• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

Paint Paint Paint

Skysurfer

Registered User
Hello All,

Looking for information on painting a Cub and don't see much:

Looking at buying a Cub that is painted in a way I don't like. Fuselage/fabric is good and won't be an issue in the near future.

What I don't know is; what does it run in dollars to get a paint job on a Cub these days? (The current paint is good and everything is coated and sealed.)

Preferred paint and is it dependent of type of fabric?

Does not have to be a Rolls Royce paint job, just a good basic cover with no trendy patterns or schemes.

Good paint shops anywhere on the Western third of the Continent? Or anyone looking for a project for themselves or trade school? I could leave it for a month if that is a good plan.

Thanks very much.
 
I don't spray the new urethanes. We had a J3 experience an unhappy landing, requiring extensive repairs and paint. I did one wing, both gear legs, three fuselage patches, an interior patch, and completed them through two coats of white.

One shop did the gear legs, shock struts, and cabane. One coat of catalyzed yellow. $1600. When queried, they said they charge for drying time. I figured a half hour to mix and hang the parts, a half hour to spray, and a half hour to clean the gun.

A different shop did the wing, fuselage, ailerons, interior. $4500. I was very happy with the price, but not impressed with the masking tape lines. They did a great job on the wing and interior. Not even an attempt to blend the fuselage patches. Still, the aircraft is beautiful, and flying now.

Yours would have to be wet-sanded, maybe coated with white, then sprayed with your paint scheme. I would guess a minimum of $12,000. And your airplane will be heavier, and more subject to cracking.
 
as already stated...

you don't just repaint/over a fabric plane without adding the down side of adding weight and adding cracking...
 
We just sanded and scuffed a J3 fuselage, we did all of the masking and rolled it over to the paint shop, two days and three thousand dollars later it looks better than before.

FYI - there is A LOT more than just the wings and fuselage. Bob is right on target. I would expect it to be between 10 and 15K to have a paint shop paint the airplane if you were to drop it off and want them to do everything....

I personally would not mess with something that is serviceable.

And let me add, that is assuming they are only "Repainting" a single top coat color (No stripes). For them to take an airplane from silver through finish, acid etch, alodine, prime, sand, paint, etc then it will be waaaaaay more. Can a guy do it himself to save some coin? Sure, but I wouldn't.
 
Last edited:
And it IS totally dependent on what system it's covered with. You can't just mix systems or use auto paint.
John
 
Repainting adds thickness, weight and more propensity for cracking. You can't see the paint scheme when you are flying it. ;)
 
You can't see the paint scheme when you are flying it

You told me the same thing on a paint match issue I had one time. I took your advice, and the guy who bought the airplane from me could not have cared less about a paint mis-match...
 
That is how I justify the way my Super Cub looks. I just maintain and fly it. Don't need another project to look at on Sundays when I am not working.
IMG_20200605_080120.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200605_080120.jpg
    IMG_20200605_080120.jpg
    133 KB · Views: 1,263
Last edited:
I don't spray the new urethanes. We had a J3 experience an unhappy landing, requiring extensive repairs and paint. I did one wing, both gear legs, three fuselage patches, an interior patch, and completed them through two coats of white.

One shop did the gear legs, shock struts, and cabane. One coat of catalyzed yellow. $1600. When queried, they said they charge for drying time. I figured a half hour to mix and hang the parts, a half hour to spray, and a half hour to clean the gun.

A different shop did the wing, fuselage, ailerons, interior. $4500. I was very happy with the price, but not impressed with the masking tape lines. They did a great job on the wing and interior. Not even an attempt to blend the fuselage patches. Still, the aircraft is beautiful, and flying now.

Yours would have to be wet-sanded, maybe coated with white, then sprayed with your paint scheme. I would guess a minimum of $12,000. And your airplane will be heavier, and more subject to cracking.

I have been painting a bunch lately for myself and although 1.5 hours to paint gear legs, shock struts and cabane may seem reasonable I would not take on that job for 1.5 hours of pay. 1600 does seem out of line so I would not be happy with that either but I always ask for a price in advance so not to have problems later down the road when the bill comes. I also would not paint them but send them to the powder coater but that is another argument :roll:
 
I owned an aircraft for many years that wore a paint scheme and colors I didn’t like. It was freshly painted when I bought it. Why’d I buy it? Because everything else about the plane was what I wanted, and I’d searched for a long time.

ironically, though I never liked the paint, a lot of other folks, including my wife, did. But.....first time a friend saw the plane, he asked if I was going to dye my bunny boots red to coordinate.......cruel.

If this is the “right” airplane for you, burn gas, enjoy the flying and use that money you’d spend on paint for gas and fun......there are lots of things to spend money on in an airplane......paint is well down on my list.

MTV
 
I doubt powder coating would work on fabric. As to the shock struts, matching colors might be a problem with yellow. And yeah, I nick them here and there when installing rings, but it doesn't show in the end.

There are a couple of caveats - say the aircraft was done in Stitts prior to 1990 and has a 337 to that effect. Then any top coat is allowed by that STC. Also, and I am not sure of this, Stewarts may have a top coat STC.

Finally, I note that many paint shops will shoot whatever you ask them to - and some of these urethanes last a very long time over some really old fabric.

So, if you have unlimited bucks, have the shop sand most of the old top coat off, and shoot a nice coat of flexible urethane, like Airtek or Aerothane. Or, if you are like Steve and me, fly the socks off of it and wipe the oil off every six months.
 
I owned an aircraft for many years that wore a paint scheme and colors I didn’t like. It was freshly painted when I bought it. Why’d I buy it? Because everything else about the plane was what I wanted, and I’d searched for a long time.

ironically, though I never liked the paint, a lot of other folks, including my wife, did. But.....first time a friend saw the plane, he asked if I was going to dye my bunny boots red to coordinate.......cruel.

If this is the “right” airplane for you, burn gas, enjoy the flying and use that money you’d spend on paint for gas and fun......there are lots of things to spend money on in an airplane......paint is well down on my list.

MTV

What Mike said.
Over the years I have never purchased a plane with a paint color I liked. After a year of ownership I liked them all. So much so on one plane I repainted with the same colors I had a few years earlier absolutely hated.
So unless this plane is truly revolting or has some sort of social stigma I’d fly it as is then go on to enjoy the extra cash some other way.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
Depending on your tailwheel time and mission you may have an opportunity to replace fabric and sooner than you would like:oops:. I would agree with the others buy it and fly it.
DENNY
 
Thanks all. I learned much. And a bit about myself too, as many of you astutely pointed out; it does not really matter. I will get over it and fly it hard. Thanks again very much to all for the input.
 
If it has a dope finish it is not to hard to change it,as long as you are not doing a complete base color change. You can gently sand off, rejuvenate and respray unfortunately applied huge numbers, strange strips.. That said, purddy don't make em fly. My favorite work plane I call 50 shades of yellow. Fly it a lot before you change it, it may end up not bothering you that much.
 
Back
Top