Hey all, I've saved some money over the summer so far, looking to finally get stripes after 2 1/2 years of putting it off/spending the mod money elsewhere. I was wondering:

1. Does anyone know a good paint shop in the DC area?
2. How long does it take for the paint to cure after the car's been sprayed?
3. Whats the average time the painters have your car for?
4. Whats the PRICE you paid?

I just got off the phone with Springfield Motorsport. Their painter quit last week and it'll be a while till they get another one, but they said they would have charged about $2000. That's a lot higher than what I would have expected. I'm looking for something under $1200.

And as far as advice goes, does anyone have any tips/tricks to make the process go smoother? Or in general.

 

Anyone?

 

I know, right? I didn't get much love on a similar request either:
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=468538
edit: funny.. our avatars are really similar too.

 

Haha, the avatar thing is awesome! Tungsten too.

Yeah not much help for DC guys I guess.

Well at least I can help you out. The ford dealership i bought from highly recommended Craftsman Autobody. They have offices in Sterling, Falls Church, Leesburg, and Manassas. http://www.craftsmanautobody.com/

I didn't have the car painted with them, they did curb-collision repair (no body damage) but they were really professional and the cars they had in the booths looked pretty good. I'd check them out if I were you.

 

Try gary best kustumz in waldorf. his shop does great work and he's very friendly as well. I hope this helps.

http://www.garybestkustumz.com/splash.html

 

Contact Excessive Motorsport in Manassas, they work on a lot of performance cars and probably have a line on good painters in the area. You can get their data on the web:

http://excessivemotorsport.net/wp/

 

HAHAHA I would NEVER go to Excessive. Talk about a bunch of guys who don't care. Reving "customer's" cars on cold start, etc.

Where in the DC area are you? I can help you out if you're near the Ashburn/Leesburg area with some real honest body guys.

 

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to give Gary Best a call but based on his website I don't think its going to be affordable.

I'm in the Springfield/Alexandria area

 

HOLY HELL!! GARY BEST KUSTUMZ WANTS $3500!! Thats almost 3 times what i'm willing to spend!!

 

Auto Body Dimensions in Frederick did my stripes, but they would be a haul for you. The guy I dealt with got his GT 2 weeks before me, and had stripes laid out, a new hood, and other goodies all set to go.

They did a great job, and were reasonably priced.

If you're willing to travel, try Mike at (301) 695-5666

 

Thanks md, I'll give em a call tomorrow. Yeah Frederick is an hour and a half but I figure they'd have the car for a couple days anyway. I have to call these guys and Mr Stripes in Manassas. I'm not committing to anything until I see examples of their work though.

 

Well, quick update. I haven't called the guy in Frederick yet, but I did call Mr Spoiler (not Mr Stripes) in Manassas. Price is $1500. They use the same method Dodge does on Vipers from the factory. They paint the stripes, paint the clear over the stripes, then before the clear even dries, they pull off the masking tape, let the clear settle and the next day while the clear is still soft they buff it so it essentially blends the new clear into the old. He says its not seamless, and its not a show car finish, but its more than adequate for a daily driver, and the effect is supposed to be really good, only a slight ridge up close. He does specialty cars for local dealerships and they always sell fast. He's going to give me a call the next time he has a car in so I can see the work first hand because he says it doesn't translate to photos well (too hard to see the details). Looks like this is going to be a long term project, but since I ust bought wheels and tires, I need time to save the money back up.