Does anyone have an idea it would cost to have the interior completely redone in a C3?
When I mean completely..I'm talking about stripping the interior out ..then replacing/dying everything..new seat foam, leather seat covers..carpet....rear compartments.....everything down to the screws.

Nick

 

NOS or repro?

5K(repro) to 10K(NOS), at a guess.

 

It depends on whether you will do the work yourself or send it out. If you are going to send it out get a couple of prices from interior shops but make sure they give you a detailed listing of what ythey will do.

If you are going to do it yourself it is very doable. Get yourself some of the top vendor catalogs- Corvette America, Al Knock, Zip, Mid America Motorworks, Corvette Central, etc. and check out their interior package prices.

It all depends on what your priority is price or quality. Al Knoch has great quality but there are some cheaper packages out there. I preferred quality since I don't intend to do this job again for quite some time.

 

The reason I ask is that someone wants me to restore their interior for them.........he is not a friend, just someone that I have seen at a couple of shows. I want to be fair, but I'm not a charity

I did mine over the span of 4 years as part of my restoration, so dont really have anything to go by. I worked it out around 60 hrs of work......trying to work out a price + cost of parts total for the guy...dont know where to start.............

 

Oh, that's easy!

Labor @ 60/hr
part cost + 15%
Tax and insurance

He pays up front.

 

I would have a written agreement as to everything being done, the estimate and a clause for possible delays or part increases.


As far as "he pays up front", no offense as I do not know you, but I would take my business elsewhere. This person is not a friend and you have seen him at shows. Huge risk to him. It is, however, more than reasonable to ask for the part cost (including ship charges and your markup) up front. This way you still cover all of your costs and make a buk if something should go wrong. I would then add to the contract a timeline for paying the labor costs. If you assume 60 hours, then at 20 hours the customer inspects the work and pays you for the 20 hours or once 50% of the work is completed, an additional payment is necessary.

Also, insurance was mentioned, make sure you are covered. While usually an afterthought, stuff goes wrong. I repair wireless phones. I screw up, I need to cover any additional damage up to replacing the phone. While it has only been 1 in 6 years, it does happen. Cover your tail. A full test drive and documentation of all damage, guage readings and a laundry list of what works and what doesn't may save grief later. Build that time into a labor charge.

I am not trying to dissuade you, as some of the most successful businesses start this way, but it is not like you are doing a favor helping out a friend were a great deal of trust exists.

 

I do car repairs as a sideline and I would approach this one of 2 ways.
1) He buys everything and I get an hourly rate. I get paid when the job is done. I feel no compulsion to fix anything that he didn't like on my time (ie: color is wrong between parts, stiching is bad, etc.)
2) I buy everything and get an hourly rate (possibly with a cap depending on the job). I mark the parts up 30-50%. I get at least 1/2 up front. If there is a problem, I deal with the vendors. He does not complain about my prices or choice of vendors.

No way I quote a firm price for the job unless it is very high. If you think and price it at 60 hours and it takes 80 you will shortcut stuff at the end and nobody will be happy. You cannot accurately predict what will be wrong underneath. In an early car you may have hidden seat rust/rot. In a later one you may have broken seat buckets. Etc. To get a firm quote, I would want to completely dis-assemble it first. Get a very firm idea of what is expected before you start-as applicable (do you have to fix the seatbelt buzzer? Do you have to fix the door ajar light? Fiberoptics have to work? Alarm work? Guages all have to work? Repaint the column? Refinish or new shift console? Guage bezel? HVAC controls? New parking brake cable? Rebuild seatbelt retractors? All new hardware or use old? New/repair wiring harness?) Make sure you both have the same idea of the end result before you start. My .02