Pricing to do the underneath of a 69

[smorrismi]

I just met with a shop owner recently who quoted doing the whole underneath (sand blasting, new brakes all around, new u-joints, new gas shocks, rebuild leafsprings etc, any fixes needed, cleaning and painting to look new+ getting the engine started) for $7500. This does not include anything to do with transmission and engine. I originally was going to have him do the brakes and get the car started, but he pointed out if I was going to go back and have anything underneath done, that he'd hate to see me spend extra just to have someone take off the same stuff he's fixing now...especially if I was planning to do the underneath anyways.

The person is reputable and knows vettes from very old to new. Had about 30 vettes sitting on site. Just to give you an idea of what kind of person he was, he actually drove with me over to my house to get a better idea of what price I would looking at. He didn't charge me for the estimate either... LOL. One of his customers was there also when I walked in and this guy actually owns 6 vettes which the shop owner has restored... The customer rode along with us when we left so that he could show me the restoration he did on his at his storage warehouse. Of course he wanted to also show them off which I quickly abliged. Especially when he found out I had a vette just like his. I could go on and on about this guy and how personable and excited he seemed about my car... even when he's got a ton of them in his shop! He just seemed very genuine about how he loved vettes.

Oh yeah... he also told me he'd pick it up at no charge (I'm 10 minutes from him of course)... but he'd even do it over Holiday. Are you kidding me???

My question is does this seem like a decent price? It seems decent to me, but I'm not the one doing this for a living so I don't really know. ANY help would be appreciated in advance. I'm about 3 secs from calling him but want to be sure before I spend that kind of cash.

 

[67HEAVEN]

What, exactly, is he sandblasting? hnoes

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

$7500? Ouch.hnoes $2500 would be a stretch. I have to wonder if your car truly needs all these things- it's very unlikely that all of them have worn out at the same time or are 'bad'.

Having said that, if they truly do need replacement, I would think that the remainder of the car would need serious attention too. Sounds like it might be a money pit.

Do a bit of research on line to get an idea of component prices. I see way less than a $1000 in parts there.

 

[smorrismi]

When I say sandblasting... I mean the whole frame, chassis, plus painting... complete restoration underneath. The car is in pretty rusted condition. All the parts need replacing in terms of bushings, shocks, u-joints (rot and so forth). The guy is actually talking about a lot of work in terms of getting it looking brand new. Is the price still not low? The rest of the car does need some serious "restoration" help. I can always dump some pics for you guys to review... give me a couple of hours.

 

[smorrismi]

Here's a general idea of the condition. The one pic of the bushing close up shows pretty much the condition of all the bushings on the car. The rust condition is obvious as well. Thoughts?

 

[67HEAVEN]

When I say sandblasting... I mean the whole frame, chassis, plus painting... complete restoration underneath.

Then, I'll assume that he's lifting the body off the frame. Surely he's not going to sandblast only the areas of the frame he can get to while the body is still on.

How about a look at the frame area just behind the seats where the rear kickup joins the lower frame?

 

[fine69]

Then, I'll assume that he's lifting the body off the frame. Surely he's not going to sandblast only the areas of the frame he can get to while the body is still on.

How about a look at the frame area just behind the seats where the rear kickup joins the lower frame?

Took the words right out of my mouth!.... Is this a frame-off?

 

[smorrismi]

Took the words right out of my mouth!.... Is this a frame-off?

As far as I know, no. But if it's not a frame off then what would something like a frame off cost? :confused I believe he told me he would take off the things that he needed to in order to get to the harder parts.

Ok, I just called the guy to clarify some of the stuff you guys have been mentioning. Right now the car isn't running... it also includes getting it started. Which I thought wasn't part of the quote. However, it's not a frame off operation, but to get it fixed, blasted, sanded and painted... plus the other items I spoke of above.

 

[67HEAVEN]

IMHO, way too expensive. And, he won't be sandblasting portions of the frame from underneath with the body on.

Take some time and keep asking questions on the You'll soon know what to do.

 

[67HEAVEN]

By the way, if you're going to tackle a frame, this is how far you take it.

And, this is an example of the end result (not stock however).

 

[67HEAVEN]

And, don't overlook the area I mentioned above. The most common frame problems are just behind the seats where the frame kickups meet the lower frame.

Before you do anything, check that area for signs of weakness. Some are so bad that you can shove a screwdriver through the metal. :W

 

[smorrismi]

67HEAVEN (thanks by the way for all the very fast responses and work you've put into this string) Is there any way that region would have anything to do with pricing? I'm in the Michigan area. Am I giving too much credit to someone who seemed genuine about their work? Nobody wants to get ripped off and I do put a high value on my time, since I now have 4 kids! I'm wieghing the options here.

I forgot to mention. I started out by going in and asking this person just to do the brakes and to get the car running. He quoted me $1200-$1500 for completely redoing the brakes balls out. That's when the conversation came up about doing it the "right way." Which is to not put the brakes on, only to have to take them off again if I'm planning to do the underneath anyways. Obviously I thought this made sense, but how much work is it really to redo the brakes completely? Is that price within range... or again, is this a region thing?

 

[smorrismi]

Oh yeah... anybody give a range of pricing for a frame off restoration? I see a lot of em when researching 69's for sale, but nothing gives a price for what a frame off restoration costs.

 

[smorrismi]

And, don't overlook the area I mentioned above. The most common frame problems are just behind the seats where the frame kickups meet the lower frame.

Before you do anything, check that area for signs of weakness. Some are so bad that you can shove a screwdriver through the metal. :W

I just checked that area... Really don't show much difference then the pics of the metal I have attached to this string. That area seems pretty solid on both sides. Banged on them a little and there's nothing there that looks cracked or rusted out in any way. Even scraped areas to see how deep any of the rust was. All of it is pretty much surface rust.

 

[Victory Red C6]

Pricing to do the underneath of a 69 ??

Priceless....Somethings money can't buy.

 

[Wayne robson]

Decisions

Hello Smorrismi,really sit back and thing about this for a while, Do you really want to complete this project into a very nice example.Do you mind spending alot of money to complete this. If money is know object then go ahead, but remember when you have finished that with your vette you may have put say $12000 or $15000 into it. 1969 is a good year and probably be worth it, you will have to decide that. Perhaps this is what to do ,why not firstget a quote just to get your vette running , just the engine i mean, then next a quote to be able to drive it brakes etc, then at that stage decide if its worth going the whole way chassis , body, etc. and if you dont at least it will sell better if its drivable or runs. hope it works out for you. regards Wayne.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

He quoted me $1200-$1500 for completely redoing the brakes balls out.

Ouch again.

A full set of calipers, lines, master cylinder, pads and even fluid is well under $500 at retail. How does he put a $1000 worth of labour on top of that?

 

[Alan 71]

I think both you and the fellow who's going to do the work are both talking in very general terms. This makes it so you don't know exactly what's included (bad for you), and, you don't know exactly what's included (good for him) !!!!
He could be the perfect fellow to work on your car , but you REALLY need to clarify things. Much better to be disappointed now (with your money still in your pocket) than later.
Regards,
Alan

 

[67HEAVEN]

Good advice in this thread.

 

[gmjunkie]

Good advice in this thread.

No Kidding!! I've learned that I work too Cheap!!!