body work

[e-tek]

if you're only paying $5000 for body and paint, you can expect to need another paint job in about 2 years.  I'd be shocked if a legit. shop could do minimal rust repair, get the car straight, and paint it for under 20k, to do a fair job.  The shop I work at, if  car came to me with all metal work done, i would get all the door gaps, etc correct and flush, fit all the trim, do body and paint, sand, buff, assemble the body; it's a minimum of 35k.  a good show quality paint job can be figured at 1,000 hours of labor.  To do a good, quality job without the paint falling off in a year for a "driver" id still guess around 500 hours.

 
Try not to take this peronally, but this is what's wrong with the industry today.  Are you telling us we would need a car in your shop for 25-30 WEEKS to get a "show quality" paint job and for 4-5 MONTHS to get a so-so paint job?? Holy crap Batman!! I've worked in shops for many years, in body, prep and paint and SHOW QUALITY paint jobs never took that long. Go back and look at my original post where I broke out the hours. Even if you blocked it 5 times and fiited all the trim, etc, you couldn't add 20 weeks!!!  Any tech that's working on a car that long is either sleeping, stoned - or not working on that car - which is generally the case...

[Tower Rat 95B]

 E-tek was thinking the same  ,,,,,,,,,,,    those kinda hours and dollars is way way too high even for the mighty Mopars.........  the shop I am going to is a Hot rod / custom shop they do nice work and do have a lot of background in restos,,,,,,,,,  there link is www.kingstonhotrods.com

[tyler]

by show quality, i mean flawless, where there is absolutely no ripple or wave anywhere, the paint it perfectly flat, the gaps are perfectly even and flush, so when you sight down the cars it doesnt look like there is a seam anywhere, i mean the type of body work you see on the outside of a "ridler" car.  if you're telling me you can do body and paint on a ridler car in less than that time frame, you're hired.  use this for refernce, www.radrides.com   where my brother works and i've helped out.

[Tower Rat 95B]

 Thanks Tyler , interesting link,,,,,,,,,, but I am just a working class kinda guy  no way  I am I or could I put 35,000 into paint,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but on the bright side I am 48 years old and have done several paint jobs in the past 25 years  and the most I have spent so far is 6,500 on a 79 F-150 and got lots of time out of that paint,,,,,,, I am expecting way way more on the Challenger can't wait to see what the paint gurus have to say

[tyler]

this is a car i finished about a year ago, it's what we'd consider a "driver" quality job, where the gaps aren't perfect, etc..     

[Tower Rat 95B]

 Thats what I after real nice driver quality , like new or one notch better,,,,, looks nice  I' ll have to see what the paint doctors say but still will spend with in my means and get a paint job........

[cudagirl4406pk]

if you're only paying $5000 for body and paint, you can expect to need another paint job in about 2 years.  I'd be shocked if a legit. shop could do minimal rust repair, get the car straight, and paint it for under 20k, to do a fair job.  The shop I work at, if  car came to me with all metal work done, i would get all the door gaps, etc correct and flush, fit all the trim, do body and paint, sand, buff, assemble the body; it's a minimum of 35k.  a good show quality paint job can be figured at 1,000 hours of labor.  To do a good, quality job without the paint falling off in a year for a "driver" id still guess around 500 hours.

My husband does this type of work and he said your right on the money with that estimate.


People dont realize how much time and money it take to do these cars and it is cheaper to buy one done most of the time.


michele

[tyler]

thank you!!!  =] 

[e-tek]

Again , meaning no disrespect as I'm sure you and these shops do wonderful work...I just know that it can be done in MUCH less than 25 weeks...and I'm sure it is -  it's just the excessive profit being built into everything these days. I've not only seen many "show quality" jobs done in 8 weeks, I can do them in my own garage - without a paint booth! So the original poster should be able to get a VERY good to EXCELLENT job from an honest shop fro my original estimate.

As far as photo's being proof, I don't think they can be, but I'll post my last job anayways