Venting Body Shop Woes

[EMCustoms]

I read through threads and see a number of people going to body shops and wait around for a car that never gets done.  Now I have joined the masses.  I live in Huntsville TX and have owned this car since '99 working on it off and on when I could.  In '06 I took it to a shop in Corpus Christi that was going to dip and prime, do all of the sheet metal and body work.  When I got the car back it was going to be ready for paint.  Going from getting it back the summer of '07, one year later, then to the first of the year, then to the summer of '08.  In Fall of '07 I was told that the trunk floor was in and quarters were tacked in.  Come to find out nothing has been done except for the dipping and priming.  In March of this year I find out that my quarters and outer wheel housing had been stolen.  When I visit in March to see the car; he tells me that he is going to finish the body work and even cut it in since he had the car for so long.  This week I am told the shop is closing and I will get the car back in it's current condition.   

Here are pics before I went to the shop

[EMCustoms]

And here are pics of when I visited the shop in March.

[terrible one]

Now THAT is f***ed up. I'm sorry to hear that man. 

[69*F5*SE]

I got Fk'd by my original body guy also. Left me out in the cold with my car stripped bare metal. Sorry to hear it happened to you too.

[Silver R/T]

sorry to hear that, join the rest I guess. Unless you want to do bodywork yourself.

[JimShine]

I hate body shops. The good ones stand out because they can charge more and/or they have a backlog of work that keeps them busy for years ahead of time.

[AutoRust]

Sadly, its a story I hear over and over again. Most bodyshops just are not able to handle the type of work these cars need.
They seem better at fixing 2006 Honda that need a fender and a quick squirt of paint, then they get a check from the insurance company.
They get way over there heads with major restoration work. They usually have good intentions, but quickly realize they dont generate the cash flow needed to sustain the shop and keep the doors open.
The shops that can handle them, and are good at it, have a significant back log. They are also rather pricey. I have seen shops hand out bills for $10-15,000+ to do the type of work it looks like you need.
Good luck with your project.

[Charger-Bodie]

Just a little FYI : We dont all suck! 

[AutoRust]

Just a little FYI : We dont all suck! 

Of course not. Its just when ever a horror story shows up, its like a waterfall of people complaining. I know of 3 really good shops around me. They are always busy, always backed up, and always costly.
My understanding is it takes a lot of work to do them correctly, and shops have difficulty finding good help. I hear the schools are not teaching kids to do old school stuff, just how to pull and paint.
Its a real challenge.

[hemi-hampton]

If you want it done in timely manner, Bring it to me, I did my last car, 69 Road Runner in 5 months, not 5 years. LEON.

[69*F5*SE]

I can vouch for this. I've actually seen the Road Runner in person and it looks GREAT 

[EMCustoms]

I did find a local shop called Mo Muscle, which was featured in Mopar Muscle for a '70 Roadrunner, that quoted me the same price as the shop I took it to.  Unfortunately, they did not send me the quote until a month later, I had already taken the car to the other guy.  I should have waited but I wanted to get the ball rolling. I had 2 years to finish the car so son could ride in it for his first day of school.  Now that there are 3 months left I don't see it happening.  When I found out what happened, I went back to the other shop, they now charge a higher rate, and have a 6 month back log.  So now I am on a waiting list.

[TUFCAT]

I can vouch for LEON also..... Two Thumbs Up! 

[jaak]

In 2002, I took my Charger to a friend (now ex-friend) that owned a bodyshop. Thats what he did was old cars. I seen many cars and pics of cars he had done. He quoted me a good price, so I took it to him. After putting my car in the shop (first!) he worked and finished a 64 Chevelle, 68 Chevelle, 69 Roadrunner, 71 Duster, 68 Charger and several small insurance jobs. All my car got was a trunk floor half ass welded in, paint stripped off the roof and quarters and epoxy primer. After 3 years, I went and picked it up. I gave him 1500 up front when he started, we had a big argument, long story short I got around 700 back from him. I have decided to try it myself, It might take forever but I'm making more progress than it was sitting in his shop.

Jason

[restoman]

Geez, all I can say is you guys are taking your cars to the wrong shops!
A couple things I've learned over the years - friends and business don't mix, whether it's cars or barbershops, friends working for friends is a recipe for disaster most times. Another thing is shop around and ask questions before taking your car to anybody. Don't rely on pics, don't go to one car club and get opinions, and don't let price dictate who fixes your car. Ask everyone you can find, and pay attention to what they say. The third thing is visit whatever shop you chose often, Keep track of what is done, ask why when it's not, and for gosh sakes, don't ever tell the shop you're not in a hurry! They will believe you.

[69fuchs]

Just a little FYI : We dont all suck! 

Good body shops are not easy to find, and quality work takes time.  Most body shops use restoration work as filler work.  The bread and butter is collision work, $$$$$$.   If you know anything about restoration shops, they are very expensive and usually have at least a 6 month waiting list.

Let's face it, body and paint are not easy tasks.  These cars are 40 years old, and have many hidden problems. 

Brian's shop does excellent work, the cars come out of there looking better than new.

  It just can't be done overnight, and who in there right mind would turn down money making work (collision) for time consuming restoration work?  If Brian billed out every hour spent on a restoration project, the cost would out weigh the worth of the car in a big hurry.

[TexasStroker]

I have decided to try it myself, It might take forever but I'm making more progress than it was sitting in his shop.

Jason

That is the same route I take when it comes to body shops...I could have had a trunk floor in by now from a "pro" shop, but it would have cost a lot and probably been done to standards lower than I'd desire if I was lucky, if I wasn't lucky the car would have done burnouts in front of the shop, sat out and got hailed on and then been charged storage fees for while it sat out and was abused. 
I find it much harder to find a good body shop than it is to find a good mechanic or machine shop.

Plus my main thing is getting it done right, or to my standards.  I do as much work as possible: First because I enjoy it, second because it saves cash, stress, and other unforseen elements.  If I don't know how to do something, I'm not ashamed to ask for advice or know-how from those that have been there...Learning never gets old.

That said, for the few that actually have a body shop that knows Mopars, and do good, quality work...I would not at all hesitate to give them business.

[suntech]

Look at it from the bright side............. Now you can put on real quarters, and not the patch panels