Finally Getting Started!!!!!

[bp71k5]

Yukon is probably right, that quote was an... "only want to do it if he's paying me a fortune" quote.

You're rockers looks pretty rough and the damage can be tough to see in pictures. Take a look at my build thread or the few others where big time rust repair is addressed and you can see why it's both frustrating and time consuming (and fun after it's coming back together).

Your pics definately appear to be more than a few days work to do it right.

 

[BB]

Yukon is probably right, that quote was an... "only want to do it if he's paying me a fortune" quote.


Your pics definately appear to be more than a few days work to do it right.

I think you guys are right on the money with your analogy. A couple months passed between showing him the pictures and bringing the tub to his shop and he started a couple other jobs in the mean time. So by the time I got my project down there I don’t think he really wanted it.

The tub definitely needs more than a few days worth of work. So my plan is: once the chassis is built I’ll move it out of the garage and into covered storage, then I’ll put the tub in the garage and do as much of the work I can do myself with my limited knowledge of body work. I have the benefit of not being in a hurry and when I get in a jam this site is a great resource.

 

[bp71k5]

Depending on how close to Cupertino you are, I usually have lots of spare time during my lunch breaks with nothing to do but visit wrecking yards and find decent roach-coach tacos, or go ask for advice from 4x4high in Fremont. I can probably help out a bit if you get stuck. I just finished similar cab repairs in mine.

 

[Greg72]

As someone who got his merit badge for "Rusty Rocker and Cab Support Repair" I have a lot more appreciation for a 100-hour quote to fully prep and paint a 1st Gen...

On those TV shows (American Hotrod, Overhaulin', etc) there is usually about 80 man hours spent in the final primer and blocking stages of paint...bodywork takes forever. That only leaves about 20 hours for rust repair which (believe me) is pretty optimistic, even for someone who does it for a living.

I think you should try for a compromise solution...obviously, do the rust repair yourself, and see if you can shave some dollars by doing any other paint prep (stripping, etc) yourself. If you deliver a body that's a LOT closer to a primer stage, I'm sure his price will drop and his enthusiasm for the project will increase.

Unfortunately for "tough love" projects like these, most body shops know they are going to eat up loads of hours, and are going to end up being heart-breakers for the owner ($$$ wise) unless he has deep pockets and doesn't care how much it costs or how long it takes. I think they avoid them because it just feels like a "lose/lose" proposition....they're unhappy and the customer is unhappy, and the truck never even gets to final paint before the money runs out.

 

[toomany]

You should be able to do most (if not all) the bodywork yourself. Rust repair isn't hard....it's just metal replacement. Bondo, if it don't look right, sand it off and try again. The hardest work is the paint and pannel alignment. That'd be the only part I might consider paying someone to do.

From the pictures you've posted. That tub looks to be in very good shape. Way cleaner than any of my truck projects.

 

[BB]

Depending on how close to Cupertino you are, I usually have lots of spare time during my lunch breaks with nothing to do but visit wrecking yards and find decent roach-coach tacos, or go ask for advice from 4x4high in Fremont. I can probably help out a bit if you get stuck. I just finished similar cab repairs in mine.

I’m on the mid peninsula, relatively close, but not lunch break close. When I get close to body work maybe I could lure you up here with some free beerJ The rust repair on the tub is minor in my opinion, I have a nice MIG Welder and I’m a fairly good welder when it comes to structural welding, so I imagine I can do the welding required on the body with a little practice.

 

[BB]

As someone who got his merit badge for "Rusty Rocker and Cab Support Repair" I have a lot more appreciation for a 100-hour quote to fully prep and paint a 1st Gen...

I think you should try for a compromise solution...obviously, do the rust repair yourself, and see if you can shave some dollars by doing any other paint prep (stripping, etc) yourself. If you deliver a body that's a LOT closer to a primer stage, I'm sure his price will drop and his enthusiasm for the project will increase.

Greg,
As usual I think you are exactly right. My plan is to do as much as possible to have the tub ready for primer, and in reality that is my only option as I don’t have 10K in the budget for the body work on the tub Time is on my side and I'm really enjoying my time spent building the chassis.

Worst case I “settle” for an awesome wheeling rig without a pretty paint job. Although it’s not what I had in mind when I started this project, at the end of the day I think could live with it.

 

[BB]

You should be able to do most (if not all) the bodywork yourself. Rust repair isn't hard....it's just metal replacement. Bondo, if it don't look right, sand it off and try again. The hardest work is the paint and pannel alignment. That'd be the only part I might consider paying someone to do.

From the pictures you've posted. That tub looks to be in very good shape. Way cleaner than any of my truck projects.

I think I can do it, it's the "fear of the unknown" I guess. I need to do a little practice work an build my confidence. I have a scrap door I'm going to start practicing with (the welding anyway).

 

[BB]

As someone who got his merit badge for "Rusty Rocker and Cab Support Repair" I have a lot more appreciation for a 100-hour quote to fully prep and paint a 1st Gen...

Greg,
His 10K quote was for the prep work on the tub only He quoted an additional 10K for paint and I already paid him a bunch of dough to prep my doors, fenders, tailgate, and destroy my hood

 

[Greg72]

Greg,
His 10K quote was for the prep work on the tub only He quoted an additional 10K for paint and I already paid him a bunch of dough to prep my doors, fenders, tailgate, and destroy my hood

Holy schnikes!!!

Well that's living in the Bay Area for you. The shops charge like everyone is as rich as Larry Ellison... No worries though, the main thing IMHO is to get the hidden issues fixed 100% correctly (ie. rust and structural issues). It's not as sexy as mile-deep shiny paint, but once that's done you KNOW there's nothing hiding under there that should have been addressed. Of course, there's no shame in driving a primer/sealer'ed K5.... I've been doing that for 8 YEARS now!

 

[jimbug]

Yikes I think your body man has been sniffing too much Bondo! I would hate to even guess what a quote for a Suburban would be like...

Oh and welcome back to the board!

 

[BB]

Yikes I think your body man has been sniffing too much Bondo! I would hate to even guess what a quote for a Suburban would be like...

Oh and welcome back to the board!

Thanks for the welcome back, I'm always on here reading, I just don't post very often.

I think a suburban with that third door, and all that extra roof...........probably in the 40K range

 

[jimbug]

Yeah I am gonna hit up the Maaco man pretty soon to see what they will quote me I am just looking to have it one color and looking decent! It sounds like your guy is trying to win some type of award for best paint at the Goodguys show in Pleasanton..... OBTW I am from San Jose origionally so I understand the steeper price thing!

 

[BB]

It sounds like your guy is trying to win some type of award for best paint at the Goodguys show in Pleasanton..... OBTW I am from San Jose origionally so I understand the steeper price thing!

Funny you should mention the Goodguys show.

One of the things he said to me when I "flew" down to the body shop to pick up the tub after getting his quote was, "You know my work is as good as anything you'll see at the Oakland Roadster Show."

Not so sure if I'm real interested in entering the old Blazer in the Oakland Roadster Show

In his defense though, the dude is talented.

 

[toomany]

Guys that do body work for a living are weird. They don't really know how to do it (for lack of better words) cheap. If they normaly paint cars that go on the show circut...all their paint jobs will come out that way. Which is good and bad. Good because you're getting and awesome paint job, bad bcause you're paying for an awesome paint job. That's the main reason I do all my work myself. I know the quallity I need on each project. My two Camaros I painted took way more time than the K20. Camaros, each one took about 4 moths from shell to paint...K20, about a day.

 

[jimbug]

Toomany seems to have it all in perspective!

You are planning on wheeling the thing at some point? Right?
One trip to Hollister Hills and goodbye fancy Oakland Roadster Show paintjob......

Or you could enter it AFTER all the custom pinstriping, If you catch my drift!

 

[BB]

You are planning on wheeling the thing at some point? Right?
One trip to Hollister Hills and goodbye fancy Oakland Roadster Show paintjob......

Or you could enter it AFTER all the custom pinstriping, If you catch my drift!

My opinion on wheeling this truck has wavered since I purchased it in 2006. When I first bought it I was planning on taking it offroad………..then when I started working on it the “might as well syndrome” took over and I decided to build a borderline show quality rig…………….once I started to tally the cost…………wheeling is looking pretty good again.

 

[jimbug]

Right! Wheel the SNOT out of it and don't look back!

Oh on a side note I went to my local Maaco and got a rough Quote.... I dunno he kept referencing the paint only lasting a handful of years! Just didn't sound right

I left with a rough cost of $3500 but they are only looking at going over the top of the old paint... Sounds really butch, oh well looks like paint won't be on my list so soon!

 

[BB]

A couple new Pics!!

 

[Z71paramedic]

Damn, looks great! What route did you end up taking for paint/body work. I hope mine turns out half that nice.