1.Do you do bid work for major restorations including painting?
Because there are many unknown or unforeseen repairs on any restoration project, (for example hidden rust beneath another metal structure), it is not possible to accurately forecast the cost of restoring a vehicle. The true cost is only revealed during the rebuilding process. It is for this reason that all of our restorations are done on a time/material basis. Each project will hold its share of unique repair challenges.
Although a somewhat accurate estimate could be made if the vehicle was first fully disassembled; stripped of all body parts, chrome glass, suspension, interior, paints and undercoating, etc, every piece inspected and documented individually, for condition and originality; in addition, after the removal of all paint coatings, old collision damage, body dents and body rust would need to be evaluated. Obviously this disassembly and analysis alone would not be an inexpensive venture, especially if the customer decides not to go forward with the project.
Please think about what happens to the quality of repairs when a bid is given and the shop then discovers major issues that would take many more labor hours to repair. Are the correct repairs done? Is the body full of body filler vs good straight metal? Is the paint wet sanded repeatedly to get the great shine that you originally sought or is the quality compromised to make up for the under bidding of the car? Is the time spent to ensure repeated safety checks so that your vehicle is a safe one for you and your family?
2.What is your labor rate?
Our labor rate is $48.00 per hour. We also charge $5.40 per hour for miscellaneous shop supplies. Parts, including paint, clear and primer are all of course billed above the labor rate and shop supplies. Customers can help control costs by using their own credit cards to purchase parts themselves.
3.How much money do you need upfront to get started and how does the billing work?
We do not request money upfront. We bill weekly, on Friday and payment is expected no later than the following Tuesday.
We encourage customers who are close to the shop to come in weekly and view the progress on their vehicle, review the bill and provide payment. We like you to be involved in the progress of our vehicle. We have found that many times customers change their minds on how they want a certain feature done, and by having weekly contact, we minimize the amount of rework should you want to change parts, colors, etc.
If you do not live close to the shop or cannot always come in, we can either email you the bill with photos of the car or send it in the mail. We can work with you on this process.
4.How many hours a week do you work on my car?
We like to work full time on your car. There are of course times when we might have to reduce the time spent on your car because we are in a critical time on another project (example is when we paint) or when we are waiting for parts.
If you are not able to have us work full time on your vehicle, you must discuss this with us prior to us taking the car into the shop. There are times, based on other work in the shop, that we may be able to work 20 hours a week on your vehicle vs 40 hours. If the customer stops work on the vehicle because of monetary problems for more than 30 days storage may be charged and if work does not resume in a reasonable time, we will ask you to remove the car from the shop.
5.I am not able to drive my car to your shop for an inspection / work.
We would like you to come to the shop if at all possible to first discuss your car, to meet us and see some of our work in progress. We have books showing some of our prior restorations. We can arrange to then view your vehicle at your home to discuss final arrangements. We can arrange transportation of your car to our shop and back home after the restoration is complete. There is no charge for this service if you are within 100 miles from our shop or if prior arrangements have been agreed upon. If you are planning a full restoration, we will consider out of state transportation as well.
