Body Shell vs. Replacing Quarters, Sail Panels, and Deck Filler Panel on 72 Supreme
Thread Starter
Chris
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,287
From: Southern New Jersey
Body Shell vs. Replacing Quarters, Sail Panels, and Deck Filler Panel on 72 Supreme
Hello. I have just placed my 72 supreme body back on the restored frame. I have been getting a few quotes for bodywork and primer and I am starting to wonder if I should begin looking for a clean body shell somewhere instead of attempting to have the bodywork done on mine.
So here is the condition of my body: I had a vinyl top so the quarters are rusted pretty well through at the area where the sail panels meet the quarters as well as the deck filler panel, (the area between the trunk and the rear window). The quarters themselves are rusted at the wheel wells and along the bottoms.
I have a Year One set of reproduction quarter skins which are the entire lower quarter from the rear of the car, on up to the shoulder, right underneath where the sail panel ends by the trim on the old vinyl top. I have a pair of sail panels that I cut out of a 70 supreme which are pretty clean. I cut them far enough down to below the shoulder area, so they would overlap with the reproduction quarters. Finally, ebay has Goodmark deck filler panels that I plan to purchase. I have a beautiful used set of fenders, doors, and trunk lid.
So.... do I pay the approximately $7,500 estimates to have the body work done and ready for primer (way beyond my budget), or do I look for a junk 70-72 supreme body that has good quarters, floors, sail panels, etc, or does this not exist or, if it did, would it be prohibitively expensive?
My original budget (ok, please don't laugh) was to allocate about $2,500 or so for the bodywork I described above, and about $3,500 for primer and paint for a nice, driver-quality job. Any thoughts?
Thanks so much in advance!
Chris
So here is the condition of my body: I had a vinyl top so the quarters are rusted pretty well through at the area where the sail panels meet the quarters as well as the deck filler panel, (the area between the trunk and the rear window). The quarters themselves are rusted at the wheel wells and along the bottoms.
I have a Year One set of reproduction quarter skins which are the entire lower quarter from the rear of the car, on up to the shoulder, right underneath where the sail panel ends by the trim on the old vinyl top. I have a pair of sail panels that I cut out of a 70 supreme which are pretty clean. I cut them far enough down to below the shoulder area, so they would overlap with the reproduction quarters. Finally, ebay has Goodmark deck filler panels that I plan to purchase. I have a beautiful used set of fenders, doors, and trunk lid.
So.... do I pay the approximately $7,500 estimates to have the body work done and ready for primer (way beyond my budget), or do I look for a junk 70-72 supreme body that has good quarters, floors, sail panels, etc, or does this not exist or, if it did, would it be prohibitively expensive?
My original budget (ok, please don't laugh) was to allocate about $2,500 or so for the bodywork I described above, and about $3,500 for primer and paint for a nice, driver-quality job. Any thoughts?
Thanks so much in advance!
Chris
71 cutlass convertible
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,170
From: Trappe, MD
With that kind of budget (I'm in the same boat) is to buy a welder and do it your self. That is what I'm going to do Quarters and trunk pan and drop-offs. Finding a junker that doesn't need any work will be expensive.
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 50,803
From: Northern VA
It is ALWAYS less expensive to buy a complete car than to build one. Of course, I've never followed that advice...
Moderator
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 520
Depends on your goals. Was this car in your family for a long time, does it mean more than just "an old car" to you? Say if your Dad bought it new, you rode home from the hospital as a baby? Or it was your high school car that holds lots of memories? Then take your time and spend the money to restore it right.
If not, do you want to learn how to do the body work yourself?
If you don't have the time/room to do the body work, then maybe a parts car would be a reasonable option. Say a western car that only needs patch panels to a reasonably sound body. How much of the quote you received is for the extra work in fixing the body vs what would need to be done to paint the car anyway? If you saved $2500 of body work, could you purchase & ship a car from the west coast for that amount?
I'm going with the assumption you want to build a car yourself rather than saving up and purchasing one that's already done. So I would explore the option of selling the parts you've already collected, and shipping a reasonably sound car from the West/Southwest. What would the costs be, and would there be a problem delaying your project a few months? It sounds like you've finished the chassis, are you only wanting a 1972 Supreme or would you accept anything that would mate up to your Chassis? I think, others can confirm or correct me, that the 1968-72 Cutlass/442 would fit on your 1972 frame/chassis. If you spent some time reviewing Craigslist through something like SearchTempest you could see what's available and what would be a reasonable price to pay for a car that's mostly rust free. If you found one that you really liked you could check with us to see if any members here are close enough to look at it in person for you.
OK, that's probably a little more than 2 cents worth, but some ideas to consider. John
Chris, I just re-read through your post. So its going to cost $7500 for just the body work, not counting paint? I'm sure you could find a solid car that is 95%+ rust free and have it shipped back for less than half that.
If not, do you want to learn how to do the body work yourself?
If you don't have the time/room to do the body work, then maybe a parts car would be a reasonable option. Say a western car that only needs patch panels to a reasonably sound body. How much of the quote you received is for the extra work in fixing the body vs what would need to be done to paint the car anyway? If you saved $2500 of body work, could you purchase & ship a car from the west coast for that amount?
I'm going with the assumption you want to build a car yourself rather than saving up and purchasing one that's already done. So I would explore the option of selling the parts you've already collected, and shipping a reasonably sound car from the West/Southwest. What would the costs be, and would there be a problem delaying your project a few months? It sounds like you've finished the chassis, are you only wanting a 1972 Supreme or would you accept anything that would mate up to your Chassis? I think, others can confirm or correct me, that the 1968-72 Cutlass/442 would fit on your 1972 frame/chassis. If you spent some time reviewing Craigslist through something like SearchTempest you could see what's available and what would be a reasonable price to pay for a car that's mostly rust free. If you found one that you really liked you could check with us to see if any members here are close enough to look at it in person for you.
OK, that's probably a little more than 2 cents worth, but some ideas to consider. John
Chris, I just re-read through your post. So its going to cost $7500 for just the body work, not counting paint? I'm sure you could find a solid car that is 95%+ rust free and have it shipped back for less than half that.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,843
From: Aledo, Texas
Depends on your goals. Was this car in your family for a long time, does it mean more than just "an old car" to you? Say if your Dad bought it new, you rode home from the hospital as a baby? Or it was your high school car that holds lots of memories? Then take your time and spend the money to restore it right.
If not, do you want to learn how to do the body work yourself?
If you don't have the time/room to do the body work, then maybe a parts car would be a reasonable option. Say a western car that only needs patch panels to a reasonably sound body. How much of the quote you received is for the extra work in fixing the body vs what would need to be done to paint the car anyway? If you saved $2500 of body work, could you purchase & ship a car from the west coast for that amount?
I'm going with the assumption you want to build a car yourself rather than saving up and purchasing one that's already done. So I would explore the option of selling the parts you've already collected, and shipping a reasonably sound car from the West/Southwest. What would the costs be, and would there be a problem delaying your project a few months? It sounds like you've finished the chassis, are you only wanting a 1972 Supreme or would you accept anything that would mate up to your Chassis? I think, others can confirm or correct me, that the 1968-72 Cutlass/442 would fit on your 1972 frame/chassis. If you spent some time reviewing Craigslist through something like SearchTempest you could see what's available and what would be a reasonable price to pay for a car that's mostly rust free. If you found one that you really liked you could check with us to see if any members here are close enough to look at it in person for you.
OK, that's probably a little more than 2 cents worth, but some ideas to consider. John
Chris, I just re-read through your post. So its going to cost $7500 for just the body work, not counting paint? I'm sure you could find a solid car that is 95%+ rust free and have it shipped back for less than half that.
If not, do you want to learn how to do the body work yourself?
If you don't have the time/room to do the body work, then maybe a parts car would be a reasonable option. Say a western car that only needs patch panels to a reasonably sound body. How much of the quote you received is for the extra work in fixing the body vs what would need to be done to paint the car anyway? If you saved $2500 of body work, could you purchase & ship a car from the west coast for that amount?
I'm going with the assumption you want to build a car yourself rather than saving up and purchasing one that's already done. So I would explore the option of selling the parts you've already collected, and shipping a reasonably sound car from the West/Southwest. What would the costs be, and would there be a problem delaying your project a few months? It sounds like you've finished the chassis, are you only wanting a 1972 Supreme or would you accept anything that would mate up to your Chassis? I think, others can confirm or correct me, that the 1968-72 Cutlass/442 would fit on your 1972 frame/chassis. If you spent some time reviewing Craigslist through something like SearchTempest you could see what's available and what would be a reasonable price to pay for a car that's mostly rust free. If you found one that you really liked you could check with us to see if any members here are close enough to look at it in person for you.
OK, that's probably a little more than 2 cents worth, but some ideas to consider. John
Chris, I just re-read through your post. So its going to cost $7500 for just the body work, not counting paint? I'm sure you could find a solid car that is 95%+ rust free and have it shipped back for less than half that.
delete
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,810
From: Long Island, NY
Not far from you http://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/cto/5377339836.html
Convertible that needs some de-cheesing
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/5355501015.html
Convertible that needs some de-cheesing
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/5355501015.html
Thread Starter
Chris
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,287
From: Southern New Jersey
Hi guys. Thank you all for your responses. I am sorry i havent responded to anyone but my dog was hit by a car. He is still alive and amazingly spunky, but he had to have his leg reconstructed with pins because it was a mess. And of course, the dog is more of a priority than my car, so the money that my wife was saving over the past 5 years for me went toward paying the $3,600 vet bill. But hey, at lesst he's still alive. 2blu442, thank you for your response, and i will definitely look into that option. Although it will be a little while from now.
Last edited by Oldssupreme; Jan 19, 2016 at 05:18 PM.
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