Does anyone know of a really good body work guy in the MD/DC/VA area? I am planning to have some serious work done on my 78 Z car during the winter and want someone good. What I am planning on is:
1) Minor rust repair (catch it before it gets worse)
2) Add on front and rear bumper skirt covers(replacing the big bumpers)
3) Side skirts and turbo whale tale
4) Side and rear louvers
5) turbo mirrors and power window kit
6) repaint entire care in original pacific blue

I fugure this is about $1600 in parts and a like amount for labor and paint. What do you guys think? What should I look out for?



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Most Body shop will only handle insurance work, if there is any rust to be taken care of it's refered to as restoration work.
so look specifcally to restoration and custom shops.
I just went through this w/ my 180z and literally cold called 1/2 the body shops in Denver Metro area. if they couldn't do the work I got referrals. My situation may be different, I'm doing refresh almost frame up (driveline still intact).
At one point I hade my car in a shop for about 4 weeks, I checked in with them regularly. There was no progress and though they asured me a quality job, everything I saw in their shop. was coming out poorly.ie. Lexus painted not only twice but three times and looking like %$#@#. I watched these guys spend 4 day putting bondo in a taurus fender that would have cost about $70 to replace. Nor did they suggest to me about media blasting the 4 layers of paint on my z. This will not do, so I pulled my car. It now resides in a custom shop and the quote is more than twice what the first shop quoted. The first Shop is threatening to sue for not doing any work?????
Suggestions are go to the shops personally (no phone calls) look for thing such as cleanlyness of shop, quality of work currently in shop, general attitude, and these people who work in the shop do their rides look fine (If they don't neither will yours). And Trust your instincts, you need to feel that when you turn your car over, it will be returned with the quality of work done you wanted (you are the customer). Are they sincere, are they as excited about your ride as you are. It seems that anyone who knows how to bondo and shoot primer, considers themselves an expert able to do all areas of body work. True, you get what you pay for (to an extent), I got quotes anywhere between $3000 and $16,000. Comunication is key.
Darylick
Will AutoX for Food

 

Thanks for the info. It should be very helpful. I'll start by looking for a restoration shop.