At $4,000 to $5,000 for body work, invest in a new body shell at $4,995.
-----Original Message-----
From: Art Pfenninger <ch155@freenet.buffalo.edu>
To: Chris Attias <cattias@cats.ucsc.edu>
Cc: MG Listserver <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, March 09, 1999 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: Body Shop vs. Restoration
|Chris I think your estimates will give you an idea of what you should do
|with this car. Living in California you should have no problem finding a
|rust free car. If it were up to me (which it isn't) I would forget trying
|to restore this one and just drive it as is. The body is only the start of
|your problems. Get a good body and throw the money into things that were
|ment to be replaced (motor, suspension, interior etc.)There are too many
|good cars around and too little time to drive them to be fooling around
|with a "project". Let someone else spend the time and money and then you
|pick up the completed car for 1/2 of what the previous owner sank into it.
|...Art
|
|On Mon, 8 Mar 1999, Chris Attias wrote:
|
|> Well, I'm about to take the plunge and get my '64 MGB bodywork
|> done--replacing rusted panels and repainting. It looks like a complete
|> strip of the paint, some sill and fender metal replacement (rear panel
|> damage, rust--hope it isn't too bad under the part I can see!) and
paint.
|> I'm really tempted to wait until I've gotten a little summer driving in
|> before starting this project. I'm not going to do much of the work
|> myself--the HOA gets testy about bodywork on the driveway. I'll stick to
|> stripping and reinstalling parts.
|>
|> I took the car around to two local body shops and one small specialty
|> British restorer for quotes, and it looks like $4000-5000 to all of them.
|> Some interesting things I learned were:
|>
|> *I live in a small town/county--there aren't a lot of choices as far as
|> people who know British cars.
|> *Body shops are busiest in the winter, when people here in California are
|> skidding into each other and letting the insurance company sort it out.
|> *Body shops as a group don't like to do "restoration" work--not much
|> experience, hard to estimate up front.
|> *The restoration guy is busiest in the late winter and early spring, as
|> people get ready for the summer show season.
|> *Estimated time of completion from 1-2 months, which could be shortened
|> somewhat, depending on the depth of pocket.
|>
|> I'm very much inclined to go to the British restoration guy, though I
|> haven't seen a lot of his work. I like this approach because he knows
MGs;
|> I like supporting people who have the skills and experience.
|>
|> The down sides are:
|>
|> *He's a one-man show--if he gets hit by a bus, or goes bankrupt
|> mid-project, bailing out could be an awful problem.
|> *He pretty much sticks to one paint type--PPG Deltron. I don't know the
|> various paint systems, and would like to have another choice if it is
|> appropriate. Don't know what his primer of choice is.
|>
|> Big questions are:
|>
|> *What kind of paint to use.
|>
|> *Does anyone know good bodyshops or resrtorers in the San Jose-Monterey
CA
|> area?
|>
|> *What are the pitfalls of body restoration?
|>
|> Thanks,
|>
|> Chris Attias
|> '64 MGB
|>
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