Any specific recommendations on Shops/Body men? I'm eager to begin reaching out.

Thanks!

 

Karma, I have a body shop capable of doing this work. The gentleman has been doing 'Vette work since the 70's and spend a number of years in SoCal doing custom work.

He now runs his own 2 man shop out here and still specializes in the most high end show quality cars. I've seen photos of composite body drag cars he's worked out and painted...absolutetly amazing.

There's a second shop around here that also does a lot of 'Vette work, also a 2 man shop. This gentleman actually did a lot fo the body design and body/paint for for the British Leyland race cars here in the U.S. He tends to be a bit tricky to deal with and his workmanship is hit or miss, depends on his level of interest and how much you're paying.

Either way it's not unrealistic to get this work done out here, and done right. Shoot me a PM when you get a moment.

 

Will do.

 

Karmavore my friend looks like your in luck as it were....there are vette specialist in the area BUT you have a lotus, it's british, and older, and you don't see them every day...even 'ole Colin Chapman would be weary of American paws on his cars haha... alas just be careful...they might raise the price on you because of what you have even though it's the same glass fibre material...and for custom work you are essentially going in with an open checkbook so make sure expectaions are in line both ways. ...

 

If you're going to the right shop it's going to be expensive regardless of what the car is, no skilled craftsman is going to under sell his work. Owner's of exotic cars do tend to pay more for workmanship because the cars are more time consuming to take apart and reassemble and the owner's have much higher quality expectations which also requires more time.

Anyone looking for an all over paint job should expect to pay $10-20k depending on the level of body work required for a proper, high quality job. There also big variances in the quality of materials used. The cost for high quality materials on a job like this will easily be $2-3k alone.

Not to mention, when it comes to fiberglass there are only two places to look for guys that are really skilled...Corvette guys and Boat guys. I personally would prefer a 'Vette guy over a Boat guy on my car.

 

Man I wish I lived on whatever planet you're from.... I'd be rich!!

 

Go to this WeisachWilli guy, I hear he's pretty damn good

 

I would much rather go for a full wrap in a custom color before getting a respray for sure!!! it changes the color, keeps the value, and allows you to go back to the original color...it's a triple win! .... oh and not to mention it's cheaper.... 'ole Cliffe was working on one the other day...looked very cool...

 

I'm happy to have a back and forth conversation but there is no need to make back handed remarks like that. We can speak respectfully and still make a point, thanks.

I'm curious how much you think work like this is worth. How much is "to spend a good chunk of money for like level 2 above I can refer you to people who can do that - be prepared to go to FL"? I find it unlikely that "a good chunk of money" is under 5 figures.

This sort of work is easily a couple hundred hours with mold design/creation, fiberglass laying & gel coating, disassembly, cleaning before painting, priming, sanding, base coating, sanding, clearing, sanding, buff & polish and reassembly.

The ability to scan the body of the car to make perfectly symmetrical molds that mimic the original shape exists locally also, there's no need to send the car the car away for any of this work.

 

^^^ on a steel or metal alloy bodied car... 4 to 5 grand (or if you are really splurging with custom colors a few grand more) can get you an excellent paint job and that's with sikkens or Glasurit water bourne paint... helps to have a good realtionship with a top painter/bodyshop.

 

$5k will get you a good scratch n shoot on a car that is straight, maybe some basic body work and you'll get a simple paint and wet sand. The quality Lucas is expecting, which will exceed the original finish is going to take quite a lot more time. There will be a lot of time invested into the fiberglass work before laying primer even starts.

Keeping fiberglass straight and smooth takes a lot more time and effort than steel, the process of doing the work and making sure it stands up over time is tedious and time consuming. The materials, especially the primer needed to bond and cover the fiberglass so the material does come up through is expensive.

 

I have a trusted gentleman in Wilmington, DE who runs a 3-man show and has been a Corvette guy forever. He has had custom vehicles in various magazines that I've seen in his shop. His work is absolutely fantastic! He is the only one who performs paintwork on any of my vehicles, and I'd highly recommend you give him a shot! His name is Earl @ Classic Autobody. He is the owner and is the one who sprays everything that comes out of that shop.

http://www.classicautobodyde.com/

If you go, tell him RJ sent you his way!

 

I really think it's all about the passion and professionalism of the painter. I've had a lot of good work done by guys who charged a fair price and ****ty work done by guys who charged a fortune.

In fact, I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to pay a lot for body work and then stand back and think "damn, that was worth every penny."

The last paint that landed on my Esprit was done by a shop (now defunct) in Georgia called Flashback. They had a lot of fancy cars and equipment, and they hung out on FerrariChat, and they talked a great game… but since my car left their facility it’s been two colors - white and off white.

 

I am one picky b**tard, and I look at each job Earl has done for me and think "damn...that's perfect!" What I'm looking for, more than anything, is a job done right. As you and I have learned, many times it's not as simple as paying more to get it done right. In this case, Earl gives me the best of both worlds, reasonable price and top quality work. OK, enough already, I'm starting to sound like a cheerleader

 

Thanks for all the suggestions and guidance, fellas. I sincerely appreciate it.

The car is Columbia. I'll let ya all guess where.