I'm new to the cc forum and need some advice/recommendations for selecting a body shop to work on my Challenger. I have been very impressed by the many knowledgable e-body people who particpate in this forum.
Some details about the car:
This was my first car purchased in 1977. It was a daily driver until 1986 when I had my first daughter. Car has not been driven or touched since then. It's a 70 Challenger RT/383 Magnum convertible with power bulge hood, 727/column shift (unusual), Power Disc brakes, Manual steering. Red with black interor/black top, originally hub-capped, now has 14x6 Rallyes that I purchased from the dealer in 1979 - should have gone with 15x7's but I didn't know any better back then and will rectify this. All numbers match. Magnum rebuilt in 1980. This car was unbelievably fast in stock trim. Totally blew away my buddy's 74 Z-28 with the 4-speed and 69 302 zapper motor! Caused him such grief he had to get the motor rebuilt and I was still able to beat him.
Body panels are actually in very good shape as I replaced fenders, inner fenders and quarter panels in the early 80's. Actually got new quarters and inner fenders from the dealer in 1980 as there were no such thing as repros back in those days. Front fenders are in good shape too with some minor rust in the usual places.
The problem areas are the front and rear frame rails. They are badly rusted and need replacement. I've purchased the Goodmark rear frame rail sections 6 years ago and plan to have them installed. The front rails are a real problem since there are no repros.
Floor pans and trunk pans will need replacing too. Lower door skins are in bad shape. I would prefer new doors altogether but maybe the YearOne patch panels are ok for this. Anyone had experience with trunk/floor/door panels from YearOne?
I live in Ontario Canada and would prefer to deal with a body shop that knows MOPARS. An alternative would be a shop in the US that is close to the Ontario/US border. I checked out Autorust Technicians and those guys seem to know what they are doing butthey are a 10-hour drive from me.
I'm not looking to do a concours restoration since I plan to drive this car on nice days. Looking at putting $10-$15K into body and paint.
Any advice I can get on this subject would be greatly appreciated!
