Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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Anybody know of any body shops who welcome antique work in the VT/NH/Upstate NY area??
99% of the shops in my area get a panicked/pained look in their eyes when you pull up and ask for a quote. The few that do, want the car left for 2 years!!

I know it's labor intensive and many shops don't make money strictly on labor, but I need a shop that can do quarter panel work and painting.



Rick

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My shop of choice here in the Frozen North is the Auto Shoppe in S. Burlington, VT.. Unfortunately, they are booked solid for the next two years. Not like CA.


Rick

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make an appointment and wait, if you find alternative someone would take your slot


I have a 1927 Chevy Capital AA 4 Door also a 1927 Chevy Touring car, a 1936 Chevy 1/2 ton and a 2010 Corvette LT3 Convertible and a 1953 Packard Caribbean. My tow car is a 2011 Suburban.
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Good luck, around here you can find shops that will take the job and then it just sits in the back corner. A friend who does frame offs on mid 20s to mid 30s chevs has had little to no luck getting any thing back in less than a year. A recent restoration took two years to get the body back but in this case it was beautiful and probably worth the time. Luckily he has room to work on more than one vehicle at a time. talk

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It's certainly a challenge. Several folks in my local multi-marque car club have sadly given up their classics because of the difficulty in finding shops to do repair work, as they have aged and are not physically able to do it themselves.

I am on a waiting list so we shall see. Might spend the winter prepping her for primer while I wait. Thanks to all.

You folks on the West Coast--appreciate your opportunities and keep patronizing those shops!!


Rick

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There seem to be plenty of auto body shops here in California...That will take on older cars...especially in southern California where the weather is great all year round...


1947 Fleetmaster Sport Coupe VCCA # 47475

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Hey Kevin..........it wouldn't take too much convincing to get Rick to head west from the frozen tundra of Vermont. Especially if he could get work done on his '51 without searching all over the place for a good shop.

Snow's coming Rick snoman .......go west young man..... driving


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Probably not a lot happening in VT, this time of year...Stand by the window with a "hot-tottie and watch the moose wander by...Probably in the low 80's in S. Ca, about now...They work on cars all year long...


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Kevin,

Real metal repair (not bondo plastering, chese grater shaping, sanding) can be done indoors where weather is irrelevant.

Back in the early 1970s when I started my restoration I took it to a few body shops my dad knew and they were all willing to do the job, but with bondo. I spoke to the instructor at an evening adult education body repair class at a local high school and he was very welcoming.

In less time than the wait list described in this thread he'd taught me enough to get 'er done. I'd encourage all the do-it-yourselfers out there to not underestimate what a motivated amateur can accomplish. We're talking about reshaping very thin sheet metal here, something that requires finess rather than brute force. So even we old men can do it.

I wish I were computer literate enough to post a picture here showing how my home hammered/welded/painted '36 pickup turned out to encourage others who might give it a try. It was good enough to win Class T-2 at the 1976 VCCA meet in Colorado Springs.

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Reminds me of a friend with a 64 T bird, it had a rather large dent in the lower front panel of the drivers door. He took it to a local shop with a good reputation and paid for repairs but paid EXTRA to have the dent worked and then LEADED rather than bondod. One evening driving by the shop I noted the car in the drive, a large bucket sitting by the door and obviously at least the final work done with plastic. I mentioned this to the owner he contacted the shop, was told no plastic. He picked up the car, well done looked great. About a month later driving down the street he felt a bump as the rear tire rolled over something. On stopping and getting out of the car he found that the dent had not been worked, it had been filled with bondo and what he ran over was a large chunk of it. Needless to say he was more than a little up set. They redid the job correctly. talk

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Years ago I had an opportunity to go through a local body shop to access the gas meter that was in the alley behind the shop. When I walked through the shop area to get to the alley I noticed a worker standing in the back of a small pickup with a two gallon metal bucket in hand. The roof of the pickup was caved in considerably, and the worker was literally pouring lots of Bondo out of the bucket and into the caved in area on the roof of the pickup.

As I returned from the alley and was walking back through the shop to leave, I noted that the worker was getting more Bondo to pour onto the roof of the pickup! Wonder how long all of that Bondo lasted?

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The Mangy Old Mutt

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Most products not used as designed are doomed to fail. I'm sure the bondo directions specify a maximum thickness and it will not be in inch increments. I know of a very successful body shop that built custom cars and they put bondo on all their projects. When the sheet metal was formed to final shape the entire car was sanded with 40 grit sandpaper and a skim coat of filler applied. Once set up it was then sanded with finer sandpaper (sorry-don't remember the grit) until only the fine scratches made by the 40 grit contained any bondo. The owner explained that it was his way of giving the primer paint a better surface to adhere to. Misuse and abuse of products is usually the biggest cause of failure. While I am not an advocate of bondo some of todays polyester etc fillers are much better than yesterdays products.


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The problem with the polyester fillers is that they attract water. Has to do with the ester linkage and hydrogen bonding (nuf chemistry). So they must be completely sealed from water.

Another other problem is they are peroxide cured which generates heat. The heat expands the material in the center more than the edges or surface. Once it sets up the center is still hot and expanded. As it cools the center shrinks more than the surface and edges. Being somewhat flexible nothing happens until later when heat/cool cycles and adsorption of oxygen further hardens the plastic. Then cracks or sinks begin to form exposing the polyester to water. (Sorry guys for the additional chemistry lesson but thought you might want to know what happens). So failure is not an option it is the future! Light or thin coats that are allowed to fully cure in a low humidity environment don't have the later shrinkage problems and as long as protected from water are just fine. Well maybe not 100% as heat/cool cycles with the differential expansion factor between metal versus plastic can still come into play. Just remember that paint is a polymer (plastic) coating and can have some of the same problems. Particularly caused the heat/cool cycles. In addition it has UV light and oxygen and abrasive particle deterioration as well.

Next lesson will be the extenders used in body fillers. Yupster, that stuff is not all resin and catalyst. They put cheap stuff in to lower the price of filler. Some of the stuff is much better than others.


How Sweet the roar of a Chevy four!
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That's the reason my wife and I are considering relocating and spending our retirement years in San Diego. She being a native Vermonter, that's gonna take some convincing, but I'm working on her!!

Interesting that this thread has morphed into a Bondo® debate!!

Regarding the previous post about metal working involving not much force and anyone can tackle it, I disagree. Some of us just don't have the mechanical skill to shape metal. I've attempted some with my hammer and dolly and probably have made it worse .
I'll leave the welding and finish work to the pros. The wait continues!! Fingers crossed.

LOL

Last edited by styleline51; 11/03/14 09:30 AM.

Rick

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I learned metal working from a master. The key to straightening is to exactly reverse the force that produced the dent or crumple. The most common mistake is to hammer to much and too hard. Every time metal moves it gets harder and less malleable. Rarely hammer directly on a spot directly opposite a dolly. If you hear a ping when using a dolly you have just stretched the metal in that spot. Metal shrinking is an art. Takes a lot of practice.

Now we have moved into body work 101 and retirement. San Diego weather is great if near the coast but not the best for paint and body work because of the Pacific humidity. Inland gets plenty hot in the summer. If you think body work is expensive in NH/VT/NY just price it in Cali. They can't use many of the products we can in Texas and have restrictions on where they can paint.


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Styleline51,

Chipper is right. Body repair is an art. But like so many things (playing a fiddle, tig welding, threading on a lathe, fly fishing)once the proper technique is demonstrated the mystery is gone and with practice YOU become the master.

Chipper mentions shrinking. Often denting a panel stretches the metal and the only way to actually "Straighten" it is to shrink the stretched area. It's almost a certainty that the "pros" you refer don't even know how to do that. Bondo and the old cheese grater have replaced metal straightening.

But it's your car and your choice. Some buyers bring a magnet when car shopping.

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No Bondo on my car...And factory straight...Not so much as a ding...Was Also undercoated by the dealer...I did find a small rust hole in the trunk near the rear wheel...I'd gather this vehicle has never left the state...And probably never will. At least not while I'm still sucking air...


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Chipper and Brino--all good cogent points.

So I guess I'd better cough up some green and get the work done before we head west with the Styleline Coupe.LOL

I really admire and respect those true metal artisans who can fabricate and straighten metal. Saw a demo last year at a shop using an English wheel. Really cool. Limitless patience is called for too.

Kevin--you were fortunate and smart to get a car with a pretty good body. That was my one mistake which I regret but chalk it up to experience--my car was intact and complete, but body was in rough shape. In hindsight, I would buy a car with a better body. The Special Sport coupe I bought was a rare one though as not many were built vs the Deluxe coupes, and fewer survive today.

Last edited by styleline51; 11/05/14 08:21 AM.

Rick

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It's hard to pass up a car you want, even when it needs some work...I just got lucky...


1947 Fleetmaster Sport Coupe VCCA # 47475

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So true my friend.

Hey, whenever you get bummed out over the weather there, take a moment and think of your Chevy brothers and sisters dealing with late fall and winter snow back here in N. New England!! All I can do is peek under the car cover!!

Best regards.

Last edited by styleline51; 11/07/14 07:58 PM.

Rick

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My thoughts exactly. If plans work out, in a few years, the Boss and I will become San Diego residents and join the region out there. Hope springs eternal.

Snow??/ Bah! bah


Rick

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Did you ever consider east Washington?

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Nope. Prefer So. Cal climate. I'm sure it's nice there.


Rick

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Lived in California for many years....couldn't wait to move outta there! The climate was nice in California but where I live now the climate is nicer since we have the four seasons and no smog!

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The Mangy Old Mutt

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San Diego is nice...! I moved to the gold country foothills because I found a place with a large shop and lots of land...Hotter in the summer and colder in the winter, though...


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Growing up out East, I've had my fill of 4 seasons. LOL
Gimme sunshine and warmth 12 months a year.
Also tired of storing my car 6 months!!

Each to his own, however. All parts of our wonderful US have their own climate strong points, I guess.

Happy Holidays!


Rick

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Climate is fine but the most popular attract too many others. That is not conducive to enjoying old Chevys. Give me a bit less attractive weather, wide open space with good roads less traveled. Yes we in Texas can use our cars all year. I can always find all kinds of weather on the TV and be glad I am not there. Guess we have four seasons as the deciduous trees lose their leaves, some turn colors before they drop. Must be why that is why so many from other places have come to stay. If you watch the automotive programs on TV you will find we have plenty of auto related businesses here too. Those include plenty of body shops that work on older cars.


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Quote
Give me a bit less attractive weather, wide open space with good roads less traveled.


Man, I totally agree with that! Here we can go out on the roads with our old cars anytime that we want without the worry of getting run over by speeders or miles of traffic. Besides, I would rather look at moutains, trees, grass, cows, horses, deer dudes and the like instead of seeing nothing but traffic, tall buildings, blacktop, and a zillion people. Yep, for me wide open space is great!

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The Mangy Old Mutt

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My buddy owns a body shop and is a good friend. He doesn't want to take restorations at all because of the time it takes. He tells me the problem is he can't get good help and that the good body guys are either gone or Prima Donnas. When I rotisserie restored my Blazer I paid a really good body man $25hr cash here in my garage to get it all prepped for paint. He lived 5 mins down the road, was virtually single, and in need of money. One month he came once for 3 hrs. The next month he came about 3 days for a few hours each. When he did some work I'd pay him. I finally told him that he never waits for my money but that he was making me wait for his work. He agreed that I was right and then made it a point to get to my garage and finish it. My buddy then took it at his shop to tweak any area he thought it needed it and to paint it.

My 31' needs very little by way of body work yet my brother and I will do anything it needs including priming it so I can just take it to my buddy's shop for painting. If I take it there now, in need of some light surface rust removal, some light body work, and priming, it will be there for more than 6 months for 10hrs work. Body shop guys are another breed. Even when it's ready for paint I expect 3-4 wks before he gets it in the booth. His paint work is some of the best in the country and there are shops in CA that fly him out there to paint certain customer's cars. He charges me almost nothing to paint my vehicles so I can't complain. I've just come to accept the time involved.

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