Body work
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 2,553
Likes: 10
If the work is done well, very reasonable. Done well means rust is all cut out, surrounding metal cleaned, patch panel is fit and welded in, smoothed, primed and painted to match. Backside primed and either painted or undercoated.
It would be important to talk with your bodyman about how he actually plans to make the repair. There are lots of shortcuts that would seriously compromise durability of the repair.
It would be important to talk with your bodyman about how he actually plans to make the repair. There are lots of shortcuts that would seriously compromise durability of the repair.
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 255
Likes: 2
From: South dakota
Must be ok then Because he mentioned all those things Welded in Patch panels all rust cut out cleaned patched and undercoated is what he said and do a color match paint. so ok i Think I will have it done that way then. Thank You
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 854
Likes: 7
Very reasonable. The amount of time, labor and stress involved in doing a quality rust repair job that lasts and looks good (like it had never been repaired) is beyond what most people can imagine. As a side hobby, helped at a buddy's muscle car restoration shop for a few years. Muscle cars, where everything has to be better than factory and 90% of what comes through is/has been painted black (about the hardest color to get straight and perfect)..........people lose their minds when they get estimates of 2, 3 and 5k to just get a car as far as primer. One never knows what kind of repairs are underneath those few rust bubbles. 30, 40 and 50 year old cars have been through decades of different methods of rust and collision repairs, sometimes one over top of the other.......... and it wasn't always pretty or done correctly. Fixing a cab corner can quickly become replacing an entire rocker. Patching a quarter panel often leads to entire quarters and wheel houses being replaced. Rust repair is ugly business.
1200 is a very good price. Kudos.
1200 is a very good price. Kudos.
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 638
Likes: 36
From: Southwest Missouri
That's sage advice. You may do a poor job the first time, but you can just cut out that last attempt and start over. Plus, the work will proceed on your schedule, not somebody else's.
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,302
Likes: 5
From: Burlington, WI
For what it's worth the experience you'll gain from doing it yourself is invaluable. That, and once it's done you can take pride knowing you did it yourself.
On the other hand, if you're tight on work space it may be easier to take it in than to do it yourself right now.
I work at a Maaco. Yeah I'm not terribly proud of it, but it puts gas in my truck. Anyways, we would likely charge the same for a patch panel type of repair (the correct way). To get it in, out and gone for super cheap (think around $5-600), we would grind the loose crap off and fibreglass over it (while it looks good when it leaves, I know it'll be back in about a year for bubbling).
If the shop quoted you $1200 to weld in patch panels, prime and seal the area, then paint the bed sides, that's a sweet deal. They *may* be able to blend the bed sides from the front to the back, but depending on how old your paint is may dictate if it can be effectively blended or not.
On the other hand, if you're tight on work space it may be easier to take it in than to do it yourself right now.
I work at a Maaco. Yeah I'm not terribly proud of it, but it puts gas in my truck. Anyways, we would likely charge the same for a patch panel type of repair (the correct way). To get it in, out and gone for super cheap (think around $5-600), we would grind the loose crap off and fibreglass over it (while it looks good when it leaves, I know it'll be back in about a year for bubbling).
If the shop quoted you $1200 to weld in patch panels, prime and seal the area, then paint the bed sides, that's a sweet deal. They *may* be able to blend the bed sides from the front to the back, but depending on how old your paint is may dictate if it can be effectively blended or not.
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Tuned
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 475
Likes: 34
From: Vermont
The downside of rustwork when doing a proper repair for a customer is the unseen,unknown;hidden rust. The lower rear qtr.panel in the pic is not an easy "just cut out the square,weld in a new metal patch". The OUTER rust and hole you see is a result of the INNER brace and seams rusting directly behind it and THEN,eventually ,the rust rearing its ugly head outside where you can see it. Unless a repair ,by whoever,addresses the original ,inner beginning of the rust,it will return at some point. A day,week,couple years? Rust does what it wants unless you get it all and that's the repair problem. What's involved getting it all? For a body shop it is time and effort. That equates to hours and dollars$.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,259
Likes: 1,321
From: Pryor, OK
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-F-150-...item4647f1c5e4
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 638
Likes: 36
From: Southwest Missouri
Well, 99% of the time, they will order the panel/patch preformed and ready to weld on. To take a flat sheet of steel and hammer it out takes a lot of time, so it would be much cheaper for the shop and the customer to use a panel or patch. The first thing they teach you is business school is "Time equals money".
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-F-150-...item4647f1c5e4
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-F-150-...item4647f1c5e4
FTE Legend
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 30,935
Likes: 4,124
From: Angier, NC
Thing is if yours is bad then 99% of the others out there are the same way.
Look at cab corners where you going to find a good one?
On the panels I think it depends where you get them from.
For my 81 F100 I was told to go thru http://tabcoparts.com/ and was vary happy with them.
I used cab corners, rear door posts, rockers, floors, and the inner & outer of the lower left door.
Just 1 side, I did the same on the other side also.
Dave ----
Look at cab corners where you going to find a good one?
On the panels I think it depends where you get them from.
For my 81 F100 I was told to go thru http://tabcoparts.com/ and was vary happy with them.
I used cab corners, rear door posts, rockers, floors, and the inner & outer of the lower left door.
Just 1 side, I did the same on the other side also.
Dave ----
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 638
Likes: 36
From: Southwest Missouri
Thing is if yours is bad then 99% of the others out there are the same way.
Look at cab corners where you going to find a good one?
On the panels I think it depends where you get them from.
For my 81 F100 I was told to go thru http://tabcoparts.com/ and was vary happy with them.
I used cab corners, rear door posts, rockers, floors, and the inner & outer of the lower left door.
Just 1 side, I did the same on the other side also.
Dave ----
Look at cab corners where you going to find a good one?
On the panels I think it depends where you get them from.
For my 81 F100 I was told to go thru http://tabcoparts.com/ and was vary happy with them.
I used cab corners, rear door posts, rockers, floors, and the inner & outer of the lower left door.
Just 1 side, I did the same on the other side also.
Dave ----
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 475
Likes: 34
From: Vermont
I have read many pros and cons over the years of OEM body panels V.S. aftermarket panels. On the subject of thickness I feel that a properly installed aftermarket panel or a sheet metal patch is a huge step up from a big 'ol rust hole! It took maybe 40 years for the original 16-18 mill panel to rot out; a 18- 20-22 mill aftermarket sheet metal piece should outlast all of us with a little upkeep. A good repair on a driver truck should last a very long time!
