Body Work Quote Opinions

[dave73chally]

So I got a body work quote from a hot rod shop in my area. I've seen their work and it's top notch, all hand formed metal work no filler or any of that. The work would consist of fixing all of the rust seen below (both front and rear of the quarters, trunk filler panel, rockers), fixing a body line dent in the rear quarter, small ding on the drivers front fender, shaving all 4 sidemarkers, shaving the antenna hole, patching a small hole in the front valance, filling in the bumperette cutouts in the rear valance, pulling the bumpers in closer to the body, welding the bumper brackets to the bumpers and filling all bumper bolt holes smooth.

Here are some pictures of the rust/dent repair needed:

body line dent:


rear quarters:



front quarters:



trunk filler:



I was quoted $6400 including all patch panels, which I think is a reasonable price. What do you think? My concern is this is a 73 318 car, obviously I'm not worried about stock due to my mods I listed but once I commit to this, I'll own the car for good. I'm building a 440 and plan on suspension upgrades in the future, but this quote is much more than I paid for the car! I think I just need some talking into 

[anlauto]

Looks like you have money just hanging all over that car so you'll be alright

That price does not include a full paint job as well, does it ?

[roadman5312]

    Painted ?

[dave73chally]

No paint, just metal work.

Too high? I honestly don't know what to expect, this is my first body shop quote experience. Any ideas what ballpark I should be in?

[roadman5312]

Sometimes quality means more than price. If you know their work (get references ?) they have been in business quite awhile, and you feel comforable with them, then go for it. I've had my share of body work nightmares, finally found a good shop for paint/body. Just beware of the phone call that starts out " we just found some more hidden problems" after they are well into the job. And check in often as the work progresses. Good luck and take 

[anlauto]

I think if you drive the car there. They strip and fix all the areas you mentioned. Prep and prime the areas and then you drive the car home.....I think you're doing alright at that price...
HOWEVER
If they tell you that price to get you in the door, then start tearing the car apart, digging deeper and deeper finding more things to do...you're going to most likely dig deeper into your pocket or they leave your car in a million pieces.

Classic bait and switch...

Myself and my metal man won't even quote metal repair work unless the car is stripped 100% and blasted to bare metal....truely the only way to find all the rust....then my metal man fills all the holes with money...

[dutch]

in what way are they going to "fill "the cutouts in the rear Valance?  just the holes or straighten the humbs too?  You will run into a problem with the springs that way.

[dave73chally]

I don't think they'll have an issue with the cutouts hitting the springs. I think that's only a cuda issue 

[dutch]

could very well be the case... 

[dave73chally]

Spoke with another shop in Hackettstown, NJ called Phoenix Rod and Custom about a quote. Said they would draw one up and get back to me tomorrow so I'll compare to the other I got.

[Adam]

A lot of top end shops out here (Los Angeles) charge about $100 hr.  That is not bad if they are doing all metal, as it takes a lot of skill.  Also, I doubt all your work could be done in only 64 hrs so you will probably be paying less than that, per hour. 

I was quoted $6000 just to mask and spray my car's exterior; no bodywork, no door jambs, no engine compartment or trunk, no dis-assembly / assembly,  no bumpers, no door handles, no emblems, no windows, etc.  Seemed very high for an afternoon's work.  He didn't get the job, btw...

[DocMel]

My initial concern is the statement, "No filler or any of that":  If the shop told you that either they don't know what they are talking about or are trying to impress you, both of which are warning signs to me.  When body panels are replaced, or patch panels installed, a certain amount of glazing with either some sort of putty, or leading (rare now these days) in the least will be required. Thats how body and patch weld seams are smoothed out so they don't show when painted.

Frankly, I think you should shop around for at least three different quotes from reputable body shops:  I believe the quote you got was not only high (especially with not being painted/finished off), but I have also found that over the last few years allot of the so called "Hot Rod/Specialty resto" shops. tend to really up their quotes only because of the recent resto/reality car repair shows.

Body work is body work, period.  Take a quality body shop, and a quality "Hot Rod/Resto shop", in a high end aerea  (Like LA as mentioned) and their work techniques and materials will most likely be the same, but so called "Speciality shops" will most likely charge more 

It is never advisable to drive around with either just a primer or sealer.  I don't think any reliable shop would tell you it is. While its understandable when a budget is at stake, road grime and  contaniments will impregnate the surface over the time, and depending on what "primer" was sprayed on it, I have seen light surface rust appear in patches.  And what about the inside of patch welds. Also think of chips that might come up over time.  If you store it and don't drive it, that might over come these potential issues   

Last, when you are ready to finally paint the panel or patches, some body shops will not paint over someone else's body work, especially if you come in with a primer or sealer in place thats been there for awhile.  So you might have to come back to the same exact place that did the original work.  Then consider trying to match the panel color with the rest of the bodies existing color

All that said, replacing what you just mentioned will not be cheap, but at least shop the market with quality body repair shops will give you an idea of what is fair in price

Also, ask to see past like work that the shop has done before.  Most keep photo albums of past projects.  If no photos, have them let you talk to past customers 

 

[Adam]

Good points DocMel.  He should get other estimates.  One of the top end shops out here actually sent alot of their cars to be painted by a friend of mine. They paid him 1/2 of what they charged the customer. He would have painted mine but died unexpectedly of an aneurysm.. 
 

[loco340cuda]

Here is my 2 cents on this.....  be cautious of any shop that gives you a quote without really trying to impress upon your mind that they quote could change depending on what they find underneath when they strip the paint (not sure if that was the case here).  I have seen and heard so many stories of cars that looked in good shape and after they were stripped down to metal there where many horror stories lurking underneath.  I'm in the middle of a slow restore right now and and when the paint was stripped off the front fenders there was a lot of body work needed to fix previous poor bodywork.  The same with my driver door, the door skin needed to be replaced due to the previous door re-skin work (done by some other body shop) was done incorrectly.  When the car had the paint on it you could not tell either of the issues existed and my car looked more solid then the pictures you have shared (i'm not saying that to be mean, just to set expectations). 

Your best bet is to assume you will be paying more then the $6400.  Alan has brought up a good point about bait and switch, when I was first getting quotes on my car I would bring in the car and people would give me quotes never saying anything about it could be more depending on what we find.  It was not until I took it to a shop when the guy said it could be $6000 or as high as $12000 depending on what we find after we strip the car.  That is when the light bulb went off in my head that you never really know the the cost is going to be until the car is in bare metal.  Alan and his body guy have it correct, there is no way to give a price without seeing all the warts, any quote is just that and it most likey will be more money when done. 

I hope I don't sound too harsh here but from my experiences body work and paint always costs more then you think it will, unless of course the car is already stripped down to bare metal and you know what you are starting with.  Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do.

[dave73chally]

I appreciate everything that everyone has contributed so far, nothing was too harsh, it's just the reality of it all. I'm really starting to debate stripping the car to bare metal myself before I bring it to anyone. But easier said than done, I need to find a garage to do the work and store the car first.