VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood Door restoration

I recently had a reputable shop put new door bottoms on my 58 chevy pickup doors. I then took those doors and hood to another shop to have the doors chemically dipped and straightened,finish the rest of the door, hood primed. The chemical restoration shop called to say that the work is completed.
$200 for the chemical bath, 65 hours of body work for a total of $3000. I was shocked! Does this sound right? Anyone please respond. I realize this project would get expensive but I wonder if a shop would at least help the customer determine economic value for a repair or to suggest new purchased item.

Most commercial shop rates in the area where live charge $40 to $60 per hour. Some independent shops charge as low as $25 per hour. At $3,000 that is a shop rate of $46.15 per hour so it is within the ball park. However, $3,000 was way to much to spend on your doors. At an independent shop rate of $25, the cost would have been $1,625 and that is much more reasonable and that's about what the job should have been worth in my opinion. The shop that did the work should have given you an estimate before the job was completed. Also, you probably could have found a lot better doors for around $250 to $500 per pair, at least here in my area that's what they are going for anyway. So, to kind of answer your question; the hourly shop rate was about right for a commercial shop, but the total restoration cost per door was way too costly. :eek: :confused: :(

One question, have you considered doing this type of work yourself? I just finished a set of doors for my C6500 truck, about two weeks of labor of course did several things twice!or three times., 40$ worth of supplies, sandpaper, etc. primer,and bondo for skimming after welding up holes and spliceing in new metal and $25 for a 4" grinder from Harbor Freight, $20 / per door for a commercial sandblaster to do a great job on the doors. I could have bought them for what I thought was a very high price of $300 per door bare with out inner parts. The big expense was for the inner parts, latches, regulator kits, channel kit, weather stripping $100+, and getting the glass replaced $250 at a local glass shop for 2 vent and 2 door windows. I rebuilt the vent frames myself. Man, $3000 sounds like buying an entire truck! I gave $200 for the C6500 and drove it 12miles home on back roads without brakes!