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My 1940 Packard 110 Touring Sedan needs a paint job. And I would appreciate the input from more knowledgeable and experienced people. It looks ok from 35 feet by don’t get any closer.

All I have ever had painted is one of my Harley’s, a 1994 Dyna Wide Glide so I know about zero on this topic. And I could write a short story about that experience.

I want to paint it 1940 Packard color number 5345, Inverness Green.

My knowledge of painting is very limited. The car is currently painted is an enamel green and I have no idea when it was painted.

I want to do everything I can to prep it for priming and painting before giving it to whomever I have paint it. It doesn't need any rust repair or significant body work.

I have had the bumpers and guards re-chromed and John Wogec powder coated my Hex bolts for the bumper guards and they came out which came out Perfect!

The car currently has 1938 Plymouth rims on it since the Packard rims and spare are being sandblasted and primed and I should have them back tomorrow.

Thoughts on a cost of Priming and Painting??

All thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

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So it's a re-paint, right? Because if there is any chance that the paint is still OEM - don't touch it. The original paint is original only once, and it is extremely difficult to find these days. The car does look well from afar, are you sure it needs to be painted? Can we have some close-up pics of the problematic areas?
If you do not know what's underneath the current paint, you might discover a lot of surprises once you start prepping it for the new one.

EDIT: yes, it's a repaint, and I suspect some considerable body filler visible on the last pic. Do you know how much body work was done to it in the past? I would not touch it, unless the current paint is absolutely horrible. Spraying new paint onto bad body is a waste of money. And doing a proper restoration is quite a project, which could take you off the streets for month, not to mention the associated expenses. Unless you pay someone a lot of $, they will screw it up (and even if you do, there are no guarantees), don't ask me how I know :(

Months... you mean years?

I am very sorry for being overly-optimistic, sir

But seriously: don't do it, unless absolutely necessary and you have no better way to spend all your time and money.

If the car is covered in enamel it's not the original paint and you won't be sacrificing any originality if you re-spray it. Others more knowledgeable can chime in, but my understanding is that Packard used lacquer on these cars.

As for not needing any bodywork, I wish you luck. Having lived in northeast Ohio my entire life, I am still waiting to see a native car that didn't have some rust repair hiding under a repaint. Maybe you'll be lucky, but with Minnesota plates I'm guessing something ugly is under that enamel.

If you're interested in doing the prep work make sure you coordinate with your paint guy before you do anything on your own. A lot of guys that care about their reputation won't touch a car prepped by someone else. Given that the quality of the finish work is based upon the prep, I can't blame them either.

Just remember there is no such thing as an inexpensive paint job. I can't give you any current numbers on cost but a quality job requires first rate material ($$$) and a lot of labor ($$$). But if you want it done, and done right, you'll just have to be prepared to pay.

I should have been more detailed in my earlier post.

This car is Not original. If it was I would be leaving it alone. It spent all of it's life in Ellsworth, Wisconsin and came to Minnesota about 2005. It was painted in 1988 or 1989 I will attach a picture of it taken in October of 1987 at the owners house. The paint is an enamel fleet color that a company in Wisconsin painted their vehicles.

By no rust issues I meant to say that there are no holes or "visible" rust, of course who knows what's under the paint. The is some filler in the back fenders on each side and a couple of small dent's on the drivers side.

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How come that under-the-hood paint/primer blends straight into the rust in the first picture?
I would still leave it as is. The paint looks alright for an older DIY repaint. Fixing the missing trim could be a good idea, though

For the kind of money it will cost to make this good, you can probably buy another Packard. Or sell this one and get a new one, twice as expensive, and in better condition. Think about it... Two Packards

As others have chimed in, many shops won't take a car prepped by someone else, or if they will, they won't warranty it.

Paint issues do improper prep or material incompatible dont always appear right away and can show up weeks later.

If the car is in decent shape and requires no major dent or rust repair, your minimum shop paint job cost starts at 10k.

If it's a color change that involves pulling the fenders and other parts so the parts and body can be fully painted, the price goes up very quickly from there.

The least expensive option is where all body panels stay in place, you remove all the trim, everything else is masked off and only the visible portions of car are painted. Aka a respray.

The cost of materials has skyrocketed in recent years.

A gallon of quality primer is $125-300 depending on type, quality and brand. You'll use at least 2 gallons if not more.

A gallon of name brand single stage Paint with activator is about $300-$500.

If doing Base/Clear then it doubles to $500-$1000 per gallon of base color with gallon of clear.

Add in sandpaper, filler, etc. and even if you went the cheapest route, you would be looking at $1500-$2000+ on supplies alone.

Also of course you would need the spray gun(s)for spraying the primer and paint, and a compressor that could handle the CFMs needed. Also, it's a messy endeavor, as I am often reminded by my wife.

Not trying to discourage you, just trying to give you realistic experience as I am going through the same process myself. This is why sometimes it better to leave it alone unless absolutely needed, or find a car that has already been repainted, as sometimes, that ends up being a cheaper option.

Remove every conceivable piece of trim and the running boards. Pull out the fender welting and space the fenders away from the body with some washers and bolt them on tight. Take out as much of the interior as you conveniently can. And take it to Maaco and get an adequate paint job. And it will look OK for years to come as chances are you will not be running down to the Dollar General in February on salted roads. It is just a car. Sadly, and realistically, it does not have the resale value of a high mileage Hyundai even though those sixes are very pleasant to drive. Looks like someone took some care with the engine and interior in days past, so just spiff it up a little and drive the wheels off of it.

A "cut and polish" job might improve that paint job. In addition to the caveats above, a good repaint job would probably require removing all old paint and primer.

As an alternative, if the present paint is not peeling and crazing, sanding it smooth and spraying a compatible* finish over it might give a good result. That would require removing all trim and doing some serious masking. Sanding the car properly will almost certainly reveal some sheet metal issues, which would need to be carefully addressed. By the way, the motorcycle tank looks great. If you could get that kind of surface on the Packard, it would look great.

*Some types of paint will react adversely with other types. If you paint over any old paint or primer, make sure that the different finishes are compatible.