Please share comments about Mopar restoration shops

[gzig5]

At this point my plans have come to a standstill. First the pandemic and then I retired a bit early to care for my folks who are both 94. My original plan was to get the car dipped and transport it to MCR. No way am I going to pay them 5k to have the car dipped and transported. My last quote for dipping was $800 , but that was 3-4 years ago. Add to that cost about 1k to trans port the car there and weld up a cradle for dipping. The 2 biggest concerns I want addressed by MCR are structural integrity (good bones) and preservation to keep it solid for the long time to come. I already know passenger front frame rail and inner fender need to be replaced along with some of the floor and trunk extensions. I have to wait and see what it looks like after dipping. Panel gaps would be nice. Main reason for MCR is the framework, they have an A body fixture. That I do not want to do off my garage floor. I’m not interested in show paint, just driver quality paint. As for the rest of the work, I’ll do it myself till I get stuck on something.

I talked to MCR about doing my 73 Cuda and like you said they really wouldn't commit to much except a blank check. I think they came back with nearly 280 hours of metal-work only, no paint. They kept pushing full restoration. They left themselves a LOT of wiggle room. That was too rich for my blood. I needed mainly structural work done, my car had been T-boned and repaired improperly back in the day.

I found a local shop, Apex Autosports, that does excellent work and has several national award winning cars in recent years. They were in Grafton but have recently relocated to Belgium and must be in your back yard. They will do the full monty or a partial. He gets most of his business word of mouth and does mostly Mopars. I think one of his guys is a judge for the big Mopar show back East, and is a wealth of OEM details. My car was a partial that they fit in between major jobs and he was willing to work with me closely. Communication and expectations was important to him. He quoted me an hourly rate and estimated hours to replace the entire passenger A-pillar and inner/outer door hinge mount, inner/outer rocker, B-pillar jamb, full front and rear floor pans, upper cowl, and a Dynacorn back half that is preassembled with trunk floor, seat pan, and frame rails. They also found that the inner dash frame and upper windshield frame was bent from the hit They saved me a couple grand by pulling them straight themselves rather than taking to the only frame shop he trusts. The final bill came in very close to their estimate, even with the Easter eggs they found along the way. I would recommend them for anything that you think is worth the effort. I thought his hourly rate was very reasonable compared to other places I've talked to. He also does mechanicals and has an in floor roller dyno for tuning. Be happy to give more details to anyone that is interested.

 

[Ironracer]

I got a call last Wednesday from the guy who did the body and paint on my car, asking me could I get the car to him for some minor touchup and put the rocker mouldings on. Ive been waiting two years.
I had the car there Saturday morning.
This guy is 72 been doing body and paint since his mid teens, still uses lead, in fact my quarters were leaded.
He has a 3 bay garage used for storage and a attached garage not even wide enough for two cars.
The work he does is nothing short of incredible
When I pick up the car I will post pictures in this thread
Unfortunately, Friday I got a call from a friend, was not good news
A guy ive know 40 years, one of the best fabricator/lay out man/welder passed away after a brief illness
I did a lot of jobs for and side by side with this guy over the years.
He let me use his shop all the time for my own jobs, I learned a lot from him and went to him for advise
He never thought his **** didnt stink, never boasted and he would come to me for advise on piping jobs
Guy lived for his family and fishing. Was a short guy but a bull and was still at work up until recently
Im so shocked and sad, I still cant believe he is gone
After I left the body shop Saturday, I changed my clothes and went to the wake
His stepson, a kid I worked with often, poor guy cried in my arms
Just sucks, im besides myself but this guy did the same **** ive done since 1970, we sucked up all the same stuff, who needs personal protection? He died of a lung problem. I think at almost 71 im finally seeing the light

Dammit man....Sorry Steve

 

[Dartswinger70]

My wife's uncle is 84 years old. He has a 49 Plymouth coupe with a LA 318 in it. He took it to a "classic car" shop to have the engine rebuilt. They quoted him 7 grand. I heard the story and told him I'd sell him a running 318 for $300 and help him put it in the car. 7 grand for a 318 rebuild. even with machine work and labor it might come out to half that. I think some of these shops are a bit ridiculous.

 

[Ironracer]

My wife's uncle is 84 years old. He has a 49 Plymouth coupe with a LA 318 in it. He took it to a "classic car" shop to have the engine rebuilt. They quoted him 7 grand. I heard the story and told him I'd sell him a running 318 for $300 and help him put it in the car. 7 grand for a 318 rebuild. even with machine work and labor it might come out to half that. I think some of these shops are a bit ridiculous.

Yeah Man, that's Wacked! I get it they're running a business but evidently their business is professional rape!!

 

[junkyardhero]

My wife's uncle is 84 years old. He has a 49 Plymouth coupe with a LA 318 in it. He took it to a "classic car" shop to have the engine rebuilt. They quoted him 7 grand. I heard the story and told him I'd sell him a running 318 for $300 and help him put it in the car. 7 grand for a 318 rebuild. even with machine work and labor it might come out to half that. I think some of these shops are a bit ridiculous.

$100+ an hour adds up quickly; machine work is not cheap, either.

i wouldn't say 7K is severely out of line given the current cost of things and landscape. a reman long block runs 2~25 easy so there's about a full 1/3 of that right out of the gate.

 

[Dartswinger70]

$100+ an hour adds up quickly; machine work is not cheap, either.

i wouldn't say 7K is severely out of line given the current cost of things and landscape. a reman long block runs 2~25 easy so there's about a full 1/3 of that right out of the gate.

There are less expensive routes to take even now. I told the old fella to drop a Magnum into the car But ultimately I sold him a 73 318 ready to go engine. No guarantees though it should last him till he's done with the car though.