How much time does it take?

[Young Gun]

I have found somebody who is willing to do all of the body work that I want done in exchange for my motorcycle. I know how much my bike is worth so I want to make sure I get the most work done for the trade. My question is how much time does it take to do most of this work? I am not looking for an exact time but a range. He is gonna do the following work:

LH/RH lower quarters replaced
tail panel replaced
floor pans replaced
fire wall smoothed
drip rails shaved
mini tubs installed
dash replaced
fabricate the trunk to accommodate a fuel cell
fabricate the transmission tunnel to fit a t56
fabricate the rear end of the car (in the attached image you can see what is going to be done)

thanks for any help you guys can offer me guys!!

[novanutcase]

Hard to say..... I know that's not the answer you're looking for but a lot depends on what he finds, how the fitment of the replacement pieces are, etc.
Also, when you say "willing to do all the body work" does that also entail all the bondo work? In other words is he going to finish it to the point where it is ready to spray? In your listing it sounds like he is just going to be doing the sheetmetal work.

John

[Young Gun]

I should have been clear on that, it will include bondo work, he has offered to spray it too, but I don't wanna do that till we are a little further along, i don't want the paint to get scratched in the garage if we are not even ready to assemble it completely.

[novanutcase]

Is he going to block it to his standards or yours? Depending on what he feels the bike is worth, he may just block up to a certain point that he feels the hours justify the worth of the bike. I would talk to him about this and settle what "finished" means at each stage. What he may consider as "finished" may not be your definition. You don't want someone doing work on your car that feels like he's getting the raw end of the deal. I can guarantee that you will not be happy with the end result.

John

[MrQuick]

thats a lot of work...i'd advise not giving him the bike till it is done. Make sure you set up a written agreement also.

15k in labor easy with the custom work involved, and im cheap.

[1BADRS]

thats a lot of work...i'd advise not giving him the bike till it is done. Make sure you set up a written agreement also.

15k in labor easy with the custom work involved, and im cheap.

ditto that.
Once you give him the bike theres no telling where it will end up.

[Young Gun]

thats a lot of work...i'd advise not giving him the bike till it is done. Make sure you set up a written agreement also.

15k in labor easy with the custom work involved, and im cheap.

that was the plan, no bike until it is all done

[1BADRS]

Lots of other factors to consider.
Is this just ONE person doing it?
Or is it a complete body shop team doing the entire project?
If it is a body shop project, how many customer vehicles (premium insurance Jobs) are in front of your project?
Id keep asking him LOTS of questions before you come up with a contract. He should be able to give you a ball park figgure of how much time it will take to complete on his schedule. You also have to consider not only are you dealing with his hourly figgure, but his labor rate; shop labor rate plus materials he will need.
If you are talking about trading the bike for labor alone, good enough. Don't assume anything. Is he throwing in cost of materials?
What about parts? Are you supplying all the parts required to finish the job and are the parts handy where he does not have to locate these parts?

[Young Gun]

Lots of other factors to consider.
Is this just ONE person doing it?
Or is it a complete body shop team doing the entire project?
If it is a body shop project, how many customer vehicles (premium insurance Jobs) are in front of your project?
Id keep asking him LOTS of questions before you come up with a contract.

It is just one guy. I got a hold of him through a dealership, hes the head collision repair guy at one of the dealerships and on the side he restores old cars. I plan on getting everything in writing in triplicate before anything begins.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

that could get ugly REAL quick..

[Young Gun]

that could get ugly REAL quick..

In what sense?

I have seen quite a bit of his work, one of my friends had this guy restore a camaro for him, and he does very good work, it takes a little while, but they guy does not rush through his work. When I get to the point of drawing up a contract I will run it by the board here and see if anybody can find loopholes or foresee potential problems, a couple hundred peoples eyes are a whole lot better than just mine!

[dhutton]

that could get ugly REAL quick..

I agree. I would recommend that you agree on the cash value of the bike before you begin. Then I'd have him generate a detailed estimate in dollars that works out to that cash value.

Don

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

put it like this..

Ive done trades with guys with great work.. BUT.. when if they get close to in over their heads or when they have alot of time in and no money..

THATS when things get sticky..

especially when they want to rush through it to get on that bike..

That bike isnt money.. and you cant pay bills with it.. he knows that and when alot of time is spent on something that wont take care of bills..

you know how that goes...

that old saying.. Time is money.. is VERY true.. specially when its rent time.

you dig?

[Young Gun]

put it like this..

Ive done trades with guys with great work.. BUT.. when if they get close to in over their heads or when they have alot of time in and no money..

THATS when things get sticky..

especially when they want to rush through it to get on that bike..

That bike isnt money.. and you cant pay bills with it.. he knows that and when alot of time is spent on something that wont take care of bills..

you know how that goes...

that old saying.. Time is money.. is VERY true.. specially when its rent time.

you dig?

I understand what your saying. I plan on talking with the guy extensively about all the details and having everything on record. I think an agreed value contract would be a good idea as well, it would at least help to make sure we are on the same page as to what gets done. I really do appreciate everybody giving me their advice and input, I am listening to what you are saying , I trust yall!

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

well then you understand its a gamble.. then put on your swimming trunks and take the plunge...

[Young Gun]

well then you understand its a gamble.. then put on your swimming trunks and take the plunge...

Yah, I am not going to commit to anything until I feel confident that I am not going to get screwed.

[novanutcase]

well then you understand its a gamble.. then put on your swimming trunks and take the plunge...

Hopefully there's water in the pool when he jumps in!

John

[Young Gun]

I really appreaciate all the info you guys are giving me, you definately have gotten me to slow down on this as opposed to simply jumping in, having the opportunity to get some work started on the car is really appealing and caused me to get a little antsy, I am gonna do some more research and see what other options I have got out there. I am just sick of the body sitting in my garage with nothing happening yah know? Again thanks for everybody giving me their input!

[SaturnVUEguy]

While you don't want to get screwed over, you also want to make sure you're not screwing him over too. Maybe stop by with a case of his favorite beer from time to time and give him a hand with the car?

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

co-signed..

if it is in fact the other way around..