BruceP7

Hi Guys, thanks for the help.

Bluestripe67

I can't imagine that text book labor would apply for work on a vintage car. Shops that I'm aware of charge a flat hourly rate. If a shop is competent and experienced, they should be able to quote you a fairly accurate number and stick with it. Other CF members may see thing differently. Dennis

Frankie the Fink

kellsdad

I would think that something like replacing the entire wiring harness would take quite a while for an ordinary repair shop doing it for the first (and possibly only) time. And an experienced Corvette restoration shop that has done it before won't be cheap. If you have more than one qualified shop to consider, compare prices. If there's only one that is convenient to you, supply and demand will determine the price and the supply is 1.

I suppose the best way to avoid getting ripped off is ask for references in advance and see what previous customers think.

GTOguy

I have some flat rate manuals from 1964 that would probably have this information. I would have to check. As an ASE certified master auto tech myself, I can tell you personally that I would charge by the hour how ever long the job took me to complete. With 50-60 year old cars, repair operations rarely go as planned. A flat rate quote from 1964 on a 5-6 year old car would reflect the ease of working with 5 or 6 year old parts, not parts that had been in place and in service for 60-odd years.

calwldlife

SledgeHammer 2.0

I would have to agree that there are no typical charges. Engine and transmission could be changed at the same time but at my shop price would vary on how much detailing you would want on the replacement engine. My guys who can round trip an used Explorer engine in a day would spend at least twice as long on a classic car... changing out parts, painting parts and cleaning up brackets take a long time.
I would think 2K plus for a competent shop would be a start.

The wiring could be even a bigger challenge. While I haven't done a full replacement harness in a Vette, we have installed some aftermarket harnesses in other vehicles. It usually takes two full days of stripping the old wiring out and installing the new wiring, usually the underdash gauge wiring is a disaster and takes awhile to straighten out. I wouldn't even begin to guess price without looking at the vehicle.

That differential is pretty easy.. $400-500 tops to clean it up and change out the seals.

and to the favorite part, ASE Certified. ...be careful of that. I would go with old age experience over some young buck with some paperwork, especially on an older car. No offense to them, They can diag and repair a late model car with ease, but give them a carb and some points and they are there for days trying to figure it out...

CANDA

If its a shop that works on these cars on a regular basis and they have never seen your car before or never worked on your car, may charge a fee the go over the vehicle as a whole and see what they are getting into and if they are going to have to correct or fix someone else "work or repairs". Once you are a repeat customer they are usually glad to see you back as most of us enjoy talking cars. I haven't run into any flat rate listings yet as most of the folk working on them are about half the age of the car. I had a Chevy dealer tell me on time he loves to look at the car but would have to call one of their retired folks to ask them how to do some things.

Boyan

Boyan

Frankie the Fink

Those prices are what you'll get if you force a shop to quote you hard numbers...
The smart guys will crank in "all the risk" for unforeseen problems they might encounter... ($3,800 labor only to rewire a car; I'm thinking that's taking into account a meteor hitting the car 1/2 way thru the rewire)

If they don't hit major snags that just ensures you'll pay top dollar for the work.
That's called 'firm-fixed' pricing in project management.

The other end of the spectrum is 'time and materials' where the parts are bought by the shop (with some profit on top usually) and they charge their hourly rate until the work is completed. With a trustworthy shop this is OK, shysters will use it to take everything you have and then some.

Nothing new about any of this folks - simple project management stuff. There are variations such as 'firm-fixed, cost plus' I won't go into.

The other issue is dropping off the car at some shop and the owner assigns your work to the meth-head $8/hour kid that was sweeping the floors last week and he screws the pooch on YOUR car.

I prefer small Corvette-smart shops where the lead guy does the work, or, has a small team that knows their way around these cars...

And don't mind me dropping in to check progress unannounced!

Railroadman

What type of area are you in? In a large metro area there may well be a Corvette specialty shop or at least a place which is into this type of work, somewhere close. If your ranch is 15 miles from nowhere, your options are limited.

Also would you be willing/able to take it a longer distance if you found a good shop? If you locate a place well recommended by those on here, two states over, maybe you would be better off trailering it to someone who you could trust to do it right.

My FIRST suggestion would be to fill in your location on your profile. Maybe there is someone on here nearby who knows a local shop, or even someone who would be willing to help you for a few beers and other gratuities.

MikeM

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL?

rayvaflav

I would check with the local Corvette Club in your area or any of the NCRS chapters. A lot of these members have been doing this sorta' stuff for years and then they retire and start working on Corvettes at their own personal shop. That's a good way to get an experienced Corvette guy who knows what to look for and what to avoid. Just be aware that the completion time will probably be longer.

Ray

mark6669

There is no way to work on 60 year old cars on a flat rate basis. I have been working on these cars since the 70s, I can usually give a good ball park estimate but until you get into the job no one can predict what problems will be encountered. Make sure whoever you use keeps you informed of any unexpected problems that are encountered. Local Corvette clubs are your best source of information on who to use and who to stay away from.
Mark

phil2302

Long Island NY
Corvettes Unlimited (labor only) rate is $125 / hr.
2 brothers run it 30+ years.
c2 c3 specialists.

jimh_1962

A friend of mine charges 75.00 per hour. Same goes for the person who did some of the fiberglass work.