Off To The Body Shop!

[40]

Loaded the old girl up yesterday and sent her off to get some color. The shop is one of the most reputable in the area and although the owner is a die-hard "car guy" that I've known a long time,they only do collision work as a rule.I was having a hard time finding someone to do the final fit/paint and on a whim,stopped by his shop.I persuaded him to stop out to my shop and at least have a look. He mentioned what he was going to look at before he left the shop and his guys encouraged him to take the job......they were getting really burned out on working on all the cookie-cutter,daily driver crap.We agreed on some parameters and it will soon be Black! I've attached a couple of photos and as you can see.....I had it in finish primer with the exception of the front fenders and hood sides.We painted the underside before mounting the body back on the new powder coated chassis so that is all done.The estimate to do the job is somewhere between 13 and 15 grand. Just wondering what you guys think?? Seems like an awful lot of $$ to me!

[Digger]

Asking opinions on the price after its already in the shop?
If it has to be primed and blocked a half dozen times and all the gaps and everything else have to be fit and its a true show finish thats probably not a bad price but if it is indeed in finish primer and ready to shoot I think thats a lot of money. I would like to do a couple a week at that price

[40]

Obviously, I'm Ok with the price or I wouldn't have taken it to the shop and I definitely wouldn't expect or for that matter,allow anyone to paint my car without priming it at the very least one more time and blocking it to their satisfaction.The plan is for them to shoot a heavy guide coat and block it to see how satisfied they are with it.They do have to final fit the front clip but the rest of the car from the firewall back is dead on.I have done a couple dozen cars over the last 30 years and am fairly familiar with what it takes to get it right.The main purpose of my post was to possibly generate some discussion as to what similar projects are costing in different areas of the country etc and basically,just to kill some time.

[Digger]

Sorry--I wasn't questioning your knowledge or ability. You wanted to know what we thought and you said it seemed like a lot of money to you and I agreed. ( this is what I do for a living) The big dollar builders have created this mystique about paint jobs and the current prices reflect that.
Anybody can paint a car--it's the preperation that takes most of the time and talent. I was watching a bike show a while back and this builder says he gets ten grand for a paint job-Give me a break! I bet he didn't get that before he was on TV.Sorry for the rant but I believe in fair prices.

[HotRodLadyCrusr]

Another '37, imagine that!  

Dad paid $12,000 for all the body and paint work on his stunning '56 Olds black and silver paint job the winter of 2004/2005.  There was a whole lot more bodywork involved once the shop got into it but they never asked Dad for more money.  They gave him a price and they stuck to it.   Not sure if you've seen the car in person or in the mags but it's awesome.   I can't remember what their shop hour rate was BUT I do know that Volunteer Autobody in Hartsville, TN that did the body and paint work on Big Olds charges $38.00 per hour.

[jaybee]

I saw that car when it threw a shoe outside Des Moines on the way to Ego-Rama...it was NICE.

[40]

Another '37, imagine that!  

Dad paid $12,000 for all the body and paint work on his stunning '56 Olds black and silver paint job the winter of 2004/2005.  There was a whole lot more bodywork involved once the shop got into it but they never asked Dad for more money.  They gave him a price and they stuck to it.   Not sure if you've seen the car in person or in the mags but it's awesome.   I can't remember what their shop hour rate was BUT I do know that Volunteer Autobody in Hartsville, TN that did the body and paint work on Big Olds charges $38.00 per hour.

Hey young lady.....Good to see you still hanging around here! I know....Another 37......and.....I've still got a pristine old 37 5-Window Coupe tucked away in the corner of the shop so I guess there will be at least one more after this   I have had the pleasure of seeing your Dad's Olds up close both in my driveway and his as well as the Autorama and since the 56 Olds is one of my favorite cars,I looked VERY CLOSELY! Stunning is exactly how I'd describe it! I really love the oval instrument cluster and clock.....My favorite dash of all time! He definitely got his moneys worth!I've actually been dealing with a guy in South Carolina on a 56 Olds Hardtop but we are a ways apart on price so I'm still looking. Your buddy in Tennessee does nice work as well but as I get older,hauling these old cars all over the country is less and less appealing....this shop is only a couple of miles from home......that's a real plus.Are you heading our direction anytime this Summer.......remember,we've always got a soft bed,hot shower and something cold in the fridge! I'll tell Josh hello .....He's definitely not your "little" buddy anymore.....He's nearly as tall as I am! Hope to see you somewhere on the road this upcoming Summer!

[HotRodLadyCrusr]

I saw that car when it threw a shoe outside Des Moines on the way to Ego-Rama...it was NICE.

LOL, we were actually on our way to Daryle place with both cars.  How soon I forget!  lol

[HotRodLadyCrusr]

Hey young lady.....Good to see you still hanging around here! I know....Another 37......and.....I've still got a pristine old 37 5-Window Coupe tucked away in the corner of the shop so I guess there will be at least one more after this  
This doesn't surprise me!  lol

I have had the pleasure of seeing your Dad's Olds up close both in my driveway and his as well as the Autorama and since the 56 Olds is one of my favorite cars,I looked VERY CLOSELY!
How could I forget.......I must be getting old.  Speaking of that weekend you came in for Autorama, I really miss "my" gas pump in my kitchen.  I sure hope you did something cool with it.

Stunning is exactly how I'd describe it! I really love the oval instrument cluster and clock.....My favorite dash of all time! He definitely got his moneys worth!
He sure did, no doubt about that.

I've actually been dealing with a guy in South Carolina on a 56 Olds Hardtop but we are a ways apart on price so I'm still looking.

If you need to bounce price or anything around with my Dad feel free to call him.  He really likes you and has enjoyed your company over the years.

Your buddy in Tennessee does nice work as well but as I get older,hauling these old cars all over the country is less and less appealing....this shop is only a couple of miles from home......that's a real plus.
Next one at least call Mike in TN as I bet he would come and pick it up with his trailer and deliver it once completed.

Are you heading our direction anytime this Summer.......remember,we've always got a soft bed,hot shower and something cold in the fridge!

Not sure what my plans are for west of the Mississippi next summer.  My family bought a beach cottage right on Lake Huron so last summer I spent quite a few weekends up there instead of going to some of the usual car shows I would have normally attended out of state.  I did drive Big Olds up there and actually hit a couple of what I would call "local" car shows.

Thanks for the offer and for sure the next time I'm close I'll make plans to stop for a visit.

I'll tell Josh hello .....He's definitely not your "little" buddy anymore.....He's nearly as tall as I am!
WOW, thats neat.  Grand daughter as tall as well??

Hope to see you somewhere on the road this upcoming Summer!

I hope so too!

[40]

Well.....Just thought I'd post a follow-up.Got the car back from the paint shop today.......Said it would take two weeks and it's been 6 months!! Still needs to be cut and buffed after I get the odds and ends finished up and the interior installed.The bill at the shop to date is just a tad over $18K......I'm still trying to get over the shock!! Still trying to figure out how it can cost that much $$ to paint the car pictured above.....Can't imagine what it would cost for them to paint a car that had a few rust issues and needed body work! Oh well.....perhaps it's time for me to get out of the game!

[kb426]

This summer I met a guy who had a 55 Ford pickup. It was just finished the week before I saw it. It was really nice. I asked the owner what he spent on paint materials. He stated that he couldn't answer that but he did tell me what the body and paint work cost. He said there was some small rust repair on the cab, damage from a ballpein hammer on the top, the box was new but the fenders were pie cut to cover fat tires instead of tubbing. I don't remember if he said the shop assembled or he did but the bill was 20 grand.

[tom36]

I agree 18k seems high based on the pictures you first put up .  Having said that the materials for my Model A, epoxy primer, hi fill polyester primer, sealer, base color, clears, thinners, additives, etc was about $2000. How much did they to your car fitting and blocking and so forth, I guess the car was rougher than it looked in the pics or they have a VERY  high hourly labor rate. I can easily see how a shop could get10 to 12k for a pretty simple base/clear paint job but 18?  Your right this is getting out of hand.  Tom...

[40]

I was charged about $2400 for materials.......that portion of the bill is fine .The car from the firewall back was basically ready for paint and the hood was a new Drake piece so it needed very little prep,the hood sides were also pretty much ready for paint.They did need to do a final fit on the front clip and the front fenders had a couple of dings about the size of my thumb nail but no rust and the beads were perfect.The grill is a new Don's Hot Rod piece so it was ready to go.I had painted the bottom of the car before it was mounted on the new chassis which was all powder coated.They did rock guard the inside of the fenders and bottom of the running boards and made a couple of brackets to eliminate the radiator support rods.It's just hard for me to imagine how they could spend over 265 hours on this car.Anyway.......I've got my newly aquired 67 Coupe D'Ville all blown apart in the shop and am finding many new things to waste my money on so I'm going to put the 37 on the back burner for a bit.......Hopefully.......Time will ease the pain!