Ok, I'll be getting my 66 back pretty soon, it's been in the paint shop for close to 2 years!

Anyways, the final tab is gonna be around $10,000.

The bodyman never gave me an original quote in writing, because he just does not do it that way, has lost to much $$$ in the past.

He did give me a rough estimate of $7000 before he started.

Some of the cost came from a few things I wanted done, which added labor. (originally he was going to charge me $35/hr but since he had it so long he decided on $30/hr)

Plus a special paint mix & new kinda clear I selected added about $500.

Anyways, I've looked at the paint job a few times, but he has just recently done the final buffing. The paint job is very nice, but it is not perfect. There are about 3 flaws on the car that are in the bodywork. They are not noticeable unless you specifically are looking for flaws, like I am...

One of the flaws is in the repo hood. The vertical curved portion right above the grille. He did not fill that in and straighten it, cause he did not want any cracks developing later on due to flexing of the hood during use. I told him I need that straight, whether he has to use filler or not. (anyone who has a repo hood probably knows what I'm talking about, the metal work on that front edge is crap)

That leaves two more flaws I've noticed:

The drivers side rear quarter, the lower bodyline is not perfectly straight, only noticeable if you look down that bodyline...

There is one slight ripple in the drivers side front fender, a fender he reworked maybe 3 times to try to get perfect, this was the best he could do.

Everywhere else the car is very straight...

I had an appraiser come in to do a "work in progress" appraisal to get more insurance coverage before the car goes on a trailer for the ride home. Right now the car is only comprised of fully detailed frame, suspension, engine & tranny, painted body with headliner & front & rear glass installed.

It has been appraised for $15,000. He told me If I continue restoring the car with the kinda quality work that has gone into it so far, the final appraisal will be $35,000 - $40,000.

I guess my big question is, I expected more for $10,000. I expected perfection... Am I expecting too much out of a $10,000 paint job?

I'm not a car show guy, so don't really have experience looking at show quality paint jobs, but according to the appraiser I have a show quality paint job...

You didn't mention how much body work was done to get to where you are.

What was the agreement for the finished product?

If you're desiring a show winning car, the flaws you mention are going to detract points and value from the car, especially in the 30-40K range.

Now is the time to take care of it BEFORE you hand him a check. That way, he'll get it done in a timely manor and knows what he has to do to get the product out of his shop and the cash in his hand.
If you can see the flaws now, you'll always know they're there and it will most likely bother you later on down the road.

I would expect a perfect paint job, lunch catered to my office for a year and his first born for $10,000 :eek:

Mine will not be perfect by any stretch because I am doing the body work/paint myself, but when it's finished, it will look pretty darn good and I will only have 6 months of my labor of love and about $1500 in materials, including 2 new front fenders.

I would insist that he make the car perfect for that kind of money.
Please correct me if I'm wrong guys...... :rolleyes:

Well, as stated...

I'm not a show car guy, nor will I be looking to win any shows...

I just want to make sure I'm getting what I paid for.

He is going to fix the front of the hood at no extra charge. I will have to look at the paint job for one final inspection before I give him the rest of the cash.

As far as the amount of bodywork, he put 250-300 hours of work into it (about twice as much work as he expected, every panel had dents & dings & patches), he charged me for 205 hrs at $30/hr as opposed to the quoted $35/hr, because he felt bad that it took so much longer. (oh yeah, he went through 3 gallons of 2k primer while blocking the car...)

I'm gonna have to live with the wavy SS insert housings for now, and either fix them later myself, or just live with them...

Either way, I'm not totally satisfied... But if I want those other flaws fixed, it will not be free of charge like the hood...

I guess with that amount of labor on the body work, it would run up a large tab like that. I thought it was basically a $10,000 "paint" job.

Sounds like you will have a great looking car when it's done. graemlins/waving.gif

$10K is a lot of money. For that price, you should expect a show quality job or very close to it, especially after two years.

I've seen some extremely good paint jobs that cost a lot of money on some very high dollar cars, but I've yet to see the "perfect" paint job. Granted, some are closer to the mark than others, but a painter or anyone who's experienced can nit-pick the best job. Try to be objective as to what constitutes a significant flaw. At the same time, even if it is a noticable flaw, what is the risk involved in fixing it? In other words, is it better to live with the flaw or run the risk of ending up with more or different flaws on the same panel.

It's your money. You need to be happy. Just try to be realistic and reasonable with your expectations.

Vettefella summed up it pretty close to my opinion.... I've seen some extremely good paint jobs that cost a lot of money on some very high dollar cars, but I've yet to see the "perfect" paint job. Granted, some are closer to the mark than others, but a painter or anyone who's experienced can nit-pick the best job. Try to be objective as to what constitutes a significant flaw. At the same time, even if it is a noticable flaw, what is the risk involved in fixing it? In other words, is it better to live with the flaw or run the risk of ending up with more or different flaws on the same panel.

It's your money. You need to be happy. Just try to be realistic and reasonable with your expectations. Now I know local economics drive labor rate, but 30-35 per hr seems quite low... smile.gif
I was at 60 per hr when I had my shop and most here are at 70+. Just "driver" jobs around here run 4-8K as an average..... :eek:

I've been painting cars for 25 years. Not for a living, but enough to feel I'm experienced.
Guess What? I have seen the perfect paint job! Not just one, but two! Close up and in person. I was over every inch of Troy Trepaniers 60 Cadillac and the Chicayne. They both are every bit of perfection you can find. That long Caddy was awesome. Of course the Chicayne cost $425,000 too.
For 10K you should get flat panels and NO waves. No room for waves at that money, no matter how long he said it took. He's not going to be a happy camper, but believe you me, he saw the flaws before you did, and hoped that you would accept the work as is. The last thing you want to do after wet sanding and buffing a panel is to tear into again. But, sometimes, thats what it takes to get it right. He accepted or overlooked the flawed panel before painting it. It's your call.

Thirty plus years in the Industry, I have yet to see the "perfect" paint job. I AM fussy, ask my staff.

I have never painted anything that I could not find something wrong with.

I have never seen a new car I could not find something wrong with.

I have never been involved in a repair that I could not find something wrong with.

The real questions are, Is it BAD, or just Imperfect?

Will the cure be worse than the illness. Any time you try to retouch anything, there is danger!

Only you and the guy doing the work know how bad the car was. I would bet he lost his a$$, and will be happier to see your car gone, than you are to get it back.

No offense, I havn't seen the final product, however, the economics of the Industry dictate that any stall that only generates $10,000.00 Labor and Material in two years is a prescription for Bankruptcy.

The ultimate value of vehicle is not relevant to repair person, unless you are in a partnership with him. Did he do what he charged for, is the only issue. While you did not say so I sense that you are thinking that if he spends more of his time that you will have something of greater value. Don't let the appraiser mess with your mind, a $40,000.00 Chevelle is a slow sale.

The nature of Restoration requires that there be pauses in repair, just to refuel energy and maintain a standard that exceeds production collision repair. It MUST be a labor of LOVE not just $$$.

One of the reasons it is so difficult to get quality restoration work done is the moving target of customer expectations. I have done this to myself on my own car, my time, my money, ten years later still not done, still not good enough.

Glad you are pleased overall, hope things work out.

Once again, no offense meant,

Karl

If you are saying "250-300" hours were spent on the body, I would say it is more like 400. If the guy doesn't have an EXACT amount, it is MORE I guarantee it. So, let's say it is the 300, that is $9,000.00 JUST for the body work. If, he really spent 300 hours (and that is NOT hard) than $10,000.00 for the whole job is cheap. But, there is no such thing as "that is the best he could do" like you mentioned on the front fender. I believe "flaws" in a paint job should be limited to the PAINT only. If you are doing a car that is going to be costing the customer ten grand, the body should sure as heck be straight.

Vettefella brought up a VERY, VERY good point that a lot of "civilians" miss. Sometimes a flaw is MUCH better than "repairing" it. Lets look at on example. If you have that body line that is not perfect on the lower quarter. How is it going to be repair PROPERLY? If your car is a coupe with no brake to cut the paint or clear, well that means the whole roof and other quarter would have to be painted to have a blend free "fix". If he blends, then you have a body line that is straight and a blend that WILL fail in a year or two. How about that hood? If he repairs it and paints it again, that is adding mil thickness to the hood making it more chip prone. See what I mean? A little body line imperfection is going to be forgotten pretty quick. But what he could create to try to "repair" it could give you MUCH bigger grief later on.

First of all, the list of things ever done by any man or woman that would qualify as "perfect" would be a very short list. But some people's work comes much closer to perfection than that of others. People who are known as perfectionists simply draw the line between good enough and not good enough at a different point than others do. As in every other profession, those who do body shop work fall at various points on the spectrum from very good to really bad. And some customers will be satisfied with a fairly mediocre piece of work while others will never be happy.

That said, without seeing the work in question, it is difficult to offer an opinion about whether you have a valid claim. I'm with the guys who question redoing a panel unless the flaw detracts from the paint job. A lot of body panels will have flaws, particularly if you look at them from an unusual angle, such as from ground level.

If you and the body shop guy can't see eye to eye on this, you might want to find a mutually agreed on "expert" (maybe a reputable local car show judge or appraiser) to look at the job and pass judgement on what should be redone.

David

Well I took some pictures yesterday (I could post them if I had a place to host them), but in the photos you cannot see any of the "flaws", except for the front of the hood & the louvers (still don't know what to do with the louvers).

Anyways, you can't see any of the waviness in the pictures. Only the driver side fender is bothering me, the rest of the car is pretty straight.

He is telling me that waviness is in the paint & clear & not the bodywork... Does this sound right?

It certainly looks like very shallow waves under the flourescent lights, but virtually dissapears outside in the sun (so he tells me, I have yet to see it outside) And you have to be looking straight down at the panels to see it, as soon as your "angle of attack" gets to about 10 degrees, the panel looks straight. So I'm not sure how anal I'm being here.

I see pictures of cars on the net all the time, but they always look so dame straight, I'm betting they look a lot different in person?

As I've stated B4, I don't frequent car shows, and don't really have any expertise looking at show quality paint jobs, just looking for advice here on what I should be tough about... for $10,000

I don't know I'm with a lot of these guys on this thing. I have been doing paint jobs for about ten years now and I have yet to see the pefect paint job mainly because I know where to look for things that a person on the street wouldn't see. I have such a hard time getting to the point where I am satisfied enough to paint the car. I basically have to force myself to do it. Like I always say you can make a bad paint job on good bodywork look nice but you can't make a good paint job on bad bodywork look nice. The paint job could be flawless but if there is a dent you stop seeing the paint. I have had people go how much to paint my car you say a price and they act like they could do it for $500 because back in the 70's the guy down the road in his garage asked that much to paint there cordoba. It sounds like to me that the guy is burned out probably with your car. I get this way too you work on something so long and it gets too you. You loose the itch to work on it. Now im not saying you did this but I have had guys come over and bug me every other day or want to chat about there car and you don't want to be rude but they need to stay away. Not because you don't like them but for me I need to concentrate on what I am doing and its hard when you have people over all the time nothing gets done. So my point is I bet this guy is like its not perfect but I will just hurry up and get this thing done so I don't have to see it anymore and I will just charge the guy less and everything will be fine. Obviously you don't think so. The one thing I would say is on the louvers if you told me to fix them I would with no problems mainly because they are small and easy to work with and it shouldn't matter its not like the whole quarter or something. Where it may not match. Two years worth of work for $10000 is pretty cheap in my opinion. Unless it was total crap but it sounds like it pretty nice other than a few things. But without seeing it in person its hard to say. Just my 2 cents.

"Now im not saying you did this but I have had guys come over and bug me every other day or want to chat about there car and you don't want to be rude but they need to stay away. Not because you don't like them but for me I need to concentrate on what I am doing and its hard when you have people over all the time nothing gets done."

I was definitely not one of these customers. In the two years he has had my car, I have been to his shop maybe once per month...

And I am a very good paying customer, anytime he needed money, I gave him cash, pretty much on the spot...

I know it's tough for you guys to give me good advice without seeing the car, but any help is appreciated...

Please, don't ever even think of looking at picture on the web to judge how nice a car is. There is NO WAY you can see small flaws or even medium sized flaws on a computer monitor. That goes for magazines too. I have been around this stuff for 25 years. I have seen MANY, MANY cars in person that have graced the pages of magazines, some are down right junk.
So forget that. I am not kidding, if you are not a professional photographer with a trememdous skill you are NOT going to photograph these little flaws. Let me put it this way, if you can show us a flaw on this forum, that is one heck of a big flaw. You would be right to complain about that one.

The "waves" in the paint on the fender, sure that is possible, very possible. It could be caused by a number of things, a good run that was not cut and buffed out properly would be at the top of the list.

"What should a car look like for $10,000.00?" You could "spend" $10,000.00 on a car and it isn't even in primer! You just can't ask that of anyone who wasn't there to see the car before and during the job.

I have looked at many cars for friends that were done by someone else. They ask me "did he do a good job?" I may look it over and see a number of flaws. Not really bad stuff, but flaws. I ask my buddy "What do YOU think?". If they have not seen those flaws and think the thing looks good I say that is what matters and "You got a good job".

Unless it is really bad and the guy got ripped off or something, what good would it do to be a big shot and pick apart the guys work when the CUSTOMER is happy? If you were park your car in my drivway and ask me "Did he do a good job?" If you pointed out these flaws you are talking about (the hood one sounds pretty bad though) I am darn sure I would be telling you to forget it and have fun with the car. From our conversation here, I am pretty darn sure that is what I would tell you.

We have brought up the "Perfect" paint job. I have seen one, not by my opinion only, we are talking the judges I spoke with a very prestigious car show. This was sort of the Rod and Custom eqivilant of "Pebble beach". I have mentioned it here many times. It was PERFECT (though I agree with Karl, I would bet I could fine SOMETHING wrong) and the judges told me personally that it was the best paint they had EVER seen on a car in thier years of judging.
It was a fenderless 29 Ford roadster. The painter had 1750 hours in it and it cost the owner $63,000.00. PAINT AND PREP ALONE!

Well the front edge of the hood & the louvers definitely show up in the pictures. If someone can host two pictures for me I'd be happy to show them to you guys...

Originally posted by ETD66SS:
Well the front edge of the hood & the louvers definitely show up in the pictures. If someone can host two pictures for me I'd be happy to show them to you guys... Email them to me. fritz@gigem.com. I'll host and post 'em for you...

Thanks gigem, I'm at work now, so I won't be able to email the pictures until later today...

Here you go (http://www.gigem.com/darlak.htm)

Not knocking the job it looks pretty good but, if the grills fit like that how does the rest of the chrome fit?Bet he spent a lot more on paint than he planned,those yellows just don't cover.
Can't see anything in the fender but front edge of hood doesn't look the best.May be able to break the paint at the hoodline but I doubt it, to do it right the hood would have to be reshot.

"Not knocking the job it looks pretty good but, if the grills fit like that how does the rest of the chrome fit"

Well he had all the trim while doing the bodywork, and matched it to the car.

He told me the louvers were straight before he put them on and cranked down the speed nuts.

He says he's never had luck getting filler to stick to white metal, that is why he just straightened the metal, used high build primer, blocked & painted them.

He went and looked at a show winning Chevelle (a car that cost about $50,000 to paint). The louvers fit perfectly, the owner said it cost him about $3000 to get the louvers the way they are...

I still don't know what to do with the louvers, he is willing to take them off and redo them, but they will only buckle again when installed unless I use shims under the bosses...

P.S. Since my car is already non-stock, I wish I would have bought a cowl induction hood, instead of this repo SS hood...

Not really sure about 66-67 but the grills don't seem to fit? Gaps around edges are not uniform.
$3000 to make grills fit? Sounds like some bull to me.
Bottom line you are the customer but as others said will the fix cause other problems.
Not sure how much bodywork was involved but I have done a lot of cars for half that,and never had a complaint from one customer,I also took them apart and put them together. It's your call
Mike

As MARTINSR said they all look good in pictures unless they are REALLY brutal.

Your hood /louver fit would qualify.

You may have solved your problem by a couple of your comments.

$3000.00 to make Repo louvers fit?

In collision repair some tweaking of all oem parts may be required. Insurance companies have paid us to fit some aftermarket panels if the panel is not too bad. The cost of using bad parts, new, used, aftermarket, is normally the responsibility of the Vendor or the entity requesting their use. No shop can afford to absorb that expense on a regular basis.

Maybe a different set of louvers would fit better.
Are those louvers oem or repo? If repo, I wonder how oem loevers might fit.
The pot metal will distort the hood sheetmetal.
Even the original ss hoods are kinda cheap and flexy.
Those louvers attach to a couple of mickey mouse tabs and then, in a couple of spots the inner structure. If he can shim and make it better let him shim it.

Then cut a deal with him to fit and paint the cowl hood you are wishing you had bought.
Of course maybe the cowl hood won't fit well.

This is the slippery slope of restoration.

Rest of car looks great in photos! (and I am not a yellow fan)

You have presented yourself as a reasonable person, the kind of customer we all like to keep. You obviously want to do the right thing.

Hopefully you and the shop will continue to work together to achieve the best possible outcome.

Good luck!

Karl

Originally posted by ETD66SS:
I'm not a car show guy, so don't really have experience looking at show quality paint jobs, but according to the appraiser I have a show quality paint job... ..then why did you spend 10K for paint/bodywork if you're not a "car show guy"
no offense,just curious..10K is a lot.And $30/hr. labor is cheap.
"Flawless" is a relative term..
JMHO and experience..
Best of luck getting this resolved,and nice ride too graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I think I can relate to the louvers. I just bought a 66 Convertible on Sunday. (more details to follow soon) The car is great but the louvers, which I believe to be aftermarket, are a bit wavey. Are yours aftermarket?
It would take a bit of work to make them flat. I could easily see how the dude could sand, shoot and mount them without thinking they would look bad.
The pictures look good, but as said, don't mean anything on a screen, even though you did get the best angles.
BTW, your car is going to look awesome when done. I have a weak spot for 66's! Is that Lemonwood yellow?

"..then why did you spend 10K for paint/bodywork if you're not a "car show guy"
no offense,just curious..10K is a lot.And $30/hr. labor is cheap"

I'm a Mechanical Engineer and quite a perfectionist (they kinda go hand in hand...)

This is the first time I have had someone else do work for me, because I knew that I did not have enough experience & skills at paint and body. (I did all the work on this car except paint & body. I did all the patch panels, put on a new roof skin, etc. Although I paid him to redo some of my metal work because it was not good enough)

All the work I did on the car was my first go around at restoration work, and I will tell you, I did many things over, 3 or 4 times, and they still did not meet my standards, hence my reasoning to shop out the paint job...
(I can tell you I spent about $5000 on this car "doing things over")

As far as not being a car show guy, and wanting a show quality paint job on this car... All I can say is I never set out to do anything unless I can make it right, or better than right...

As the color will tell you guys, I do not really care what others think, I want the car to be as straight as what I had envisioned. I'm just asking for your advice on whether or not what I had envisioned was realistic or not...

The front of the hood and louvers are a mess, the bodyman agrees, both will be fixed free of charge.

I'm just not sure they can be fixed properly without redoing the entire hood...

Thanks to all of you for your words of wisdom...

yuck, I wouldn't let the car leave my garage with the louvers fitting that way. I think the necessary modifications should have been made during the trial assembly/fitting stage to make them fit correctly. I hope this guy didn't talk you into yellow? These are long drawn out projects that the average shops won't touch, but man he should do something about the fit of those louvers. As far as a shop charging $3000 to make them fit--------------------I sure wish I had customers that were willing to pay that! Let's see, $3000/$50 per hr.?=60hrs.---I don't think so, maybe 20-25hrs. to make the necessary mods. I just hate to see people get ripped off. Bob

JimmyP,

The louvers are originals, the hood is a repo, and yes, he had them very flat when they were off the car, torquing down the speed nuts lifted up the corners & dimpled the top surface.

There is a guy who stops in the bodyshop while I am there once in a while, he has an all original 66 396SS with like 30k miles on it, he says his louvers are dimpled, but do not curl up on the front edges like mine.

He also has a camino that he cloned into an SS, he has aftermarket hood & louvers, he says they look just like mine... He says a lot of the louvers fit problem is due to the repo hood...

The paint is not Lemonwood yellow, the pictures are decieving, the yellow is much brighter in person, almost has a greenish tint to it.

The color is actually that of a 1970 Buick GSX, called Saturn Yellow. The car was originally Lemonwood yellow with a black vynil top, I detest both of those really, so I made the car the way I wanted it...

"I hope this guy didn't talk you into yellow?" LOL, I get nothing but grief over this color, I guess I'm glad I have thick skin, and also glad I really like the color...

I had this color picked out 3 years before the car was painted.

As far as this show winning car with the perfect louvers costing $3000 to get right, well, that guy did spend like $50,000 or more on just the paint job...

I guess what was done, is the reccessed portion of the hood that the louvers fit into was ground, and then filler spread in there, a release agent was put on the straightened louvers, and they were lowered into the filler.

The sourounding area of the hood was raised to meet the louvers, and feathered out accross the entire top surface of the hood . I guess they also welded steel where neccessary to the edges of the hood to make all the gaps exactly 1/8" He said all the panels were modified to get a perfect 1/8" gap...

All this was done to an original rust free hood, and original louvers. Can I believe that someone paid this much for a perfect 66 SS hood? Yes, would I pay this much? No...

I'm still not sure on exactly how to fix them, they will probably never meet my satisfaction...

I would rather have poor fitting louvers than bondo across a flimsy repo hood. May be trouble down the road.

"I would rather have poor fitting louvers than bondo across a flimsy repo hood. May be trouble down the road"

Well, I guess the car in question is not driven...

So, does anyone here have pictures of their 66 SS with a 2" cowl induction steel hood?

I made the Hope this guy didn't talk you into yellow comment because alot of bodymen like lighter colored cars because the glow distracts the eye from imperfections, not that I have anything against yellow smile.gif

As noted by others, internet pictures cannot compete for the in person inspection. Other than the hood, your car is beautiful!

I have seen more than a few $10k to $20k paint jobs (paint only, bodywork extra) - look long enough and you can still find less than chisled and symetrical lines here and there, and imperfect reflections. Taking it one step further, if you were to look long and hard at a lot of brand new cars you would also observe the same thing.

Why don't you get one of the cowl hoods that you want, let him paint that, and call it a day. I'll bet that you will get compliments and kudos where ever you bring your Chevelle.

Chances are good that after loosing his behind on your '66 (the cost of the bodywork and paint you have listed WAY exceeds $10k), your painter will never again undertake such a project.

There is nothing wrong with wanting your body and paint to be at a level well beyond OEM - it is harder and more costly to achieve than most people realize.

Best of luck, you are on your way to having a real head turning Chevelle smile.gif

Thomas

piiiictures :D eh.. eh ::nudge::

Originally posted by baddbob71:
I made the Hope this guy didn't talk you into yellow comment because alot of bodymen like lighter colored cars because the glow distracts the eye from imperfections, not that I have anything against yellow smile.gif lol..I do bodywork..and my 68 Cutlass convertible is daytona yellow..not because it had to be,just thought it would look good smile.gif
ETD66,I have to say you operate in the area of the hobby I stay far away from (people that just have way too much money to spend on a car..NO offense intended either)..click on the car in my signature..the black cherry 70 SS454 that I bought for $6500 and put another $3500 into the drivetrain to get it the way I wanted it..wins trophies at local car shows and cruise nights and runs 12's at the track,and looks all stock..and it has 15 year old paint LOL..and the car is worth easy 20K+ (and I bought the car 3 years ago) I don't plan on ever selling,but I do know what I have.
But,I guess someone needs to spend big cash on a car to restore it to their "perfectionist" standards..and those standards are certainly inspiring to other people too graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Sounds like you have done quite a bit of work ( a roof panel! :eek: ) I'm sure the finished product will be very impressive..I'd love to see some pics of it when it's done :cool:

Keep at it Ed...good for the economy smile.gif

maybe deep down, you just don't want to Finish this project...maybe your subconscious won't allow you to ever actually Enjoy it :eek: Sorta like those guys who just keep going back to School and never actually work in the Real World :D

All in fun buddy smile.gif

You said it yourself...you don't care what others think...keep at it till you are happy ;)

Mike

Originally posted by ETD66SS:

I'm a Mechanical Engineer (I can afford the $10k no problem), and quite a perfectionist (they kinda go hand in hand...)
Give me a break graemlins/clonk.gif

Well, most Mechanical Engineers I know are perfectionists when it comes to building things, so I do believe they go hand in hand...

Originally posted by Jimmy P:
I have seen the perfect paint job! Not just one, but two! Close up and in person. I was over every inch of Troy Trepaniers 60 Cadillac and the Chicayne.....Of course the Chicayne cost $425,000 too.The other day when I read this I didn't know what you were talking about. But I just saw this Chicayne on that cool show 'Rides' last night and it looks awesome. those guys do really impressive work. It'd be a treat to just be able to sit in that shop for a day and watch them.

Ed.

I'm sorry guys, but this $10,000 and $20,000 paint job stuff just makes me cringe. I could not imagine driving my car and really enjoying it if I had that much effort/money/perfection wrapped up in the exterior. Don't get me wrong, I love and admire a show quality paint job and powdercoated frame as much as the next guy, but I want to drive my car without freaking about every pebble that gets kicked up or God forbid a hailstorm, rock, bugs, vandalism.......one unforseen situation with that car and you can kiss your $10,000 paint job good-bye. But like you said, you're a mechanical engineer, so all you have to do is give it back to that guy for another 2 years and spend another $10,000. Problem solved. :D

"But like you said, you're a mechanical engineer, so all you have to do is give it back to that guy for another 2 years and spend another $10,000. Problem solved"

LOL, I failed to mention that I'm a mechanical engneer still living at home, so that is why I can afford it. After the velle is finished this summer my full concentration will be designing & building my house. Once this happens, no more $10,000 paint jobs for me.

I can honestly say this will probably be the only car I restore to this level in my lifetime...

ETD66SS, Let me apologize..... I hope you can get the job you were hoping for from this guy.
$10,000 is a lot of money to not get what you want.
;)

Originally posted by ETD66SS:
After the velle is finished this summer my full concentration will be designing & building my house. Once this happens, no more $10,000 paint jobs for me.

I can honestly say this will probably be the only car I restore to this level in my lifetime... I happen to have quite a bit of architectural experience under my belt as well as structural design and would be glad to advise anytime with the design of your new house. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

"ETD66SS, Let me apologize..... I hope you can get the job you were hoping for from this guy.
$10,000 is a lot of money to not get what you want"

LOL, no need to apologize. After reading your reply, and then re-reading my post, I can see how that statement can come of cocky, by no means was that my intention, it was worded all wrong...

Originally posted by ETD66SS:
"ETD66SS, Let me apologize..... I hope you can get the job you were hoping for from this guy.
$10,000 is a lot of money to not get what you want"

LOL, no need to apologize. After reading your reply, and then re-reading my post, I can see how that statement can come of cocky, by no means was that my intention, it was worded all wrong... :cool: graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Texas, what did your daily driver cost? smile.gif Insurance will pay for that Chevelle just as easily as your $20,000 late model Chevy truck. smile.gif

It is all how you look at it.
By the way, it is a LOT of money to me too. I have never paid that much for any car I have ever owned. My daily driver is a '65 Skylark, and it sure isn't a show car. smile.gif
My "family car" is a Windstar van I bought used.

But I still drive my cars with "$10,000" paint jobs. It is only metal and paint.

I just saw the pictures for the first time. Like I said you can't see a darn thing. The hood "thingies" and the front edge I can see and they are a little funky.
Honestly, from those pictures I can't tell if it is a bag of walnuts are straight as glass.

Originally posted by MARTINSR:
Texas, what did your daily driver cost? smile.gif Insurance will pay for that Chevelle just as easily as your $20,000 late model Chevy truck. smile.gif Your point is well taken, but having some body work and re-paint on a daily driver at any 'ol body shop around town, to me, is quite different from a $10,000 show car paint job that took many, many months to create. I would make sure that my insurance policy provided for "replacement value" on that paint job, or else they may just tell you that they are willing to give you a grand or two to have the bodywork done and to have it re-painted. Or worse yet, tell you the car is totalled and that's that. Please correct me if I am way off base here.... :confused: ;)

I guess if you have antique auto insurance on it and have applied an appropriate value to the vehicle, there would be no concern. Right ?

"I guess if you have antique auto insurance on it and have applied an appropriate value to the vehicle, there would be no concern. Right ?"

That's the plan...

I am being told by the appraiser, when he comes back to do the final appraisal, it will probably be valued somewhere between $30k-$40k, depending on the quality of the interior work & trim, etc...

I plan to straighten all the trim myself, then get it tripple plated. I'm gonna work a deal with the plater, to get a heavy copper plating on all the aluminum trim, then I will take it back home and do some final blocking, before taking it back for final plating. I want staight trim...

Originally posted by ETD66SS:
"I guess if you have antique auto insurance on it and have applied an appropriate value to the vehicle, there would be no concern. Right ?"

That's the plan...

I am being told by the appraiser, when he comes back to do the final appraisal, it will probably be valued somewhere between $30k-$40k, depending on the quality of the interior work & trim, etc...
Glad to hear you have considered the insurance coverage aspect. graemlins/thumbsup.gif