[Patrick]

And...how many coats of primer, basecoat and clear coat would one expect a professional shop to put on , for a price of approx. $7 k. ??? Thanks, Dave

Depends on the primer, depends on the person doing the application.... and depends how good of a job they want to do!

If you think about it, primer is simply the layer between the fiberglass and the topcoat. As long as the primer completely covers and seals the glass, then they don't have to put any more on.

The trick is getting that body baby-smooth before they apply the primer. The only way to get that car baby-smooth is for them to put in the time and effort.

Paint costs are the same for all paint shops. 90% of the cost of a paint-job is labor. So, the more they charge, generally the more labor they put into the prep and painting.

Just my 2 cents! :thumbsup: