Need help/advice
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
From: Corona CA
Need help/advice
Hello all,
Need some help, maybe a reference, or a swift kick to the nuts (oh yeah already got that one).
First some info about my vette. It is a 1974 coupe, 4 speed, power nothing, non matching, prior accident vette.
Took my 74 down to get body and paint estimate from a reputable Corvette shop. Follows is what I've been told:
Need to replace the front clip, but to expensive so we can just fix the one you have (which will include replacing the passenger side fender and fiberglass work). Finish up with prep and a paint job and the estimate = $11,800 to $12,900
When I asked about painting it black I was told "there would be to many flaws, you don't want to paint it black". A $12,000 paint job with to many flaws to paint black?
So the help/advice part. Does anyone know where I can take my vette for body work in the Southern California area (maybe it would be cheaper to ship it to another State for the work?) Is this price what I should expect? I'm not planning on selling it but a 74 like mine would only be worth about $10,000 with a $12,000 paint job included.
HELP!!!!!
Need some help, maybe a reference, or a swift kick to the nuts (oh yeah already got that one).
First some info about my vette. It is a 1974 coupe, 4 speed, power nothing, non matching, prior accident vette.
Took my 74 down to get body and paint estimate from a reputable Corvette shop. Follows is what I've been told:
Need to replace the front clip, but to expensive so we can just fix the one you have (which will include replacing the passenger side fender and fiberglass work). Finish up with prep and a paint job and the estimate = $11,800 to $12,900
When I asked about painting it black I was told "there would be to many flaws, you don't want to paint it black". A $12,000 paint job with to many flaws to paint black?
So the help/advice part. Does anyone know where I can take my vette for body work in the Southern California area (maybe it would be cheaper to ship it to another State for the work?) Is this price what I should expect? I'm not planning on selling it but a 74 like mine would only be worth about $10,000 with a $12,000 paint job included.
HELP!!!!!
Racer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 492
Likes: 3
From: Temecula CA
Assuming that you really need that much body work, price will be high. If you are at all inclined to do some work yourself, it is not beyond the skills of a reasonably adept shadetree mechanic. It is pretty rewarding to get the body ready for primer and paint, if you can find a body shop willing to work with you. I did all the body work on my car, then had Maaco (in Temecula, CA) shoot with primer and two stage paint. I paid about $1400 for a new front clip and inner fenders (from J & D Corvette in Bellflower), $1439 for paint at Maaco, and about $200 for bodywork supplies from a local Paint and Body supply store. My paint won't win best of show, but it looks darn good! I wouldn't spend $12k on paint for a street-driven car---It's a jungle out there!
Temvette72
Temvette72
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,347
Likes: 418
From: Seattle Area WA
Personally I would sell it as a project car and cut your losses. There are a lot of nice cars out there with options for $6-$8K. If you don't want to sell it and buy a car in better condition, then you are destined to spend some serious money. Paint and body is an expensive venture. Since it isn't a numbers matching car, consider buying an American Custom Industries (ACI) one piece front end and as the above poster stated, find a good Macco shop to shoot some paint on it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Post some pics of the dammage, we can help you figure out a plan to do the repairs yourself if your so inclined. 90% of the cost is in prep, so eliminating that will help a lot and its not all that difficult to do.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,560
Likes: 4
From: Arlington texas
Either take on the repair yourself and save some bucks or go get some more estimates. Is it just fiberglass that was damaged or are they working on the frame or other structures? I assume that they are talking about painting the entire car for that price and the issue is only black. If so it sounds like they are just going to slap some paint on it instead of prepping it properly. Without more info I would run from them. They should either be doing the job right or not at all.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,962
Likes: 5
From: Schererville IN
Find another shop. For $12K, they should give you a straight enough body for black! I also agree with the others, either do some of the work yourself or unload the car for a more economical project.
