Metal work 60k too much?

[DartProject62]

I picked up a 74 Challenger and was going to drop it off at a very reputable metalworks shop in Washington state. They said I was looking at 60k for the metalwork alone.

Is this a crazy figure? I was thinking 45k should be enough for body/paint, not metalwork alone.

The car is intended to be a daily driver, any recommendations for body shops from Washington to Colorado?

 

[Polara426]

Why put that much in daily driver you can buy a done car for way less.

 

[QuickBpBp]

Tough to say as there are not enough details... Does it need floorpans, firewall, cowl, engine pans and framerails?

 

[DartProject62]

Why put that much in daily driver you can buy a done car for way less.

Was my dad’s car. He passed away 2 months ago, it’s how the car came to me

 

[CarolinaCharger]

60K for metalwork, maybe 20K for paint, 15k for interior. Would the car bring half of that when finished ? I'm thinking you need to shop around for another body shop. It's possible that the bodyshop you checked caters to the high end crowd.

 

[DartProject62]

Tough to say as there are not enough details... Does it need floorpans, firewall, cowl, engine pans and framerails?

Off the cuff, floor pans, around the windows, lower quarters, hood, trunk lid but everything else “looks” good

 

[QuickBpBp]

Off the cuff, floor pans, around the windows, lower quarters, hood, trunk lid but everything else “looks” good

If that's it then that's the get out here I don't want to do it price UNLESS you pay this amount....

 

[chargervert]

Get a welder,pratice on scrap metal,and do the metal work yourself. All the panels are available to fix that car.

 

[eldubb440]

sounds like a lot of money....... no wonder I'm still poor

 

[cr8crshr]

Good Lord!!! At that price, I wouldn't even venture to do such a job regardless of the sentimentality it has for you. But then the same ol' adage of, BT Barnum... "A F**L AND THEIR MONEY ARE EASILY PARTED" seems to come to mind here. To me, it seems like throwing good money away for what??? I get it but still...Just sayin"...cr8crshr/Bill

 

[YY1]

Buy a welder and a sand blaster?

For 60K you could buy a finished 73 340 car or even a survivor.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

They didn't want to mess with it.

 

[RemCharger]

Kindigit?
I knew a guy that put 48 into a 68 charger metal and paint. I thought THAT was nuts.

 

[1Tlew0]

That's the "I don't want to do it price".

Auto Metal Directs installation center just quoted me $18k to basically replace every panel (minus roof) on my 71 Cuda, including labor. That's if i were to replace all the panels and little odd ball brackets. However, not all panels need to be replaced, so it will be significantly less than what I was quoted.

 

[#41]

I don't have to see more pictures of the car to agree that $60k is not even close to a good deal. That's a "we're booked" or "I don't want to do it price". Keep looking. You will find one.

 

[gkent]

US Car Tool have a "body in white" deal (or they used to) where for 15K they'd replace every piece necessary (no collision work - replacement only). Also there is an AMD center in Georgia that has a similar deal - you can go on their website and acually do your own estimate. Probably the biggest mistake I made was NOT going to one of those shops.

The Installation Center

theinstallationcenter.com

Keep in mind sheet metal work is only the beginning. After spending over 20k on the labor alone - of which we had to redo about 8k worth - I'm now over 40k in bodywork and its just about ready for final paint - whatever that's going to cost !!

 

[YY1]

71 turn key convertible for half that.

1971 Dodge Challenger | eBay

 

[69a100]

I'm thinking you need to shop around for another body shop.

Who crashes their daily driver and only goes to one shop to get an estimate? Shop around Bubba, shop around!

 

[eldubb440]

 

[VANDAN]

The prices today are through the roof. Shops want a premium price, for time & materials, which are also over inflated now. Just for some minor paint work, which was missed during the restore, the paint was close to $1,000 !