Car finally off to body shop!

-
:thumbsup: Those guys are doing a nice job on your car, and are getting on with the program! You should show up early one morning, either with a box of fresh, hot Krispy Kreme donuts, or a bag of hot breakfast biscuits. Anybody that works hard, likes to be appreciated. The car is looking good, so keep the updates coming!
 
And something to look at today! Ooh man that looks nice to me....

IMG_2469[1].jpg


IMG_2470[1].jpg
 
ocdart said:
Sure glad to see your car isn't having the "paint jail" history that mine had:
* Shop 1 - agreed to do complete body and paint on my '69 Dart. Just before SoCal switched to water-base paint requirement several years ago the shop suggested they purchase the "good stuff" while they still could. I paid for the "good stuff" paint. When I went to make final arrangements to take my car in to start body/paint, I discovered the shop was closed and my paint disappeared with them.
* Shop 2 - Moved out of state just before I was ready to take my car in. No money lost this time.
* Shop 3 - Had my Dart for just over 1 year and had done about 50% of the bodywork - all the time giving me stretched-out final completion dates. Then refused to give me any completion dates. I'd been seeing other cars go in and get finished while mine just sat. I showed up unannounced with a trailer to collect my car and had to bring in the local PD to convince them to turn my car loose. He closed up shop and went out of business about 3 weeks later.
* Shop 4 - Had my Dart for a year and fixed the errors he found from the bodywork done by Shop 3. Then told me he wasn't going to finish my Dart because all of his collision work was much more profitable.
* Shop 5 - Thanks to one of the members here on FABO, I found the current shop who is doing an absolutely outstanding job. He's fixed all the errors from previous shops and communicates without me having to beg and plead for info. My Dart has been there about 10 months and should be completely done shortly after the first of the year. This guy works a full-time job outside of his body and paint work that he does at his home shop.
Click to expand...

Wow that's just insane. I will say these guys said they are done doing old rusted cars and mine is the last. They are both semi-retired and just do this for extra money. I think one guy is 65 and the other is 70. I think they'll do easier stuff and paint jobs, but just not a major surgery like my car had.

These guys are also about a 15-20 minute drive from me which is also nice. I visit every Saturday morning to go over things and see the progress, and sometimes he texts me photos like these ones from the last few days. I'd visit more often, but they work the same hours as I do. Actually a little less sometimes since this is retirement work for them lol.
 
Great work by the "old guys"! My guy was 75 who did mine, leaded all the joints just like factory. Old guys do rule!
 
VSTwister said:
Wow that's just insane. I will say these guys said they are done doing old rusted cars and mine is the last. They are both semi-retired and just do this for extra money. I think one guy is 65 and the other is 70. I think they'll do easier stuff and paint jobs, but just not a major surgery like my car had.

These guys are also about a 15-20 minute drive from me which is also nice. I visit every Saturday morning to go over things and see the progress, and sometimes he texts me photos like these ones from the last few days. I'd visit more often, but they work the same hours as I do. Actually a little less sometimes since this is retirement work for them lol.
Click to expand...

Shops 1 and 2 I found on my own so only have myself to blame.
Shops 3 and 4 were both recommended by friends. That's what blew me away. One of the things I couldn't understand was that the only thing that had to be replaced was a skin for the passenger side rear fender - not the entire quarter. Why did it take so long?
Shop 5 was recommended by a FABO member. This guy has a shop on his property, is fairly young (early/mid 30s) and hopes to make this his sole job in the not-too-distant future. He's currently an electrical engineer and commutes almost two hours each way for his night-shift job, comes home and sleeps a few hours, then gets up and does body & paint work until it's time to go to work the next day.
He's doing outstanding work on my Dart.
My drive to his home shop is about an hour.
 
That hood looks great! Im not a fan of the strobe stripe on the hood but with the plum crazy it really works.
 
Yep hard to find good shop's. I dropped my car off right about a month ago. They said hopefully by middle of January. I can't believe how long some of these car's get held up. Your car looks great.
 
I think they want it out of their way, so they can back to the insurance jobs.....lol. :eek: I'm thinkin the cars favorite Christmas song is "I'll be home for Christmas" :p
 
VSTwister said:
Factory color. :)
Click to expand...
Always loved that color; back in '71, working at a hometown Mobil station pumping gas, a 70 Cuda came in once a week with that Plum Crazy color. From that day forward it was always my favorite shade. Keep the pics coming!
 
Car is done, just in time for new year's. Unfortunately not in time before winter hits to get the car home on a warmer dry day!

A couple final photos of competition on the rear stripe.

IMG_2518.jpg


IMG_2517.jpg
 
Very quick turnaround for sure. Looks nice, but you're happy with the outcome.
 
JDMopar said:
:thumbsup: Those guys are doing a nice job on your car, and are getting on with the program! You should show up early one morning, either with a box of fresh, hot Krispy Kreme donuts, or a bag of hot breakfast biscuits. Anybody that works hard, likes to be appreciated. The car is looking good, so keep the updates coming!
Click to expand...

On the day of pickup, they each got a 12 pack of their preferred beer, and the boss a bottle of wine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top