Metal work update on the GTX

71440 gtx · Post by **71440 gtx** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:48 pm

Smellslike1974 wrote:
71440 gtx wrote:, another 700 hours a //// an hour, what a bunch of crooks. thank god I'm doing my own car, I can weld, paint,bodywork

ps nice gtxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :
at the same time?

yes why?

Smellslike1974 · Post by **Smellslike1974** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:00 pm

71440 gtx wrote:
Smellslike1974 wrote:
71440 gtx wrote:, another 700 hours a //// an hour, what a bunch of crooks. thank god I'm doing my own car, I can weld, paint,bodywork

ps nice gtxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :
at the same time?

yes why?

general · Post by **general** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:22 pm

Ryan, when you say 1000 hours or 1700 hrs does that include restoring all the other parts and putting it back together, or is that just body work.
I'm just shopping around to get the body and paint done as I'm doing the rest of the stuff, and so far no one even wants to committ any type of hours.

71440 gtx · Post by **71440 gtx** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:49 pm

Smellslike1974 wrote:
71440 gtx wrote:
Smellslike1974 wrote: at the same time?

yes why?

ryangtogtx · Post by **ryangtogtx** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:10 pm

general wrote:Ryan, when you say 1000 hours or 1700 hrs does that include restoring all the other parts and putting it back together, or is that just body work.
I'm just shopping around to get the body and paint done as I'm doing the rest of the stuff, and so far no one even wants to committ any type of hours.

We were quoted 1000 hrs. of labor for the resto. They estimated 250 hrs. for metal work and another approx. 250 for body work. Disassembly took approx 100 hrs. That should leave 400 hours for reassembly. They also charge an hourly rate for purchasing parts on your behalf and this charge is on top of the markup over purchase price. They don't do much of any component resto in house. They farm most of that out to subcontractors. When assessing a resto, a so-called reputable resto shop should be able to give you a fairly close estimate with regard to hours with the disclaimer that if we run into unforseen obstacles, then we will need to reevaluate. Our cars are not much different than an E-body, so to me, it should be pretty easy to give an estimate. MCR has done enough cars that they shouldn't be off by 700 hours on their estimate.

general · Post by **general** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:49 pm

For that difference I would expect an explanation of why they were off also. I don't blame you at all for asking. To be that far off, they would of had to miss something big or a lot of little things.
Good luck

By the way , they seem to be doing a decent job on the body, wish I had an e coat guy near me.

fourforty6pac · Post by **fourforty6pac** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:14 pm

ryangtogtx wrote:It has nothing to do with taking it like a man. It has to do with getting screwed. I'd describe this situation as "bait and switch". We were told that the car would be approx. 1000 hours. After the car came back from the stripper, it was in better condition than anticipated, but somehow the figure has now jumped to 1700 hours which is a drastic difference. There is no way they were that far off in their estimate. I have talked to a couple other guys that have had them do cars and they have said the same thing. With business practices like this, MCR won't be in business too much longer in today's economic climate (in my opinion). I can't wait to be done with them.

My remark about taking it like a man was a joke. That's why I used the smiley face.

Sounds to me they think they have you by the nads. The hours nearly doubled. What are their reasons for the increased cost? If that happened to me I think I would have taken my car home after the metal work was done. Then if I couldn;t finise it myself I would find a good body and paint guy to finish the body. Good Luck!

ryangtogtx · Post by **ryangtogtx** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:23 pm

The plan is to take it home once the metal work is completed and the car is e-coated. There reason they gave for the hours going up is that they've never done a 71 Plymouth b-body before and they estimated too low. Like I said before, they get you in the door at one price and when your car is disassembled they know they've got you by the short hairs. I talked to one guy who had them do his car and he said that when the car was finished, he had twice as much into it than they originally told him it would cost.

AZ-Nick · Post by **AZ-Nick** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:32 pm

Ryan, I had no idea of the problem you were having with them when I posted that you had the right people working on your car, I only had looked at the pics and I thought there reputation was solid. I Guess NOT.....
Good Luck and keep us posted......

ryangtogtx · Post by **ryangtogtx** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:21 am

Their reputation used to be solid. I am really happy with the metal work. I think they've tried to get too big too fast and as a result, the clients have suffered. Right now they are relying on all of the publicity they've gotten from having their name in magazine articles.

bandman · Post by **bandman** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:50 pm

Do you think the problem could be industry wide? I had my car cost exactly twice my qouted price. It almost killed me, but they had my baby, and I wanted it back. So I put my family through some hardships because of it.

Talking to friends, they say I got lucky. Their stories are much worse than mine. Some said I should have know better......I guess now I do.

Dennis

ryangtogtx · Post by **ryangtogtx** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:27 pm

I think it might be an industry wide problem. These shops know that if they tell you the cost of restoring a car is $150000, they know they will never see you again. If they tell you that the cost is something more reasonable, then they can get you in the door and massage the money out of you later and if you don't pay, then they own your car. If MCR is supposed to be one of the more reputable shops, then I'd hate to see the bad ones.