Respect for Bodyshop people

[Little6pack]

Wow my hat is off to you body shop folks. It is dam tough work & expensive products.

I have a friend stripping, fixing any imperfections, repainting my hood & header panel.

He said the more work I can do will help keep the cost down.

Not sure if it is my age or out of shape. but after 2 sessions of taking 4 layers of paint of my hood (2 primers, 2 blacks) my back & legs are killing me.

Yesterday we 150/180 for primer application. here is a photo

 

["Turbo-T"]

My dad used to do bodywork for a living, working for an Olds dealership and then a Ford dealership before getting tired of the b.s. and opened up his own business...did that for a few years and eventually quit when it wasn't a stable check. And to top it off, dad is very impatient but yet he's a perfectionist, which I still don't know how he made it....those 2 just don't jive together IMO.

Of course all of dad's customers were very satisfied with his work and would have him fix the mistakes other body shops had made. Too bad dad isn't willing to give it a 2nd go around.

 

[Little6pack]

Being a perfectionist is tough. I can see why bad bodymen cut corners it saves time.

It is amazing what you find once you strip down to bare metal.

This is a great learning lesson for me. It is amazing how weather can affect body work. You really need a controlled environment for painting.

These days there are some great products & great tools that really make the job better.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Yes, it is tough to be a perfectionist. But some of us just can't/won't settle for less. Unfortunatley as you have mentioned, a lot of bodymen will cut corners to save time, and of course once your body work goes sour later on they're usually not there to see it/deal with it. It's a darn shame more aren't like dad...who actually care about their work and don't want to release the car back to you until their happy with their finished product.

 

[Little6pack]

Sounds like your dad is from an older more respectful generation that took real pride in his work.

 

[jdpolzin]

Wait till you get a chance to do a whole car, then smooth some bumpers using all metal, then do another car all in 8 months! I have another one in the garage needing paint and I'm not real sure I want to start on it! It's definately a lot of work and seems very ongoing but once the car is done, the better the prep work and products used, the better the paint job looks!

 

[jdpolzin]

!

 

[Little6pack]

Wait till you get a chance to do a whole car, then smooth some bumpers using all metal, then do another car all in 8 months! I have another one in the garage needing paint and I'm not real sure I want to start on it! It's definately a lot of work and seems very ongoing but once the car is done, the better the prep work and products used, the better the paint job looks!

The filler you sold me is going on finally!..... Yes lots of work amazing how the hours tick by.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Sounds like your dad is from an older more respectful generation that took real pride in his work.

Dad is a baby boomer, but I think it stems more from his upbringing, because his dad too was a perfectionist. His dad always said "do the best you can".

 

[tc86gn]

I have painted 3 vehicles and it is hard work. Prep is everything. Good paint and body shops are rare these days.

 

[forcefed3.8's]

Did you ever notice people brag about how cheap they got a paint job, then they will brag about how expensive their engine was. People will spend $6000 on an engine, no problem, but won't spend the same on a paint job. There is more labor and materials involved in repainting a car right, than there is in rebuilding an engine.
An engine can be built in 1 to 2 days if all machine work is done in house, and all parts are there to complete the job. A complete paint job done right will take up to a month depending on how much body work is needed. A complete restoration will take even longer.

 

[gnbooster87]

it would of been better to grind the paint with 80 grit first then add paint stripper to the hood by doing that theres no possible way of heating the metal while grinding it in return the hood would have no possible way of getting any warping due to the heat of the grinder...... just my 02s

 

[littlebuick8]

i like doing the body and paint. would much rather do that than sit behind the desk. that in it's self is harder than the actual fix. most body shops get paid 36.00 bucks an hour or so. then pay a guy or 2 20.00 23.00 per hour then add rent for shop, lights, heat, material, part's, oh and let's not for get uncle sam 30% and 1,600 self employment tax, hazz wast cost and division of standards to be legal, the town, fire dept, insurance for the shop and a bond if in the event something should go major wrong. workman's comp. man im starting to get scared i better stop. man we mak a killing ha. but realy i do enjoy watching a car that had 10k in damage leave the shop in 1 piece and a happy customer's face with a smile make's it all worth while.

 

[SS_Sean]

I'm of the crappiest things I've ever done was DA all the old hard laquer off my Malibu. Gotta do it on the buick now. It sucks. I have nothing but the greatest of respect for the art of body work/paint. It is part art, part science and flat out back-breaking work!!

 

[usetaboost]

I too have respect for the guys that do this stuff everyday. My patience is growing thin. It will be time for my friend to take over if my fricken fuel lines ever show

 

[moose]

I would like to say thank's guy's for the recognition of us body men, i am 46 yrs old and have been doing body work since 1986 and i have alway's wandered if everyone took us for granted. I see now that there are some who actually don't, MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU GUY'S It took me a year and a half to build my "T" from ground up, I even built my own motor along with building the car and painting it. The only thing that i didn't do was the tranny and it just went out last year and i decided to build it myself and so far i have a little over 6000 miles on it and it's doing great. I said all of this to commend you guy's for recognising body men, engine builders, and transmission guy's as well. None of us have easy job's.
Thank's again guy's

 

[need boost]

I would like to say thank's guy's for the recognition of us body men, i am 46 yrs old and have been doing body work since 1986 and i have alway's wandered if everyone took us for granted. I see now that there are some who actually don't, MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU GUY'S It took me a year and a half to build my "T" from ground up, I even built my own motor along with building the car and painting it. The only thing that i didn't do was the tranny and it just went out last year and i decided to build it myself and so far i have a little over 6000 miles on it and it's doing great. I said all of this to commend you guy's for recognising body men, engine builders, and transmission guy's as well. None of us have easy job's.
Thank's again guy's

I SECOND that !!!!!!!!!!!!! Once someone tries it they find out why we charge what we do lol. Daniel Ray ps I am 40 myself

 

["Turbo-T"]

Did you ever notice people brag about how cheap they got a paint job, then they will brag about how expensive their engine was. People will spend $6000 on an engine, no problem, but won't spend the same on a paint job.

I thought it was the other way around? I've heard of people spending buku money on a show quality mirror finish but for an engine will buy a cheap crate engine.

 

[Keiffith]

I thought it was the other way around? I've heard of people spending buku money on a show quality mirror finish but for an engine will buy a cheap crate engine.

it goes both ways. there isnt many that will not skimp out on one or the other.