Need some advice here on a 73 charger project..........

That guy owes you big time!! That quarter and door would have never fit without pulling out that collision damage. At a regular resto shop he'd be in for BIG bucks to do what you have done.
 
I did have to play with it slightly to get the gaps where I liked them so I am sure its not 100% in spec, but its close enough to leave my garage!
 
Going back and looking at the profile of the doors on the passenger side where the door lock is. I'm amazed at just how different the profile is from the new door to the smashed door and I cant figure out how they even got the damn thing to close!

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After doing one of these projects you can understand why I do not quote restoration jobs. Everything is time and material. I bill once a month and they can take their car home at any time if they are not happy as long as the bill is paid.
 
To be honest, Ill never do another job like this again. Its simply not worth it to me. This started out as a "Paint my hood" job. This job has been a miserable deal from the very beginning.
 
Just be sure when this car leaves your shop at whatever stage of completion, that you get his signature on an invoice with all the necessary disclaimers and limits of liability you need. Personally I wouldn't want to guarantee any of this. Consult a lawyer if you need to. He could come back for free work a hundred times because he paid you to work on his pos. Happens every day. Pics, videos, documentation!
 
orangejuiced86 said:
To be honest, Ill never do another job like this again. Its simply not worth it to me. This started out as a "Paint my hood" job. This job has been a miserable deal from the very beginning.
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Looks good OJ! Glad you have just about got it done.:) I completely understand what you are talking about. I'm so upside down with what I'm working on now it just kills your motivation to work on it, but if you don't work on it you can't get it out of your life. Embarrassing, cause I should have known better and listened to the advice I've given others. Never again. For real this time:)
 
Nice work. Love the sound of a Mopar!
Have a video of my signature car motor but not sure how to put it here.
 
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Chris_Hamilton said:
Looks good OJ! Glad you have just about got it done.:) I completely understand what you are talking about. I'm so upside down with what I'm working on now it just kills your motivation to work on it, but if you don't work on it you can't get it out of your life. Embarrassing, cause I should have known better and listened to the advice I've given others. Never again. For real this time:)
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For sure. It sucks the life out of you when you know you are making pennies, but i just look at it as a lesson learned. On the bright side, I did say no to a few projects that would have been just like this and man did it feel good!
 
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That's beautiful! I don't know what the owner paid you on that project, and while I am a total rookie and know very little, even I know it was not enough! I think it speaks volumes about you that in light of not getting fully paid for the incredible amount of work you put into that project, you went ahead and did it. And, not just that, you did it to the very best of your ability. Enjoyed watching it come together.
 
Have a professional sign on your wall with labor rates, conditions, etc. That will let people know your serious about what you do. It also runs off people who don't want to pay much.
 
dhutton01 said:
Curious why you lost money? Did you honor a fixed bid on the work?

Don
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I lost money for a few reasons. I'm not a metal guy, I can do it(sort of) but its not my deal, so it takes me 5x's as long as a guy who's craft is metal. Second, I had to pass up a few jobs that would have been in and out and I would have made money all winter instead of yelling at this car. I didnt honor a fixed bid, but I know the guys doesn't have a stockpile of cash laying around, so I didn't exactly charge him what I should have. Keep in mind, I took the entire car apart and now I am putting it back together. Every bolt and screw I've taken off of this car has been cleaned and painted. I have probably 60 hours just in researching and finding parts for this car.

The owner is a genuinely nice guy. I knew there was trouble in those cracks, and after I knocked that stuff out I couldn't exactly just say "hey come get your car, you're pretty much screwed". I'm just not that type of guy.
 
All restoration work that I do is Time and Materials only. Trying to quote this stuff is impossible for me because I always under estimate the time it takes to actually do the work. Plus the "unseen" problems that pop up are many. I won't even give them rough estimates anymore because they will throw that back at you later if you go over it.

The contract I have them sign (trusting verbal agreements with people today is foolishness) states my labor rate and that I will bill at the end of each month. It also states that I do not work 40 hours a week on their car so it may take a long time to get it finished but at any time, if the bill is paid, they can come and get their car. Nobody has ever done that so far.
 
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