Uggg body work and body shops!!!

[cmabolt]

Hi All, So have had my 72 cheyenne truck in a body shop in Montana for three years with very little progress. Paid 3K for the truck to be stripped, front clip to be completed, chassis blasted and painted and am left with the remaining work on the box and cab. I got tired of waiting and pulled my truck from that body shop after nothing had been done in a year. I have been exploring alternatives and am just not having luck. I am in MD and want to bring my truck home, but have absolutely no leads for good body shops in Baltimore area that do good work and CAN get it done. Any suggestions would be great! I have a decent budget to finish and get painted, but just want it done. Need a shop that can do show quality work.

Thanks
cmabolt

[davepl]

Yep, they call that "Paint and Body Jail", and you're not the first. In fact it often seems to be the rule, not the exception.

Best advice I can give is find a shop that does restorations for a living. I've never had luck with a shop that -also- does collision repair. Since insurance work is more lucrative, too often your vehicle will sit in a corner for weeks or months on end until they have "spare time" to work on it.

Musclecar Restorations in Wisconsin is the best in the nation, so far as I've found. At least in terms of quality, and their pace of work is pretty fast if you keep paying the bills on time. However, $260,000.00 later even their slogan of "The quality remains long after the price is forgotten" was a bitter pill to swallow. But you did say "Show Quality".

My truck is going in next week to a local shop called Fenders and Fins that has done a number of cars I liked and where the car owners were happy with the outcome (couldn't justify MCR type money on this truck). Just the cab and box and fenders/hood. And with NO metal work it's still estimated at $17K for a "show" quality job, and that's with compromises (ie: your average show, not Pebble Beach).

Of course I have no idea about Baltimore, but you can ship a truck anywhere for under $1000 and bring it back enclosed for a little more, so in the big scheme of things its sometimes worth going non-local.

I would go to car shows (not just truck shows) and ask people whose cars you think are done well where they had it done and what their experience was. I'm sure a pattern will develop.

Perhaps you'll win the metaphorical lottery and find a place that can do great work at a fast pace for cheap money, but you're more likely to win the -actual- lottery, I think. So while writing a check doesn't solve everything, I can tell you I've never had luck with the low bidder when it comes to body work and paint.

[69GWC]

Shoot in 3yrs time you could have done it your self even if you had never done it before..lol
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[Tinkermc]

3 years is a long time must have been done in lead and maybe hand rubbed with talc power.

[leddzepp]

That is just ridiculousness!
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[WIDESIDE72]

[QUOTE=davepl;5591050]$260,000.00
QUOTE]

???

[Shyguy]

Sure hope you are able have to find a shop that is able to do the work at a decent price.

Buying all the equipment to build engines and restore these old trucks gets too costly for just one restoration, I would think.

[pat 70/71]

Sad to read. This happens all the time. You can try to learn paint & body (easy if you stay focused) I would recommend a book by John Kosmoski (custom painting ) $25.00 its a great book and he takes you through all the steps (from metal through final finish of the paint) buy the book and read it and start slow. You can do this just keep it fun! cheers, Pat

[Zoomin]

If you don't mind shipping it to Oklahoma, I know the guy you want.
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[davepl]

[quote=WIDESIDE72;5591313]

Originally Posted by davepl

$260,000.00
QUOTE]

???

Yeah... I don't tell people I know, but on the Internet no one knows you're rich :-) Besides, I spend my days sweaty and dirty under a GMC all day now so no one should mistake me as a trust-fund baby or anything!

A full restoration takes about 3000 hours. Figure $85 an hour, and there you go. Mine was complicated because there are no reproduction panels available, so they had to break out the English wheel and so on. It makes me laugh when I see cars listed for sale as "no expense spared".

I did it because the car is sentimental to me. My Dad, who passed long ago, bought it as his first new car. It passed to me as my first car in '84, and so we've had it since new. I'm fully aware that on the market it's worth about 1/8th of what I have into it. But other people pay that for golf memberships, which I find crazy, so who am I to judge?

I'll post some pics to give you a general idea of the level of work, but most cars look good in photos, you'd have to see it in person to really appreciate the time that went into it. But don't, I have an awesome security system and I'm well armed and paranoid :-)

[turp mcspray]

I'm sure seeing that BBC under the hood, makes the Pontiac guys cringe! LOL! Beautiful car!

[gearys 5600]

Nice pontiac !!!

[bodydropped68]

Originally Posted by cmabolt

Hi All, So have had my 72 cheyenne truck in a body shop in Montana for three years with very little progress. Paid 3K for the truck to be stripped, front clip to be completed, chassis blasted and painted and am left with the remaining work on the box and cab. I got tired of waiting and pulled my truck from that body shop after nothing had been done in a year. I have been exploring alternatives and am just not having luck. I am in MD and want to bring my truck home, but have absolutely no leads for good body shops in Baltimore area that do good work and CAN get it done. Any suggestions would be great! I have a decent budget to finish and get painted, but just want it done. Need a shop that can do show quality work.

Thanks
cmabolt

Arg!!!!!! paint prison and flaky bodymen .

[54belair]

Its a pain. Mine has been in the shop for major cancer repair all summer. I did the bed and front clip myself in less time. Im bringing my cab home tomorrow and putting it on my rotissery to finish up . After spending over 2K, I will still have another 50 or more hours to get it ready for paint. The shop Im using is faster than most--and he is backed up ovr 1 1/2 years on work that is already sitting at his shop.
Problem is------everyone wants a job, but no one wants to work!! You (they) cant find help anymore (GOOD help)

[magwakeenercew2jh]

[quote=davepl;5591483]

Originally Posted by WIDESIDE72

Yeah... I don't tell people I know, but on the Internet no one knows you're rich :-) Besides, I spend my days sweaty and dirty under a GMC all day now so no one should mistake me as a trust-fund baby or anything!.....

Well, the Pontiac is a beautiful car restored for a beautiful reason. Even though I'll never be in a position to put that much money into even a vacation cabin,
I really appreciate it when those that *do* have the resources contribute to "the art".

Word of advice from an old guy:

Make sure you drive it or enjoy it to the fullest in any way you enjoy your toys. My guess is, like a lot of precious heirlooms, after you are not around,
someone else less connected to her will probably look at her differently....Like, waving bye-bye to the back of the trailer when she's on the way to the dreded Mecum's.

But, that's for later. Now counts more.

Bravo for you.

[Billett]

^that. Enjoy the money you put into it

[davepl]

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

I'm sure seeing that BBC under the hood, makes the Pontiac guys cringe! LOL! Beautiful car!

Hey, that's not a BBC, it's a "Pontiac Astro Jet". Just in case you think I stuck a Chevy motor in a Pontiac, this is the way they left the factory.

[custom1970]

Beautiful Pontiac!! It was made in Canada wasn't it? I'm kinda fond of Pontiac's myself...lol

[El Campo]

Hey Zoomin can you tell us more about your guy in Oklahoma?
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[nobull2]

had my car painted by a guy recommended by friends in springfield MO.
this is not a frame off or nothing like the pontiac above. but he did it in 4 months. and cost 7000 incluing all materials