Cost to take front clip, cab and bed off a 68 Chevy C10

[katydude2000]

What would be the cost to remove(and not replace) a front clip, hood, cab and long bed on a 1968 Chevy C10 cost? This would just leave a frame and engine/transmission/rear end left.
Also, what would be the cost, once these body panels are removed, for a painter to charge to prime these panels only?
I need this estimate for a possible legal action.
Thanks,
Katydude2000
Houston, Texas area

[YBNORML]

I don’t know about others on here. But I can break a 67-72 down to the frame in less than 8 hrs. And that’s by myself with an engine hoist and custom cradle to lift the cab and box.

Priming is another story, was there any bodywork done? If so, how much? Were the panels prepped before being sprayed?

There are a lot of variables to consider in order to get a good answer. I’m not sure if you can even answer a question like this online.

[katydude2000]

Originally Posted by YBNORML

I don’t know about others on here. But I can break a 67-72 down to the frame in less than 8 hrs. And that’s by myself with an engine hoist and custom cradle to lift the cab and box.

Priming is another story, was there any bodywork done? If so, how much? Were the panels prepped before being sprayed?

There are a lot of variables to consider in order to get a good answer. I’m not sure if you can even answer a question like this online.

8 hours of labor by yourself seems like the right range of time alloted for the task.
As far as the bodywork, very minimal.
Guy is trying to charge me $2500 to just prime these panels, cab and bed AFTER it was removed and delivered to him, which seems WAY overpriced for a truck with no body damage and minimal rust, no rust in the cab floor at all.

[special-K]

I haven't figured out what's going on here yet. More information required. I guess I need to know why to better figure how much. Why is he only priming it?

[Sheepdip]

In order to "Prime" your truck it has to be body worked, sanded and then block sanded or you will have nothing more than an Earl Scheib's paint prep job where your lucky if they wash it first. The house is only as good as the foundation. Paint cost money and labor cost money.

[Grumpy old man]

NEVER drop off a project to a body shop without a detailed CONTRACT concerning time / type and brand of materials / labor rate / completion date . payment dates and such , hidden damage should also be mentioned at what labor rate .

Take pictures lots and lots of pictures and stop in to the shop frequently to check on progress . always look around to see how many unfinished dust covered projects are there and are the guys working or just hanging around ?. Is the shop clean or trashed all the time ?

[72c20customcamper]

Very hard to ask how much some work should cost. Here where I am a good body shop will charge between 90 to 125 an hour and usually much higher for older vehicles where real talent is needed and the fact its tying up a bay for days where they could have done 3 smaller jobs . Most "body men" today are remove and replace technicians nowadays.

Taking the cab of is the least amount of work involved here . No real talent needed.

Did they strip to bare metal? Is it in epoxy primer with no body work done?. I have over $600 in materials in my 68 and in not even half way done. I'm doing all the work myself.

Like I said it's all relative to your location .

[54blackhornet]

This is a job for the owner to do not a typical body shop. No sense in priming anything unless the body work needed is done first. $2500.00 to do the work properly is not unreasonable at all. Can you do it for less yourself, absolutely !

[trukman1]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

NEVER drop off a project to a body shop without a detailed CONTRACT concerning time / type and brand of materials / labor rate / completion date . payment dates and such , hidden damage should also be mentioned at what labor rate .

Take pictures lots and lots of pictures and stop in to the shop frequently to check on progress . always look around to see how many unfinished dust covered projects are there and are the guys working or just hanging around ?. Is the shop clean or trashed all the time ?

Best advice I've heard in a long time!

[cornerstone]

If he is "trying to charge you" I sure hope he hasn't done the work yet.... or did you leave the deal open ended hoping he would get the job done and then you could negotiate the price??

If you don't agree with the price pick up your truck!

Please give us more information so you can get good advice, instead of us guessing what really happened....

[trukman1]

My late step-father ran a large collision center in a nearby town and kept EVERYTHING locked up.

He said if a customer drove their vehicle off the lot without paying he was SOL! He said if the vehicle left the parking lot it was the possession of the owner, period.

If a customer didn't pay, and he had possession of the vehicle, he'd place a lien against the vehicle and the customer couldn't get their vehicle until the charges were paid. Hence locking up the vehicle to prevent the customer from gaining access to their vehicle.

Only option owner had, once a lien was put on the vehicle and the body shop still had the vehicle in their possession, was to go to court and if the work was done the customer had little chance of getting their vehicle until they paid the charges levied by the shop.

This is only what he told me and is not legal advice and should not be taken as such. Consult an attorney for your particular situation and laws in your state.

Just passing on what he once told me. His body shop was in Ohio.

Again, must be taken as hearsay since he's deceased and I'm no attorney.

[cypressbog]

$2,500 to prep and prime seams low for quality work. Remember a good complete paint job today can easily run you $8,000 and the prep and prime before paint is more critical.

[GASoline71]

I'm not seeing anything wrong with the price either. Good body/paint shops won't just "shoot primer" on panels for dirt cheap.

Gary