[Buck951]

I am thinking about doing the body work on my car instead of paying to have it done. As you all know, because it is really expensive. Car is pretty solid. Has a little bit of rust that would need to be cut out and fixed. Also has a vinyl top so there could be some problems under there. Me and my friends are pretty good with mechanics but we have never done any kind body work.

 

[72LS3Z27]

I learned how to do bodywork from knowledgeable guys on the forums.Youre better off doing it yourself,and learning the right way to do it.

 

[136679ss]

Welp, yes it's easy to learn as there is lots of information out there....but very time consuming as a noob. Then you need to factor in, just how good do you want it to look in the end, and are you planning on painting it yourself too? My point is those extra dollars also get spent. On tools, lots of them.......welder, compressor, paint gun, block sanders, grinders, wire wheels, sand paper, filler, primer, paint, hardeners etc, etc, etc. The milestone you reach when finished is glorious, getting there is a significant challenge however. All this gets compounded if you don't have a large work space. Good luck. I actually paid somebody to get my body straight after I did all the sheetmetal, because I've got tons of other life going on. I'm now having to go and redo all his work. So yes, if you have the drive and the means......DO IT!!!

 

[Tod74]

Even the best body man on here, didn't know crap at some point in his life. They learned by doing it and probably training as well. There are several professional body men on this board that are willing to answer questions for FREE...take advantage of this. There are also skilled guys that may not be pros, but know what they are doing. It doesn't take long to figure out who these people are. When bad info is posted, it usually gets corrected. I say do it yourself if you have the skills. It feels good to know you did it through hard work instead of cutting a check.

 

[JohnC]

I'd look it over really good. Under the rocker trim, in the trunk, under the carpet, at the bottom of the windshield and rear window, the trunk floor drop off, look at the bottom rear of the fenders (just behind the wheel) from the backside, wheel housing, etc. If that is all the significant rot that you find, those might be pretty easy fixes (the rust repair part of it). You can save some money doing those repairs yourself and pay to have the paint done or whatever. It's pretty rewarding. Just ask here before you start so you get headed in the right direction.

 

[72LS3Z27]

Doing it yourself as far as peace of mind.If you could find someone in your area to do the work,how did they do it?What will they charge?Two years later after the world's prettiest paint job rust starts popping thru because they didn't seal under the new weld work........If you learn to do it yourself,youll know its tight and sealed under there.
Buying the midgrade tools you need for stuff like this still puts you way ahead of the first metal repair bill from someone else.
I wound up buying a lot of metal working stuff at harborfreight.
I would never buy that stuff from there for my day to day job,but for a one off car build,perfect.The welder will be the larger of your bills,but you can get into a decent mig for 400.00 from Lincoln.(mine cost 250.00,five years ago).
Paint,however is one of those things where it is usually better and cost effective to have a pro shoot,unless you feel comfortable with it.
Good luck.

 

[vinnievega]

Someone that will actually take the time to make it right will charge you $100-$150 an hour for countless amount of hours, and you probably wont see the car for some time, and end up paying a fortune when you get it back. With youtube, this forum, and some elbow grease (maybe a little trial and error ) you should be able to get something halfway decent done. If you are looking for show car quality work you need to leave it to the professionals though.

 

[cheveslakr]

$100-$150/hr. ...really??

• Do you have the place to do it?
• Are you going to use the equipment again?
• Do you trust your abilities and tenacity?
• Do you have support from your wife?
• Can you afford to tie up $2k just to get started?

If you can answer all these with a resounding YES than you may have a new project. If not search for a bodyman that works on the side and inspect his prior work. Bone up on correct methods re: bodywork and quiz the guy before working out a contract. Around here you could find a body guy for $30-$50/hr and honestly most cars you see at a cruise or show will have been commissioned by someone working in his own shop, not a resto shop. This is reality as most don't have the $20-$40k to dump on body/paint.

 

[Tod74]

If you have NO TOOLS already then paying someone might be best...but chances are if you are doing work on these old cars you already have welders cutting tools etc.