So i've contacted a few local body shops to get an estimate for doing the body work and paint on my 75 SS. I just received my first estimate from a recommended shop which was $17,000. This was for Labor and non-metal (paint, filler, tape, etc) materials only. It worked out to 350 hours of labor at $40/hour. The hourly rate seems reasonable but the number of hours seems really high for a car that has the expected rear qtr panel rust near the wheel wells and expected surface rust/pitting for a car with original paint.

I would still need to purchase the rear qtrs, floor pans and have the bumpers and trim repaired.

Does this seem like a reasonable estimate?
(email me if you want a copy of the typed up estimate).

I'm going to take a few pic's of the car to post in the gallery...

Hard to say without seeing the car in person or knowing what kind of work that shop does. Estimates are usually an arbitrary "guess". Most times the customer thinks its too much and most times the bodyshop feels they didn't charge enough. There are usually "surprises" when doing a resto.
And other times a shop might not really want to do the car so they they try to chase you away with a high price and if you can't take the hint, they'll take your money. Shop around with other shops that offer the same level of workmanship and see where they come in.

Great advice from Bobby78. And keep in mind that MOST CONSUMERS do not realize what is really involved when it comes to labor time, the actual time involved. BUT DO SHOP AROUND, times will vary from shop to shop.:dontknow:

This may be time to look at another elky, if the rest of the car is not perfect and in need of no work and no parts after paint and body. You may wish to look at the overall build and what is on the market know in the year you favor. Value of your elky, cost of this work and after work and going to a car that is done or nearly done for X dollars. Based you finding out what a 75 SS is worth that is in good to better shape verse what you may put into what you have ???

$17,000 would be one show stopping paint job with no errors of any kind with the best of best materials and for that you would not be fixing rust you would buy and re-work most everything de-trim and reinstall by painting company.
Give you and idea my Repaint is coming up in 2010 no new metal will be needed one quart of filler will be a lot and it will nearly all go under a vinyl top that is the original and has some surface and unkown rust. Top quality paint Base cost & clear on complete car and full bed paint, media blast sealer, primer and blocked between all coats with all removal of trim by me and replaced by me. This shop has done several jobs for me same guys for at least 7 years and painter 14 years, cost estimate and time is always good from these guys $7,000 paint + Blasting and transporting to and from blaster. This will probably go up as I think there is more work on the roof and base of back window on one side can't be seen. A lot of guys may think this is high but 10 to 12 is the average for good show paint with decent sheet metal. Can you paint for less "yes" lots of taping no blocking a D8 and finish sand and go for it clear it and its done 3000 to 4000 or Macco for 1500 or so. This shop knows the car so this is a quote not an estimate with only the under vinyl roof being a possible add (but I know them). If your going to keep the car for 10 to 20 years then only the finished job counts!

You (should get what you pay for). My $4000.00 is not a $10,000 to $15,000 job. I feel I got every bit of my monies worth, but a real expert could pick it apart. My decesion was based on budget, Time will be the true sign of a good job. even Macco jobs look good the first day, month, maybe year. Are they going to do door jams, lets hope so for that price. Did they give you an ETA? A good job takes time. Part of my price was based on them not having to make it high priority. But after 6 weeks I sure missed my ELKO.
Take lots of pics, before, durring, and after!!!
Warranty?
And like everyone says (shop around) Don't take the cheapest, nor the most expensive, somewhere in the middle is usually the best.
Donny

I've uploaded some photo's of my elky to photobucket.

http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab133/coll7890/?albumview=slideshow

Definitely not a 17 000$ work needed. Also even in a very good state, that car isn't worth it (no offense) but it's one of the less popular generation... It seems, except from a few holes, you mainly have surface rust. I would advise you to remove some of the paint by yourself with power tools see how bad it is underneath. Also you should check underneath the car as well because it's where the rust cost much more money than a hood...
:dontknow:

The question was does this seem like a reasonable estimate.You got a lot of good advice there on cost of work to final value. I do antique furniture restoration and the question of dollar value to personal family value is a constant. Being that it's grandpa's El Camino makes the rules change,is driving grandpas El Camino priceless?

Get more estimates and itemized if you can. Ask for references. Word of mouth is a great advertisement! Ask others who did their car.
They will bid high because they really do not know 100% what they have to work with until they get it apart!
Some will come down if it isn't as bad as they thought but a lot of shops won't since you already agreedto the price. The ones that will will usually tell you that up front.
But do not let them do a bid that is open for them to go up in price if they made a mistake in the estimate or find more wrong than they figured!
In the end it is going to come down to how much you want to pay versus how good of job you expect!

The car looks like, its time to part it out and find a car to build or buy one done its Gen and year don't help the real value at all. Sense it is your Grand Fathers car that changes things some, you have emothion involved and that changes everthig and places different value on the car. Buy a perfet match that is done for X and put something in it that make it yours you will than have about 25% of the cost in that car as you will have in restoring the family car.

I was looking for estimates on my car and all i needed was light body work and primer with only the panel behind the driver door needing fixed and they wanted to charge me $10,000:let_it_all_out:. I prefer myself to do all the body work at that kinda price.

I've uploaded the itemized Body Shop Estimate for anyone who is interesed.

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab133/coll7890/Estimate1.jpg

I'm not addressing this to anyone specifically, its just a general observation.
It amazes me that everyone "thinks" a bodyshop is robbing them. Believe me I know there are many unscrupulous shops out there. But for the most part people don't have a clue as to what's involved in doing the proper repair. Everyone "thinks" they're a bodyman because they have a sander and can mix bondo.
There are countless EPA regs to deal with, insurances, disposal fees, licenses, etc. Most of us around big cities can't just pick up a spray gun and have at it without risking some heavy fines.
Aside from spraying, its also a violation to let sanding dust escape into the atmosphere. Its another violation to wet sand and have that water runoff into sewers or the ground.
Then add in the price of materials. $400+ for a gallon of paint without reducer and hardener. And that's just for color. Add in the clear and primer and you're well over $1500 plus sandpaper, tape, masking paper, plastic, putty, etc. Add up some salaries for the 3 weeks it'll take and then add the shops profit so you can be sure they'll still be around if you need them down the road.
Everyone wants to make money at their jobs but expects everyone else to work cheaply.
How many times have we read classified ads that state something to the effect "Spent $100,000 on frame off restoration...asking $65,000." That's not because the owner's are trying to sell you some BS to make you believe you're getting a great bargain but more because in reality a concours restoration will cost more than most cars will ever be worth.
On the subject of doing some of the work yourself, that's another mistake. Unless you are truly a skilled bodyman using the correct professional materials, all you're doing is creating more work. You're not saving money by stripping a car yourself(usually incorrectly) I had a customer way back that used chemical stripper and a sharp putty knife to strip his Porsche. There were so many gouge marks in that body it was unbelievable! The shop needs to have all the parts so they can check fit as they proceed. Its also easier for them to remove items carefully and save the retaining clips, rather then be handed a bunch of broken ones and have to search for obsolete items. I could go on forever on this subject but I think you get the idea. Sorry for the rant!

Looking at that estimate, many tasks would just be less expensive with restoration parts IMO instead of some repair work, but maybe i'm just way off course...

I'm not addressing this to anyone specifically, its just a general observation.
It amazes me that everyone "thinks" a bodyshop is robbing them. Believe me I know there are many unscrupulous shops out there. But for the most part people don't have a clue as to what's involved in doing the proper repair. Everyone "thinks" they're a bodyman because they have a sander and can mix bondo.
There are countless EPA regs to deal with, insurances, disposal fees, licenses, etc. Most of us around big cities can't just pick up a spray gun and have at it without risking some heavy fines.
Aside from spraying, its also a violation to let sanding dust escape into the atmosphere. Its another violation to wet sand and have that water runoff into sewers or the ground.
Then add in the price of materials. $400+ for a gallon of paint without reducer and hardener. And that's just for color. Add in the clear and primer and you're well over $1500 plus sandpaper, tape, masking paper, plastic, putty, etc. Add up some salaries for the 3 weeks it'll take and then add the shops profit so you can be sure they'll still be around if you need them down the road.
Everyone wants to make money at their jobs but expects everyone else to work cheaply.
How many times have we read classified ads that state something to the effect "Spent $100,000 on frame off restoration...asking $65,000." That's not because the owner's are trying to sell you some BS to make you believe you're getting a great bargain but more because in reality a concours restoration will cost more than most cars will ever be worth.
On the subject of doing some of the work yourself, that's another mistake. Unless you are truly a skilled bodyman using the correct professional materials, all you're doing is creating more work. You're not saving money by stripping a car yourself(usually incorrectly) I had a customer way back that used chemical stripper and a sharp putty knife to strip his Porsche. There were so many gouge marks in that body it was unbelievable! The shop needs to have all the parts so they can check fit as they proceed. Its also easier for them to remove items carefully and save the retaining clips, rather then be handed a bunch of broken ones and have to search for obsolete items. I could go on forever on this subject but I think you get the idea. Sorry for the rant!

AS I Said Earlier ↓

Great advice from Bobby78. And keep in mind that MOST CONSUMERS do not realize what is really involved when it comes to labor time, the actual time involved. .:dontknow:

And I still agree with Bobby78, There's more than meets the eye when it comes to Body work.
Shop Around. :secret:

Guys, thanks for the input (and rants...). Please don't interpret my question as one of thinking "this bodyshop is robbing me". That wasn't the intent of this posting. Just thought I'd ask if it seemed "reasonable". Of course i'll continue by getting additional estimates over the next few weeks. I'm in no hurry.

Just to throw it out there, check out craigslist.org services for auto restorations because a lot of shops right now are advertising specials and pretty good rates because of the recession. That's how I did it.. worth a shot?

I fail to understand Bobby78's rant as I do not see anyone bashing bodyshops in this thread???:dontknow:
I have worked in shops and have seen the good and the bad of operations. There are some that gouge and some that don't, just a fact of life! I worked at one that would charge hours while filler, primer or paint was drying and they were working on another car for a couple hours before going back to it!
I suggested he shop around and be informed. Talk to people and I'd bet he can get just as good job done somewhere else for less!
I do have to say that on every car site I have een on bodymen are very thin skinned when you suggest that one might be overcharging a bit!:wink1:

I paid 2,000 dollars for body work and paint job. I feel like I got a great deal since I saw the actual amount of labor that went into the job. It may not be show quality but damn it sure looks great when it was finished. Check it out.


http://photobucket.com/hapeacreselcamino

Well I never said anyone here was bashing bodyshops. What I did say is that everyone feels shops are charging too much.
I suggested he shop around in my original post. But shop around at shops on the same level. Compare apples to apples.
Go back and read all the posts in this thread. There's the from those pictures that car doesn't need all that work and the for that kind of money I'll do it myself. Any car looks good in pics. Ebay is a prime example of that.
Thin skinned? Not at all. But I did spend 18 years as a bodyman/painter/foreman/manager so I think I have a pretty good idea of the situation. Bodywork and paint is an "art" or "craft" not just "labor" and those who do it well expect a certain level of respect or appreciation/recognition. Some look at it as if it were a job for simpletons.
Bodywork can be a funny thing. Some shops will just hide things and the average Joe will think that job is just as good as the the shop that wanted 2X the price.

Not to differ with you but "the same level" is a misnomer as I have seen hole in the wall shops that do better work than some of the big shops that are advertised as restoration shops!
I've seen two man shops turn out better work fasrer than the big shops too!
So on the same level has to be proven by quality of work and satisfaction of the customers and not size of the shop! Or the advertised quality of the shop!
It's a show me thing!:smile3:

Someone also was telling him he should part it out and find something better to build. The car isn't worth it I think they said!
You missed the point! The car has a value to him that you would not see. I have seen worse restored because of senimental value!:inlove:

"78" I don't think you were bashing body shops at all just trying to show and explain. However I do think you did assume that none of the car guy world has any experiance with restoration assembly, disassembly or stripping and some are probably as quailfied as or maybe more than 2/3rds of the the body shop help that I have seen in any level of shop. With that said the next step of craftsman above helper is where the art starts and is where the bad pre work by owners is a big problem to the job and creates cost to the owner as it must be redone or the hole job is in trouble not to mention redoing a lot of improper body work from other shops that is under several other paint jobs.
For me I would rather handle the the tear down, stripping and blasting and find out what I have so it can be corrected to a level that I want repair or replace. I say that knowing that I know when to stop and get the other guy involved, that is more quailified to get it right when the item is bigger than me. Also there are some jobs that need to be reassed as being more work and money than should be put into a vehicle unless the owner can do most of it himself and be happy with what comes out, no to many will put 12 to 20K into a paint job as some call it, I like your term "ART".

Hard to say without seeing the car in person or knowing what kind of work that shop does. Estimates are usually an arbitrary "guess". Most times the customer thinks its too much and most times the bodyshop feels they didn't charge enough. There are usually "surprises" when doing a resto.
And other times a shop might not really want to do the car so they they try to chase you away with a high price and if you can't take the hint, they'll take your money. Shop around with other shops that offer the same level of workmanship and see where they come in.
OK here's my original post. I used the term "same level of workmanship" Not size, not advertising, etc. Level of workmanship has nothing to do with where. I don't know how else to explain it! But you know it really doesn't matter to me.
When I said to compare other shops to the one that gave him the high price, I figured he picked that one based on the work that he has seen them do.

Not your original your reply, #13 in this tread. Not an attack on you at all I agree with most of what you say. Just that there are many guys that have the talent or expertise just have another trade also.

. Just that there are many guys that have the talent or expertise just have another trade also.

Not taking sides here but pointing out, That just by reading SOME of the Posts / Questions here at ECC, there seems to be quite a few folks / members that really don't know the first thing about Automobiles other than turning a Key and Pointing them down the Road. Then there is the OTHER EXTREME, a Master tech, that is able to do whatever it takes, IN HIS SLEEP. Just looking at the whole picture here is all, after all, What Do I Know?
Drinks are on ME :beer::beer: