# Bodywork pricing



## sgav24 (Jun 30, 2009)

I got an estimate from a restoration shop near me for all the bodywork to be done on the 1970 GTO i have. Id like your opinions, as you guys are alot smarter than me with this kind of stuff. All i know is that it is a LOT of money, and im thinking its overkill for a just a 70 GTO hardtop. If you can, could you guys tell me what you guys paid for?


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

WOW. Food for thought: Buy a '70 all done up for less?


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## Jerry64 (Apr 20, 2010)

A tad steep........Alot of things you may be able to do yourself and leave the quarters and paint to a shop.......JB.


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

GTO JUDGE said:


> WOW. Food for thought: Buy a '70 all done up for less?


The first thing I thought of when I saw the "bottom line".......


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

GTO JUDGE said:


> WOW. Food for thought: Buy a '70 all done up for less?


:agree
you may even be able to find a real judge for that much.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Restoring a vehicle yourself can be very rewarding and fairly cost-effective. Paying to have it done is very costly, as shown. If the car were a higher dollar, rarer vehicle, the price might be warranted. Or, if the car is a family vehicle with sentimental value. If you don't want to do a lot of work yourself, there are two options: pay to have it restored, or just buy a properly done car. You should be able to buy a really solid driver quality '70 for 20k or less, IMO.


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## sgav24 (Jun 30, 2009)

I kinda figured I would get these responses. me and my dad have an almost complete chassis (all work done by us) but we are not welders. We don't know too much about body work and I've searched these forums before and I know you guys know a little something more. 

Thanks for the shocked responses haha  I'll look into other shops for much MUCH cheaper estimates.


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

$85 per hour.  did you get this quote from chip foose?


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

well it is in long island ( translation- EXPENSIVE) but cmon 35 grand- just buy one done and sell what you have on ebay and your out maybe 28 k- seriously you need to look around and find something a little more reasonable and if you have any skills at all do as much as you can yourself


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

66tempestGT said:


> $85 per hour.  did you get this quote from chip foose?


everything on shLONG ISLAND is expensive! $85 per hr is average rate at a good shop!


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## sgav24 (Jun 30, 2009)

I know its crazy overpriced, that's why we haven't sent it in yet. still looking around. Im just glad the shop gave us this piece of paper before we got sucked it too deep. BY THE WAY: we just want the body work done, i have no idea why the shop included the interior and wiring. so if you subtract the 6000 from that it leaves us with 28000. still a lot, but it looks better.

my dad's had this car for 20 years now, and loves it. i used to ride in it when i was little, so there's some memories that I want to relive ya know. not gonna sell it and buy a new one, we are just going to keep looking around. thanks for the responses though


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

sentimental value is very strong. but i think if you shop around you can get a quality job for substantially less. if you have had it for twenty years a couple more weeks/months shopping around cant hurt much. i like to go to cruise-ins and just ask the owners of nice cars who did their work. people love to talk to you about work that they have had done, especially if it was good quality. good luck. :cheers


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Pay to ship it to one of the guys on here, I am sure they would be more than happy to work on it for half price, $42.50 an hour.
That shop is crazy on their prices, $500 for $200 body mounts and bolts? Take it to Unique auto, they charge $20K for rims, tires and a stereo..


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## take5 (Aug 9, 2009)

For what it is worth I am currently doing a complete frame off full restoration on my 1966 GTO at a restoration business / shop that does show quality work for $40.00 per hour.
All issues are addressed with what is needed and wanted with your restoration project
by the owner who has been involved with all types & phases of restoration for over 40 years. This shop only takes a complete project to work on because the owner doesn't want any of his work impacted by either short cuts etc. carried out by another business.
Good Luck with your restoration and yes sentimental value / connection with your project is a factor. I have owned my GTO since December 1967 and after having it parked for the last 38 years I am very much looking forward to driving it again. These are great cars to drive, own and of course have fun.


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## chevyboy91188 (Oct 31, 2009)

do it yourself, its never too late to learn. I'm still in the learning phase about many things but I'm going to do mine entirely by myself except the paint which will be done by my uncle in a homemade paint booth like Randy had for his haha


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

chevyboy91188 said:


> do it yourself, its never too late to learn. I'm still in the learning phase about many things but I'm going to do mine entirely by myself except the paint which will be done by my uncle in a homemade paint booth like Randy had for his haha


I'm with you, I love working on cars. But, if you have more money than time and have a car, having a pro do it is a great option, and gets better results than I can do, lol.. It is a problem when you pay up front, they spend the money then become unmotivated because the money is spent.. Or charge way too much.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

If you can't do the body work yourself, it would be far more cost effective to have the car shipped to a reputable shop out side a major city. 
$2200 to media blast is crazy....$2200 EACH to install the quarter SKINS is high...that equates to 26 hours of labor each but a skin is more labor intensive than a full quarter. It would be better to install full quarters too, rather than skins as there won't be a seam the full length of the panel. Does the car really need a full skin/panel or just the repair patches on the lower areas ?? Pics of the car from all angles would help see what the condition is. The front fenders may only need the lower patch too and not a complete replacement. Many shops would rather just remove and replace rather than repair an original part. 

They are also charging full suggested retail for the parts. You could buy the parts for less yourself and supply them to a shop to save money.


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## xcmac26 (Dec 1, 2008)

Too Many Projects said:


> If you can't do the body work yourself, it would be far more cost effective to *have the car shipped to a reputable shop out side a major city. * :agree
> 
> *It would be better to install full quarters too,*


not trying to derail, but who makes a full quarter panel? I wanted one and HAD to go with the skins because it was all i could find.

back to the OP's post, yea, way too much money. do what you can yourself then drive the car or have it towed somewhere in the burbs to have it worked on. I know there's a little custom shop in or around bullville, NY (where my ex is from). it's enough of a podunk town that labor should be fairly cheap. if not, the OCC guys are in the same neighborhood :lol:


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Dynacorn...
68-69 part #1593L









Goodmark....
70-72 their website won't allow me to copy an image. Here's the link to full quarters.
FULL QUARTER PANEL, LH, 70-72 PONTIAC 'A' 2-DOOR HARDTOP


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Wow, the price isn't bad either.


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## xcmac26 (Dec 1, 2008)

Too Many Projects said:


> Dynacorn...
> 68-69 part #1593L
> 
> 
> ...


i'm not so fortunate with my '68


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## PrudencePontiac (Sep 1, 2010)

Dang. This is a good post to see, as I have a 70 GTO my Dad is the original owner of. I think the body is the last thing I am going to worry about. I'm making sure it is safe and sound mechanically, so I can take it out with the wife and kids on the weekend.

I don't have the time (or skills) to do this myself, but I was fortunate enough to find a guy who LOVES old cars, and understands our passion for Goats. So, I am sure he is doing all the work properly and probably not at the same rate he'd charge some guy to fix a 2008 BMW.

There are so many uninsured motorists around here I might not do anything substantial to the body and paint, anyway. But if I do I will try to find a similar kind of person, who respects the car and wants to help bring it more back to its original condition. 

So, yeah, good call on shopping it around. I bet you'll find someone whose eyes light up when he sees the car and wants to work with you.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

I would be concerned about all the ??? in the bid, their 34,000 will turn into 40,000 by the end guaranteed, also i would be concerned that they do not even know the name of the paint they are using on your firewall and frame it's Imron, not Emron. It's good stuff but they should know what they are using since it is in big bold letters across the can. i would do all interior out and in yourself, all trim off and on, buy all your major parts and supply them (markup at shop can be from 30 - 100%). Is your radiator support a pretzel ,6 hrs repair? Get your own wiring harness and do it yourself if yours is in tact it should be easy to replace while everything is out of the car. Finally like stated rent a trailer and take it to a more rural shop where the labor won't kill you. If it's anything like construction to be profitable usually ends up 33% materials to 67% labor. Another option if you do not have the time and patients, is to sub it yourself, body and paint to reputable (more economical) body and paint shop that you can see some cars they did a few years ago. For the interior find a good upholstery shop, and find a good Pontiac Mechanic for the nuts and bolts, because you will need his services over the lifetime of your car anyways. JMO's


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## SPDMETL (Apr 30, 2011)

Searching old threads for rust info, and, WOW ! Frameoffs are expensive, but what's with $500 to place the body on the frame and $510 to set the radiator support ?


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## Showgoat67 (Feb 16, 2005)

The price of restoration is getting high i charge 45.00 a hour and a full resto usually runs 20-30grand when you have a really rusty rusty car.


good luck


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

This thread is a year old, lol.. Oh well, good info..


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## onetwomany (Apr 22, 2011)

My suggestion to that estimate can be summed up in one word-RUN!!!


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