Guide Overview
Paint and bodywork on 1964½–1970 Mustangs ranges from $4,000 driver refreshes to $60,000+ Concours finishes because prep—not paint choice—sets the final bill. Early unibody cars trap moisture, hide filler, and usually carry several old resprays, so stripping and blocking consume the budget; start with the Mustang Rust Repair Cost Guide if media blasting uncovers structural work.
The gap between a $7k driver job and a $25k show refinish is typically 300+ additional hours that go into metalwork, panel alignment, and repeated blocking cycles rather than materials.
National averages for body and refinish labor sit around $85–$125 per hour, while Los Angeles restoration specialists routinely charge $150–$200 for the same prep steps, creating $10k–$40k swings for identical work.
This guide walks through every tier, separates parts vs. labor, highlights LA vs. national pricing, and flags the Mustang-specific rust and filler risks that generic paint calculators ignore.
Paint and bodywork on 1964½–1970 Mustangs ranges from $4,000 driver refreshes to $60,000+ Concours finishes because prep—not paint choice—sets the final bill. Early unibody cars trap moisture, hide filler, and usually carry several old resprays, so stripping and blocking consume the budget; start with the Mustang Rust Repair Cost Guide if media blasting uncovers structural work.
The gap between a $7k driver job and a $25k show refinish is typically 300+ additional hours that go into metalwork, panel alignment, and repeated blocking cycles rather than materials.
National averages for body and refinish labor sit around $85–$125 per hour, while Los Angeles restoration specialists routinely charge $150–$200 for the same prep steps, creating $10k–$40k swings for identical work.
This guide walks through every tier, separates parts vs. labor, highlights LA vs. national pricing, and flags the Mustang-specific rust and filler risks that generic paint calculators ignore.
Driver-Quality Repaint
$4,000–$8,000
48–135 hr
Scuff-and-spray with spot filler, heavy masking, and minimal blocking; good finish from 3–5 feet.
Show-Quality Refinish
$10,000–$20,000
245–480 hr
Full exterior R&R, jamb coverage, primer/blocking cycles, and premium 2-stage urethane for high gloss.
Concours-Level Finish
$20,000–$60,000+
620–1,120+ hr
Bare metal, metal finishing, rotisserie access, tri-stage or candy systems, and mirror-flat wet-sanded surfaces.
- Driver-quality work is often handled by collision shops or franchise operations that rely on masking to control labor hours, so tape lines, overspray, and shorter lifespans are expected trade-offs.
- Show-quality repaints require 250–480+ hours of guided blocking, jamb work, and premium materials so every panel aligns and lays flat under close inspection.
- Concours-level finishes absorb 600–1,120+ hours because the shell must be stripped to bare metal, metal-finished, color-sanded to 2,000–5,000 grit, and reassembled with nut-and-bolt accuracy.
Driver-Quality
48–135 hr- Low
- $4,000
- Mid
- $6,000
- High
- $8,000
Show-Quality
245–480 hr- Low
- $10,000
- Mid
- $15,000
- High
- $20,000
Concours-Level
620–1,120+ hr- Low
- $20,000
- Mid
- $40,000
- High
- $60,000+
| System | Low | Mid | High | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver-Quality | $4,000 | $6,000 | $8,000 | 48–135 hr |
| Show-Quality | $10,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 | 245–480 hr |
| Concours-Level | $20,000 | $40,000 | $60,000+ | 620–1,120+ hr |
Bodywork and blocking dominate the budget—Concours jobs can hide 400+ hours before color ever hits the shell.
Disassembly ranges from 10 hours on masked driver jobs to 300+ hours when the car is torn to a bare shell, and material systems add $800–$5,000 depending on the paint chemistry.
Rust or Bondo discovery after stripping can add thousands in structural metal replacement, quickly converting a budget repaint into a multi-month refinish.
Prep & Blocking Hours (80–400+ hr)
Blocking determines straightness, and the long, flat Mustang bodylines expose every wave, so additional guide coats and sanding sessions add weeks of labor.
Bare-Metal Stripping Method
- Soda blasting is gentle but still requires sealing immediately afterward.
- Chemical stripping is labor-heavy yet avoids panel warpage.
- Aggressive media blasting can warp thin Mustang sheet metal.
Rust Exposure
Surface rust removal runs $50–$200, structural rust costs $1,200–$4,000+ per area, and rocker rebuilds land at $3,000–$7,700 per side once the damage is uncovered.
Disassembly vs. Masking
Masking trims 40–70 hours but leaves tape lines and overspray, while full disassembly protects seals, jambs, and hardware yet adds days of labor both before and after paint.
Paint Type & Color Complexity
Solid colors are least expensive, metallics and pearls add $1k–$2k, tri-stage systems stretch booth time 1.5×–2×, and candy finishes can add $5k+ in materials with much higher risk.
Regional Labor Multiplier
LA restoration labor at $150–$200 per hour pushes show and Concours totals $20k–$40k higher than national shops billing $85–$125 for identical prep.
Thin Factory Sheet Metal
1965–1970 Mustangs warp easily during media blasting or aggressive sanding, so shops must slow down and hand-strip high-risk areas.
Hidden Rust Zones
Cowls, rear quarters, rockers, and torque boxes commonly reveal major rust only after stripping, forcing additional metalwork mid-project.
Multiple Old Paint Layers
Many cars wear two to six previous resprays, each adding instability and forcing shops to strip to bare metal to prevent lifting or adhesion failure.
Filler-Heavy Past Repairs
Dealership or auction resprays from the 1970s–1990s often buried crash repairs in Bondo, adding hours of metal correction once the shell is opened.
Regional Pricing Gap
Collision shops may still offer $50/hr scuff-and-spray work, but specialist restoration labor, insurance, and booth overhead in Los Angeles drive the real rates used in this guide.
Additional Factors
Light Scenario — Driver Repaint
$4,000–$8,000
50–90 labor hours for scuff-and-spray, spot filler, masked trim and glass, single-stage or economy base/clear, and a quick buff with minimal sanding; lifespan is 3–7 years because old layers stay in place.
Moderate Scenario — High Driver / Low Show
$10,000–$20,000
120–200 hours covering full exterior R&R, jambs, light stripping back to stable layers, blocking/alignment, and high-quality two-stage urethane for correct jamb color and improved originality.
Major Scenario — Show or Concours
$20,000–$60,000+
350–1,120+ hours for bare-metal stripping, metal finishing instead of filler, multiple primer/block cycles, tri-stage or candy systems, wet sanding to 5,000 grit, and nut-and-bolt disassembly—mirroring the frame-off strategy outlined in the [Classic Mustang Restoration Cost Guide](/guides/classic-mustang-restoration-cost).
| Category | Percent | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 60–80% | Prep, blocking, booth time, and reassembly dominate every tier. |
| Parts / Materials | 10–20% | Paint, primer, clear, reducers, and sealers range from $800 to $5,000. |
| Consumables | 5–10% | Sandpaper, masking, solvents, and abrasives used during repeated blocking cycles. |
| Adjacent Systems | 10–20% | Rust repair, panel replacement, seals, and hardware uncovered during teardown. |
Labor dominates because perfection comes from prep and blocking cycles—not from the cost of the paint itself.
- All cost and labor figures are grounded in deep Mustang paint research, built from 40+ trusted sources across restoration shops, expert forums, technical guides, and leading paint-system brands
- Tier modeling and hour bands verified against documented benchmarks: 48–135 hr, 245–480 hr, and 620–1,120+ hr.
- Material system callouts (PPG ShopLine, PPG Deltron, Axalta, Glasurit, candy/tri-stage) sourced directly from the research packet.
- Rust repair cost adders and regional labor multipliers reference the Los Angeles vs. national data within the provided documents.