Body work quotes

[massopust13]

I'm quite new to restoring vehicles and this message board, so please be kind if I have some questions that may seem trivial. I bought a 72 Longhorn a little over a year ago that has some rust issues in normal spots for a WI vehicle. So I purchased some parts from LMC (Inner and outer rocker, cab supports, floor replacement piece, and the lower portion of the drivers door) however the repair is a bit beyond my ability. I live in the Milwaukee area and the truck is at my parents house a few hours away. I showed these three photos to a local restoration place and he said it would be about $500-$600 to just put in the parts I have for the left side. My dad had a person near him stop by and I just got his quote as $2600. Could anyone clue me in on which is closer to reality? Also does anyone know a good place in SE Wisconsin that does restorations?

[Zoomin]

Welcome to the board, and believe me, it seems like most people new to these trucks wind up in the same situation as you.

It could be both estimates are accurate. The first could be the charge to weld in the new pieces, and the second might be including time to blend them in and paint to a certain extent. Go back to the first guy and make sure you both understand the extent of the work to be done.
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[mcbassin]

First off WELCOME to the best board on the net!

Zoomin hit the nail right on the head. The first guy is probably only cutting out the rust and welding in the new pieces. I think the second quote is a little on the high side but he may factoring in the unexpected.

From the looks of your pics, you are going to have a lot of rust on both sides to deal with. Sometimes you can find really clean cabs or ones that have already been repaired for a good price on Ebay, here or on Craigslist. I picked one up local for a $100 and only had to cut out minimal rust. Just a thought, good luck with your project!

[Sammy]

Be patient and look around for another cab. Not that your is beyond repair but that it's beyond your capabilities as far as tools. You will be much better off time wise and the money spent. Most likely with that amount of repairs the cab mounts themselves are going to need some attention once he gets into it. I have found if they quote $800 expect twice that. Just seems to always end up that way for me.

[GASWAGON]

Welcome to the board! The first quote sounds very low. The second sounds more realistic. To do the job properly the bed needs to be removed the rust damaged areas removed and then proper prep of the remaining solid areas needs to be done before the new metal is welded in. Then you would need to paint the obvoius areas and then blend the rest which is really hard on a color that old and faded. The long and the short of it is this. Its alot of labor to do it properly and anybody thats good and is going to do it properly is going to get paid for there time. Just remember that " cheap isn't quality and quality isn't cheap" and doing it twice always costs three times as much

[Clyde65]

Here is a cab that would be worth looking at not mine, in OK


http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/pts/1944072800.html

[Clyde65]

Here is a cab that would be worth looking at not mine, in OK


http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/pts/1944072800.html


and Texas


http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/pts/1871597339.html

[extd56]

I would get a new cab and move forward.

[Notrodder]

I wouldn't trust the guy that bid $500-600. I'm a professional bodyman and could do something like that in my garage, but I wouldn't touch it for less than $1200. The $2600 quote is like something you would get from a shop where the management takes 2/3 off the top for their cut, then the bodyman doesn't even want to do the repair for his end.

As far as matching that paint color goes, it won't.

[cwgreen1971]

My body man charged me $1800 to do the rockers, footwells, A pillars, B pillars, cab corners and full floor. He might have cut me a break since I am going to have him paint it too but I thought that was a fair price.

[barryvanhook]

No offense anyone, but threads like this make me ever-so-glad I live in Arizona ... and it underscores a recent thread where the consensus was to spend money to get a rust-free starting point. I realize everyone might not be able to do so, but if you have a choice ......!

Barry

[Nor Cal 71]

Hey guys I have two shops and would not touch this cab for any price... just not worth taking the guys $$$$ when for under 500 buxx you can find a way better starting point... Just my take

[extd56]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal 71

Hey guys I have two shops and would not touch this cab for any price... just not worth taking the guys $$$$ when for under 500 buxx you can find a way better starting point... Just my take

Of course you are in California and like me if I saw this cab it would be at the dump or steel mill. Just too much good stuff still around, just have to be willing to wait for a good deal and be willing to travel.

[ChevLoRay]

In Cowtown (Vacaville) you have the ability to find suitable cabs. He's in Wisconsin and his cab is probably above average for a northern cab. I agree that a better cab would be a good thing.

As to the pricing....in '01, I paid $750 for a production shop to install the floor pans (seat to firewall), kick panels, and rockers. They used automotive body adhesive, instead of welding. It's good stuff, but not what I expected. Then, a few years later......my wiper motor fell out of the cowl, and when I was deconstructing.....I found more rust. The rest of the cab is rust-free. However, what it has is overwhelming.

[extd56]

I know what you guys deal with with the salt is death for even the newer cars and trucks. I used to live in Chicago and I saw what the salt did to even trucks that were a few years old. Of course this was over 30 years ago.

[gcburdic]

First off... to the boards form NC

I would suggest you take a looky at this thread....it is VERY thorough and provides lots of info....especially post #374....it's a quote from his body shop....he did lots of his own work, but is a good detail of what's involved....http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...318544&page=15...

From my experience....it seems shops charge $45-$75/ hour for there work (obviously it'll differ per regions!!!)....

OR if you are a DIY guy, maybe PM member 'ebfabman' he has some videos that he's done for DIY'ers that are very informative and helpful especially for what you need....

This message is brought to you by..........WOW....I really sound like a freakin' sales guy right here...

[eagleuh1]

After having done this on my cab, Not done yet, still have outer rockers to put on, I'd have found another cab. LOL. I have most of tools required and a nice garage to work in also. If you do decide to do it yourself though, do it on a tip it stand or rack. It's harder than he.. to work on a 5 gal bucket that long. And welding underneath upside down. I wouldn't try it again on the frame. Good luck however you decide to roll though.

[massopust13]

Thanks for all the info. The new cab idea does seem to be the best way to go, but the idea of it seems a bit overwhelming. I also have to find one within a reasonable distance. The good thing is that that rust on the cab/door area is the only downside of the entire vehicle. I runs and drives great and the rest of the body has little to no rust.

[71meangreenc10]

I would have to add that the quote Geoff told you to read, I would wonder how much body filler went into that 10K cost? Maybe they dont use alot, but you want your project the best it can be. I wouldnt hesitate to go back west and get a good cab to start with, it will save you alot of money if you find out the cab you have is worse than you think. Always check with Tkorinek, he is always getting good stuff out there in the Mesa AZ area and is a great guy who I have met several times.

My opinion and I have seen a alot of body shops, ebfabman is the MAN (bodyman) and he stands behind his work (Not literally, would hate to see him follow me all the way back to the ville from charlotte, thats a long haul ......If you can contact him I think he can give you alot of great information on rust repair.

Smitty

[VA72C10]

I agree that a new cab would be a good solution. However, don't dismiss the 500-600 quote...I have a local guy I found on craigslist who has a small shop now with great skills and big plans. My cab wasn't as bad, but we cut out all those same areas to put metal in and I didn't even have 600 in labor and the work was A+ excellent...

So you might have found someone who does good work fast and can afford to do it cheap like my local contact. He did the inner and outer rockers and four cab supports in an afternoon. So that would be much less than 500 labor based off 6 hrs in most shops...

One thing not mentioned yet is those patch panels. Everyone has different levels of success with panels, but I've never had the LMC ones fit well. We took out LMC rockers the PO had installed (that fit horribly) and installed Tri PLus rockers that fit perfectly. Some still have to do work to get the TriPlus panels to fit but they're generally a better starting point.

[massopust13]

I am definately not going to dismiss the cheaper quote. My plans are not to turn this into a truck that will go to car shows. I just want to fix some holes and be able to drive it around town without smelling exhaust.

[ebfabman]

Make sure the exhaust exits beyond the body and doesn't dump out somewhere UNDER your truck or it will be difficult to control the exhaust smell getting into the cab.

[oletimer72]

i would look for a new cab an save a few bucks...i spent to much replacing all the bad sheet metal on mine