Whats A Fair Price For A Chop?54 Chevy

HEY GUYS, I PICKED UP A 54 CHEVY 210,AND WOULD LIKE TO GET IT CHOPPED.I WANT TO TAKE 4-5 INCHES OFF.
I WANT TO RUN A SHOE BOX REAR WINDOW.TO AVOID THE WRAP AROUND GL***.GOT A PRICE FOR $4000.WHAT DO YOU THINK,I ENCLOSED A PIC OF WHAT I WANT,KNOW ANYONE WHO CAN HOOK ME UP?THANKS

 

$4000???? just for the chop itself?

 

This should get interesting........

is the 4K for everything? Gl***, garnish moulding cut, kinda a drive it in, drive it out?????

 

yep Chopping It 4-5 Inches,and Putting In A Shoe Box Rear Window,to Get Rid Of The Curved Rear Gl***.4g's Too Much?

 

How much will it increase the resale value of the car?

 

If you have the place and time to do it you will feel so much better if you just do it yourself, Then you can add and take away what you want and you don't have to deal with any one elses opinions or workmanship.

 

save the money and do it yourself.... its what i did, and i had never welded before, did my homework and went at it... I like the outcome and I get alot of compliments..

 

well if i mess it up,it may just have a second life as a roadster.i work 60+ hours a week and don't have much time for a chop job.well i will let you know what happens?

 

i think thats a good price.

 

oh yeah 4 grand does sound reasonable in my opinion, cause here in Texas people were charging me 7 grand and up

 

just do your homework i've seen some ****ty jobs come from more money than four g's one guy around me paid 6 to chop his buick and personally i'm thinking it's time for a carson

 

I think on my brother in laws 51 chev the actual chop and tack together was done in a sat, Then he just has been doing the finishing as he has time. Hes a worker bee like you. I guess not all of us are home by 4:30. Why can't we just hot rod all the time and work when we feel like it? I have a chunk of gl*** out of a 48 chevy aero sedan that may look good in that. I just have the gl***.

 

If that includes functional side gl***, interior garnishes and a windshield, $4K seems pretty cheap.

If it's just for the metal work, then I'm saying that's kinda high, unless this is a big-name builder.

Does the person doing the work have any example cars to show you, of work they've done? Would be nice to see other cars they've chopped before you spend the money.

Doing it yourself will require a good amount of metalworking skills as well as a lot of spare time to properly plan out the work. Some of you guys are talking about it like it's as easy as pumping gas.

 

its a small pic but that car looks like its worth 4000 easy

 

Not at all, there were times when i had to just walk away from it and take a break, but then again i did my homework and stared at my car for hours at a time, and asked alot of questions and it took me a year to plan it out...

 

I agree its not easy! But I did feel good when it was all done, and it feels good to tell people that I did it. But it is not an over night job, I do agree with that.

 

ITS NOT BRAIN SURGERY!! its only metal. just take your time and think before you cut. unless you dont have the tools or the time to do it. that is a decent price. try and see the car before they lay filler on it, and just make sure he GUARANTEE'S THE GL*** WILL FIT!!

 

Hey,

At that kinda money, here in SoCal, I'd wanna see plenty of his work
before I signed on. The '53s & '54s have alot of curve in the wind-
shield area/pinchweld. "If" that's not right from the gate, you'll never
keep a windshield in it. Too, it will leak like a shower! Even with a Shoebox rear light, a fair amount of metal work will be needed in the
sail panel areas. The garnish mouldings on those cars have a lot of
compound curves. Done correctly, they look like a million bucks, done poorly, well you're jus' ****ed!
@ 6-7K you would probably have a job that would be ready to roll
into the spray booth, and have a very nice lookin' Chevrolet.

S****ey Devils C.C.

Happy Xmas!
Happy Whatever!

 

why are you yelling and a shoebox rear window aint gona work

 

The chopper has to eat too... Think of his kids..

 

I kinda thought maybe he was trying to appeal to the real OLD timers for help...you know...with the really big, bold type etc

 

$4,000 for a complete job : garnish molding, all gaps around doors and gl*** fit correctly, gl*** not plexi gl***, windows all role up and down perfectly with correct fit, a metal finish not thick bondo finish, stainless done correctly, etc etc... done when they say it will be done.

AND it doesn't look out of proportion and stupid like most chops out there.

If you can get that for $4,000 you should go for it. I have not seen many professional jobs for that kind of price. JUST MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET, AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I have hardly ever seen anyone get something for nothing, except for disappointment. But, everyone has to work in their budget.


I have seen a lot of good looking chops guys did in their garage. You should do it yourself if you have the time. If you do it yourself, who cares how it turns out. It is your creation. Hopefully, it won't look like everyone elses.

I would be happy to talk to you about it.
Good luck with whatever you do.
310 978 9558
Wil Sakowski
www.sakowskimotors.com

 

Did your guy break it down into hours? Whats his rate?
How many hours do you guys think it would take to, say, do all the metalwork through priming/blocking?
I can't say, I've never cut one before...But I can guess at the time it would take to do it!

 

Name brand shop, friend's '54 cost around 10k, I think that included the shoebox ford rear window and all gl*** and shaved handles and garnish moldings...the devil is in the details

I bought my car chopped, and next time I think I'll do it myself, theres just a ton of little things to address once the actual lid is lowered

EDIT: that's here in LA, and a back burner price, took at least 6 months or so to get it done, and that was no regular bodywork other than the top-you pay retail, you get first in line

 

Sakowskimotors: can you ballpark us a price on what you'd charge? It looks like y'all do top end work, I'm gonna guess the better part of 10, I know it all depends on what the customer wants

 

try slldnmatt dont know how much he charges but he does killer work. hes doing my buddies 49 merc

 

Hello
Thanks for the compliment, we try real hard. We are not perfect, but I get a little better every day. I don't want to get into business specifics on The Hamb. I hope you understand. I like to use The Hamb as a hobby spot for me, and I really enjoy trying to help people any way I can on any threads/posts, throw in my 2 cents for what it is worth. With that said, you are in the ball park for what we charge. If you want it to be on the front burner of the shop (time wise) and/or it is a complicated extra involved job, it goes up from there. The job is finished in metal, not bondo. Beautiful before primer. Everything TIG welded, stainless done, all gaps perfect without bondo between the doors, windows, gl*** (not plexi), almost most importantly it has to flow great with *****'n proportions etc.. I am not trying to bend anyone's elbow to pay my prices or come to my shop, or to persuade you from doing it yourself, or to say I know it all. But if you want to drop it off, and pick it up with a smile on your face, that is what I do. Again, just make sure you know that you will be happy with what you pay for.

I am going to bring a 1951 Merc I just got to the Mooneyes Show this weekend with a bunch of chalk. Anyone that want to, can draw on it with chalk where ever they want on it, what they think should be done to it and how. I figure that might be fun for all.

Feel free to call me at 310 978 9558 for more specific questions.
Good luck with your car, hope that is helpful.
Wil Sakowski
www.sakowskimotors.com

 

Thanks, Wil, for your answer. That sounds like truly great work. We're lucky to have you on the HAMB.

 

My friends chopped 51 Olds was done on the side at a local shop. If you added up the labor hours to do it it was around 8000. All his windows work, moldings cut, and it looks awesome. If you go to the Poorboys site under Detroit chapter check out Rogers car. It's a very nicely done chop

 

I think $4K is REALLY reasonable-pretty low in our area.

If you have never done it before AND you want it to come out right- pay a pro. Worth every penny if you want to keep the car around right for a while.

I have two chops in my shop right now that came fro people who didnt really know what they were doing at the time- lots of wasted money for the owners. Ya gotta feel bad for them when they chose the wronng place to do their work JUST because it was 'cheap'.
As I always say- ya get what ya pay for.