cwesterfield.....just a generalized rule of thumb opinion....You'll at the end will end up having invested respectable amounts of time & money....DON"T cut corners on the straightening & refinishing....THAT is Your platform that will present the whole sum of Your parts. Be prepared to spend dollars proportionate to the efforts that will be required....which are many, BUT in seeking out of house work, be VERY CAUTIOUS, research the shops past well......pristine work is on the top end going to cost You on the clock......don't ever give more than a third as a deposit....the next third doesn't happen until You see a decent bit of results. Donn't assume that the work is pro simply because they ask a lot of money.......work out a release clause before You hand over YOUR property....if something goes sourr, then they only got a third of Your money and You have the legal means to get Your car back without delay....uhanybody that takes tghe job beyond that will most likely want to re-do what the other shop did, especially in the areas of surface build, boarding, ..surface tuning...*clarification* i hate the words paint prep....like this potpourrie....Priming and Blocking IS BODYWORK it isn't just to make the paint stick.....the high build two part urethanes that are widely used now, they do exactly that...BUILD, MEANING that if they are not sanded out accurately, You're gonna unstraighten **** that was straight....and to try and dial this in a little more, You have to look at BLOCK color sanding for polish the FINAL STRAIGHTENING ingredient. NOTHING comes out perfect, i don't care who it is, but You can get the best possible and if it's something You are sinking a lot of Heart into, You are want to going to go Pro on this very major aspect of Your builb, be SHREWD, shops get behind easy, don't let them get behind with You and minimize the possible loss....things like data plate and small items important to documentation should be kept by You. Best of Luck Man...Peace
Don't be scared, mine was horrid if we took it outside in a strong wind she'ed a whistled dixie. Depending on where the small rust thru areas are [floors,sheet metal skin ect] just cut out the bad and replace with new metal [ensure you cut out all the rusted metal back to clean steel] however when you have stucture rust thru's you must ensure the area is stablized so when you start cutting the body don't shift [replacing cowl sheetmetal,frame rails,quarter panels] it's a good rule of thumb that if your replacing a large area of metal level the body shell and brace the body to prevent shifting.Or have a professional do the work for you [pricey] ,watch the above videos and look thru you tube there are good tips and tricks there also!! Like i said earlier i had never done a full rebuild prior to this and i taught myself [with help from videos] how to do everything [i'm no professional] i know enough to be dangerous now but i'm suprised how this car has taken shape [not perfect by any means] but 150 percent better than the day she came home!!!!! Before [Aug,2011] After [Feb-2013] in sealer!!!
Some before and after shots!
