Updated pics of the GTX

[ryangtogtx]

Here's a couple of updated pics of the GTX. We got it mounted on the rotisserie and started body work last week. It will probably take awhile since we are having our shop work on it as time allows between "paying jobs". Most of the components are already restored, so finishing the body will be a big step. I'm sure many of you remember that we were having this car restored at a "reputable" shop, but we have parted ways with them. It's a loooooong story. However, after the metal work was completed, the car was E-coated and is ready for final body work. I live 1 1/2 hrs. from my dad's shop, but I'll try to keep the pics updated as much as possible.

[CtownRunner]

Damn, your doin it right!
I jealous.

[moparmodeler]

I was wondering what happened with your car. I have decided that I will restore my own car. I feel that my car would never be worth the cost of a "professional" restoration. And monery is a really big issue.

[ryangtogtx]

I agree with you. After everything we went through with the "professional" restoration shop, I definitely would do things differently. I'm not saying all professional shops are a waste, but some of the things we encountered were a waste of money. This car needed some metal work that a regular body shop probably couldn't have done. Namely, fabricating patches for the left quarter panel. Our cars have some very difficult contours to recreate if you have to replace metal above the break line and patches aren't available to the masses. It also depends on what your intentions are for the car after it's completed. There are very few cars that are worth spending $$$ on if you want to recoup your costs if you try to sell. One thing I saw with a lot of the cars that were being restored by the shop we used is that most of the cars had a sentimental value to the owner and therefore the owner could justify the costs they were incurring. Also, I would get some real feedback from owners of cars that had been completely restored by the shop you are looking at. Granted, nobody likes to spend big $$ on a resto, but for some people it's the only option. Luckily we are in a postion to finish the car ourselves, but for most guys, once the resto shop gets your car disassembled, then they know they've got you hooked. Looking back, the things this shop did that I liked were that they encouraged you to have the car dipped to get rid of all of the rust. On a total resto of a northern climate car (ie. rust belt), I think this is the only way to go. Also, they did a good job of taking pictures during disassembly and cataloging the parts. They took care of sending out most of the components to be restored as well. Now this leads to the issues I had with them, namely their exorbitant mark-up on services that were performed on your behalf. (Such as a third party restoring your rear end) Did this save me a lot of time and hassle, yes,...could I justify it after the bill came, no. Maybe it's only the shop that we used, but I feel their mark-up was too high on these things and if I were to restore this car again, I would look for someone who did more of these things "in house". In retrospect, I've learned a lot about these cars from members on the 'Nest as well as on Moparts and I feel that the shop we used does not perform the type of restoration that I was looking for. They do nice and clean body, paint & assembly, but not necessarily correct. There were other issues besides the ones I listed, but I think this explains most of it.