Questions to ask body and paint guy

[BrianG]

Hi everyone. I have a guy coming over today to give me an estimate on the replacement of the usual (to these trucks) cab sheetmetal, which I already have purchased, and then a stripping off the paint and putting a new paint job on it. This would include having the fenders, hood, doors, etc. reinstalled and gapped properly. My question is, what questions might you all ask a guy. I have some in mind, but wondered what other's might ask. I have seen some of his work, but don't know him personally. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

[19673ontree]

I aint gonna lie to fix the cab ie corners rockers supports fix the gaps and such and paint is a lot of work , I dont have any idea what he will charge ? I would just ask if he has done it before and will he do the work in a month or a year ? Good luck,,,,,

[bigmac73]

when you get the quote , please share so we might get idea on price,

[BrianG]

Just to be clear, I'm not asking "what should it cost" I know that sort of thing is not 'legal' on this part of the board, especially as a "$non-supporting$" member. I do have another quote from a different shop already, so I do have something to compare to. I'm just wondering if there are some questions like, what sort of paint do you use, environmental controls, what other processes, what is your favorite muppet, etc. that I should be asking this guy to perhaps reveal something important. I don't want to come across as some sort of a-hole to the guy, but I am NOT body or paint man, so I'm not real sure on all what I should be looking for in a body/paint guy (other than experience and quality).

[too much stuff]

You should be able to post prices for this. You are not looking to sell or buy a product.
First i would ask is about experience. Remember, this isn't a bolt together insurance job that most of the body guys like. I would also be clear on time and payment frames. Ask if there are some other jobs around of his you can look at.

[acemang]

Whether he warranties/guaranties his work etc. I have known of people who say, "I did the best I could, if you wanted it better you should have taken it to a big shop"

[TrkEnvy]

How long it is going to take at his price would be my number one question. I been repairing rust on my 71 for two yrs cuz kids and only having Saturdays makes it hard. So make sure he doesnt goof around, it already takes forever. Being that it sounds like hes a mobile guy ask what tools he has or to see them. Like a previous member said this isnt a bolt together job body guys like. There is a lot of cutting metal, hammer and dolly modification of aftermarket panels and welding. If he doesnt have a mig with a gas bottle on it and a crap load of c clamps(cowboys) and a bunch of hammers that look well used then I would be sceptical.

[67ctener]

A friend of mine just got a quote within the past two weeks from a reputable body shop. Included the common rust repair (both rockers, one inner rocker, kick panels, and two cab supports) paint and gaping. The guy quoted him on the high end for 10k. You'll get numbers all over the place but that's just my experience. As far as questions to ask maybe just ask what he will need to replace just to get an idea how he works. Most important is to see work he's done and even better work he has done in the past 5-10 years just to see the longevity of his paint

[ho70]

Been there, done that-horror story to follow.....Get what they are doing, cost and time line in writing. Also include the shop supplies and who is buying the replacement metal. I do not care if it is a friend or relative. They always say oh, well the blah blah blah was no good so it is extra. Good luck

[AirSpeed]

I would ask him to show you some of his work! See if you can see the work in person. I've dealt with several body shops and independent painters and never had luck with any of them, had my 69 in paint prison for six months and now the paint is starting to fall off, I found he used a lot of bondo and didn't weld any holes up, simply bondoed over them and they're now popping.
I now do all my own paint and body work and found it's not as difficult as I thought. I did all the work on my 72 and it looks far better than the "proffesional" work on my 69.
My first question would definately be if you can see his work in person and talk to his customers. Body and paint work is expensive and bad prep work can cost you if he doesn't do it right. Imagine having to have all his paint stripped off to get it done right, it can be pretty tough getting a refund for bad paint work!

[vidman]

You can ask them how much resto work they do. It is hard to find a shop that builds hot rods and does the fix and make their own panels thing. Are you looking for just a paint job, A nice paint job, or a show paint job. A good paint job comes from a lot of time and prep work from the start. All the above posts are good but make sure you know what you want your truck to look like when its done. A really nice paint job will not look good if you look down the side of the panels and it looks like a plowed field..

[DGulliver]

AFTER looking at some of his other work AND talking to his other customers, my questions would be this;

1) When do I get it back?

2) Are you willing to sign a pro-rated discount agreement starting the day I was supposed to get it back?

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by BrianG

Just to be clear, I'm not asking "what should it cost" I know that sort of thing is not 'legal' on this part of the board, especially as a "$non-supporting$" member. I do have another quote from a different shop already, so I do have something to compare to. I'm just wondering if there are some questions like, what sort of paint do you use, environmental controls, what other processes, what is your favorite muppet, etc. that I should be asking this guy to perhaps reveal something important. I don't want to come across as some sort of a-hole to the guy, but I am NOT body or paint man, so I'm not real sure on all what I should be looking for in a body/paint guy (other than experience and quality).

Big thing with me is just to see how thorough the guy looks at the truck. If all he does is walk around it once and give you a price, no good. If he lays on the ground to look underneath and pokes and prods and asks you what you want to see......then its probably good.

General enthusiasm for old cars and trucks helps a lot too. The guy I go to is a stickler for body lines, and has a fit when i use the phrase "good enough".

[trkfrk]

Originally Posted by Lattimer

Big thing with me is just to see how thorough the guy looks at the truck. If all he does is walk around it once and give you a price, no good. If he lays on the ground to look underneath and pokes and prods and asks you what you want to see......then its probably good.

General enthusiasm for old cars and trucks helps a lot too. The guy I go to is a stickler for body lines, and has a fit when i use the phrase "good enough".

X2...

My body guy did the same thing! He went over all of my sheet metal that I had primed, and thought was ready for paint. He pointed out imperfections with feel from his hands. Of course, the price went up which is expected.

[BrianG]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I gained a few ideas to ask, look for when he gets here.

[Tinkermc]

Did you know that there is a bodywork & paint section? You have a good question.

[GASoline71]

They don't call it "Paint Jail" for nothing...

Gary

[PHAT TONY]

Frankly, he shouldn't be able to give you a fixed price; nobody wants to work for free if it turns out to be worse than expected repairs-wise. Parts NEVER fit well and massaging takes time too; ask for him to take many pics or stop by regularly and document the work as it's done. I've always offered this to customers for appraisal purposes. Ask about materials he'll use and find out if it's quality products or low-cost crap. Butt welds or lapped? Weld through primer used? Will he give you the chance to okeedoke the gaps etc. before it's too late?