without having first hand knowledge but given the vehicle has been prepped by myself from a blasted shell utilising fibre wings and original boot bonnet and doors all to a very reasonable standard, has anyone been through this phase recently and be prepared to share their thoughts on the process?
Finish will be modern paints with 3 coats of high build primer.
Very best
Mark
M Dollimore

Picture added.

Mark

M Dollimore

Hi Mark,

I went through the process a couple of years ago. I must admit that you seem to have done a good job getting it to the primer stage, but I would always encourage you to let the company painting it go over it carefully before laying the paint on. Maybe even by sticking on a test coat and blocking that down...

That said, I think £6k is expensive ! Maybe its because you live down south but in the Midlands I would expect to pay somewhere between £3-4k for what you want.

Try speaking to the local car societies to see where they take theirs - they usually soon find someone in the area that gives the best deal... I did this and was put onto a retired body/paint guy who took jobs on from time to time (his garage was decked out as a spray booth) and I was very happy with both the result and the cost.

Aleks
Aleks Stojanovic

Man that front valance looks the part
Just a thought, This works quite well if you're not in a hurry-for me anyway
Offer your car to your local Technical college / trade school for the painting students to lay the paint on. Usually the tutors are right up to date with all the latest gear and how to prepare and use it
You would probably only have to supply the materials and would get a good job done-
willy
William Revit

Willy

That's almost the way I did mine. I signed on for body refinishing evening classes at the local tech. I was taught the whole process then allowed to bring in my own project work. One of the instructors arranged for a professional sprayer friend of his to do the top coat. He came along and inspected every stage of my work. Once he was happy with my final primer coats he took over and painted all 29 (ish) panels. It cost me the paint and £1,000 in his pocket. As you say, the tech colleges have all the equipment and, if you have time on your hands, it's certainly an option.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Its not difficult to DIY if you have the space.
I managed to buy my paint from a US supplier for $75 a gallon, acrylic enamel inc the reducer and hardener! And a gallon was enough.

I did it in an old tent garage with a pretty standard gun and canister face mask.

Paint prices in Ontario are scario!
Art Pearse

Art

I did mine in 2-pack so for safety we used a professional spray booth/oven and clean air supplied helmet.
Steve Gyles

I had to have a respray a couple of years ago due to an accident. The insurance would have paid for a front only job and I got the back done as well for the price of the restorer using the bonnet that I had had in my garage for over 40 years. Using my bonnet saved the restorer around £1000, (and it was an original MG one!).

Extrapolating on this would suggest my full respray cost was around £2k but it was only a respray on the 90% of undamaged bodywork hence far less work than your job

Incidentally my restorer who is a one man band but he does a load of bodywork for an upmarket E Type restorer using the same paint shop and he did show me one E Type shell that had had a complete bare shell job and that had cost £10k.

I suppose all this shows is that it can vary widely depending on work involved. If you don't want to take the DIY approach I would go with Alek's suggestion, and his price estimates as a guide.

Good luck, and don't economise as your work looks supreb so
far.

Paul
Paul Dean

Hi Mark.
I payed £4000.00 for my finishing a final top coat 4 years ago, but have had numerous comments on the finish .I think it is always best to get a professional top coat as this is all you can see at the end of the day .

Regards

David
D M SPEAK

Hi Mark

I have had some work done recently by Thornley Kelham in South Cerney near Cirencester. I paid £2k for a small rust repair to the front which they blended in exceptionally well. They showed me a very beautiful Lancia Aurelia, which they specialise in, with an £18k paint job. Absolutely stunning finish with many layers of paint. However MGAs don't justify that level of cost sadly.

My shell was painted by a firm in Peterborough about ten years ago for about £3k and they did a very good job. They were recommended by Bob West. He used them for some of the works cars restorations.

So you pay whatever you want to depending on the quality of finish you desire.
John Francis

Very many thanks to all of you who have responded so kindly. I will keep the group informed of how things plan out.
Best wishes Mark
M Dollimore

Oh William, the front valance is fibreglass as available in UK I had to cut into three and bond back together to get an Ok fit.
Mark
M Dollimore

Top job Mark it looks fantastic
Are you planning on beading at the joint or going naked
The fit looks that good you could go without
William Revit

William, I am hoping not to bead this joint but I'll wait until I see how it looks once finally sprayed.
To all out there I am not going down the original suite of colours. After my first chariot red A roadster in the 70s, through the my black twin cam coupe in the 80s/90s both of which won many awards I will be finishing this car in a modern Ford colour - micastone, the shape of the A will take this pearl effect colour really well.
Mark
M Dollimore

Update, delivered car to a Wiltshire spray shop today, I'll keep you all informed about progress and quality.
Heartened to see a DB7 in for some surgery and respray.
BW
Mark
M Dollimore

Hi Mark,


Could you drop me an email with your contact details when you get a moment as I would like to pick your brain in relation to a project I have got on at the moment...

aleks.stojanovic@mazars.co.uk

Many thanks


Aleks
Aleks Stojanovic

Hi Mark
Been hanging out to see how your colour comes out, A friend here is about to do his A coupe and can't decide on a colour- The present choice is AM Almond Green but the choice changes every couple of days ---as it does
Cheers
willy
William Revit

Hi All, the shell, panels and all sundry items now finished and back home from the sprayer.
I am absolutely thrilled with the finish and colour I will upload some images soon.
Sprayer based in Calne, Wiltshire has done a really good job and stuck to his original quote. Took a few weeks longer for obvious reasons.
More soon
Mark
M Dollimore

Photos do not do justice to the colour and finish unfortunately. The colour is Ford Dark Micastone with a pearl finish.
I can provide details of the sprayers if anyone is interested cost was £3k all in but I did a fair amount of the prep work.
BW
Mark




M Dollimore

Congrats Mark
I can see that the car is going to be something really special -Nice colour, on my screen it looks to have a very very slight blueish/purple tinge to it in that first pic---I have a friend here with a silver one but I'd say yours is just a touch darker, can't wait to see him all together
Nice one
willy
William Revit

Well done Mark. Very interesting choice of colour.
Looks like a Concour winning car!
Your earlier photo reminds me of my own resto, sadly on hold due to spinal surgery!
It breaks me up - but I will offer it for sale later this year.
Cheers, Barry.


Barry Gannon

I decided to fit the beading Mark, I lived with it for many years without any but I thought that it looked a little unfinished without beading.

I also removed the thinner beading from beneath the grille as this looked a little messy with both.

I love the look of the car without bumpers, I think this is because I first pictures of the MGA I ever saw were those from the 1955 Le Mans campaign.

The air vent I cut into the valence supplies cool air to the oil cooler that is installed below the radiator duct panel.

Cheers
Colyn


Colyn Firth

Thanks for your kind words Willie and Barry.
So sorry you may have to part with your car Barry, that will surely be heart wrenching, good luck with that when the time comes.
My car will not be concours just a nice usable classic and just a bit different.
Cheers
Mark
M Dollimore

This thread was discussed between 14/10/2019 and 24/04/2020

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