[Marty Phipps]

Tony
I'll see if I can find the floppy disc, of my bird at first.
I'll post a pic or two of what the quarters looked like, before I straightened them

[This message was edited by Marty Phipps on March 15, 2004 at 09:40 AM.]

[Pecosbill]

Mike: I have forwarded you an e-mail that the owner of the chassis sent me that has pics of the unit and his telephone number. Let me know what happens.

[PetesPonies]

glad to hear you are going to save the quarter. I really felt that was the way to go. Good luck.

[Pecosbill]

A couple of people locally have suggested that I try one of these "Paintless dent removal" outfits that have become popular recently. I thought those were for small dings, like hail damage, but these folks seem to think they can handle the big stuff as well. I know the car will need painting regardless, but I have seen some of the work these guys have done on hail damage and you cannot even tell the metal was ever damaged. Anyone have any experience with these outfits fixing large scale damage?

[PetesPonies]

well that is kind of funny. No, you do not have a paintless dent there ) They do small dents and dings. Yours is much more involved, but still fixable.

I had a "paintless dent repair" done to a car of mine - it looks great. But - it only works if there are NO creases in the metal (according to the tech that did the work). I guess it's all top secret - they don't let you watch to see how it's done (he covered the area with a tent).

[GONZO]

the painless dent stuff only works on thinner metal of todays cars I think.

sorry about that hit, looks like a beautiful lemans

[Pecosbill]

I've decided that part of what is going on here is that although my bodyguy is very capable of repairing the quarter by reshaping the metal, in actuality, he really doesn't want to have to do it. So I'm going out to find a new bodyshop that is willing and capable of taking on the job. Anyone out there have any advice on what kind of equipment the bodyshop should have if they're to do this job right? Any other questions I should ask? Many thanks to all of you for your help on this.

[karl emerick]

have any advice on what kind of equipment.......

1) lots of experience
2) multiple sizes of pry bars
3) spotwelder/puller
4) torch
5) shrinking hammers / dollies
6) grinders / sanders
7) more experience
and of course...... body filler and blocking tools

what did I miss?

[Marty Phipps]

A Technician with at least 10 years experience preferable.

Some sort of pulling equipment.

High production Body shops, may not be a good choice.
Many times they will have very experienced tech's. but the bottom line is driven by how long the car is there being repaired.
(the sooner in and out the more profitable)

Look for a small to medium shop, that isn't afraid to give a lifetime guarantee on their work.
If there's any rod shops around you.
Ask them...............
Many times they'll know of an extremely Experienced and Quality conscious individual who can fix your car.

Around here, I could name 2-3 different folks that I feel have enough experience to repair my car.
That is, if I'd let someone else do it.
Take a good look at the inside of the shop itself.
Is it clean?

Is there an inch of body dust everywhere? (run from this type)

Ask questions until you're comfortable with your choice.

[Edward Farrell]

You forgot to mention EXPERIENCE enough. Also, try to find a shop that takes pride in restorations.

Good Luck!

[dwainm]

Glad to see you're going to fix rather than replace it. This may sound funny, but try a dealership in your search. I used to work for a dealer that has some good body men. Some of those guys would love to do a job like that. Especially European dealers, because they seem to do more metal work than bondo in my experience.

[Pecosbill]

Hey, the stars are finally starting to line up again! At the suggestion of "GTOMazz" I contacted Desert Valley Auto Parts in Phoenix (http://www.dvap.com) and the guy just called me back. Not only does he have the full quarter, the one he has is rust free.

I'm still going to try to find someone to re-work the existing panel, but when the guy called I didn't hesitate to tell him to shoot it on in. I figure it's always better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

[PetesPonies]

as far as what to look for as in a body shop...........remember my first post? You want shops that deal with shaping metal. This is done at high end shops. Places that cater to Ferarri, Mercedes, etc. That is where you will find the true metal shapers. Look for high end car restoration places.

[Pecosbill]

I think I've found my guy. He used to work for Jeff Lilly here in San Antonio, which is a high end total restoration outfit and he was their "metal man" before opening his own shop. The shop is spotless and seems to have all the latest equipment. I took the car over to him today and left it with him to go over. He says he can straighten the quarter no sweat and will probably spend a solid week on it to get it right. He's going to get back to me tomorrow with an estimate.

[urhere2]

If you want, I can go out to Desert Valley and check out the part. I live about 10min from the yard.

[PetesPonies]

bingo Pecosbill!! That sounds like a winner.

[Pecosbill]

That would be extremely nice of you, urhere2. The guy's name that I talked to is Joe. He may have already cut and shipped it, but I don't know how fast they work (I talked to him around 11:00 a.m. yesterday).

[dwainm]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pecosbill:
That would be extremely nice of you, urhere2. The guy's name that I talked to is Joe. He may have already cut and shipped it, but I don't know how fast they work (I talked to him around 11:00 a.m. yesterday). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Yep, imo you'll be much happier going that route in the long run. Good luck.

[urhere2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pecosbill:
That would be extremely nice of you, urhere2. The guy's name that I talked to is Joe. He may have already cut and shipped it, but I don't know how fast they work (I talked to him around 11:00 a.m. yesterday). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I work all day tomorrow but I can head out there on sunday. I need your name so I can tell him who I am looking at it for.