How much to budget for shop work?

[Texas Bob]

With shop hours varying between $50 and $100/hr I didn't see a similar thread regarding budgets upon searching.



I have very little experience with body work and refinishing and believe it may be best left to a shop. How much can I expect to shell out for quality work for media blasting, priming, all body work (I know this will depend mostly on the car's needs)and alignment, and a few extras like mini tubs, the quadra-link brakets, smooth firewall, and rain gutters deleted.

Upon pick up I should have a grey car that I can go to work on.

[toxicz28]

Well, my buddy was quoted 250 hours painted. He's at 340 hours and not ready for paint yet. To be safe, what ever they say, multiply by 1.5, because stuff always pops up.

[ProdigyCustoms]

250 to rough primer for the "normal" Camaro project needing typical sheetmetal reapir, tubs, frame conectors, etc.

[Texas Bob]

It's Frank again. Maybe this is telling me something about who I should send my car out to . What are we looking at as far as labor rates per hour?

[ProdigyCustoms]

$60

[Rick Dorion]

Good thread. I like the hours estimate better than $.

My car already has floors, inner rockers and trunk. Can the 250 hours be broken down? I know I need both quarters, door skins, outer rocker patches and probably hidden stuff when the quarters are off.

Having an 'hours menu' would help in looking around or having a better feel for what's ahead.

[BA.]

Since I just had a lot of welding done on my 69 RS, here's what I received:

DSE Mini Tubs: - 35 hrs per DSE. Could be more for inexperienced workman.
New outer wheel wells - 2-3 hrs (times 2!)
DSE Firewall Panel - 4 hrs
Full Quarter panel - 10-12 hrs (times 2!)
DSE Sub-Frame Connectors - 9 hrs (may be less for you, mine needed a littel extra work due to a very hard hit in an accident)
Trunk floor to 1/4 panel extension panel - 2-3 hrs (times 2!)
Weld new upper A-arm mount for DSE coil's - 4 hrs total
Extra support plate for rear frame rail notching - 8 hrs total

So, I was in the neighborhood of 96 hrs of work right there at a Shop Rate of $50/hr. (Dayton, Oh) IT SURE ADDS UP QUICKLY!!! I'm freakin broke!

[Camaro Zach]

Hey Bob, what part of Texas are you in?

[aonghus]

Weld new upper A-arm mount for DSE coil's - 4 hrs total

They must've included 2 hours of lunch in that for you.

Took me all of 2 hours to cut out and properly mount the brackets in the DSE supplied jig. I had a local welder from a shop down the street come weld them up, took him 30 minutes, 20 minutes of which was spent getting his MIG settings dead on.

This is why I do my own work!

[Texas Bob]

Hey Bob, what part of Texas are you in?

No longer in Texas Zach. Guess I should post my locoation with the user cp, but I'm in central Illinois for now. For what it's worth my family is still there though!

[Steve1968LS2]

It's Frank again. Maybe this is telling me something about who I should send my car out to . What are we looking at as far as labor rates per hour?

If you're near Orlando then I would send to Frank.. honest paint/body shops are HARD to find..

[David Sloan]

Right in there with Frank!
And we figure 200hrs for the paint work, from the rough in phase.
3 Stage's of priming an blocking 4th prime blocksand for paint!!
(camaro,mustang)
This is what works for us! Everbody does things a little differant.

[BA.]

They must've included 2 hours of lunch in that for you.

Took me all of 2 hours to cut out and properly mount the brackets in the DSE supplied jig. I had a local welder from a shop down the street come weld them up, took him 30 minutes, 20 minutes of which was spent getting his MIG settings dead on.

This is why I do my own work!

show us your welds......



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