how to approach the body work on my 79TA and possible costs

[WS6]

So this post may be a little premature but I'm bored and living in a hotel until April of next year so all I get to do is think and plan car stuff.

I'm living in a small town in the panhandle of Texas. My car is in Georgia. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to bring it to Texas any time soon to work on it myself or even store it here but I'll be making enough money to have extra to spend on the car. My thoughts are that I might as well go ahead and put it into paint jail to get something done on it instead of just sitting. I have a few companies in mind that I believe I'll be able to trust to get the work done from a distance and do it right. This isn't about who I should take the car to. I'm curious to know how should I approach the work on it.

The car is a 79TA. From what I have found on the car, it appears I'll need two new quarters, door skins, possibly rockers, and patches done to the front floor boards. The quarters are rusted and damaged, the rockers have some rust poking through and I'm not sure whats behind them. The doors appear to have been damaged during a break in. It looks like someone took a slide hammer to the lock cylinders as just the metal around the lock cylinders has been replaced the doors are fine other than that from what I can tell. That is why I say door skins versus an entire door. Obviously cost will be the factor and that's the biggest thing I'm looking at with this build.

I'm not interested in some amazing paint job that will win shows. I simply want quality work done that will last the rest of the time I own the car which may be for quite some time. I'm not interested in spending a ton of money either. The car is completely assembled and I'd prefer to not have it gutted in order to paint it correctly.

So how can this be approached so that I get what needs to be done done correctly and not break the bank? Is it possible to have a great paint job put on and have any rust issues resolved with out soda blasting the entire car while getting all the old paint off? I realize that until panels are removed you never really know what a car needs. Is it a bad idea to go at it from the stand point of let's plan on replacing the quarters and see what under there?

I realize no one can give me an accurate cost estimate at this point. However, in general, does this amount of work sound like it's getting to the point that I should just get another car if I want good body panels? I honestly have no idea what kind of costs I'm looking at. I realize it's not going to be cheap but am I getting up there in costs? This is for just the body work too by the way. Paint itself, I'll worry about later.

I'm just trying to get a feel for all this. Like I said, it's foreign to me for the most part. I realize good work isn't cheap. I'm just interested in having a car I enjoy driving, that looks good, and is a quality car and not just looking the part. Any direction is appreciated. I'm in no hurry for this so feel free to ask questions if you need more info to help me. Like I said, I'm bored and just thinking/planning.

Thanks

[justasquid]

My first thought, without seeing pictures and just the description is.. Are you attached to this car?

The reason I ask is, it sounds like an aweful lot of work needs to be done. Late second gen cars are the cheapest of the second gen cars,( there are a lot of em out there still) and can still be had for a decent price. Personally, I would try to find a better shell to start with. Even if you payed 1500-2000 for a rust free shell, your going to be ahead of the game. Quarters, rockers, door skins... your looking at a lot of money in parts and labor. Probably more money than what the car will be worth when your done.

Im not knocking T/A's... i love those cars and have had 7 2nd gen formula and trans ams myself over the years. I just know whats out there, what these cars go for fixed and how much its going to cost to fix the things you've mentioned.

In my opinion, your in Texas...an awesome place to find a shell..... start looking around. I would bet you can find an excellent donor car with good sheet metal. Then take the good parts from your existing car and swap em.

If your heart is set on doing this car. Look for used parts, especially since your in Texas. There are a ton of good used parts out there. Complete rust free doors can be had for the cost of the skin. Besides, its a good time to repair the door hinges since they are probably sagging. Those heavy doors weren't kind to the door hinges. Plus, those cars spanned such a long period of time and most of the parts interchanged.

I would even be tempted to just drive around and see if anyone has some of those cars just sitting around.

[WS6]

Getting another car or another shell is an option. I won't throw this car away as it's not that bad of a car. It really comes down to money and making forward progress with the car. I'd prefer it not to sit and just wait on me if possible. I just have no clue what type of money we are talking or what's the proper way to approach the work without getting in over my head. If it's going to cost more than I want to spend, I'll probably just do the body work myself one day.

Thanks. Anyone have anything else to add or ask? I appreciate any feedback I can get.

[rlpj68]

If you want to locate a good restorable car check out TexasTA's, they have a good selection and also do restorations

[fatelvis]

Quality work can be done to any car without soda blasting the entire thing. patch work is often the best way to attack quarter work. You need to find a Body man who knows how to do quality welding, not just stitch welding. Floors are usually not a problem if you aren't going for restoration quality. The majority of the f body doors will be easier to reskin. The lower fender areas and rocker panels can be patched with inexpensive repair panels. My problem with soda blasting is it is virtually impossible to get the damn soda blown out of every hiding place before painting. You will find more just when you are bending down to put that last coat of clear on an otherwise beautifull paint job. And no it won't buff out. Also I have found that the soda/glass bead/or sand will settle in nooks and crannies, when you add water/moisture it is only a matter of time untill it rusts.

[barraza]

Before you do anything, stop and think it through. Second gen TA's are doing better than they were 10 years ago, but they are still cheap. A car like you have will nickel and dime you to death in bodywork. Just the 1/4's and outer wheelhouses will be 40-50 hours of labor. Rockers and floor repair could add another 50-100 hrs . For the cost of labor and parts, you could buy another whole car. And for the total cost of paint, you could buy a really nice, never abused car. I've been down that road, never again. Buy the best car you can to start with, you will be miles ahead in cost, and it will be done years quicker.

[manicmechanic]

I would have to agree with the consensus here on locate another car to start with, if you look around the net (ebay, transamcounty.com) you will see some great cars for sale and mostly at a price cheaper than the cost of yours when you get it done. I not knocking working a car to learn what it's all about but it sound like you want someone else to work it so no loss there with getting another car. If you want to keep yours look at Larry Lyle's shop in Amarillo, TX to get the car closer to you and being worked on while you live in Texas.

[opnwide]

If its a 10th anniversary or an SE I'd try to restore it. Just keep it together as long as possible, and work on one body panel at a time. I would replace floors first. Its a good learning area. Don't touch the doors until you get the new quarters on (trust me on this one!). Quarters are tough, but if you take your time and do one at a time it can be done. Your goal is to only have one panel under repair at once and not a half dozen (see my first build link).

[WS6]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. It does sound like if I want a better body I'll need to just buy another car. I can always work on this one as time goes by teaching myself what I can. Paying someone to do the panel work on this one though does sound like it will be out of my budget.