Auto body shops got you by the gonads?
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3rd Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2006
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Auto body shops got you by the gonads?
I was visting an auto body shop where i live just to ask him a few questions about his work
I told him that i planned on hanging my own quarter panel andthat i had the proper tools and welder
and that i knew how it went in. He then advised me that i would not be able to do it, and quoted me $1,000 in that area to hang the rear quarter, Meanhwhilea customer pulls up in a Hummer and complains about a $5,000 body and fender job on his triumph roadster . He was very harsh with his words so i left the shop and waited for gun shots but luckily their were none .It seems to me he may be a little cuthroat with his prices on his work.Everything i asked him he was about 80% more expensive than the other shops. He was fabricating doubts in my mind about my own abilities to work on the car luckily i did some research and was able to tell him i knew exactly how the process went and i had a pretty good idea. It amazing how the autobody shops will sucker you in if you dont know what your talking about do your research !
I told him that i planned on hanging my own quarter panel andthat i had the proper tools and welder
and that i knew how it went in. He then advised me that i would not be able to do it, and quoted me $1,000 in that area to hang the rear quarter, Meanhwhilea customer pulls up in a Hummer and complains about a $5,000 body and fender job on his triumph roadster . He was very harsh with his words so i left the shop and waited for gun shots but luckily their were none .It seems to me he may be a little cuthroat with his prices on his work.Everything i asked him he was about 80% more expensive than the other shops. He was fabricating doubts in my mind about my own abilities to work on the car luckily i did some research and was able to tell him i knew exactly how the process went and i had a pretty good idea. It amazing how the autobody shops will sucker you in if you dont know what your talking about do your research !
1st Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2006
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RE: Auto body shops got you by the gonads?
That is one of the main reasons I do all of my own paint and body work. If it's gets screwed up I am the one to blame. Plus when it's your own car no one cares more about it then yourself
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 912
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RE: Auto body shops got you by the gonads?
Most body shops only want to do insurance work anyhow. What you lack in experience you make up for in caring. You can screw up sevral times before you reach the cost of having someone else do the same job. The key is, you get some scarp metal and practice MIG welding. You find an old fender at the junk yard for $25 and you paractice shooting it with primer and paint. Elbow grease is free. What I learned during my years. Gravity feed HVLP paint guns are the way to go. You buy a cheap syphon gun for primer and a gravity feed HVLP for paint. You don't have to buy a $400 gun either. A $99 HVLP will work just fine. If you paint three cars a week, then you need the $400 version. The reason its $400 is because they are made to endure lacquer thinner baths after each cleaning. If you are painting one car per every 5 years, the cheaper HVLP will work great. Spend money on a quality MIG welder, air compressor etc. Those are items that you'll find yourself using the rest of your life. The first thing you'll notice after you complete your ride, is how much fun you had putting it back together. It's almost a let down not having something to hammer on during the weekend. Of course, then the process of finding another project starts. Relax and enjoy yourself.
5th Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,566
From: Marquette Mi
RE: Auto body shops got you by the gonads?
ORIGINAL: bodyputtyless
Most body shops only want to do insurance work anyhow. What you lack in experience you make up for in caring. You can screw up sevral times before you reach the cost of having someone else do the same job. The key is, you get some scarp metal and practice MIG welding. You find an old fender at the junk yard for $25 and you paractice shooting it with primer and paint. Elbow grease is free. What I learned during my years. Gravity feed HVLP paint guns are the way to go. You buy a cheap syphon gun for primer and a gravity feed HVLP for paint. You don't have to buy a $400 gun either. A $99 HVLP will work just fine. If you paint three cars a week, then you need the $400 version. The reason its $400 is because they are made to endure lacquer thinner baths after each cleaning. If you are painting one car per every 5 years, the cheaper HVLP will work great. Spend money on a quality MIG welder, air compressor etc. Those are items that you'll find yourself using the rest of your life. The first thing you'll notice after you complete your ride, is how much fun you had putting it back together. It's almost a let down not having something to hammer on during the weekend. Of course, then the process of finding another project starts. Relax and enjoy yourself.
Most body shops only want to do insurance work anyhow. What you lack in experience you make up for in caring. You can screw up sevral times before you reach the cost of having someone else do the same job. The key is, you get some scarp metal and practice MIG welding. You find an old fender at the junk yard for $25 and you paractice shooting it with primer and paint. Elbow grease is free. What I learned during my years. Gravity feed HVLP paint guns are the way to go. You buy a cheap syphon gun for primer and a gravity feed HVLP for paint. You don't have to buy a $400 gun either. A $99 HVLP will work just fine. If you paint three cars a week, then you need the $400 version. The reason its $400 is because they are made to endure lacquer thinner baths after each cleaning. If you are painting one car per every 5 years, the cheaper HVLP will work great. Spend money on a quality MIG welder, air compressor etc. Those are items that you'll find yourself using the rest of your life. The first thing you'll notice after you complete your ride, is how much fun you had putting it back together. It's almost a let down not having something to hammer on during the weekend. Of course, then the process of finding another project starts. Relax and enjoy yourself.
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