[64speed]

Has anybody used this shop. I heard one guy talking about them at the good guys show and I looked them up and they have flat rate pricing. I called and talked to the owner and he told me basically that he had done so many muscle cars that he knew what he was getting into and didn't need an estimate or to see the car. I told him I needed both quarters and a trunk floor and he gave me a set price. Also said if I schedule it he can turn it around in 6 to 8 weeks. The guy at Charlotte said their work was amazing and their website is impressive. Has anybody on here used them. They do not paint they only do metal work.

[Bentwheelbob]

Tom Fischer had them do the sheet metal on my '72 Formula restoration before he punted the project and I picked the car up in a million pieces. Supercar Creations is finishing things and they are not pleased at all with the work and it is costing me a lot of time and money to fix their mistakes and shortcuts. You may want to touch base with Darrell at Supercar for a firsthand description of their work.

[64speed]

Are panels readily available for the 72 or did they have to do custom work? Everything I need done is reproduced

[Bentwheelbob]

It was mainly NOS GM sheet metal I supplied, but it wasn't the quality of the metal that caused the problem. The fact they are giving you a flat price without seeing the car says it all - the fewer hours they have in getting the work done the more money they make. This is my last comment.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Bentwheelbob

Tom Fischer had them do the sheet metal on my '72 Formula restoration before he punted the project and I picked the car up in a million pieces. Supercar Creations is finishing things and they are not pleased at all with the work and it is costing me a lot of time and money to fix their mistakes and shortcuts. You may want to touch base with Darrell at Supercar for a firsthand description of their work.

Translation: Avoid Grave Robbers.

Take Bob's advice, he wouldn't steer you wrong.

[1968firebird455]

You mean to say fancy marketing and tv coverage doesn't help you put out a quality product! Here a brief list from someone that builds bodies for copo cars, 1969 Z28 trans am race cars, pro touring camaros/firebird.

1) Run away from any shop who says they have seen it all. I have built complete bodies on dozens of cars and I still see things that surprise me.
2) Flat rates are ok in some instances but not in something with so many variables like an entire body build. I have come to flat rate certain things on certain cars such as skin a door or hang a quarter because I know how long it takes me to do them and it gives the customer a idea on cost so they can budget. It's hard to just tell a customer 'time and materials!' I always try to write up a comprehensive estimate that outlines all the work, the order it will be done, estimated hours. There is also the disclaimer that if additional work arises or the work will exceed the estimate the customer will be notified and have to approve it.
3) referrals from previous customers!
4) Proper equipment. Quality welders and spot welders, jigs, rotisseries, lifts, bead rollers, brake and shear..... Jigs provide proper alignment and the right equipment makes for a higher quality product in a more efficient time frame. If a shop charges by the hour, you want one that works efficiently.
5) tour the shop and see the project first hand. check out the panel fitment and welds
6) Have a written list of how you plan on receiving the car back. ie: panels fit and gapped, car coated in epoxy, chassis restored with new bushings, trim and lights test fit, door jams test fit.....

[Chris65LeMans]

I wouldn't call them a "body shop" if they don't do paint.

I don't know anything about the place you mentioned, but - unless you're painting the car in your driveway, I'd have the same shop do all the welding, painting, finishing, etc. It's just easier that way.

[64speed]

The reason I questioned bentwheelbob is because he contradicted himself from the post where I was trying to get their name and said they do excellent work!
It's flat rate if there are no surprises I should have been clearer the owner said he knew how long it took to hang a gto quarter panel and trunk floor. He said this with the disclaimer that if any other cancer was found I would be notified and have to approve additional charges.

[Jerry H.]

You might give Craig Hopkins over at the AMD Installation Center in Cleveland, GA a call about your needs. They specialize in this kind of work (they do no paint work)
They're a lot closer to you too.

[64speed]

They only install panels they sell which is nothing for the 64 Pontiac a bodies. I have a very good paint man but when it comes to panel replacement he charges 65 dollars an hour and he gets in no hurry. I don't want wham bam thank you maam work but I don't wanna be billed unnecessary hours because he took two hours taking the side glass out either. Based solely on the website and my conversation with the guy on the phone I got a good feeling about them. I asked again because my first post only asked their name and bentwheelbob sung their praises in that response. So now I am confused, are they a good shop or not? I think my question was a valid one. What kind of parts were you starting with? Simple as that. Mine just needs two quarter skins and a trunk floor. It doesn't need a whole lot other than welding up some pinholes on the leading edge of the hood. And at the bottom of the fenders. I liked the idea of flat price pricing cause this is not my first rodeo and I don't want someone that's gonna bill me 5 hours for a two hour repair simply because he had to do a little fab work.

[Bentwheelbob]

When I dropped the incomplete car at Supercar after retrieving it from Georgia they did a quick visual inspection and indicated the metal work looked good on first review. They are now elbow deep in the body and paint work and have run into substantial alignment and fitment issues. AMD was my first choice, but they were booking jobs 6 months out at the time.

[Ponteach]

Just FYI, I have been to Grave robbers, toured the facility and met with the owner. I am not an expert, I am working on my first full frame off restoration. He does have a nice shop, looked to have all the requisite equipment. Had employees that specialized in certain parts and welding techniques. Had multiple cars in various stages of repair. He showed me examples of the welds and how they finished the seams. Showed me how they can create parts for cars that you couldn't buy. Explained how they use as close to the same sheet metal as was original. It looked good to me. He would not give me an estimate until my car was fully stripped. Which it wasn't at the time. To much risk in what looks like a pin hole will turn into something else after blasting. He had a recommended body shop who he worked closely with. But that shop was even further away. I went in a different direction because I was concerned about the hand off issue that Bentwheelbob experienced if I didn't use his preferred body shop. One guy pointing the finger at the other. I also thought I could get the body work done faster having it all done at one shop. 14 months later (not due to the need for massive metal repair) I am about to get the painted body back next week, well maybe. So much for my decisions.

[Jerry H.]

You state you are planning on installing quarter skins on a 64 A body Pontiac. You might want to do a little research on these panels. Most who have used them have been very disappointed in their quality and had problems with their installation. When dealing with a shop, problems equal $$$. Some claimed they would have been better off trying to save their original panels. Others wished they had searched for used full quarters.

I do know this for a fact. AMD has sent NOS 64-5 Quarters over to be reproduced. They have had their final test fit and have been approved for fit. I don't know where they are in line for actually being reproduced by AMD, you might give them a call and see if you can get an answer. If you are interested and get someone who doesn't seem to know, let me know and I will put in a call to the owner of the company and see what he says.

[64speed]

I am very interested I will have cash in hand and am ready to get the ball rolling. Give them a call for me and see what you come up with. I posted in another post I have been fighting with the VA for years and I finally won my case which means I am getting a tremendous amount of back pay. I am doing body panels first to stop it from getting any worse then drivetrain engine trans and rear then upholstery and lastly paint. I want to get this ball rolling asap. Thanks for the help!!!!

[Jerry H.]

Originally Posted by 64speed

I am very interested I will have cash in hand and am ready to get the ball rolling. Give them a call for me and see what you come up with. I posted in another post I have been fighting with the VA for years and I finally won my case which means I am getting a tremendous amount of back pay. I am doing body panels first to stop it from getting any worse then drivetrain engine trans and rear then upholstery and lastly paint. I want to get this ball rolling asap. Thanks for the help!!!!

I'm sorry for the delay but honestly it slipped my mind and then I had to get some new cell phone #'s. I did talk straight with the guy in charge today and he says that they are being built NOW and should be here and available for sale mid to late summer. Now nothing ever seems to happen as it should and you have to remember you're dealing with an entire different culture of people in getting these built. So keep your figures crossed. He promised to keep me in the loop as to the progress.