Funny Ain't It?

[dusty]

Our Challenger: Bought 2006, 66k miles one re-paint.. Had not been started in 20 years..

I buy it.. drive it for a couple of weeks...

I take it apart and tag and bag..

Send it to Huntsville...

A twenty thousand restoration goes to an estimate of 70k once it is on the rotisserrie.

My dad/partner gets cold feet.

I don't see 70k in any shape/form or fashion.

Wife becomes ill.. Things on hold.. Almost a divorce.. Crazy times..

Bring car home.

A customer who owns a collision center comes and looks at car sitting in my shop.. Says 500 hours just to paint... LOL..

I get pissed. 500 hours is paying one dude to work 40 hours a week solely on my car for over three months just on paint?!?!?

I buy a compressor, gun, and spend 400 buck on paint..

I read /study painting for a week online, and decide to go with single stage metallic even though it is the hardest to shoot..

I spend 8 or ten hours sanding engine bay, trunk, and scuffing underbody, and removing suspension..

The bottom of car is painted by me,  as is the engine bay.. and it looks freakin' awesome!

So I have 400 bucks and 10 hours into it, and the car is almost ready to have suspension put under it..


500 HOURS? I could build a car from scratch in that time..

So, it's funny I reckon. People watch the auctions and say "OOOOOH THAT'S A MONEY CAR"..

And they try  to screw you..

I don't know if it's funny or sad.. LOL.. I do know that you gotta be careful dealing with people in the paint/bodywork arena.

They will try to screw you.

I ain't paying some dude to watch my paint dry.

 

[06Daytona]

I had the same sort of thing happen to me about 20 years ago. I took a 69 Camaro to a few shops  to get a price. Everybody gave me ridiculous prices so I decided to do it myself. I bought a good gun that I still use for industrial type painting, read up on how to paint properly and did it myself. I took it to one of the shops that gave me a price once it was finished and the guy was annoyed because I must have taken it to a different shop since it was obviously a pro paint job and I couldn't have possibly done it myself.

Painting isn't that difficult once you get over the fear of screwing something up and make sure you have good equipment and follow the rules.

[dutch]

I guess it all comes down to expectations.  I could spend 10 hrs on just prepping the firewall for paint... no problem.

[TorOrange]

haha 500 hours, great job using your head 

[hpe600rt]

wow what a rip

[Moparal]

Show some pictures

[74challenger03]

My best friend told me the same thing,just buy a go gun and shoot,i think i will and buy a junk fender and try

[Cooter]

Our Challenger: Bought 2006, 66k miles one re-paint.. Had not been started in 20 years..

I buy it.. drive it for a couple of weeks...

I take it apart and tag and bag..

Send it to Huntsville...Although some say they can't do bodywork, this was prolly the first mistake.

A twenty thousand restoration goes to an estimate of 70k once it is on the rotisserrie.Of course, they shouldn't have given ANY estimate until the car was on the rotisserie. ALOT of "Hidden" things do pop up After the Estimate. I mean afterall, Estimate means just that.

My dad/partner gets cold feet.They usually do. Everybody is a weekend warrior out the gate, but VERY few have the patience and foresight to see a 5 year resotration through.

I don't see 70k in any shape/form or fashion.Maybe not $70K, but what if they did a "Maaco" quicky for say $20K, entire car? i would almost bet you'd be back on here complaining about the sh*tty job they did and how you got screwed over.

Wife becomes ill.. Things on hold.. Almost a divorce.. Crazy times..Sorry to hear that. Mine has been down with lower back problems for over 6 years now.

Bring car home.

A customer who owns a collision center comes and looks at car sitting in my shop.. Says 500 hours just to paint... LOL..500 Hours? Again, how bout the Maaco quicky that begins to peel off in 2 years.

I get pissed. 500 hours is paying one dude to work 40 hours a week solely on my car for over three months just on paint?!?!?Obviously, you've never done bodywork and found little rusty surprizes underneath what you thought was rust free metal, or wet sanded a car and buffed paint.

I buy a compressor, gun, and spend 400 buck on paint..While this sounds great, I can bet if you added up your labor in prepping and painting said car (if done correctly for good quality and not something to just get you by), you'd have around 500 hours in bodywork.

I read /study painting for a week online, and decide to go with single stage metallic even though it is the hardest to shoot..Bodyshop doesn't give away their years of knowledge and tricks for free as some would have you believe. I get this at work all the time. "Well, it didn't take you but about 15 min. to install that inner tie rod end, why are you charging me the book rate? (Answer is, just because I have learned to do it faster than book hours, doens't mean I need to screw myself for you.)

I spend 8 or ten hours sanding engine bay, trunk, and scuffing underbody, and removing suspension..Not saying this will happen, but what if there's an imperfection in your paint job?? Or, what if it begins to peel off?? Nobody buy you to blame right? Well, that bodyshop will be getting a ration of sh*t over things like this if it happened and would be required to redo it for free. Therefore, the good qulity jobs cost you. Not defending this shop as they might indeed be shiesters, but most times, this is only one side of story.

The bottom of car is painted by me,  as is the engine bay.. and it looks freakin' awesome!

So I have 400 bucks and 10 hours into it, and the car is almost ready to have suspension put under it..


500 HOURS? I could build a car from scratch in that time..That's all fine and dandy, but that bodyshop is in business to make money and messin' with restorations isn't very profitable. (People are for lack of a better term, a$$holes about their "Baby" and will find any little thing to b*tch about no matter how well it's done and bodyshops have finally figured out that if they are gonna have to deal with that, then they are gonna get paid for it). You have to pay them their going rate to do the same things you are doing for free. When you have to pay someone else to do something you refuse to do/can't do, it WILL cost you. Also, that bodyshops name and reputation is on the line when they turn out a car like yours. Do you really think they are gonna do it "Good enough" just so you feel like the price was fair?

So, it's funny I reckon. People watch the auctions and say "OOOOOH THAT'S A MONEY CAR"..

And they try  to screw you..Not all of 'em, but they ain't gonna do it for cheap either.

I don't know if it's funny or sad.. LOL.. I do know that you gotta be careful dealing with people in the paint/bodywork arena.

They will try to screw you.

I ain't paying some dude to watch my paint dry.

 

[AARuFAST]

You posted a Customer who owns a collision center. Mistake right there.

Never go to a collision center to do a resto.

500 Hrs, I guarantee you wouldn't see you car for a year. They will always jack up the cost, always.
Don't get an estimate get an agreement. Price.
? year Challenger,  any pic. 

[Moparal]

just saw your rebuild post. Did that body shop install your pans and other items for you on the rotissery, then you went and got it?

[dusty]

Cooter, with all due respect dude ( and I respect anyone with Cooter as a nickname)...


The 500 hour estimate was *after* all the metal work was *done*. It was after the entire bottom of the car was professionally done in epoxy primer (on top of zinc chromate)..


All the metal work was done. The car is already flying together. Lol...

I'm going to go bring the fender in my friend fixed for free today...

I'm in  the wrong line of work.

I'm gonna become a body man for classic cars... ROTFL.

It's  gotta be gravy.

[dusty]

just saw your rebuild post. Did that body shop install your pans and other items for you on the rotissery, then you went and got it?

I sent it to guy in Huntsville and he did all the metal work.. And did a killer job at it!

Then I brought it home, and all it needed was doors/fenders blasted..Hood needed blasting.. And Mr. Classic car guy drove to my shop and said..."that's a money car, it will take 500 hours.."

ROTFL...

I'd crush it before I pay someone like that.. It's a racket. They know the car is valuable and a toy, so they are gonna charge out the wah-wah for work on it.

You can't get ahead like that. How many Dodge Dakotas need 500 hours of work?? None. They get it done and done right, and quick but when it is a muscle car...........


they try to screws ya.

[AARCUDADEN]

I think mostly what it comes down to is most restoration shops see it as when you have a claassic or a muscle car they think you have money to burn. But in their defense they also have all the overhead cost, tools, workers to pay and everything else. Painting is the easy part its all the prep work before all that. I'm glad i know how to do my own paint and body, its not easy work.

[Cooter]

Cooter, with all due respect dude ( and I respect anyone with Cooter as a nickname)...


The 500 hour estimate was *after* all the metal work was *done*. It was after the entire bottom of the car was professionally done in epoxy primer (on top of zinc chromate)..


All the metal work was done. The car is already flying together. Lol...

I'm going to go bring the fender in my friend fixed for free today...

I'm in  the wrong line of work.

I'm gonna become a body man for classic cars... ROTFL.

It's  gotta be gravy.

As I respect you as well as anybody else that hasn't done this for a living. And again, it shows that's all...You did your car yourself, good for you. Maybe that shoulda been your plan all along? Many on here as well as the entire internet are looking for a Mercedes for a Hyundai price tag...

Many learn that it simply doesn't work that way. No need to try and explain the way things work in the body and paint arena, as it's clear you have the typical view of money charged for return. I'm actually good-ol-boy that comes form the coutry and refuses to pay the big prices for bodywork and paint myself, but after looking through your resto build, I can see you are gonna have more than 500 hours in doing what your doing. You might not believe it now, but it adds up quickly. Do you realize there are such things as $20,000.00 paint jobs? Believe it. They're not on Lambo's and Porches' either...

Done, Done RIGHT, done quickly....Pick two...Dodge Dakota's are Mostly insurance jobs. ....Think they are done quick and right? Try again. Most come right out of the bodyshop with the "SRS" light still on from the accident. If it were "Done Right", the Air Bag module would have been replaced.
Take in a Dodge Dakota and want some custom paint and bodywork and see where that estimate for 500 Hours is.
Again, you seem to not grasp the concept of telling only the facts you want people to see in order to garner the "They tried to screw me" mentality so you feel better about having to do all your own work. This is typical of the "Musclecar" owner and their "Baby". Again, I'm not defending this bodyshop, but we have only heard the facts you intend to allow here, we don't know all the facts as there's always two sides to the story. I'm willing to bet there's more than meets the eye here. Again, Not trying to convince you otherwise as it sounds as though you just got sticker shock like so many others. Good luck and keep the pics coming.

[torredcuda]

Well there is a huge difference in a Maaco type job and a show quality resto paint job but 500 hours just for prep and paint-it better be one of the nicest in the world for that $$ and even then I`d question over 12 weeks of labor to do it.