Anybody have an idea what I should pay to have new rear quarters & tailpan installed into my '68? I'm just talking about the labor to remove the old ones & install the new ones. They are the 100% quarters. I will remove all the interior & rear glass myself.

(My younger son can weld and his teacher lives right down the street from us, but neither have this kind of experience).

Thanks!

Estimate book says 40 hours for the pair

I got an estimate today for 20 hours for the Lt & Rt Quarters and 6 hours for the tailpan @ $34 per hour.

This is from an older guy that has done lots of Camaros... just finished up doing the same thing on a '69. Right now he has a 67 sitting in the shop that he is doing a complete restoration on. He's got a good reputation... he also has a reputation for turning down such work (I guess it depends on how busy he is at the time).

And he is within a mile away.

I don`t see how he can do it both sides in 20 hours, unless he`s a machine

20 hours is pretty fast I would atleast double that and add 20%

6 hours sounds about right for the tail pan but 10 hours per quarter is really light,especially if they are anything other than OE.The average quarter usually pays between 12 to 16 hours of labor,& thats based on OE replacement parts.That sounds like a great estimate for that kind of work though.Another thing to take into consideration is an estimate is just that,A fact based, educated "Guess" on what it may take to complete the job... More times than not on quarter replacements, the outer wheel houses & trunk drop offs will also be an issue...

I don't know... he has plenty of experience, including 1st generation Camaro's and a good reputation. I told him I would remove the interior, back glass and the gas tank... that he would be cutting out the old metal & welding in the new.

I get to bring it in the end of June.

There's no way you will get a quality job at those hours. Maybe each side at 20 hours. You can't have quality work and go by flat rate times. What about the outer wheelhouses, trunk dropoffs. Remember in bodywork you get what you pay for.

It very well could be that the guy that wrote the quote misunderstood his boss... he definitely misunderstood him on another part of the quote. I was standing right there when he relayed the information and am not sure if he meant 20 hours per quarter or 20 hours for both (but it is DEFINITELY written on the quote 20 hours). He did tell the guy NOT to put any time for painting or priming, yet the guy put down time for priming (over the body hours).

I am torn between wanting to try doing it ourselves and having somebody with experience do it. I would like to get it back on the road this year.

Well, I finally got the 1/4's in and went back to schedule a date. I double-checked with him about the quote and he verified that it will be that amount (unless I also have to replace the inner or outer wheel wells). I'm taking it in on the 16th.

djunod

I live in Martinez and very interested in talking to your body man about getting quarters installed on my 68. Could you email his contact information. Thanks...Jason

jpjuds@knology.net

Sent you the information via e-mail.

Took out the whole interior last night (except for the dash, dash pad & windows) in preparation for Monday. Stopped by their this afternoon to verify that he is still on schedule to start working on it Monday... Yes graemlins/beers.gif

I planned on painting the car myself when it got back, but now I'm getting excited about being able to drive it soon, so asked him to give me an estimate for painting the whole car as well... since everything is new metal except for the roof (I plan on getting both new doors now as well), it should a simple paint job.

If you feel comfortable with your welding skills, then I would try it yourself. Its not hard at all. Do one side at a time. Leave the doors and trunk lid in place. Sand down and expose all the factory spot welds. Then drill out the spot welds with a spot weld removal bit. (17-30 bucks or more) depends on the name brand bit you purchase. The key is to take plenty of pics and measurements prior to hacking off the old panel. Trial fit and trim as many times as it takes before welding. You can use screws and clamps or just clamps to hold the panel in place. BE PATIENT and take your time. Its not as hard as you might think. I'm sure if you run into troubles, somebody on this site would be more than happy to assist. If you can weld and have common sense, then you can perform this task.

good luck with that one. i had both quarters, door skins, and a trunk floor replaced and i was billed for 84 hours at $30. Didnt take but two weeks to have everything done, but it was expensive. I had to buy all the metal before hand. that didnt even include any primer. I got th car back the same way it left the body shop, bare metal here and there. expect to pay alot.

Justin

Almost 11 months later they are done with the welding. They were true to their quote, with only $42 tacked on for sound pads + welding in new outer wheel wells.

This guy is such a perfectionist too... it is looking wonderful. He assures me after all that other time, that he will be able to have it completely painted by the end of July.

Glad to hear you're happy with the work, but that kind of TAT is ridiculous. At least you got a break on the price. As long as the work is satisfactory and you didn't mind waiting, I guess you made out o.k. I would have flipped after that much time. At 26 hours labor, that means he worked on it about two and a half hours a month!