Cost of metal work?

[Feral]

Feral, Hi. Please post more pictures of YOUR car, not the influx of OTHERS cars and or projects. I'd like to offer you some straight advice based on what I see. I've media blasted perhaps close to 75 car bodies, mostly MOPARS, and, sadly I've become very good at judging how things will actually be based on initial inspection(s) of the metal before blasting. Good luck, sage advice: Body Shops are the polar opposite from Restoration Shops. The mentality of each is completely opposite. Body shops work for the Insurance companies and get payed to change a fender - get payed for 3 hrs work, and they hustle to do it in 15 minutes, and pocket the rest. Restoration folks work 4 hours to repair a fender, and get payed for four hours work. This is why there's 200+ Body shops per 1 Restoration shop, and even the so-called 'Restoration Shops' are mostly that in name only.

I haven't posted anything but my car. Anyway, here's what I'm looking at.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=123433&stc=1&d=1371952231

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=123435&stc=1&d=1371952240

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=123437&stc=1&d=1371952291

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=84765&stc=1&d=1349524313

pictures from the guy I bought it off of

 

[99ss]

That's some serious rot to the frame

 

[Feral]

That's some serious rot to the frame

I'm assuming that once I get the pans in I can take the frames out from under the car and work on them.

 

[99ss]

Yep.... my guess is rotisserie is what your going to need

 

[kb67mopar]

I'm assuming that once I get the pans in I can take the frames out from under the car and work on them.

The frames don't just come out....you will be drilling hundreds of spot welds to get them off and then you will need to make sure you brace the rest of the car while you remove those parts. lay under that puppy and take some time to study the assembly to get a better picture of your work load. I am guessing you have at least 150% of the rust I had which took me 2 years to this point to get under control.

 

[fatecaptured]

If I had that car , I'd get turn it into a pro street car. Make my own floor pans and get fiber glass panels. Get some square tubing and build a frame under it. Then spend all that dough on go fast parts. But that's me.

 

[Budnicks]

I went to a local body shop and had the work "ball parked", they priced all the work at $5,000. And that's completely stripping the car, repairing/replacing the bad metal, complete sanding, primered and sealed, all new weather stripping; and I'd have to supply the parts.

No ballpark bid stuff ever, you can't do business like that, you need to get a "firm contract" in writing & signed by the owner & yourself, then also make sure to get a performance clause, get a firm "set" completion date, just in case, for if they take way too long, then the price is reduced by X amount of $$$, everyday or week, that they are late... if they won't do that, then go somewhere that will... just protect yourself, there's way too many horror stories out there, of Unscrupulous body shops, screwing people over, a few I've read on here even... my $0.02 cents

 

[kb67mopar]

If I had that car , I'd get turn it into a pro street car. Make my own floor pans and get fiber glass panels. Get some square tubing and build a frame under it. Then spend all that dough on go fast parts. But that's me.

Hell I would have done that on mine if it would have actually been possible...however nobody made the parts I need in fiberglass that I found or I'd be running fiberglass fenders...too late now but I would have.

And if you get parts cars on the cheap lots of this metal can be had for free. Its how I did it, pick up the car, keep what you need sell the rest to break even or make profit. Pretty soon you have two things, free parts and the working knowledge of how they come apart.

 

[snakeoil24]

Here are some pictures of the driver's side floor pan...

Even with the big hole, the floor support seems to be solid as a rock. I've sat in the car a number of times and I don't feel any give in the floor.

Anything I should know about cutting out the floor pan? Bracing, what to avoid, etc...

Those rust holes are their for a reason! If you decide to rent the car out to Fred Flinstone he will know where to put his feet.

 

[Feral]

Well, since yall convinced me that this car is basically beyond saving; I'm just gonna stow it away for now till I can find a Super Bee shell that's in good shape and just pull parts from this car.

 

[Budnicks]

Well, since yall convinced me that this car is basically beyond saving; I'm just gonna stow it away for now till I can find a Super Bee shell that's in good shape and just pull parts from this car.

It's not beyond saving... BUT It won't be cheap or even a quick fix either thou...

 

[Feral]

It's not beyond saving... BUT It won't be cheap or even a quick fix either thou...

Well, with my low-level income; it is beyond saving. I make $10 an hour, which is just a little better than minimum wage. If this car is going to cost so much to restore, I'd be better off just parking it in a garage until I can run across a bare Super Bee chassis that's in good shape; and hope I can get it on the cheap.

 

[Mr.SpeedFreak]

Or even just another 3rd gen base model Charger, probably be cheaper and easier to find than a real 'bee

 

[fatecaptured]

As Rob Schneider famously said "YOU CAN DO IT!!!" The direction you take depends on your taste. I was just saying Pro Street would be cool. I'm basically in the same boat man. I make a few bucks more an hour but I'm a single father and have no child support or state aid. So in the end I probably make less than $10 an hour. Just take our time. Do what you can. And read read read. Some may bash you for what you do. Who cares? Not everyone can afford rotisseries and hemi's. Hot rods & muscle cars are a great American past time. Rich up pity people will always look down on less than perfect cars. Enjoy it the way you want it. After all we won't be here forever.

 

[Feral]

As Rob Schneider famously said "YOU CAN DO IT!!!" The direction you take depends on your taste. I was just saying Pro Street would be cool. I'm basically in the same boat man. I make a few bucks more an hour but I'm a single father and have no child support or state aid. So in the end I probably make less than $10 an hour. Just take our time. Do what you can. And read read read. Some may bash you for what you do. Who cares? Not everyone can afford rotisseries and hemi's. Hot rods & muscle cars are a great American past time. Rich up pity people will always look down on less than perfect cars. Enjoy it the way you want it. After all we won't be here forever.

I just want it fixed, It don't have to be perfect cos it's not being built to be resold. I want it to look factory, but I want to have a few modern upgrades here and there to simply make it better. Like an overdrive transmission, 4 wheel disc brakes, new stereo, etc...

 

[fatecaptured]

It will get there if u pace yourself and don't get frustrated. Keep on keepen on man.

 

[kb67mopar]

I just want it fixed, It don't have to be perfect cos it's not being built to be resold. I want it to look factory, but I want to have a few modern upgrades here and there to simply make it better. Like an overdrive transmission, 4 wheel disc brakes, new stereo, etc...

You really need to take a look at my thread then...its basically exactly what I am doing. I bought parts cars to sell parts and keep the ones i needed...paid for a ton of parts that way. Made my own rear brake brackets to run late model rear disk, used parts for the booster and master cyl....Its all doable and doable on a shoe string budget if you take your time, do research and do ALL of the work yourself. Get a decent welder (mine is an eastwood) and get started in areas you can patch yourself easy....frame rails and internal structure can be robbed from quite a few years and lots of guys on here parting cars. a bench vise, harbor freight body hammers and some inexpensive sheet metal from your local steel place and you can make most of the patches. Luckily these cars were made of some pretty square shapes underneath.

 

[Donny]

Those are hard variables to negotiate around Feral. The car has deep and set-in rust for sure. The most aggressive blasting media will eradicate the rust, but, it will take a lot of metal with it...remember the rust was the metal, so, best cut out that rot. Your car will need a dolly to secure the car on while you do the work. This is if you're wanting to go all the way with it. A signed contract is the only way I do things. However, a 'performance contract' is a bit off the deep end, however I do support the principle! There's so many variables that take much more time (and money) that the customer will be quickly overwhelmed with costs. Most people have a fixed amount they can, or are willing to spend on their project. I think the best performance contract is previous work done.

10 bucks an hour is not a wage to restore a car on. With that reality, most all the work will be done by yourself, or bartering can come into play. I've done some work for people who need or want some work done, but, have no money, but, they have services or goods that I need, and it ends up being a win-win situation for all involved.

Best of luck!

 

[Feral]

Those are hard variables to negotiate around Feral. The car has deep and set-in rust for sure. The most aggressive blasting media will eradicate the rust, but, it will take a lot of metal with it...remember the rust was the metal, so, best cut out that rot. Your car will need a dolly to secure the car on while you do the work. This is if you're wanting to go all the way with it. A signed contract is the only way I do things. However, a 'performance contract' is a bit off the deep end, however I do support the principle! There's so many variables that take much more time (and money) that the customer will be quickly overwhelmed with costs. Most people have a fixed amount they can, or are willing to spend on their project. I think the best performance contract is previous work done.

10 bucks an hour is not a wage to restore a car on. With that reality, most all the work will be done by yourself, or bartering can come into play. I've done some work for people who need or want some work done, but, have no money, but, they have services or goods that I need, and it ends up being a win-win situation for all involved.

Best of luck!

The parts I'm not worried about, they're not all that expensive and I can chip away at them one piece at a time. Beyond the rust, the car is pretty well complete, if not for all the rust I could have the car running next week!!! Well, before the end of the month anyway lol.

I've got a '72 Rallye that ain't worth restoring that I can pull some metal from here and there, like the rocker panels and some metal that's not available from anywhere. I could probably even cut the trunk pan from my 72 and use it, cos it seems to be in fair enough shape.

I know a couple people who can probably cut me a good deal on the exterior metal work.

 

[fatecaptured]

The parts I'm not worried about, they're not all that expensive and I can chip away at them one piece at a time. Beyond the rust, the car is pretty well complete, if not for all the rust I could have the car running next week!!! Well, before the end of the month anyway lol.

I've got a '72 Rallye that ain't worth restoring that I can pull some metal from here and there, like the rocker panels and some metal that's not available from anywhere. I could probably even cut the trunk pan from my 72 and use it, cos it seems to be in fair enough shape.

I know a couple people who can probably cut me a good deal on the exterior metal work.

.


There ya go. Hell 72 rallye... Got any parts u want to sell off of it? ]