Okay, I have a 3/4 ton Chevy. It is in need of sandblasting over the entire body. Right now, I am mainly interested in just getting the exterior aspects taken care of. I am trying to not be too picky about making sure that all cracks and crevices (sp?) are reached. My truck has, what I would call, moderate amounts of rust. The main areas that need attention are the roof, parts of the hood, and patch panels need to welded in the cab corners. I am going to replace the runningboard splash aprons. Question is, how much time can I expect a body shop to spend on a project like this (ballpark)? And how do they figure cost? I know they go by hour usually, but do they bill for ACTUAL time spent or go by a Chilton's manual and try to come in under the estimated time? On a more frustrating note, I went my selected shop today to drop off my truck. Keep in mind, the owner/operator has only seen pictures of my truck, but I feel that these pictures were a good representation of the overall condition of the truck, in that, it focused on the key problem areas, so the guy could see them. Anyhow, I got the truck there and he just immediately started backpeddling on what he said he would be able to do. Needless, after a rather heated discussion, I came to the decision that I probably don't want to force this guy to do what he said and it would be better to find someone more willing and, perhaps, able to do the job. So, that is my saga for the day. Any advice would be appreciated. I am in the process of scanning the phone books and I will start calling tomorrow, but I would like to know what I can expect to pay or even better, know what to tell these guys to expect. Thanks so much.
