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Provider Playbook
Body Work & Paint

Panel, metal, and colour done right

Respray, rust and panel repair, accident work, and period-correct colour matching.

Set up a body & paint gig

Bodywork on a collector car is a correctness game as much as a craft one. The wrong paint system, a modern base-clear where the factory ran single-stage, or panel gaps that don't match the era can quietly cost an owner value. Sell your eye for originality alongside your finish quality.

Gigs to offer

What sells in body & paint

Full respray

Bare-metal or scuff-and-shoot respray in a correct, documented colour.

Panel & rust repair

Cut, fabricate, and blend — restoring structure and shape, not just hiding it.

Accident / collision repair

Structural and cosmetic repair to a collector standard.

Colour match & blend

Match original single-stage or metallic and blend invisibly into adjacent panels.

Lead loading & metal finishing

Period-correct techniques for cars that deserve them.

Pricing shape

How to price your work

Spot and single-panel work can be tiered; a full respray is best quoted after seeing the car. Be explicit about the paint system.

Standard

$400–$1,200

Turnaround: 2–4 days

  • Single-panel repair or respray
  • Colour match
  • Blend into adjacent panels
  • Cut & polish
Most booked

Enhanced

$1,500–$4,000

Turnaround: 1–2 weeks

  • Multi-panel work
  • Rust remediation
  • Correct paint system (single-stage or base/clear)
  • Panel-gap correction

Concours

Quoted

Turnaround: Project

  • Bare-metal full respray
  • Metal finishing / lead loading
  • Show-standard block & finish
  • Full documentation

Add-ons that upsell

Colour changePeriod-correct single-stage paintRust remediationTrim, chrome, and badge refinishing

Your portfolio must show

  • Bare metal and block-sanding stages
  • Rust repair before/after with fabricated metal
  • Colour match shown across a panel edge under light
  • Corrected, period-correct panel gaps

Ask every client for

  • Panels affected and the nature of the damage
  • Current paint: original, resprayed, single-stage or base/clear
  • Factory colour code, if known
  • Originality goals — matching finish vs upgrade
  • Deadline and whether it is for a show or sale

Specialist tips that win repeat work

Match the paint system to the car's originality — a modern base/clear on a car that left the factory in single-stage can cost value. Ask, then advise.
Document rust repair fully; hidden filler is the thing collectors fear most, and proof of proper metalwork is a selling point.
Respect period-correct panel gaps. Too-perfect can be as wrong as too-loose.

Body & Paint FAQ

Single-stage or base/clear — which should I quote?

Whichever matches the car's originality goal. For a numbers-matching concours car, period-correct single-stage often protects value; for a driver or restomod, a durable base/clear may be the right call. Ask the owner's intent in your requirements and advise from there.

Can I fix-price a full respray?

Rarely — hidden rust and prep vary too much. Offer spot and single-panel work at set prices, and quote full resprays after inspecting the car, using your requirements list to gather photos first.

Ready to get booked as a body & paint specialist?

Set up your profile and your first gig — listing is free for founding providers.

Start your body & paint gig

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