Cost of body work (photos added)

[keith88]

I was driving around a week ago and saw a 69 charger outside this body shop so i stopped in, it belonged to the shop manager in a few years i will be looking to redue mine and fix some spots that will be needing some attention. Mind you it looks good now and has a few MINOR surface rust spots and some old body work that could use a sprucing up but nothing major. I had him look at it and he told me $15,000 to start and that's on the low end.. don't think he interested, grant it i know you always find more when you get in to it but that seemed way to much. I'm not bringing it to a place like grave yard cars for a total restoration just a little fix up before its gets out of control.   What do you guys think?

[myk]

First things first.  Post pictures of the areas on your car that need work; this is the only way anyone here can give any sort of guess as to what you need and how much it might cost.  

All I had done on my car was: replace Dutchman panel, tail panel, weld new lower rear quarter patches (3 inches worth of metal) on both sides, repair one 1 inch hole on the driver's side rear quarter behind the door.  That list doesn't seem like much but all of that cost thousands and that was WITHOUT the prep work to get it ready for paint.  Body work is expensive, agonizing.  

If you find out the cost is too much for right now, you can do what I did and try to slow down the rust by sanding/grinding as much of the rust and metal as you can, and then spraying rust fighting paints such as POR-15 or Zero Rust on the affected areas.  It's not pretty but it will hopefully buy you some time.

Post those pictures...

[keith88]

 Some of the spots  (3 of them) are so minor that im not sure that my camera would even pick them up, the ones that are visable i know can be fixed have done similar spots myself but i am not a body man. The biggest spot would be to pull the top off and paint it the piece that goes between the window and trunk has been replaced at some point but has some cracks in the body work that would need fixing also there is some surface rust around the trim holes for the top that would need fixing which you would do anyway when the top is pulled and that is it Ill try taking some picture when i get home.

[Challenger340]

It's an unfortunate aspect of the marketplace, but due to the nature of any kind "restoration" type bodywork, it very simply is not profitable time-wise versus competing collision/insurance work which pays better.
Add that monetary facet with the fact that invariably it is not what you "see"..... but what is "behind" any kind of rust repairs or "old" bodywork re-do's that you do NOT see..... and it sounds like the bodyguy has not only EXPERIENCE with this stuff, but is covering his ass as well because he only wants his best product out there when finished with his name on it.

Off topic but....
I see it all the time in Engine stuff, and going through myself right now.
I just got shipped a race engine that a customer of mine picked up in a drag car he bought "complete".
The build sheet on the Engine claims the "world" as far as parts & labor... BEST of everything, should be a solid 800-850 hp deal..... but the guy ran the Car after he bought it and it's a complete terd, with Oil pressure problems, yada, yada.... and could only run a best of 12.0 in the 1/4 mile.

You guessed it....
it gets shipped here, with IMO, the customers full expectation that I can "wave some magic wand" for cheap to make it right ?

I can't wait to dis-assemble and inspect it later today.
Might be just some adjustments, you never know ?
But in my experience..... I've seen some pretty horrendous supposedly "wonderful" engine builds in my day ?
No matter,
if/when it leaves here..... it will have to be RIGHT.... because I am the last guy who touched it and MY NAME will be on it !.... so it will COST whatever it COSTS to get it there.

just say'in....
Your Bodyguy might just be conducting himself in the same manner ?

[keith88]

Yea i understand all that but i am not looking for a 100 pt paint job only to fix visible issues with the understanding that they might come back some day. The car has already had fenders and quarters put on you can see it . Its a driving to cruises and minor shows car not a trailer queen. Hell i would do it myself if i was set up for it. I can see thousands not 10s of thousands

[JR]

Average cost of body/restoration work around here is 70-100 bucks an hour.

Materials cost for a simple, exterior only respray can pass 1k pretty easily if using quality materials. (Im doing exactly what youre describing to my 70 as we speak, refreshning a 10 year old paintjob, not respraying underhood or doorjabs, using PPG's Shopline brand ( their cheaper line). I used to do bodywork professionally, but left the industry and now just paint my own stuff on occasion.

Just off the top of my head, im in it now for;

1 gallon basecoat-       $200
1 gallon clearcoat-      $248
Plastic/metal fillers-   $100
Various primers-         $200
Sand papers-               $100
Stud gun pins-               $20
Tape & paper-                $30

Im doing 100% of the work myself and probably will have 4 hours a day/5 days a week/2 months of work. Thats 160 hours of labor for my car, which was pretty solid before I started. If I were doing this for someone else, then price would be = 160 hours x 80 bucks an hour = $12,800 in labor cost.

12,800 for labor plus 900 in materials = $13,700. Add in the owners shop fees and a little cushion for suprises, and boom, 15k.

Unfortunately, bodywork is expensive. Thats actually how I learned it, I couldnt afford to pay anyone to have mine done, so I went to tradeschool and made a career of it.

Glad I dont do it to pay the bills anymore, though.

[Dreamcar]

Don't forget the hourly rate of a body shop (I'm guessing at least $70). Like already mentioned, the owner is looking out for his shops reputation and has to be able justify that cost, so the work has to be done right.

I'm doing a complete redo of my car, and I've discovered the hidden stuff that he will likely find on yours the further he digs. Plus, if you need a new vinyl roof, there are some parts that he has to charge you for too. Having to blend three different spots will likely require him to paint at least 50% of your car.

[keith88]

Actual work time on bodywork should take no longer than 24-30hrs tops and that being generous or at least that,s all it would take me. 

[Aero426]

Actual work time on bodywork should take no longer than 24-30hrs tops and that being generous or at least that,s all it would take me.  

It isn't hard.   But it is skilled work, and it takes a lot of time and patience.   If it was so easy, everyone would be turning out paint jobs on their own.    A good portion of your time allowance would be used up in taking the car apart far enough just to BEGIN work ; bumpers, handles, trim, protect the engine bay,  protect or remove the interior.    

If you are going to have a pro do the work,  both of you are going to want a repair that will last more than a couple of years before starting to unwind again.  If you see cracks, rust, whatever... you might think is "little stuff"...  as you mentioned, there is more work (and time) underneath than meets the eye.  

An illegal doing the work in his home shop might paint your car for $5000 cash.    And it might look pretty good.   That is about where it starts.     Anyone with a shop and a reputation is going to be significantly higher.    As mentioned, even with an economy paint line, the bill for materials will be "up there".    For what you are wanting,  a $10k budget would not be unreasonable.    

[cavemanno1]

I guess we are lucky over here in this matter because bodywork cost $16,6/hour!
But to compare it with other fields of work it's a lot!Say a bricklayer gets that much in a DAY!!!However this is where our luck stops because everything else is more expensive like fuel,electronic divices and such and such...Petrol/gas/ is 1.50 a LITTER!


Got a quote last year for fixing up a charger i was gonna buy.Needed every panel replaced,fenders,1/4 panels,roof,dutchman panel,floor boards,trunk floor,inner outer wheels house,rockers even the hood!The quote was $5k!The shop only has done ONE charger and it was a '70 so he calculated roughly based on that car!They had to fabricate a few panels because shipping them would have been a nightmare over here,i was told!He said if i had all the repop panels then it would be less then 5k!!!
Didn't get the car because it was in million pieces and collect the missing parts from here would have been expensive shipping vise!

Seen some cars they did and they looked beautiful!

[JR]

Actual work time on bodywork should take no longer than 24-30hrs tops and that being generous or at least that,s all it would take me.  

Are you saying you could strip the car down, remove paint and bad filler, repair all the bad spots of bodywork,  prime, block, seal, spray base/clear, wetsand and buff, and reassemble the whole car in three eight hour workdays? A long weekend is all you need to do a nice quality respray?

How did you come to that timeframe estimate?

Or are you just counting the time straigtening the body and doing fillerwork? Because if so, thats great, but you still have a heap of other work that goes along with just the bodywork side of it. That doesnt count paint prep, priming, stripping and reassembly.

[keith88]

No im saying the spots are not that big and i think people are thinking its worst than it is. the most time spent would be the removal of the vinyl top  and painting it

[cdr]

the front & rear glass has to come out for vinyl top replacement!!!!!!

[Charger-Bodie]

I love how everyone complains about the cost of body work. As if it's easy and anyone can just jump right in and do it. People will pay an attorney 200.00 per hour. 125. Per at john Deere to work on lawn mowers. Etc. etc. but a major investment like a car we should work for peanuts................

[cdr]

 

[keith88]

No one saying peanuts but im not saying gold bars either. I can see 5-8 grand for what im talking about. I have done this myself so its not that i don't know the business but like i said i don't have the place or tools to do it myself!

[Aero426]

.

[Dreamcar]

I'm not a body man, and I'm doing a lot of the prep myself on my 69. When the time comes, I'm having a shop near my house finish the prep (to make sure my work is straight using their professional eye and skill) and paint in their dust free booth. It will cost me quite a bit because this shop's work is expensive...however I've had them do work for me on another project and on our family DD, and their work is flawless.

So, I'm willing to pay for it knowing what the result will be.

[JR]

5k for my paint job would be 4k leftover after materials. For 160 hours of work. Which means 25 bucks an hour for labor. Plus overhead of running a business. That's less than a third what any bodyshop would need just to keep the doors open.

Im sure you can find a shadetree guy who'd do it for 5k Though. For better or worse.

[keith88]

OK here's the photos  as you can see NOT a big deal and is one of the reason that im waiting a few years.

2 spots like theses on both sides of top trim:



Between rear window and trunk:



Hood crack and tiny spot on passenger top fender:



Over all shot

[Aero426]

Why not do a repair on those areas instead of a complete?   

[keith88]

Its all it needs it was done some years back.

[Homerr]

Tear in to it just a little and it'll snowball.  You'll be lucky to get out of it for $15k.

[Baldwinvette77]

 im not a body guy by any means, but if you see damaged on top,  theres atleast twice as much you cant see 

[skip68]

That hood crack doesn't seem likely that it's from rust but more likely filler cracking old and or poor prep work.   Lay on your back inside the trunk looking up with flashlight and inspect.   

[fizz]

I'd leave it alone, car looks nice. Your budget will only allow for poor work on top of poor work, which will cost way more later to make right.

[skip68]

I'd leave it alone, car looks nice. Your budget will only allow for poor work on top of poor work, which will cost way more later to make right.

I fully agree.   The hood I'd do cause that stands out more and will not brake the bank.   As long as it can be color matched it's something that can be replaced fairly cheaply if it's in bad condition. 

[Stevearino]

A professional knows it is not wise to try and guess what your idea might be of " not 100 point " paint job. His only safe bet is to do the best job he can. Any thing in between and he is just opening up himself for  "I said I wouldn't be that picky but what you did was hideous".  I have run into this myself in other lines of work when a customer wants to cut corners then suddenly has much higher expectations of the finished job than you were able to guess. Not that you would do this but you can see that nobody who has experience wants to be on that hook.

[ws23rt]

I'd leave it alone, car looks nice. Your budget will only allow for poor work on top of poor work, which will cost way more later to make right.

I agree with this.  Your car looks very nice. The flaws you want to fix are small and to fix them in a lasting way would take what nearly everyone has said. $$.

If you just want to cover them up for a little longer you may be able to twist an arm to get it done for cheap and hope the color match is not worse than the original flaw. If those small flaws bother you enough to spend a couple thousand to fix just think how you would feel when the paint blend is something you can see. Would you ask/expect that it be redone until you are happy.

All the advice I see here comes from experience of one kind or another. It is not intended to satisfy your desire.  

[Aero426]

A professional knows it is not wise to try and guess what your idea might be of " not 100 point " paint job. His only safe bet is to do the best job he can. Any thing in between and he is just opening up himself for  "I said I wouldn't be that picky but what you did was hideous".  I have run into this myself in other lines of work when a customer wants to cut corners then suddenly has much higher expectations of the finished job than you were able to guess. Not that you would do this but you can see that nobody who has experience wants to be on that hook.

Well said.

[keith88]

The issue that i wanted to do was to pull off the vinyl top and paint it the color of the car. There are other small areas that i want to stop before it gets to be a  bigger problem that is why i want to do the other spots. The car was done several years ago im told and what is there will probably be all that shows body wise up at this point for a while. I have looked under the trunk and inside the fenders so i know its good there the cracked paint is just some bad prep Im sure. It looks good from the under side of things .

[skip68]

That's great that it looks good underneath.  But be prepared for what you might see under the vinyl.       if you go as far as removing the vinyl then I'd make sure you're ready to shell out lots of cash if it's rusty.       

[keith88]

The top was newly put on when the car was redone it feels nice from what you can feel of it no feelable pits under the top in all the usual places Chances are its good there as well but i understand its not a given.

[Charger-Bodie]

There are two main things at play here.

1) this stuff rarely ever is better than you expect.

2) if the body shop is any good they won't want there name one someone else's prep. Meaning strip to bare metal and work back up.

[JR]

 Your car looks great. I wouldnt worry about those small imperfections. If you store it Indoors I could see that paintjob lasting another 5-7 years before it needs redoing. I have to point out that you said you dont want a 100 point show job, yet youre worrying about very small flaws in your current paintjob that im honestly having a hard time seeing in some of the pics. Im sure the body guy picked up on that and has a sense of what kind of work youre expecting.

If youre strapped for cash and really want to delete the vinyl top, you could probably get them to remove it, leave the vinyl top trim on, and paint the roof down to the trim. Theres no blending, and much less stripping old paintwork necessary to do that. And it should be a whole lot cheaper. Just a thought.

[hemi-hampton]

A professional knows it is not wise to try and guess what your idea might be of " not 100 point " paint job. His only safe bet is to do the best job he can. Any thing in between and he is just opening up himself for  "I said I wouldn't be that picky but what you did was hideous".  I have run into this myself in other lines of work when a customer wants to cut corners then suddenly has much higher expectations of the finished job than you were able to guess. Not that you would do this but you can see that nobody who has experience wants to be on that hook.

I agree with this 100% & have said it myself before. People usually say they don't want a show car, then nitpick if it's not mint & flawless. I'd say go to Maaco if not nitpicky & not looking for a showcar. LEON.

[Bob T]

Actual work time on bodywork should take no longer than 24-30hrs tops and that being generous or at least that,s all it would take me.  

Fine. Do it yourself then. See what you uncover under the bubbles and how deep you'll go to make that good.
Also, try correctly matching your top coat without the spectrum analyzer telling you what is in there colourwise.
Sounds like you don't quite want a 100 point job  maybe 92 but only want to pay 40%.

And if you think the first body shop guy is trying to retire on you ( unlikely  ) then get 3 quotes and see where the median is and get to check out some of their work.

Quality costs to get it right, the body shop guy wants customer satisfaction, and he needs a bit of margin to pay his rent and capital costs,  thats how he stays in business. Get used to it. Maybe try working for yourself and see how you get on paying your mortgage, the bank wants their dough every month no matter how many late or non paying customers you might have.

[myk]

A professional knows it is not wise to try and guess what your idea might be of " not 100 point " paint job. His only safe bet is to do the best job he can. Any thing in between and he is just opening up himself for  "I said I wouldn't be that picky but what you did was hideous".  I have run into this myself in other lines of work when a customer wants to cut corners then suddenly has much higher expectations of the finished job than you were able to guess. Not that you would do this but you can see that nobody who has experience wants to be on that hook.

I agree with this 100% & have said it myself before. People usually say they don't want a show car, then nitpick if it's not mint & flawless. I'd say go to Maaco if not nitpicky & not looking for a showcar. LEON.

And if money might be an issue.  It is what it is...

[keith88]

I believe that a lot of people are misunderstanding what i want to do all im looking for at this point is to remove the vinyl top and fix a few issues before they get worst for a while. I'm not expecting it to last for the rest of its life, if i can get it to last another 10 years down the road than that is fine. I want it to look good but not perfect Im sure the restoration that was done was not done to show car standards. All i looking to do is stop surface spots before they get worst.  This was the 1st place i went to there are many more that i plan on seeing ,i have options people in the business and people i have dealt with who i haven't approached yet . I just believe that $15.000 to start is way out of whack for what i am looking to do. This is nothing that is in the near future its a few years down the road.

[JR]

I'm pretty sure we understand what you're saying, but I don't think you're understanding the size of the job you're asking for. Any reputable shop won't just scuff and shoot your car without knowing what's underneath. What if they give you the quick respray you're asking for, then the previous layer of paint fails, cracks, and ruins the new paint? Now a quick respray done to save cash has turned into a major, expensive headache.

If it helps, I'm freshining up my 70 as we speak. I went down to metal on this car back in 2004 and know exactly what's under it. Here's what I started with a month and a half ago.



Looks pretty good right? Just a quick respray, not going down to the metal, only addressing the scratches, dings, dents, and hidden rust that has popped up in the last 10 years.

I'll upload a current pic when I finish this round of wetsanding this morning, but I'm a month and a half into it at this point, probably 120 hours so far. And I still have 2-3 weeks left before I'm completely done. The car above will eat 160 hours of my time before being finished. And I started with a nice, straight car finished in PPG.

Hopefully that shows just because a car looks good, it doesn't mean you can knock out a nice quality paintjob in a week. There's no such thing as "just a quick and easy touch up" job when you're dealing with 40 plus year old vehicles.

[garner7555]

I used to do bodywork and paint for a living, filler doesn't crack unless it has a reason.   Could be bad prep work, exposure to excessive heat (this much heat would have most likely bubbled up the paint), or it could be filler was used to repair rust.  My bet is on rust, especially due to the location behind the glass.  If I was giving a quote, seeing those spots would cause me to want to strip the whole car to bare metal and then see where we stood.  That is likely why his price is up there, he is planning to do a better job than what you are asking for.  

I finally realized I didn't have time to do my car myself so I sent it to my local restoration shop that specializes in Mopar muscle cars.  I sent it as a bare shell on a rotisserie and that is how I will get it back.  He quoted me around 12000 for body work and paint but he said he has never seen a mopar with such a good solid body on it (only panel replacing is front valance and it was repairable).  This shop is out in the country like me and is really cheap (35 per hour) but does good quality work.  

Maybe you should shop around and compare prices, It sounds like you don't want the highest quality of work so in light of that you probably can find someone cheaper.  

[fizz]

I used to do bodywork also. I got my car stripped, on a rotisserie, and new floors, quarters, taillight panels, and Dutchman panel installed myself. Took it to a restoration shop for final bodywork and paint cause I was 2 years in and wanted it done. Car came back perfect top/bottom/inside out. I would have done it in the 90s for 10-12 thou. Cost me 30. I got over it quick. The expected quality of these cars has really increased over the years. A showable car from then is just driver quality now.

[skip68]

When I was shopping for a paint shop I couldn't get anyone to do it unless they did the prep.  There wasn't any rust issues, just sand and paint and the average price was around $7,500 if I'm remembering correct.   So I spent countless hours sanding myself, found a shop that would spray it on the cheap (just under $3k) and ended up with a driver quality looking paint job.   
  I should've spent at least another 50 to 60 hours block sanding.  But l was cheap.   I'm thinking this is the route you should take.   Just be sure to really put some time into it without rushing or you'll be wishing you did.   If a shop doesn't do the prep they can't guarantee the paint job and most won't touch it if they're reputable.   

[1970Moparmann]

Im doing 100% of the work myself and probably will have 4 hours a day/5 days a week/2 months of work. Thats 160 hours of labor for my car, which was pretty solid before I started. If I were doing this for someone else, then price would be = 160 hours x 80 bucks an hour = $12,800 in labor cost.

12,800 for labor plus 900 in materials = $13,700. Add in the owners shop fees and a little cushion for suprises, and boom, 15k.

It adds up!  Above explains it all! 

I've always wanted to complete all the bodywork on a car, and my first project will be my Bird - can't wait!   Going to get it on the road this year with just an engine compartment redo, but when my boys get a little older, will be doing the whole car. 

[Homerr]

I believe that a lot of people are misunderstanding what i want to do all im looking for at this point is to remove the vinyl top and fix a few issues before they get worst for a while. I'm not expecting it to last for the rest of its life, if i can get it to last another 10 years down the road than that is fine. I want it to look good but not perfect Im sure the restoration that was done was not done to show car standards. All i looking to do is stop surface spots before they get worst.  This was the 1st place i went to there are many more that i plan on seeing ,i have options people in the business and people i have dealt with who i haven't approached yet . I just believe that $15.000 to start is way out of whack for what i am looking to do. This is nothing that is in the near future its a few years down the road.

This is more complicated than you are leading yourself to believe.

What I think you are expecting:
1.  Pull vinyl top
2.  Prime
3.  Sand
4.  Paint
5.  Pay $3k

What I think the reality is (and note that you are asking those of us that have been through this):
- gotta pull the front and back glass - could find rust in the window channels, classic Charger.  I think you stated that the quarters have had work.  Did they repair the source?  i.e. rear window/sail panel rust?  On mine we ran into quarter sized holes under the vinyl top where the lead sail seam meets up with the rear window channel - completely unexpected.
- dutchman panel repairs?
- weld up the vinyl top trim holes - best to at least partially pull interior/headliner
- the roof skin could be pitted beyond repair - I ran in to this issue myself (about 20 pencil diameter holes along the front and rear edges of the roof skin and a few in the middle), full interior removal for welding
- remove the drip rail moldings
- the sail panel lead seam might need repairs
- how is the roof paint going to transition to the quarters?
- will the paint/body be guaranteed?  will you be happy if it is even $10k and the painter says that they won't guarantee a bit of their work?

It's going to be dynamic and no going back pretty quick.  If the guy says $15k then you'd better have at least $20k in the bank ready to spend.  If you don't then just leave it as-is.

Anyway, take a look here and see what I found removing the vinyl roof.  I initially just went in to get the lower rear window channel repaired.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,91842.0.html

[Dino]

I think it's all been said here.  I was a body man as well and also would not touch your car unless I could do a full nut and bolt recto.  $15K won't get you much.

You just want the roof matched and blemishes fixed so I suggest you do the prep yourself and have Maaco respray it.  It'll be far from perfect but it's cheap and it'll be driver quality.

There's really no third option except leave it as is.

I have wanted to remove my vinyl top since I got the car, but it's a hell of a lot of work to do it right so it won't happen until I finish grad school and have a job.

[keith88]

I believe that a lot of people are misunderstanding what i want to do all im looking for at this point is to remove the vinyl top and fix a few issues before they get worst for a while. I'm not expecting it to last for the rest of its life, if i can get it to last another 10 years down the road than that is fine. I want it to look good but not perfect Im sure the restoration that was done was not done to show car standards. All i looking to do is stop surface spots before they get worst.  This was the 1st place i went to there are many more that i plan on seeing ,i have options people in the business and people i have dealt with who i haven't approached yet . I just believe that $15.000 to start is way out of whack for what i am looking to do. This is nothing that is in the near future its a few years down the road.

This is more complicated than you are leading yourself to believe.

What I think you are expecting:
1.  Pull vinyl top
2.  Prime
3.  Sand
4.  Paint
5.  Pay $3k

What I think the reality is (and note that you are asking those of us that have been through this):
- gotta pull the front and back glass - could find rust in the window channels, classic Charger.  I think you stated that the quarters have had work.  Did they repair the source?  i.e. rear window/sail panel rust?  On mine we ran into quarter sized holes under the vinyl top where the lead sail seam meets up with the rear window channel - completely unexpected.
- dutchman panel repairs?
- weld up the vinyl top trim holes - best to at least partially pull interior/headliner
- the roof skin could be pitted beyond repair - I ran in to this issue myself (about 20 pencil diameter holes along the front and rear edges of the roof skin and a few in the middle), full interior removal for welding
- remove the drip rail moldings
- the sail panel lead seam might need repairs
- how is the roof paint going to transition to the quarters?
- will the paint/body be guaranteed?  will you be happy if it is even $10k and the painter says that they won't guarantee a bit of their work?

It's going to be dynamic and no going back pretty quick.  If the guy says $15k then you'd better have at least $20k in the bank ready to spend.  If you don't then just leave it as-is.

Anyway, take a look here and see what I found removing the vinyl roof.  I initially just went in to get the lower rear window channel repaired.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,91842.0.html

No not 3 grand more like south of 8 the roof is fine under the top the trim pieces are going back on like I said SURFACE rust  down by the holes for the trim nowhere else trying to stop/slow it down for a while as far as for the windows pull trim cut top at window paint put trim back on done that before who going to know but me. This is NOT a restore just a fix /slow down what's there for a while will do more/again at a later time it don't have to be 15 grand . I will find someone when it's time. All the response seems to be from a done /done right aspect that is not nessaserly what I'm looking for at this time.

[keith88]

Just had a local dodge dealer body shop look at it in my town and He really liked the car and said it would be between 7- 10 grand and hes painting the whole car as well ..now that what i expected . Not 15 grand to start  like the last moron. He just did my sons car when he hit a deer and did my wrangler a few years back dose great work ,think i found my guy although is a few years down the road.

[69 OUR/TEA]

What I am misunderstanding is , taking the vinyl off to repair what is underneath , or taking it off to NOT have a vinyl top car (paint the roof)?
If taking of to paint , there's your 24-30 hours right there :
1. Take off front/rear window trim/drip rail moldings.(carefull,don't bend them up!)
2. Take out front/rear windows (that's if you want to do it right,carefull , don't break the back glass or windshield ,  extra $$$$$ !!)
3. Interior headliner sail panels to get the nuts that hold on the Charger script.
4. Now as it was a vinyl top it has " putty" not lead like the hardtop cars. So dig that out , and bodywork the sail panels smooth.
5. Bunch of hours cleaning off the glue , PIA and messy !!!!
6. What dents/rust/waves you gonna find lurking under there , you will !!!!!
7. Weld up the vinyl top holes/ bodywork smoothing out those areas.
8. Now you can start fixing what you were talking about !!!!
9. With all that you described , I wouldn't think anything less than a full paint job at that point !!!!
10. So , off with the bumpers , trim , door handles , grill , etc , etc , etc, etc !!!

   $7-10k sounds awefull good !!!!! By that , I mean cheap !!!!!!
 

[1974dodgecharger]

Im sorry, but I have to laugh at those photos!!!!  Please don't tell me your NOT driving that beautiful car because of those things you see as, 'flaws'   

I can NOW see why people see my car as, 'JUNK' when they see it in face to face time.  You would have a heart attack if you saw my car in person if you think those pics are considered, 'horrible' and you need a, 'touch' up 

Just drive it and enjoy the snot out of it......

[keith88]

Im sorry, but I have to laugh at those photos!!!!  Please don't tell me your NOT driving that beautiful car because of those things you see as, 'flaws'   

I can NOW see why people see my car as, 'JUNK' when they see it in face to face time.  You would have a heart attack if you saw my car in person if you think those pics are considered, 'horrible' and you need a, 'touch' up 

Just drive it and enjoy the snot out of it......

Oh no ..no one said anything about not driving it i do a few times a week. But i do want to fix a few spots before they get out of control it is garage keep so i have some time but if you dont take care of it ,it will only get worst and cost more later.

[keith88]

What I am misunderstanding is , taking the vinyl off to repair what is underneath , or taking it off to NOT have a vinyl top car (paint the roof)?
If taking of to paint , there's your 24-30 hours right there :
1. Take off front/rear window trim/drip rail moldings.(carefull,don't bend them up!)
2. Take out front/rear windows (that's if you want to do it right,carefull , don't break the back glass or windshield ,  extra $$$$$ !!)
3. Interior headliner sail panels to get the nuts that hold on the Charger script.
4. Now as it was a vinyl top it has " putty" not lead like the hardtop cars. So dig that out , and bodywork the sail panels smooth.
5. Bunch of hours cleaning off the glue , PIA and messy !!!!
6. What dents/rust/waves you gonna find lurking under there , you will !!!!!
7. Weld up the vinyl top holes/ bodywork smoothing out those areas.
8. Now you can start fixing what you were talking about !!!!
9. With all that you described , I wouldn't think anything less than a full paint job at that point !!!!
10. So , off with the bumpers , trim , door handles , grill , etc , etc , etc, etc !!!

   $7-10k sounds awefull good !!!!! By that , I mean cheap !!!!!!
 

I'm taking to top off to paint it i don't want a vinyl top on it. At the moment it dose not appear to have rust under it and did not when the currant restoration was done a little while back. But that is the one factor that could make the price go towards the 10 grand mark if some was found.