[HWYSTR455]

It's been 7+ years for my judge project, and have a punch list that's worth probably another year. That doesn't count fine tuning either. And I have worked hard on it, not like it sat for a long time or anything. It did go back to the body shop twice, which added time, but I worked pretty solid on it.

Granted, a lot of my stuff is 'custom' and/or 'fabricated', but wow I wish it were done.

Which brings up the point of what the definition of 'done' or 'finished' is! Heheh!

Good things come to those who strive towards the goal, good, or even great, are never fast.

.

[Tom Vaught]

What color did you decide to paint the car with?? Very nice Body Work.

Tom V.

[64speed]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

What color did you decide to paint the car with?? Very nice Body Work.

Tom V.

That is a special mixture of my Bodyman’s own based off Nocturne Blue

[gtospieg]

6 years isn't so bad. My 67 GTO took me 8 years. I hope to finish my current project in less time...we'll see.

[HWYSTR455]

I'm in better shape on my bird project, I have all the required parts to complete it, and am prepping items before the car comes back from paint so they are ready to install. It can be done in a fairly short period of time, usually $$$ is the main factor. I saved and bought parts over years.

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[64speed]

Ok so here is the question of the day. I took all my window tracks etc to let the glass man see where we were exactly. A lot of my stuff is junk (no surprise, the back windows never worked and the car was in ****ty shape to begin with). The estimate including glass for materials was 3028. I gave him 1500 to order the stuff to get started but here’s the kicker. That quote only includes basic labor. Anything above and beyond like adjusting the tracks etc is 85 dollars an hour with no cap or projection. He is the ONLY classic car glass shop anywhere near me and he has a sterling reputation. Next nearest glass shop that will do it is hour and a half away and some of the things I read on Google and yelp as far as reviews frankly scare me. Seeing as how my bodyman was only 40 an hour is this glass man crazy at 85 an hour? I’m stuck with it but I just wonder how bad y’all think this is. I’m gonna probably have 4/5k in the glass and I’ve only got 25k in bodywork, paint, and chrome.

[max 93]

$40 pr hr sounds cheap to me. $85 sounds closer to normal shop prices , but I think he should be able to give you some idea what the total will be.

[tom s]

So only guy around.”when you have them by the balls,their heart mind and wallet will follow”

["QUICK-SILVER"]

A good glass shop will install working windows right the first time around.

That post reads like the shop is going to do something wrong and then charge extra to fix it.

If basic install is crooked, non-working, rattley, leaky windows... Their sterling reputation just flew out the window.

If they gave an estimate without seeing the car, The extra will be for "the unknown", like custom fab work where metal is rusted out.

Clay

[64speed]

No I know first hand they do great work. I just wondered about 85 an hour and like you said unknowns.

[ZeGermanHam]

$85/hr is on the low end of normal for where I live. Most places I know are well over $100/hr.

[mchell]

Originally Posted by ZeGermanHam

$85/hr is on the low end of normal for where I live. Most places I know are well over $100/hr.

Yep……even Podunk is catching on ….inflation is real

[64speed]

My body man wouldn’t give me an estimate either. The only thing the glass man said was that the provided estimate was for an average install and mine is a power window conversion so it’s not average. There is no rust in the car anymore at all period and no surprises as far as glass and molding fit. My bodyman wanted my windshield moldings so he could contour the glass channel to fit that particular molding perfectly because him and the glass guy agreed that the aftermarket stuff was crap

[HWYSTR455]

If you just bolt in the regulators, tracks, stops, guides, glass, windows fuzzies, and other related items, and then take it up, it would drastically reduce the labor hours.

There are even YouTube vids that can be used as a general reference.

It's not that difficult, it's straight mechanical stuff.


.

[HWYSTR455]

All body and mechanical people state 'the aftermarket stuff is crap' regardless of the quality of the aftermarket stuff, it sets up the narrative for the 'learning process' they go through during the job.

Even original stuff from another car (or even same car) would give those same people the same trouble, because the factory stuff wasn't perfect either.

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[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

If you just bolt in the regulators, tracks, stops, guides, glass, windows fuzzies, and other related items, and then take it up, it would drastically reduce the labor hours.

There are even YouTube vids that can be used as a general reference.

It's not that difficult, it's straight mechanical stuff.


.

I agree with this. Just need lots of patience, long sleeves, and a good pair of gloves. I have the long sleeves and gloves!

[geeteeohguy]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

All body and mechanical people state 'the aftermarket stuff is crap' regardless of the quality of the aftermarket stuff, it sets up the narrative for the 'learning process' they go through during the job.

Even original stuff from another car (or even same car) would give those same people the same trouble, because the factory stuff wasn't perfect either.

.

Factory stuff wasn't/isn't perfect, but it's about 99% better than reproduction parts 99% of the time, at least in my decades of experience with many makes and models.

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by geeteeohguy

Factory stuff wasn't/isn't perfect, but it's about 99% better than reproduction parts 99% of the time, at least in my decades of experience with many makes and models.

Heheh! I was exaggerating, basically to make a point, and rant a little, since every time i've heard that from someone who was going to do work for me, it took longer and costed more!

But, now that your on the subject, do you really think OE parts retain the same quality as manufacturing is shipped from the US to china, mex, and other countries? Are you telling me you've never seen an OE part fail right out of the box? Especially parts that were destine to the repair industry?

My dad from like 62-75, used to get a new car every year from companies he worked for. I remember going to the dealerships with him, and even at a young age could walk down the line of same model cars on a lot and tell that none of them were the same. The term 'dealer prep', the reason you couldn't buy and drive a car instantly off the lot, was to do final QA after coming from the factor, make sure everything worked. He was reluctant to drive cars out of the area for the first 2 months, because they went back so many times.

And I'm not talking econo-boxes, these were top models of multiple US car manufacturers. Caddys, Lincolns, Olds, top models. I remember one time we were going from upstate NY to Outer Banks, picked up a 72 Olds 98 Regency on a friday morn, because they took too long 'prepping'. Broke down in PA, towed to a local dealership, swapped the car for another new one, and it broke down on the way back. Car load of screaming kids and mother-in-law, sure that was a dream vacation to remember.

I've seen NOS parts that were junk. I've seen repop parts that were way better than they ever were from the factory. I've seen unmolested original cars that had stuff I couldn't believe ever left the factory. And I'm just a hobbyist.

Nothing is 99%, even the bean-counters on the inside can tell you that. Shoot, 80% would be great. Parts that don't pass QA on the assembly line go straight to the replacement parts warehouses, and get flushed out in that supply channel.

Take a look at Dodge these days, lunch time at the factories is party time, they get blasted and go right back to the assembly line. And those people get paid way more than the people in the parts manufacturing divisions.

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[64speed]

All the little details like hood bumpers and gaskets/weatherstripping etc have been installed. Only reason it’s not in my possession is I have an endoscopy next Friday and then a biopsy the Friday after that and the only day my wife can ride with me is on fridays cause she’s a teacher and doesn’t want to take multiple days off. After I get it back and get some details of my own done I will post another video. Install of the motor and trans is pretty straight forward but I will have questions about wiring. Boy I can’t wait!

[64speed]

What’s the best kind of clamps to get for the exhaust install and is it a job that someone who has never done exhaust can do? It’s a Pypes 3 inch system