Am I getting ripped off?

[MonzaRacer]

Now for me possibly doing specific jobs I do require deposits on parts(asI have gotten burnt too many times) for which I give a reciept, deliver pics and details as they come in, then as work progresses I bill at regualr intervals.
I built a very large Sonny Leonard big block and the customer placed a request, I got estimates for parts/machinework, gave written estimates and timelines for parts and work being done.
AS things got done I billed for them, also the car this went in I was doing some chassis mods/suspension mods, which got billed as done.
I only asked for special order parts paid up front and will usually order as the stands there with me.
Pics of the car before, and after what he has done and intend to do would help us determine results/outcome.

[toxicz28]

Here's the key;

I gave him a deposit of 5k when the car was dropped off. We are replacing every body panel on this car! When i dropped the car off to him I was told the 5k should get me to the front clip, meaning floors,rockers,mini tubs,quarters and rear tail panel and trunk lid.
So far the rockers,mini tubs and quarters are installed and the rear tail panel is clamped on.

Talk to him, see what went wrong. Not sure what you're being charged, but at $50 per hr, that's 100 hours and that could get eaten up quick making repop panels fit right. Also, how far is he taking the project? Through paint and body assembly, fully assembled/ come with plates and drive it home? I've seen projects without panel replacement go well over $35k and that was just a painted assembled shell. IMHO, $25- 35k for fully painted, no, I don't think you're getting ripped off. If it's rolling afterwards, even better.

[joynerz]

I have had a goodly amount of bodywork done on my car so far. I'm now ready for the sealer and the basecoat/clearcoat. I have done a few cars myself in the past, not to the level I'm having done this time, but not being a bodyman by trade, and the fact that this is the last resto I will do, I really wanted this one done right. In the past I did my own work because I couldn't afford to pay for someone else so I accepted that my results would be a compromise and I settled for that. So far the bodyman has done a good job, works efficiently, and I pay him by the session. All this has reminded me that good bodywork takes time. Also, good bodywork is not cheap. He works on the car for a few hours and I pay for that session. If a customer were not right there he really wouldn't appreciate the time that goes into it. I think that sometimes people who have resto work done don't really realize the labor involved unless they are watching what is being done. If they go by the bodyshop on one day and see the car in primer, go by the next day and see the car still in primer, they have no idea what work was done since the day before. I have watched on a given day, seen the car go from primer in the morning to primer again at the end of the day and can appreciate where my money went. Of course, most people can't do a resto this way; can't go by the shop on a regular basis, and the only reason I can is because I'm now retired. I know that when a person gets resto work done he's really at the mercy of the bodyshop as to whether he's getting a fair deal. But, resto work really cannot be quoted at an exact turnkey price unless the bodyman "pads" the price to cover all unknowns. You just have to talk to a few references, get some comparative prices from others in the industry and see if the prices are generally in line. Then, choose the one based on best references and a price that is within a reasonable price range of the others. The best choice may not be the highest price or the lowest price. You just have to invest some time if you're going to have some assurance you're getting a fair deal.
I'm pleased with the work, and at this stage the bodyman has shown me, and in conversation has been able to assure me he has the skills to carry out the job 'til the end. Hopefully, this week he'll apply the sealer, and next week the base/clear goes on, with buffing to follow as necessary. At that point the bodyman will be through with his part and I can start car reassembly. We agreed in the beginning that the bodywork would be by the hour and the final paint would be a flat fee. Many do it this way because the bodyman doesn't know everything that he's going to run into in the repair, but has a pretty good idea of what it's going to take to do the final paint because he's done the preparation and knows what labor is involved in the final paint. All that we had an understanding of in the beginning. Just communicating with each other openly of what is expected in the end will leave no unanswered questions. If the guy is not willing to take a few minutes in the beginning to talk to you openly so that there's a clear understanding of what is expected, then I would say move on to another bodyman. A good, reliable bodyshop is going to take the time to sit down with you and spend a little time. You, on the otherhand, should respect the bodyman's time by being time-efficient in your meeting. You should do some research beforehand so that you will know what you two are talking about. Talk to some people who have had resto work done; get a very good idea of what is involved - do your homework - then you can have a reasonable idea of where your hard-earned dollars are going, whether the car is worth the investment, and if you're going to be satisfied with the results. It's your money. How much do you want to throw at your project? Or, in rare cases, some people have so much money they really don't care how much it costs. There are a few out there like that and that's the kind of person some bodymen look for. They're kind of the "used-car salesmen" of the body repair industry. This is where your homework comes in. Learn your stuff so you don't get hooked into one of those situations.
This is a kind of "windy" entry on the subject of car restoration but there are always a number of newbies to this, always will be, and maybe one or two may learn a little of what they need to know when entering into this idea.