[davepl]

I've done it two ways: drop it off and pick it up and write a check, and touch every fastener yourself. Neither is free nor cheap, though the "write a check" way is about 5-6X as expensive overall, I found.

Depends on what you mean by restoration. In my latest case I negotiated a flat fee for paint at $20K. So I sent them a prepped, powder-coated frame with engine and so on (just like the brochure picture) and a cab and a bed. They sent me back a painted and assembled truck for $20K (assembled of any major components that touch the paint, like the grille surrounds). That price ranged from $17K to $25K in the quotes I got locally. Paint labor is expensive at a quality shop - you can likely do better being that thing they dabble with when they have free time, but I didn't want to do any time in "paint jail" in the corner of a collision shop.

If not monetary, time and organization (or lack thereof) kills a lot off I think. You get down to a frame and then what? Hopefully you start painting/powder-coating and installing suspension bushings, but some people seem to get stuck at that stage.