Hey guys - haven't posted in a long time... Just wondering what kind of money I would be looking at for a rust repair along the windscreen + rear windscreen and a full body respray total ? https://imgur.com/a/wdTf6 Basically I've had a few offers on the car - and I'm trying to justify keeping it + doing it up over time , but I've had a huge variance of quotes for how much the rust cut / repair + windscreens + full respray will set me back.... and at this point am not sure how much deeper I want to go... Unfortunately the car is unrego'd so I can't take it to get quotes at body shops / restoration places and most aren't willing to quote without seeing the car... If anyone has any restoration / body shops in Sydney they could recommend would also be keen to hear... Does $7K for full respray + $4K rust cut / repair sound right ? Or am I looking higher ? any thoughts / info / advice would be great - genuinely lost, and not sure if I should go deeper into the restoration or sell it now and cut my loses. [Image in original archive] [Image in original archive] [Image in original archive]

If you were in WA you only pay $29 i think for a permit to drive it for "repair, inspection" between set places and it gives you 2 days isnt there something like that in east might need to be a little creative but where there's will theres the way. do it all online with some info and take receipt with you so if cops stop you its fine dont even need to have rego plates on. not sure how many passengers allowed though for that biggie of a loophole :P

Quote: Originally Posted by Julia_P [View Post] If you were in WA you only pay $29 i think for a permit to drive it for "repair, inspection" between set places and it gives you 2 days isnt there something like that in east might need to be a little creative but where there's will theres the way. do it all online with some info and take receipt with you so if cops stop you its fine dont even need to have rego plates on. not sure how many passengers allowed though for that biggie of a loophole :P Ahh, ECU is also missing I should've said... ( rain got in a while back through the rust and soaked it [Image in original archive] ) Do bodyshops still use the VT rubber seal when repairng rust / putting windscreen back ?

Im sure some nice helpful person of the right persuasion can help you with a short term loan of computer as well as to share a drink at the local. Dont know about seals, rubber and plastic not my thing I like the solid security of metal with the right curves Arent there heaps of diy rust cut, spray kits around there are a no-brainer in US to save time and your $ sounds really high even for Oz, I know I wouldnt spend that much when family can be persuaded to help with incentives mostly food socialising,line dancing whatever

for a full respray for a vl 7k is not bad if that includes the silver bumpers window black outs and main base colour including inside of doors and boot and underneath bonnet , normally another $1200/1500 for bay. rust repairs tho 4k is rediculous , front and rear window seals are about $230 each and normally take about 8 hours to replace at $80 an hour . so $1000 to $2000 max

Quote: Originally Posted by mattlads [View Post] for a full respray for a vl 7k is not bad if that includes the silver bumpers window black outs and main base colour including inside of doors and boot and underneath bonnet , normally another $1200/1500 for bay. rust repairs tho 4k is rediculous , front and rear window seals are about $230 each and normally take about 8 hours to replace at $80 an hour . so $1000 to $2000 max I would agree that $4k is probably a bit steep, but I think it's more so finding someone that wants to do it. I went to many panel beaters before I found someone willing to do the job; ended up being $2.5k which included the cost of the front and rear rust panels. I got the car resprayed elsewhere too (everywhere but the engine bay) for $5k however I supplied my own paint, primer, clear etc, which was around $1k. Other places refused to quote me, or quoted anywhere from 10 to 20k; that was looking at the car too. It was obvious they weren't interested in the job though! To answer the OP's question however, I'd say $11k for the lot is pretty reasonable if they're keen to do the work and to a high standard. Regardless of if it's an original Calais Turbo or just a clean mock up I'd say it is worth doing... it looks pretty clean from the photos bar the rust. It also comes down to how much the car means to you!

also try smaller shops, most smash repair shops dont want a bar of it because old holdens are very time consuming with all the extra trims and mouldings. they could do 10 repairs and make alot more money in the same time it takes to do your vl. so look for smaller restorations shops who need the work

I think the quotes are pretty fair. I know when i gor mine done, not many guys where interested in working on rust..it can turn out to be a can of worms.. that's my experience but i think you should have a look at the guys projects there working on and see how it looks, good luck buddy. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the help / replies guys.... still yet to commit - got messed around by the last quoted panel shop (original post pricing) - and now have taken it into a place that originally quoted approx $13K based on the photos - but after having towed the car, they have looked thoroughly over it and are now pushing the total price up.... Apparently the rust is more extended under the windscreen / rear window - and I have a new quote of closer to $18k full rust cut / back to metal respray drive in drive out.... :S is this usual? Will be finding out more details / breakdown of the pricing 2moro... [Image in original archive]

An additional $5k extra after having a further look? I don't know about that. I'd be inclined to continue to look around. No doubt the prices in Sydney (if that's where you still are) are a higher compared to Adelaide (where I am), but to bump the price up $5k after a further inspection would come as quite a shock! It all depends on the extent of the rust too though.. if it's started to rust out the boot floor then that would result in more labour for them. I was lucky with mine, the rust was only in the front and rear windscreen, and a few spots along where the boot seal sits. All the best with it mate, but as I said, I'd continue to shop around. Definitely look at some smaller resto shops like others have suggested also! Cheers.