General Bodywork restoration recommendations

[hansblix2001]

hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone may be able to recommend a decent body shop that can assist with a fairly comprehensive restoration of the body of my Fiat 500 please? I'm based in Hertfordshire/London (ish!) and the work involved would be a full body restoration - I haven't stripped the car down yet (and I guess it'll only be possible to assess the situation properly after media blasting) but I think it's going to need at least a couple of new panels and other similar work and then a full respray. I will strip the car down and then rebuild it once the bodywork is sorted out.

I've had one recommendation for Classic Car Solutions in Luton which looks good, I'd just like to get a few rough estimates from decent places before deciding. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

John

 

[Mcflozza]

I’m in exactly the same position as you and would be interested to hear about the quotes you receive. I’ll be doing the same as you- stripping down, blasting then handing over for bodywork and paint before rebuilding myself. I’m based in Surrey.

The first estimate I’ve had was £6-7k plus VAT. The second is pending media blasting but bodywork is based on £35 per hr (no VAT) and £4K for paint. I would add that I’m pretty fussy and have made it clear I’d want an excellent quality job.

Let us know how you get on, as it will be interesting to compare!

 

[hansblix2001]

Thanks for your comment. I also want a good job doing! Fortunately there seem to be some decent places out there that can help.

So far, I've had two estimates back and I'm waiting for one more. They seem to be roughly similar to yours:

1. £8,000-£15,000 for steel work and paint, depending on condition after sand-blasting
2. £8,000 all in (steel work and paint)

All of the above are including VAT. I'll let you know when I hear back from the third place.

My plan is to take the car apart and get it sand-blasted to get a better idea of the extent of work needed.

 

[the hobbler]

The company that did an absolutely first class job on my car was "Sefton Classics". They are in Maghull, just north of Liverpool. They can be contacted on:---07905-086185/07743-045376. I do realise that they are some distance from you, but they have practised on my car(!?) and Greg, the body man, has a jig for making sure that it is all aligned correctly---mine is spot-on. If it helps, feel free to use my name as an introduction---Tom Montagu

 

[hansblix2001]

Thanks Tom, I don't really mind about travelling if the work is decent and the price is reasonable. I'm still waiting to hear from the third place.

Might you be willing to share the rough cost of your steel repair/bodywork? Happy to send you a PM if that's better!

 

[the hobbler]

Afternoon John;
I am quite happy for you to contact me direct--- [email protected] To answer your question I will then send you a copy of the articles (3) that I wrote for the "Fiat 500 enthusiasts club" magazine to illustrate what had to be done on my car, as well as advising you of the cost.It wasn't cheap, but the whole front end had to be re-built on my car---actually, "built", might be a better description!

 

[hansblix2001]

Thanks Tom. Built vs re-built sounds expensive! I'll drop you a line.