I'm rebuilding my 2-door, 57' Fairlane 500. The only rust spots are down at the rear of the front quarters (Of course). They're gonna have to be repaired, but other than that, the body is straight. I've been given a price for blasting, metal/rust repair, sanding, body panel alignment, etc. This also includes a 2-tone paint job of Dark Highland Green (Bullitt Green) on the bottom and the stock Colonial white on the top. This also covers painting the interior dash and metal pieces on the door to match. My question, Does $11,000 seem like a fair price? Fact is I wanted it taken down to bare metal, so I only have to have this thing painted once (One and done) All help would be greatly appreciated. PLUS If anyone's ever seen a 57 done in this color, please feel free to post a pic... Or maybe even photoshop a pic
so, got pics to post? hard to tell how good/bad things are without 'em. did the shop give you a break down for costs, or just one price? even brands of paint can make a big difference. this a regular body shop or? have a time line? plenty of time about figuring final color.
This is an easier question to answer than some on here might make it out to be. Some tips I can easily think of... 1. Do NOT have someone paint your car that can't show you numerous references of antique cars they have done recently, including seeing the cars and talking with the owners. Experience is EVERYTHING in this case. 2. Look at the reference cars and see if the quality matches what you are expecting. 3. Talk with the owners and see if they got what they expected. 4. Talk with the owners and see if they had the job completed when expected. 5. Consider going to another shop for a quote if you don't get positive answers to these questions. 6. Do not have a general collision center perform this work. Make sure the body shop is familiar with old cars and the known exceptions and problems that WILL be encountered on an old car. Again, EXPERIENCE is everything. 7. Discuss with the shop whether the paint will be driver quality (a little orange peel texture like a new car). Or whether it will be cut and buffed gl*** smooth (big difference in final appearance and cost. I would expect it to be done for your price but it can be a $1,500 option.) 8. I have a local custom shop that can do a $500 paint job or a $10,000 - $20,000 paint job just as well, with expected results based on the money spent for labor/materials. Both will look good from 50 feet, but there are OBVIOUS differences. You have to decide where you will be and make sure that all expectations are out in the open. Example, "body alignment" is a VERY open ended question on a 50's era car. Factory alignment is acceptable to OEM standards with gaps everywhere from 1/8 to 3/8 inch according to the factory manuals (on the same door!) Is that up to spec, or not as expected?? Big difference in price to align gaps evenly EVERYWHERE to 1/8 equally on a typical show car. Discuss these details. 9. When you settle on colors, make sure that they spray you small panels to OK before spraying the car with the same exact mixed paint. Just because you choose a color doesn't mean it will be mixed properly to the expected output. You don't want to argue over whether the paint was mixed to the proper color AFTER the car is done. 10. Make sure everyone understands what is acceptable in the door/trunk/hood jams. It should be understood up front if these will just have color "blown" on, or will they be smooth and waxable and without any overspray like the rest of the body (And again, I would expect this for 11K.) 11. Make sure you are in agreement what trim will be removed, gl***, etc, and WHO is going to do it, and who puts it back on. Affects the price for sure. 12. Material cost is relevant and should be discussed. Again, EXPERIENCE should come into play here. The body shop should be able to recommend the best paint for your job. Do you want a soft paint that is easy to buff and smooth? Do you want a rock resistant finish that is great for Power Tour type driving but is more difficult to get spider scratches out of due to hardness? Will the car sit outside and what are the concerns for fading and weatherability, etc? 13. And lastly, common sense says to think in terms of hours here. Some people will scoff at 10K plus for a paint job, BUT at your quote, you are talking about maybe $1,500 for materials and 110 hours of work at $85 an hour. 2.5 weeks is not a tremendous amount of effort on a real nice show car so the price is NOT out of line. But... Only if the shop has the right experience and can prove his work through references (and can do the work on a timely basis.) Good luck,
Hey, That sounds ballpark, in fact, alittle on the ''lite'' side by Southern California standards for a pro shop. The above posters gave ya sage advise 'bout sheckin previous work done by the shop in question. A commerical job refinished to o.e.m. standards & a custom paint are about as different as night & day. The " Highland Green " metalic & the off-white are two very different colours next to each other, are you sure that's the look you're after? Will chrome trim or striping break up the contrast? " Life ain't no Disney movie "
Well said redlinetoys I think 11k is not a bad price for the job. I think many jobs might be more in the 15 to 20 k range for the work listed
This is pretty much a dead ringer, other than mine has chrome smoothies now (with WWW). http://www.familycar.com/cl***ics/Images/57FordFarelane500.jpg I was thinking the trim would break up the white and the green nicely. And... he's broken it down as such (Item, Hours, Total cost) Strip Body To Metal $1,200.00 Metal Work, Rust Repair Based on Visual Estimate, 12, $780.00 Body Prep, Block Sand, Align Body Panels, 30, $2,550.00 Paint Entire Vehicle, door jams, trunk, fender edges, 40, $3,400.00T Paint Materials, based on two tone scheme, $1,500.00 ***emble new and refurbished chrome, bumpers, door handles, wipers 8, $520.00 Paint Inside Doors/Dash to Match, 6, $510.00 Metal Work Replace Floor Pan Section, 6, $390.00 Materials-Metal For Floor Pan Replacement, $65.00
Hey, That's a great lookin '57 in the photo! I hope that 12.0 on the rust repair doesn't go into extra innings Good luck on your great project! " Life ain't no Disney movie "
That's just Arnold asking Maria if they can keep the Kid ! ! ! A loaded question. Anyways, 12G's seems low. Good Luck, VR&C.
That's not MY 57'. This one is.... The black and white one, of course. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17911994636&v=photos
Seems low, I cannot imagine only spending 12 hours on rust repair on a 57 anything! That might cover ONE fender on a NJ car!
I have no idea what the rates are in Florida, but the advice of due the research and talk to several shop. Also go to some local shows and talk to the car owners. You will always find some who love one or other but you shouild be able to get an idea of the don't wants pretty quick. good luck.
Just make sure you've got some extra money on hand in case you have to pay more than the quote. An estimate is just that, an estimate. No one can tell you for sure how much labor will be involved. When you get that car blasted it could be fill of chicken wire, newspaper, and Bondo. That's something that the body guy could never know without X-Ray vision.
thats def a low est----imo just remember---theres a bunch of hidden things in older cars---if youre ready for them then good for you
Yeah, this quote nails it for me too. That price seems to be litterally "cheap". I've spent nearly 30hrs just on the wet sand and polishing of a finished car. I guess it depends on what level of quality you're looking for.
You only get what you pay for, at that price or cost I would make damned sure of the shops reputation and if they are going to blast I would want something in writting about o hidden costs. A lot of times cars get a lot worse when someone leans on it with the sand blaster.
Your best bet is to agree to take it to bare metal, and then get an estimate from there. The estimate hours they gave you seem low. And yes, high end shops can do cheap work as well, if they want to. I had my OT 1962 german car painted by a BIG name shop for $1500.00 just to keep their body guy busy. Cheap paint, single stage, in and out, no cut and polish, no re-***embly, given to them with all metal work done and 75% stripped. It is a fantastic job for 1500 bucks, but not what I would do with a car I took seriously. Never hurts to discuss your expectations up front with the shop owner to make sure you guys are on the same page.
He definitely knows the story behind this car... I inherited it and am rebuilding it to use in my sisters wedding (12 months away). My parents used this car in their wedding, so I'm wanting to use it in hers. He knows I won't take any 1/2-**** stuff.
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