I was quoted $4500 to have all rust fixed (only rust i found is in rear window channel) and sheet metal straightened, and put into primer.. worth it?
I would get another quote for comparison. Find a place that does media blasting....outside panels can be done for $400-800, and they may be able to primer it for you as well. The rear window panels are repo'd....get one for a GTO. What are your plans for the car? and what level of quality are you looking to achieve? When it comes to body and paint, sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you don't.
well i'm up in the mountains, so anywhere i go is going to be about the same $$$ or worse.. this is a hotrod shop and they do nice work.. I asked him to quote for making the sheetmetal perfect (as if i were to paint it black) and prime it.. we were talking about body bushings (i could do those myself), filling in trim holes (was a vinyl top car with weird trim) etc. ... perhaps he quoted me for the bushings and filling in trim holes as well.. I was just trying to get a idea.. for the moment i think it would make an AWESOME sleeper and just purchase parts to fix it up as money allows.. It would be nice to get all of the expensive bodywork out of the way first though, before hourly rates and EPA bullsh!t gets in the way.
From the looks of the rear window channel and the tail panel I'd bet there is more rust than you may think. You're probalby looking at floor pans, trunk pan, front windshield channel, checking the rockers and floor braces. Done professionaly and correctly, $4500 would not surprise me.
Actually all '65 Skylark 2 door hardtops had the Halo or Catbox trim on the roof (except GS). The car didn't necessarily have a vinyl top. The area inside the trim was either black or white vinyl, painted body color, or painted black or white to contrast against the body color. On my 2 door it came painted body color but I installed a black vinyl roof and it looks awesome. It never fails to get questions and positive comments when I show it.
i may keep the trim.. i'll have to look at some cars with it to get an idea as for other rust; I'm having them replace the rear window channel and pull the front windshield, inspect for cancer, fix (if any, doesn't look like it though), and epoxy prime and replace the windshield.. The floors, trunk, quarters, rockers, etc. are ALL completely rust FREE (save for surface rust).. passenger rear quarter is crumpled and a couple other issues with a fender and dents in the hood and trunk. they quoted me $300.oo to do the rear window channel and epoxy prime it only the core support and inner fender where the battery was are bad, but i've already located rust free replacements.. the same shop let me see a '66 Le Mans they're doing for a guy.. complete strip to bare metal, shaving some emblems and stuff, repairing previous hack-job bodywork, a little rust repair, and base/clear job colour sanded etc. all-told they said he was in about $9000.oo with them.. for a job like that anywhere else around here it would be AT LEAST $15,000.oo... these guys do great work too. so now i'm really on the fence.. whether i should keep it as is, make it a sleeper with a nailhead or twin turboed 350.. OR, do it up nice... hmmm new fiberglass fenders, trunk, and hood would take some bodywork out, lighten it up, and never rust:Brow:
