[KWIK 69]

My body restoration is about to begin. My engine, tranny, suspension front and rear are new or like new. Now comes the body and interior. Keep in mind, I'm just building a head turner this time, not putting it back totally stock since I'm already missing the matching numbers on the engine and drive train and I don't care for the original color of Azure Turquoise.

I've got some quotes from some of the more trusted shops with experience in older cars, and I'm getting rates of $35 to $40 per hour.
Not bad, it seems to be the going rate around here.
Interesting thing is, one guy and his son who do really nice work in their home/shop, insists on giving me a Lump Sum total cost instead of an hourly rate.
After inspecting my car, he said he can put a lower patch panel on one front fender, re-shim the other front fender, replace both rear quarter panels, replace both full length floor pans, trunk floor pan, trunk side extensions, header panel, repair two spots on the dash panel, straighten minor dings in the front fenders, fix any minor bumps on the trunk lid, install the rear spoiler, remove the doors AND hinges, paint underneath the hinges, re-hang the doors & front fenders to straighten it all up, remove the vinyl top and then paint & clear coat it for a total cost of $3,000. He said the bad thing is, it will take a couple weeks cuz he'll have to work on other cars in and out, also. (this is with the understanding that I will strip off everything like the bumpers, lights, all interior except the driver's seat, and things like that.) I asked if he'd prefer to do an hourly rate, but he insisted he'd want to go with a lump sum of $3,000 because he didn't know what he would get into underneath the vinyl top.
This guy does excellent bodywork AND paint, plus he's buying all materials.
Is it just me or does this sound like a good deal?

[DjD]

I got an estimate to shoot and mount a spoiler and pull the doors and re-paint the hinges and spot the area under the hood where the fenders meet the inner fender. $1,500 and they need a month lead to fit it in. If a shop around here opened up for $40 an hr it would be so busy it'd take years to get in... I think $80-$100 is the going rate. Maybe Martin will pipe up on west coast prices...

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...Dennis
"The '69, the '96 & the club"

[Kyvox]

Sounds very reasonable to me. If he does good work, I don't think you can beat it.

[67killerb]

A lump sum deal is what I went with. Same basic situation, where he would fit it in between accident claims. Well, it took almost a year with it in the shop, minor body work, and it all disassembled by me. The worst part is you are at his mercy as to if and when he will get time to work on your car. The guy I dealt with enjoyed working on my car, but as he put it, "his bread and butter work that paid the bills" was the accident repair work! Good guy, good work, but mighty frustrating since you don't have any completion date at all.

[boodlefoof]

I am not real experienced in hiring out body work, but that deal sounds very sweet to me judging from what I have heard from other people getting body work.

[newport30]

I think the $3,000. seems like a great deal for a lump sum price. Also factor in the materials, since an hourly rate will not include filler, sand paper, primer, welding rods, etc. they will charge you for all of that. With a lump sum, it will all be included and you will know up front what the job will cost. I'd go for it.

And Dennis is right, you can't get someone around here to wash your car for $40. an hour much less do body work. The rate at the shop I used last year was $80. for general and $95. for paint.

Scott.

[This message has been edited by newport30 (edited 07-25-2002).]

[V8]

Definitely go with a lump sum price! I've been screwed too many time before with hourly rate jobs becasue of the uncertain variable of how many hours the job will take! This variable can be manipulated in so many ways such as workers taking 45 minutes off for lunch but billing you for the whole hour to workers just conversating and messing around to just fabricating false hours an passing it down to you!
With a lump sum payment...you know exactly what the job will cost before hand and you can accept or reject that shop to do your work!

Besides...say a guy quoted you a cheap price of $50 an hour, and an other guy quotes you $75 an hour, (both shops quote you the same price on parts)...you'll probably accept the $50 an hour shop. BUT, now what if at the end the $50 place at the end says it took them 20 hours to complete the job...that's a gross labor cost of $1000. Whereas if the $75 shop could have done the job in 12 hours which could have cost you $900!

ALWAYS GET A PRICE, and don't accept a lets see as we go approach, unless its your brother or dad doing the work!!

Thats the biggest 2 cents I can ever offer to you guys...been there done that! -Chris

[R/S 350]

Go with the lump sum. That sounds like a great deal. Everything around here is 100 - 140 hr. For good work. I wpuld much rather get a lump sum price.

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69' R/S Lemans blue,deluxe interior,houndstooth, 406, 12 bolt.

[MARTINSR]

Guys, I can't even begin to relate with prices like that. In the area where I live you are talking $10,000.00 minimum for work like that. It is so cheap that I would be leery no matter where I was in the country. I just can't imagine how someone could do that even in a home garage with no rent.

You are looking at about 300 hours work, minus the materials at about $800.00 to $1000.00 (that price doesn't change, no matter where you are) that leaves under ten bucks an hour!! I just don't see it. And get it done in a couple of weeks, geeeez is that guy David Copperfield? If he could do that in two weeks with any amount of quality at all, he would make well into six figures in the San Francisco bay area on flat rate. That is no kidding. By the book you have about 100 hours of metal work alone!
Like I said, I can't even relate.

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Fan of anything that is interesting and moves human beings.
1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
1948 Chevy PU with 401 Buick

[KWIK 69]

SHHHH! I tell him what ya said AFTER he's done with my car.

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69 Camaro (under const.)
73 Camaro
89 Stepside 4x4

[Winch]

Where abouts in MO is this guy? I got a bid for similar work for $4500 + parts (not paint & supplies, those are included in the 4500) from a retired guy who works out of his house in the St Charles area. Email me.

[Toby Keen]

I agree with MartinSr. The funny thing is I had the $10,000 figure in my head BEFORE I read his post and I might be a lottle low until seeing the car. I don't want to be a downer but I would expect an "oops, I made a mistake" from the guy somewhere down the line, like when he has the car totally apart.

[ragtopman]

1st, I have to say, if you have seen this guys work(remember, its a person, not a company that does the work)and you like it, and have seen others that this individual has done, you have eliminated the 1st big question in getting your car done.

2nd, if you can, go talk to the people that have already had there cars done by this guy and see what they have to say.

3rd, 3 grand! Thats getting kinda bare bones to do all that work even if you are indeed R & I'ing parts to lower your cost(just dont scratch or dent anything putting it all back together). He will spend close to $1000.00 in quality materials to use on your car. As far as the lump sum vs. hour rate, it can benefit him just as much as shooting himself in the foot and it works both ways.

....and for the rest of you that have input to this post, are you serious about the money that people are charging to do resto work???

[MARTINSR]

Ragtopman, yes I am. I wouldn't even consider it in my garage on week ends for less than $10,000.00. But in that respect, I wouldn't do it for twice that much because I consider my family time worth millions. At the shop I work at we DO NOT do any restoration or complete paint jobs unless it is for the insurance companies we work directly with. But the other day the owner brought in one of his buddies 75 Blazer for a complete. VERY minor dings and paint, that is it. Well he wrote it up for 40 hours labor, there is about 140 in it at this point (I could have told him that) When you want to do a nice job and take off every bit of chrome, bumpers, the hard top and paint it black while you are at it (you KNOW it needs to be or the job will look like crap) he would have been better off to pay the guy $3000.00 and have him bring it to some other shop!

Now, this includes replacing vent rubber and the hood but other than that, just a basic bc/cc cut and buffed paint job.

So that is $9,100.00 in labor alone! I agree that this truck took WAY too long, they could have done it in half that if they hustled but it just proves the point, $10,000.00 is nothing now a days.

If you really want to hear numbers, how about the car that won the big trophy at the 1995 Oakland Roadster show the year my brothers roadster was in it. This car had a $65,000.00 Paint job, that's right PAINT only. It was rumored that there was 1700 hours in the paint! And after speaking to one of the judges I believe it. He said it was the best paint work he had ever seen in over twenty years of judging.

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Fan of anything that is interesting and moves human beings.
1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
1948 Chevy PU with 401 Buick

[67rsmoneypit]

I got a bid from a body shop within the last six months to strip and paint my work van with a base/clear and fix maybe five or six small dings - same color, no jambs etc. they wanted $4000.00. you've heard it all before but #1 thing is to get everything in writing. #2 is never pay anything up front. it sounds awful cheap especially for good quality and I don't see how he could get it done in even a month - consider how many days it takes to just mask it off , prime,seal,spray color,clear etc and the flash time between under ideal conditions, nevermind the huge amount of metalwork. I would go back and have him explain his price and look for the ten other employees that will be working on your car to get it done so fast. good luck