im going to be getting an estimate at the body shop--there are a few things that will need to be done prior to painting. (minor rust, dent) just curious if you all had any advice for me when i take it in, im kinda scared the people might take off all the pieces when they paint and put it back together poorly. maybe im just a worry-wart, but i dont always trust strangers with things, esp when it comes to my mav. any advice would be greatly appreciated.. thanks all
I always get as many examples of a shop's work as I can before I even think about giving them one of my vehicles. Make sure you get what you need in writing so there is no dispute later. I learned both my lessons there the hard way, I'm not planning on it again. Just find a respectable place, and make sure they respect you too. I don't deal with people who can't deal with me nicely because of my age.
You could always take it apart yourself. Depending on the price your paying most shops will mask around the harder to remove items like the doors handles, locks, chrome etc... to keep costs down.
Make sure they cut out the rusted metal and weld in new metal. Get everything in writting. What kind of paint. Get everything in writting. Single stage or two. Get everything in writting. How many coats. Get everything in writting. Did I mention get everything in writting?
like m-1970 said, they don't take off anything you don't ask them to. the more they take off the higher the price. will it be a color change, that cost more? "get it on paper" mark any places to be fixed and take a pic. show them the pics. and then get a price...jmo... been there and been had...frank...
First, I would not take a thing apart myself. There are too many fasteners that require specific knowledge, which I do not possess. IMO leave it to a pro. when the parts get lost, it is their nickle. Believe me, there are a lotta oddball, hard to find fasteners on a 73 Comet. Second, Everything in writing. What is important is that both you and the body shop are on the same page. How long is it going to take. Most body shops depend on insurance jobs, and they have a deadline. Over the deadline, and the shop starts picking up the rental car. You don't want your job to take second chair to an insurance job, and second to another next week and so on. Third, you need to communicate what level of paintjob you desire. What gets put on a standard insurance job may not be sufficient. If you don't know about paint and body work, get some independant help from someone who is a pro. Make sure the paint can be replaced, keep the paint code, and brand.
Afew more things. How long they been doing what they do do thy have photos of past work they have done, do they ever use much bondo ask them do they cover if any other damge happen to your car when there ask what they do if your not happy with the job they did ask what small thing can you do yourself that will knock down having to pay so much.
I don't have experience with a body shop where the guys aren't buddies of mine. However, de-chroming and dismantling and reassembling as much of the car yourself as you can will bring the price down and give you some pride of accomplishment with the finished product. The cost will also be based on whether you tell them you want a driver quality job or a show car. Do you want all the paint stripped or not? If it is original paint in good shape that makes a great primer. They would just seal, prime and paint over the original paint. Large amounts of body work will definitely increase the price since the quality of the paint is dependent on the prep of the body. Two stage paint generally costs more but is worth it for a show car. Visit often but not enough to annoy or pressure them .. remember .. body men are artists and you don't want to rush them. My car was completely dismantled and rust free and they had it for 6 weeks. They just finished up a Mach 1 that needed some 1/4 panel repair and they had that car for almost 4 months but it is beautiful. Unfortunately quality work does not come cheap especially considering that materials alone could amount to $1500. Throw in 60 hours of $60 an hour labor and you are up to over $4000 really fast. I always hear these stories of guys getting $2000 quotes on a rust buckets to fix and paint. I have never seen the result of a $2000 job but even if it looks good I find it hard to believe it would last more than several years before rust and bubbles re-appear. You just cannot rush or go cheap and get quality work. Good Luck ...
b-396, suggested "leaving it to the pros". to start with most shops don't want to mess with an " old " car. it takes too much time to get them right...sanding in the door jams...around the trunk lid...fender to hood lip. if you are not willing or able to take the bumpers, door handles, locks, window wipes, mirrows,grille, headlight doors, windsheild and back glass trim, drip rail trim, hood trim and side lights off don't expect it to be a lasting paint job. around these parts is where the paint starts to peel. jmo...frank... p.s. and for goodness sake dont tell them " you are not in a hurry". they will tell you they can save you some money if they can "work it in". that means 6 months to a year if then .
I agree with all of the advice above. I can't argue with any of it. In our shop, the customer can come and look over his or her car whenever they want to. We feel it's thier car and thier money they are spending, so they should be intitled to see up close what kind of work we are doing to thier car. I know many shops don't care to have the customer hanging around,but we have no real problems with it. If the shop you take your car to will let you see the car regularly, take lots of pictures. Not just for the sake of having them, but as a photographic record of what work was done to the car. And ask questions. Lots of questions. Information is knowledge, and when it comes to your car and your money, you can never have enough knowledge.
Thanks for all the advice! I'm going to try to take off as much as I can before I take it in. I just want this done right, and Im hoping the people Im interested in will do it right. They are apart of the Better Business Bureau and they specialize in classic cars, so thats why I figured I'd pick them. Man, I ought to show you some photos of what this one place here in town did to the poor Maverick. Prior to my ownership my sister had the Mav and some idiot hit her on the side passenger door. So, they repaired everything and did the ****tiest job ever. I'll get some pictures posted. They repainted and it is the most awful job I've ever seen. Also, they replaced the Mav's passenger door with another door out ofa junk yard, and we think they didnt replace the hinges and we also think the hinges were bent when the car was hit because the door is all messed up. You have to slam it shut and when you open it the car door isnt even level..it goes down. Ahhh so as you can see I am VERY weary of body shops!!
