At the fork in the road here...

Topic: At the fork in the road here... (Read 2458 times) previous topic - next topic

At the fork in the road here...

September 23, 2006, 12:00:52 PM

Well for a while Ive been on the fence about whether or not to continue modding the car or to find a new toy. The car has sentimental value to me since its the first car Ive owned, but its time for some major work that needs to be done.

Ive had three quotes for body work/paint, nothing crazy, I would like to stay with silver. However, the hood and fenders have hail damage, the entire front end(1/4 panels, hood, header panel, doors) need to be aligned, there are numerous dents and dings that need to be fixed. I was told the hood was so bad that it should be replaced because reparing it cost more. I was expecting to spend around $2500 for the work and Im finding out that it will be atleast $4500 to do it right. I guess I could Maaco it for cheap, but the car would look like ass and I refuse to do it. If I spent $4500 on paint, I'd be scared to drive it really knowing how hard body parts are to find. I really want to keep the car alive, but want to be practical at the same time. Im tempted to look for a decent foxbody stang as a new toy.

Im not sure what to do at this point, Im an engine person, not a body/paint person, so this is new to me. Opinions?

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #1 – September 23, 2006, 01:36:01 PM

ah, thats exactly how i feel about paint/body work. if i pay/work hard enough to have it done properly, then i dont like to drive the car anymore for fear of havin someone elses carelessness destroy it.

for me, i decided to leave this current car "ugly" so i can drive/beat on it w/o fears of ruining any hard/expensive bodywork

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #2 – September 23, 2006, 01:44:21 PM

Panels are easy to align, just time consuming, best way to learn is to get a bag of shims and get to it, remove your moldings/emblems yourself and try to find a straight hood yourself.

Simple tasks that will save you money, if you feel confident with yourself strip off the old paint too to save good $$

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #3 – September 23, 2006, 01:49:36 PM

Its mainly all the dings that concern me, they arent too noticeable now, but when its painted it will look like . I can pull moldings and whatnot, but like I said, Im not a body person so fixing numerous small dings/dents is not for me.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #4 – September 23, 2006, 02:29:58 PM

Quote from: tbirdscott;105258

Panels are easy to align, just time consuming, best way to learn is to get a bag of shims and get to it

a paint stir stick..

you can save a load of money doing the bodywork on your own..

the major thing paint companies con you out of is prep work.. and labor.. the stuff to do it isnt all that expensive.. so if you did most of the prep work.. and got most of the hard stuff done.. it wont cost as much

they always over-charge you for paint.. and overcharge you for cleaning supplies... its a vicious circle. (lmao.. my cousin worked for a big time paint company.. and they ripped off so many people.. now he owns his own business and doesnt do all to bad..) he would have charged me about.. err.. $1800-2500 for a paint job and thats with using different colors and tu-tone also so yea

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #5 – September 23, 2006, 02:50:45 PM

It's like this: If Maaco can make it look decent (not show quality, but decent) for areasonable price, surely it's better than giving up on the car altogether...

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #6 – September 23, 2006, 07:58:50 PM

I agree with thunderchicken. I knew a dude that went that route. Did his own body work and had Maaco or one of the other el cheapo paint shops shoot the car for less than $500. Everyone thought he had a high dollar paint job because it was one of the best looking cars around.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #7 – September 24, 2006, 07:20:32 AM

MAACO did mine nearly 4 years ago for about $300.00.I did the body work myself,and removed everything I could before I took it to them so there would be less masking.The car still looks great.Patriot Blue Pearl.Very nice.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #8 – September 24, 2006, 07:51:16 AM

Macco does do different grades of work. Basically, the more you pay, the better of a job they do. I saw a 2000 dollar job, and it looked pretty good.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #9 – September 24, 2006, 08:21:24 AM

Quote

If I spent $4500 on paint, I'd be scared to drive it really knowing how hard body parts are to find. I really want to keep the car alive, but want to be practical at the same time. Im tempted to look for a decent foxbody stang as a new toy.

thats part of the reason i let mine go. i could just see it getting to where i wanted it, all finished up and having some awhole slam in the rear quarter or something. replacement pannels are getting kind of scarce never mind a decent rust free chassis. i think it was the rust free doors that made me realize it could be an issue. if i wrecked the stang i could simply pick up any number of stangs out there for a swap car, or buy new pannels wich are readilly available. far many more options with the mustang. it wasnt cause i thought the mustang would be better. the tbird would have been every bit as good as the stang as the same suspansion, brakes and drivetrain were going to be used as well as they weigh about the same. i regret it though. i realy like my halfbreed alot, but i loved that tbird.

you can save a ton by prepping it yourself. alighning pannels shouldnt be to bad. re hang the doors so they are good and then grab some shims and work your way back to front. i hate sanding but its probably the best way to fing your high and low points. if its rust free and has no bubbles etc. you shouldnt need to sand all the way through. id at least try to smoth the pannels/dents out myself. you cant hurt the car, anything you do to it can be fixed. if you truely suck at it have someone pick it up from there.

it looks like a great car dude. i wouldnt let it go if it has alot of sentimental value and isnt hurting you to keep it up. if it starts becoming a liability, hastle or money pit than maybe its time. one thing for sure, youve had it so long that once you get rid of it, its not going to be long before you will need to fill that void!

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #10 – September 24, 2006, 06:32:28 PM

I work in a Body Shop. If you can find the dings/dents and want them fixed without spending alot of money sand the whole car yourself and try to fill in the dings with some body filler. Prep work is the hardest part and labor isnt cheap, but it can be done fairly quick. Aligning panels isnt difficult as said before.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #11 – September 24, 2006, 08:45:29 PM

I dont trust myself to strip the paint and start sanding. I compare it to trying to build up a motor with no previous experience. I know my limits and I will leave it to someone who knows what they are doing. Especially when it comes to using body filler and what not. That and I just dont have the time to do it myself, I dont mind paying, but I just cant justify dropping $4500 on a car thats worth $1500 at most.

As far as Maaco, Ive heard horror stories from the Maaco here and also from Maaco period. Just because you spend alot at Maaco doesnt mean you get a quality paint job. I buddy dropped over 6000 on a paint job and it was horrendous, he eventually got his money back and they had to strip the entire truck and do it again. As I stated, I refuse to take it to Maaco, theres no way in hell. If there was a middle of the line paint place around here I would consider it, but Maaco and Earl Shive are out of the question.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #12 – September 25, 2006, 09:55:34 AM

-it always helps to have a friend in the body biz too. or if you have access to a air compressor and a rotorary sander, it doesnt take long to learn how to strip panels. and you wont see me on Chop, Cut, Rebuild, but now im not too scared to hit a panel with a rubberhammer or the like.....

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #13 – September 25, 2006, 01:03:40 PM

I just replaced the fender on my base t-bird...It's amazing what you can do with a couple hammers, dollies, and a 2x4 :hick:

The fender is aligned better now than the original fender was.

At the fork in the road here...

Reply #14 – September 26, 2006, 07:45:33 PM

Take it from me...you sound like you are in the same boat i was a few years ago. I had an 85 TC converted to 302, ran 11.7's, had it for 13 years. I got a quote for paint/body work at $4500. I sold the car roller and bought a NICE 87 notchback roller for 5000. Well, one year later I was trying to buy back my 85, even for more money than I sold it for without any luck. So I drove 8hrs each way to buy another and start all over. My point...don't sell it if you are even slightly attached to it.
Jim