Shadowen925 Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I got the car with engine for 300 and the gas for an hour and a half drive. For that price I was sure I'd be able to come out cheaper than buying it somewhere else. I didn't intend for it to turn out to be as much of a project as it did. You're probably right, I should have gone for a rust free shell, but I never even thought of that. I really just planned to drive it for a while the way it was, but the car turned out to be worse that I expected. I decided to rebuild the engine and run my MS3 I had sitting around for my other project. I knew my friend did bodywork, so I asked him to come look at the car. He said he'd be able to do it and gave me a list of materials he wanted me to get him. Also, he said he'd do it for only $200-$300 for labor. I don't know anything about bodywork, so when he tells me he'd have it done in (X) amount of time for (Y) amount of money, I believed him and based my expectations off of that. But now with all the info you are providing, I understand how It has the potential to take much longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 (edited) I did all the rust repair on my car, provided all the materials and did 85% of the body work on my own car. I spent 3 years doing it myself, and I had a LOT less rust than you did...I did both floors, both front fenders, both doglegs, and straightened out the rear quarters and rear deck...no rust in there when I started although the rear fender lips are rusting through now...RUST NEVER SLEEPS! Then I paid a shop 1500$ to finish the bodywork, prime and block out the car, and spray the color and clear. They took 8 months to do that! Keep in mind this is a professional shop with two experianced guys. Even at that...they managed to ruin the job by cutting corners...but we'll not get into that here. Edited January 22, 2014 by Xnke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Yea, if he is doing it for 200-300$ he must... A. Really really like you B. Not value his time at all (AKA bored) C. Somehow see this as an investment (perhaps for future customers?) D. Really underestimated the work involved (expect a reworked quote in the near future) E. Bit off more then he could chew (expect to call it quits after a few months of delays) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowen925 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Yea, if he is doing it for 200-300$ he must... A. Really really like you B. Not value his time at all (AKA bored) C. Somehow see this as an investment (perhaps for future customers?) D. Really underestimated the work involved (expect a reworked quote in the near future) E. Bit off more then he could chew (expect to call it quits after a few months of delays) I feel like this is going to be the most accurate. If I can get a hold of him, I'm going to tell him that I'll take it back in the state he's got it at and pay him for the work he's done. Then I'll try to find a local body shop to finish it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 If I can get a hold of him, I'm going to tell him that I'll take it back in the state he's got it at and pay him for the work he's done. Then I'll try to find a local body shop to finish it for me. A body shop will be expensive! Why don't you have the guy that has your car rough weld in the patches, if you don't have a welder,then pay him, and take your car home. Then you can research how to do body work , and do the rest. It's not that hard, it just takes practice. I did all of the welding, body work, and paint on my car. It took me about 6 months, and about $1000 in material, and paint. Give it a try, and don't be in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Oh, those were options. It could very well be that he really really likes you and is really really bored so he doesn't mind doing the work. If he can weld, having him patch the panels is going to save you a ton of money, as long as he patches them correctly. And if he does know body work, you can save a pretty penny there as well. Just need to setup a communication schedule or visiting time arrangement it seems like. The replacement parts for the floor and rails cost 500 if memory serves. If you take it to a body shop, they are going to charge you that, plus labor, plus welding fees, plus whatever they want. Plus a paint job usually runs around 3k average from what I have shopped around, so unless you have 5k or so burning a hole in your pocket, you may be better off finding out the exact circumstance that this is being done under. If not follow the advice of others and pay him a friendly visit with food and drinks and talk about what really is going to happen and offer help to reach them. You can tell from a lot of the build threads on here, that body work and chassis repair isn't a day or two affair, it can take months upon months. And if the shop you pick charges an hourly fee, then you better have quite a bank roll to back up the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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