cost of bodywork repairs

[deano69]

Hello, done a small amount of underbody wire brushing and ive already found holes in the front chassis leg and next to the rear spring hanger so im expecting to find more as i progress.So much for being surface rust.Can anyone advise me ball park figures for welding repair panels in the following areas-Front chassis leg, rear spring hangers and replacement of sills.

Cheers

Dean

[bmcecosse]

You'll get a whole range of answers - depending if you want the work done at your place - or car taken away and brought back ''like new'. All I will say is - do a VERY THOROUGH survey of the whole car before you start - and get a written, comprehensive quote of exactly what work is required and is to be done on the car - and don't pay until you get the car back and are completely satisfied with the work. You don't want ANY phone calls saying "a bit more work than expected" etc etc. There was a story a while back - of an old lad who was having his car restored to an 'agreed' price. They eventually brought the car back - and presented him with a bill for more than twice the amount 'agreed' (from memory something like £5000) - the old boy wrote out a cheque - then collapsed and died.

[aupickup]

i think you will fimd that mot many body shops if it is a lot of work in excess of say £1000.00 will require stage payment
they do have rents wages etc to pay

they will normally require some kind of deposit as a financial commitment from the owner

[jonathon]

Agreed Dennis. Also some companies will discuss the job in hand with the customer whilst the car is on the ramp. However there are no guarantees that extra work might be required. And so long as this is explained along with an estimate then I see no reason for the customer mistrusting the bodyshop. We always produce a full photographic record of all work undertaken and often email these should any additional work be required.
We never give quotes on bodywork, we have been caught out too many times now and end up subsidising customers cars, so we now estimate as best we can.
Large jobs as Dennis says will only be undertaken if a deposit is taken first then interim payments throughout the restoration. This protects both parties in my opinion.

[bmcecosse]

I agree with you both - although if properly surveyed - the amount of work required should be obvious. Unfortunately there are some 'cowboys' out there - beware!

[aupickup]

it is not allways obvious and sometimes difficult to produce a spot on quote

in the building i give an estimate of price for works to be done, and also add a PS sum for any thing that is not obvious

also works both ways, this way the customer does not get any real nasty surprises

in my joinery works we allways take a deposit and then payment on delivery or completion

[deano69]

Ok, well thanks for the replies but maybe i haven't made my request clear...im not asking the cost of restoring my car just what the likely costs of cutting out and welding in of repair panels to the areas mentioned.I realise this will vary for a number of reasons but there must be a 'roundabout' figure such as....about 100 for the chassis leg, 200 for the sills and 150 for the two rear spring hangers plus cost of panels on top.I have sent an email to local morris repair/restorers asking for much the same but as i didnt recieve a reply to one i sent asking about parts availability im non to hopeful for getting a reply to this one.Just wanted to have an idea of what will be left from the £800 i got stashed or even whether the £800 would cover it before i go further and completely clean off the underneath.

Wish it could be done here by a mobile welder but as its parked on a gravel drive with no garage, would've thought welding could be a bit hairy.

[bmcecosse]

Well indeed - outdoor panel replacement in our somewhat 'variable' weather is certainly not for the faint-hearted - although some have great success! Could you put up a small gazebo or marquee over the car ? There are two or three 'restorers' post regularly on this forum - dunno if they are anywhere near you - but worth asking them.

[deano69]

Yes BMC it has been suggested by a parent to put up a gazebo of some sort, more to protect me from the weather as i done a few bits and pieces in the snow but the same reasoning would apply to a mobile welder.Its under consideration.I'll just keep on at the bits i can do and hope that when it comes to the welding something can be sorted.Now do you think a suspension rebuild is within the capabilities of an amateur.....?

[deano69]

Got a quote now.Gonna sit down and catch my breath before deciding what to do now.

[billlobban]

Rebuilding the suspension is not beyond the capabilities of anyone with a basic mechanical knowledge. Both front and rear suspension are basically very simple and there is loads of advice on this forum if you get into trouble.

[jonathon]

From your original post , I take it you require a chassis leg (full,half and which side)
Rear spring hangers only or are repairs needed around these
Sills, is this the outer sill only or boxing plate and under floor edge panels.
£800 would not cover the cost if a worse case is predicted.
To do the leg you need to remove the front panel,rad and associated parts bolted to the tie plate, best to pull the motor and box, if drivers side then remove the m/c and pipework.
the sills ,boxing plate done correctly require the cutting of the lower 5" of the front inner flitch and if on a 2dr then the rear 1/4 panel.Spring hanger time is reliant on how much needs to be done to the floor edge panels.
I'd put about £3K + on this job.
what was your other estimate.?

[deano69]

'not much change out of £2000', to quote.Its the drivers side 1/2 chassis leg as theres a hole where the rod attaches to the chassis leg.The spring hanger area is corroded and holes have appeared so would need a large repair panel to cover but i think the floor ok.That may change as i wire brush further but inside the floors showing no rust.The sills are an unknown quantity but on the basis that the chassis leg and spring hanger areas are holey then i expected sills to need work also so asked for quote for replacement of all sill panels.

Shocked as i was told a couple of years ago that welding in a replacement 1/2 chassis leg would be about £80.

[chickenjohn]

£80 would be the minimum cost for a garage to slap a plate over the hole and then weld it on + a small amount of dismantling in the affected area, an MOT pass, yes, but the rust will be back in a few years and back even worse than it is now! Your £800 might get a bodged MOT pass with lap welded plates over the rusty holes, but it won't last.

Bodywork restoration isn't cheap due to the time taken and if you don't have the cash, the only realistic way forward is to buy a Mig welder and do it yourself. Jonothans quote seems about right considering that when you take the panels off you mentioned as being rusty (sills, chassis leg and rear spring hanger) more rust WILL be evident. With that amount of damage you are basically looking at half the underside of the car needing replacement.

[billlobban]

Just buying the 1/2 chassis leg will cost the best part of £40 and with consumables and the guy's profit margin youd be well over £80 already and thats without the labout to strip and fit.
Repairing a Minor on a tight budget requires you to be able to weld (or learn) properly. Labour is expensive and there are a lot of cowboys out their just beware. A reliabe firm like JLH (other brands are available) would be able to carry out the welding to a very high standard but maybe you could deliver the car to them partially mechanically stripped it might save you a few bob. Other than that you are into the territory of mobile welders who may or may not have any experience of Minors.
As Kate pointed out in another thread there is no point spending your hard earned cash on a job which will be a heap of scrap in 3 or 4 years and will cost you even more to put right

[rayofleamington]

whether the £800 would cover it before i go further and completely clean off the underneath.

If you have a limited budget, chances are that specialist restorer's are not the way to go. Don't get me wrong - they are generally very good, and without them much of the Minor world would crumble. It's just that unless you're earning enough to justify the costs then you need to DIY more to keep within a budget. If you don't have the time for DIY, then you just have to keep saving until you can afford the specialists.

A gravel drive is not an advantage in this issue, but also not a disater. If the drive is somewhere 'out of the way' (i.e. where the neighbours won't get the council on your back for doing a project car) then it's a possibility.
If you buy 20 cheap slabs (18" square - maybe about £2 each) and sweep back the gravel to lay them then you've got enough hard standing to use a car roller frame. A gazebo can be useful (I got a 4m x 3m one for £50) but not essential, as a tarp can be enough if needed.
I've got a spare Minor hub mounted roller frame if you want to borrow one - the cost would be to wire brush it and paint it (if that's not too cheeky ;-) )
If rolled onto the passenger side, then the drivers side chassis leg can be replaced (worth to remove the engine and gearbox first - although I've seen people do it with the engine in place!). By adding a few more jacks to support the weight of the car, it's possible to remove the drivers side rear spring and replace those areas.

So, if you want to cut costs to a minimum, you can strip the car and roll it DIY and do all the prep work. You'd need to find a mobile welder who charges a sensible amount by the hour and is prepared to do a good job, and get the repair panels yourself.
This is by no means a 'simple' option, but this way you can have it done within budget. The other advantage is that you know how the car comes apart and you've protected yourself against big bills in the future! With a serious DIY project there is always a risk that you loose interest/motivation/availability etc.. and if that happens you'll not get back the money you've spent on parts etc.. as unfinished projects can sell for pennies.

If you want to learn to weld, then the cost of a decent MIG welder would be offset against what you'd pay someone else to do it. However this adds ther risk that you'll never get to the end and you also have to learn to weld without allowing for much of a learning curve!

The choice is up to you, but there are always a few options if you look hard enough.

[newagetraveller]

Most welders like welding but hate lying underneath cars cutting off bits of rusty metal with an angle grinder. The preparation usually takes a long time compared with the time taken to do the actual welding. Try to come to an arrangement with a welder whereby you do all of the dismantling and the preparation and the reassembly and he just does the welding.

[PSL184]

Defo agree with the above if the prep is done properly. I would certainly be happier welding any car that someone else had prepped but not if it was a botched prep that I had to start all over again.....

[ADO16]

whether the £800 would cover it before i go further and completely clean off the underneath.

If you have a limited budget, chances are that specialist restorer's are not the way to go. Don't get me wrong - they are generally very good, and without them much of the Minor world would crumble. It's just that unless you're earning enough to justify the costs then you need to DIY more to keep within a budget. If you don't have the time for DIY, then you just have to keep saving until you can afford the specialists.

A gravel drive is not an advantage in this issue, but also not a disater. If the drive is somewhere 'out of the way' (i.e. where the neighbours won't get the council on your back for doing a project car) then it's a possibility.
If you buy 20 cheap slabs (18" square - maybe about £2 each) and sweep back the gravel to lay them then you've got enough hard standing to use a car roller frame. A gazebo can be useful (I got a 4m x 3m one for £50) but not essential, as a tarp can be enough if needed.
I've got a spare Minor hub mounted roller frame if you want to borrow one - the cost would be to wire brush it and paint it (if that's not too cheeky ;-) )
If rolled onto the passenger side, then the drivers side chassis leg can be replaced (worth to remove the engine and gearbox first - although I've seen people do it with the engine in place!). By adding a few more jacks to support the weight of the car, it's possible to remove the drivers side rear spring and replace those areas.

So, if you want to cut costs to a minimum, you can strip the car and roll it DIY and do all the prep work. You'd need to find a mobile welder who charges a sensible amount by the hour and is prepared to do a good job, and get the repair panels yourself.
This is by no means a 'simple' option, but this way you can have it done within budget. The other advantage is that you know how the car comes apart and you've protected yourself against big bills in the future! With a serious DIY project there is always a risk that you loose interest/motivation/availability etc.. and if that happens you'll not get back the money you've spent on parts etc.. as unfinished projects can sell for pennies.

If you want to learn to weld, then the cost of a decent MIG welder would be offset against what you'd pay someone else to do it. However this adds ther risk that you'll never get to the end and you also have to learn to weld without allowing for much of a learning curve!

The choice is up to you, but there are always a few options if you look hard enough.

I agree, very sensible advise! I'm going through this right now.

Steve

[jonathon]

The only provisor to the above would be that the welder is also able to fabricate and amend the panels. A very good understanding of what the car should look like plus the correct welding technique (not simple edge welds).
As you may well have removed sizable parts of the car and prep'd for welding, an in experienced welder may struggle to piece the parts together (correctly).
Make sure that your welder is used to doing cars too. Not all pro welders, used to thick steel and long runs can easily adapt to thin, rusty steel, dripping underseal , waxoyle and the like.