Professional painting question

[mrquadriga]

Sorry if these querys seem so simple....professional repainting of tank and side covers, what can I expect to pay? Is it worth the time to sand and prime myself with limited tools available...I'd probably have to do it by hand or after I do the work on it, are they just going to re-do it at the shop because I didn't know what the H#ll I'm doing? Be honest now...I'll be working in a Northern Minnesota unheated garage for the most part so I'm not sure I'll be able to do a quality job or not. Secondly, what's a normal amount of coats for both the color and the clear put on by the shop? Unscrupulous business owners see this sucker ( read ME! ) coming a mile away...just don't want to be relieved of all my money. Thanks-Pete

P.S. The tank is dent free and one side cover has a crack otherwise they're in good shape.

[LW_Icarus]

price can vary drastically dependant on- quality of paintjob- both paint quality and quality of labor,

how much the shop does or doesnt want to do the job.

for a simple one color paintjob it could be as cheap as 200 bucks, or as expensive as 500 bucks,depending on what shop you ask and what paints you wanna use. you do not wanna scrimp on the clear coat, use a type that will be gas resistant.

I would not sand and prime the tank first, at most you might save yourself 40 bucks, and more likely they'll wanna do the work themselves just so they know the base is good. do make sure it is well drained, the petcock and fuel sender (if equipped) are removed, and pull the emblems.

[gspaul]

I know a bit about spray painting, was one a lot of year's ago.
But I know Earlfor know's more, pm him and you may be able to do this your self(stay away from metallic, to hard for a first try)
Just remember, if the surface is not perfect before you paint, it will not be when you done.
And you can put a heater in hour garage(rent / borrow)

[bgmart450]

Yeah... paint needs a particular temp range to work well. Freezing isn't within that band. Also if you do it yourself with automotive paint you buy yourself expect around 100$ for even the smallest available application. I was able to do multiple coats on a tank, side covers quarter fairing, front fender, and tail peice with the smallest amount they'd sell me.

If you don't have a sprayer, compressor and such you can end up spending quite a bit the first time out.

You may get lucky and find a shop who'll let you pick some partially used color that they didn't finish. I dunno though, worth a shot perhaps..