can everyone please tell me what i should be paying to get my 1978 leyland minivan painted or estimates as ive been told $15,000 as an estimate there is some body work needed but not much

Sounds like a price gouge to me. I’d be suggesting $8k max

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Zulu...

1967 mini Cooper S

I think mine was about $6,500 for the prep and paint. When they got it, there was no bodywork to be done just prep and paint. Really happy with outcome.

Note that did not include the underside of the car. And inside arches (and therefore no rubbery body sealing in those areas). And if I had my time again I would look at POR15 process before the paint on boot floor, underside of car, in arches and floor pans. Which would obviously all jack up prices.

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Build thread for Supercharged 1275 1967 Deluxe Resto
Build thread for Mini ute conversion 998cc Turbo

Some paint places will over quote a paint job to fend off doing it, however, they rub their hands together with glee if you accept it. I had an EB XR8 redone doors off and in original black pearl which needed a bare metal redo and the quote was $22k...I nearly fell off my chair and it was a relo who owned the smash repair...smiled and said was that in pesos and she smiled back and smugly said no.

Went to another fellow here and got the whole thing redone paint off and doors off with interior touched up and new XR stickers and moulds for $9500...he had it for six months so I didn't mind him having it and working with it in the time he could. Mum had the same quote for her XF at around $19k and went with them...they forgot to mask the boot around the rear lights, no bare metal respray(quoted for it), missing the windscreen seals, all the body trim painted over, rust painted over, overspray, no cut back on horizontal surfaces, spare left out of car and lost, battery unsecured, engine bay not touched, interior not removed and nothing masked therefore budget green overspray all over brand new beige carpets, headlights loose and not secured past finger tight, list goes on and on...

Smash repair up here relies on insurance jobs and over quoting on replacement parts...for instance my front bumper on the falcon was quoted by the shonky repairer for $1800 when I went to a ford spares fellow in Ipswich, new old stock genuine XR bumper unpainted for $600. You need to do your footwork and go when they aren't busy...drive past and if they are chockers with vehicles, it will be a lot dearer where if you go to a smaller repairer, you will probably get a better deal.

Just an observation from up here on the hill.

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Rob Forsyth
Miniot!!

Do it acrylic Do it yourself Do lots of study learning You need a good compressor and something like an Iwata W77 spraygun.I was lucky knowing old school tradesmen and did night tafe.When you do the job you will see why its big bucks.You need a good buff also .Then you may have dent repairs etc Its a huge learning curve but learn it you can save heaps.

1978 mini panel van ,they are not worth much ,so you have to use that horrible acrylic lacquer. means yo have to cut back and buff then you look at your sink back scratches .2 pack professional respray will cost a lot of money It all depends on how much labor is required .Do you strip the car remove door handles and b.bars lights etc or do you mask up ?To strip and refit takes considerable time .I know where there is a mini panelvan currently being fully restored in Wollongong so far the cost is $78.000 and rising ,every nut and bolt is new, it is a very early van. This is the second time it has been restored this time the owner wants to use modern materials so it lasts, it will be kept in a room and it belonged to their close relative .So it depends on how much you want to spend. These CSs that sell for $70.000 have had heaps of money spent on them .I know what mine is costing and I do all the work except engine recon and rebuild engine. That way I get less oil leaks.

I repainted both my minis over 25 years ago in Dulux acrylic lacquer. Iwata 71 gun etc. both came out brilliantly and I never got round to cutting and buffing because I used Dulux AAA thinners to get a great finish off the gun and close to original appearance. Acrylic lacquer is very forgiving for the amateur as you keep adding wet passes until it looks good.
I'm thinking that you have to use 2K systems now which means new materials, techniques and equipment etc, but while I admire the "dipped in plastic" look for the wow factor, it's getting away from home dyi.

you don't have to get the dipped in plastic look, all minis had orange peel in the paint finish. You can achieve this orange peel with 2 pack and there is no cutting back or buffing required .To get a good finish on Acrylic you need to cut back with 600 or 1200 then use a buffing compound on a variable speed buff. My next resto. I will use water based paint thinking of a morgan early model. I have some wood experience.

If you dont like the plastic look Rub with 1500 to 2000 grit and burnish .Will look like a great rubbed and buffed acrylic job that actually holds its gloss
Sink back scratches means poor prep work or not enough time to let solvents escape..Two pack primers rubbed with 400 wet and acrylic over the top dont shrink back either and yes you can do it but not in reverse

Do you have a local TAFE? Either do a night spray painting/ hobby type panel beating course or volunteer your van to the TAFE teacher as a project for day students. My cousin actually had her prefab house constucted by a country TAFE course a a fraction of the professional cost. Alternatively, have you tried a country town spray shop?

Some people will say the only way to go is 2pak but it was never always available there has been so many awards with acrylic or nitrocellulose dont let lazy people or so called experts that want in and out jobs that can't use a buffing machine tell you different

I did a TAFE course on painting with acrylic a couple of years ago. With the right technique and enough thinner in final coats I was amazed at the gloss I achieved.
And this was using black. No orange peel.. I hate orange peel, it makes the paint job look shoddy.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

You will always do my paint in two pack because I havent done the hard yards you did learning it . That fine line between a beautiful finish and a run.
I love painting acrylic because im not a business making bucks and im not lazy .We dont need to pay businesses to do this type of work .Yep our mate file finishes uses tiny shrinks rather than one big one.He was apprentice of the year three years in a row back in the 80s .Acrylic can be truly blended.

What was the apprentices name I probably taught him .Certainly you are not lazy if you use 2 pack, you just want a better finish and a long lasting paint that does not look bad in 20 years. If you don't keep up with technology you might as well use the paints Henry Ford used, Ian B your mate files finishes and uses tiny shrinks ,sounds like he knows what he is doing Red spot about 4mm dia.Only works on old cars new cars use Boron steels and High Strength Low Alloy Steels, difficult to repair these panels that is why new panels are fitted. Also Minis skin panels are 1mm thick ,new cars were 0.8 mm now some are 0.6mm.

Was John Crichton Hunter Valley His mate Steve Searves ambidextrous old school beater .We had a guy called Don Herron in night spray painting course.Steve is still in the trade