Paint mega-disaster (long rant)

That is crazy for any car at a "collision" shop. Sounds like they are taking you for a ride and draining your accounts in the meantime. A 65 Signet? to me it sounds like someone there either wants you to pay them all the money you have or they are trumping up your charges so you sign up the car to them. Get a lawyer or tell them to keep the car, it's not worth a fourth of that restored. My advise to you after that is to learn how to paint a car.