i need some reassurance

[saridout]

this is all really helpful and encouraging. thanks a lot for that.

i would do the rust repair myself, except for two things: one, i don't have the room. my garage is pretty much for storing the car only. two, i would have NO idea what i'm doing. i've never worked on a body before, and though i'm a pretty good brazer, i've never been great at wire or stick welding. what would be awesome is if i could find someone who wanted to teach me, cause i'd like to learn, but i think i'll have less luck at that than finding a decent shop to do it for me.

i'm looking at some other shops now and keeping my hopes up. i'll post some better pictures of the body once i get it back tomorrow, and i'll let y'all know what happens.

[mlc240z]

not to be the devil on your other shoulder, but if this shop does good work you trust.................what about contacting a competitor (good idea anyway for comparison) and offer them the same deal.

if shop #2 will do it, go back to shop #1 and let them know.

might make them realize the value of YOUR service in trade.

would they want their competitor to receive the free advertising??

[ajmcforester]

Rust is a funny thing you can photograph rust and it always looks better than it is and it hides so it could be a rust bucket, I don't know from the pictures. I think the problem is you went to a body shop not a restoration shop. Yes restoration shops cost more but they are setup to do repair from rust and you usually get a better result at the end. Rust is time consuming to get rid of, a restoration shops should hunt all the rust down, and you will pay for it, but rust never sleeps.

I'm going to be a little hypothetical here. If the restoration shop costs $15,000 and they found the rust and made the car sold and to your specs in the long run it could be cheaper, because the $10,000 bodyshop job they might miss some rust, bondo over holes instead of patching the metal. . . Now when they come out of the shop the look or quality may look the same, but what about 5 years down the road, you might need to redo the $10,000 for maybe another $10-$15,000. Or in 10-15 years you think the car needs a freshening up so you send it out for repaint it will cost more if their is rust and/or bondo that will need fixing before they paint. The old adage will always hold true you get what you pay for usually pertains in the realm.

What I'd do is go to some car shows, look for quality work on a car and ask the owner where he got the body work done or the paint . . . people are happy to tell you about good experiences with shops. Then start contacting these companies, go their with the car interview them this is a job interview you are hirer-ing them and their equipment. Make sure you tour the shop talk about cleanness of the shop, how they deal with surface contaminates before painting, and how do they control dust, what type of ventilation is in the paint booth make sure the paint booth is spotless, no dust. With your car it's great if they will ask to put it on the lift to look at it with you, wright down your expectations for the car, talk to them about what you are looking for be realistic, how are you going to handle parts, how would they like the car before dropping it off. Find out their concerns. If they want your business this will take about 3-4 hours, atleast it has with me. This is a major investment, most people won't buy a car with more than 2-3 hours of research, why would you pay for work major work that costs almost as much as a new car without invest some time into it.

In other-wards big deal if one shop didn't want to do the work keep looking until you find the right one

[lonetreesteve]

If the rust in the area behind the headlight bucket is the worst place on the car and the frame rails and floor pans aren't too bad, then I agree with with some of the other members, the car isn't beyond repair and you should find a reputable shop that specializes in restorations. Dallas is a very large city, so there should be some shops there that will do a good job at a fair price.

Just one suggestion I would have and if you can fit it in your budget, perhaps look at changing out those big 280Z bumpers for the smaller 240Z bumpers.

[saridout]

ok, here are some updates and photos. i went to a couple of other shops today, and got a $8000-9000 quote from the same guy who's doing zed2's early 240, which looks incredible in person by the way. i also got a $3600 quote from a shop that comes highly recommended, but he didn't have any work i could look at. prices drop dramatically once you get out to the country where my car is garaged. i have a quote from a very reputable body shop out there that does mostly collision work, but restores on the side, for $3500.

lonetreesteve, i'm one of those weirdos who like the big bumpers

here are the new photos: http://www.flickr.com/76280z/tags/bodyrust/

EDIT: let me make this clear: all "body work" you see in the photos, along with the magic marker, were done by the PO, not me.

Edited January 17, 2010 by saridout

[ajmcforester]

ok, here are some updates and photos. i went to a couple of other shops today, and got a $8000-9000 quote from the same guy who's doing zed2's early 240, which looks incredible in person by the way. i also got a $3600 quote from a shop that comes highly recommended, but he didn't have any work i could look at. prices drop dramatically once you get out to the country where my car is garaged. i have a quote from a very reputable body shop out there that does mostly collision work, but restores on the side, for $3500.

lonetreesteve, i'm one of those weirdos who like the big bumpers

here are the new photos: http://www.flickr.com/76280z/tags/bodyrust/

the 8-9,000 is a great price I'd question the 3500 job I don't think you can really do a great job at that price. I'd work out the details at that price. My car is in better shape and I'm looking at the 10,000-15,000 to get her done. So I might consider at that price shipping my car to Texas

[saridout]

the 8-9,000 is a great price...

keep in mind that most things are cheaper in texas. that quote is for a shop that, from what i can tell, will do the best job in town. if you haven't seen zed2's car, which was done by this shop, here it is: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34490

[DougN]

Sounds like you've got your plan together then!

[motorman7]

Your good enough, your smart enough, and dog gone it people like you!

Just wanted to pass along some reassurance there.