I also would have the car stripped first, then epoxy prime then do your body work. I would not put an etching primer on it as some times it can cause problems with what is applied over it. The adhesion of epoxy is great if put on a properly preped surface. SPI epoxy has been working great for me!

I will check on the fiberglass, I agree that that should not be used. The roof labor is to grind down all the studs from the vinyl roof trim and smooth out. The fender repair is high when you can buy new AMD fenders for that price, maybe he would rather and that's why he priced the repair so high.

I'd say depends on the condition and if the existing are OEM. Mine fit really well so I opted to repair the front fenders over replacing them. Wasn't expensive at all for that work.

Yes it is all original hasn't been driven since 1980! I added a GM Cowl hood and it fits perfect with the fenders. That's why I asked him to bid it with repairing them.

Mine were similar and were fixed perfect. The patch goes just under the body line down the side.

Worked well for mine.

I think $2000 for the mini tubs should be half that. Seems high to me.

Fred's Fabrication
 

I used Fred's Fabrication in Cuba, MO on Route 66. It's about an hour and 30 min. from you. He does great work. I can provide pics if needed. He is worth going over and visiting.

That would be great. I will definitely check them out and get an estimate.

Looks like a fun project you're getting ready to pull the trigger on!! Very cool!!

I admire the way you are doing your homework to gain a clear understanding of what you are getting into financially.

Projects are actually a series of trade off decisions. Very few people in the real world can afford to just drop a car off at a shop with an open check book.

You are doing a nice job of getting an understanding of the repair options and their associated costs. That homework will serve you well and help you make good trade off decisions that fit your needs.

All too often, we hear stories of people who have had to bail out of their projects because they could not afford to finish them or because it ended up being a poor financial decision for them to invest the amount of money it would take to build the dream car they see in their minds.

The best advice I could offer is to also make sure you and whatever shop you select look at estimates the same way.

For instance, as an extreme example, if you look at estimates as maximum potential costs and the shop you select looks at them as in the ball park or within 50% of maximum potential costs you could quickly find yourself at odds.

The time to explore each others' views on estimates is BEFORE emotions or disputes are involved, not after. We all think and plan better when we are using our intellect and not driven by our emotions.

As we read through all the build threads we see multiple examples of when the scope of the project changes and / or hidden damage shows up. Few projects do not suffer from those things to some degree or another.

We're all human. Our temptation is to just get our projects moving and to hope everything will go smoothly.

The smartest way to plan your project might be to assume things will pop up and to supplement your estimates with discussing how things outside the estimates will be handled..... BEFORE they happen..... because they will.

Good Luck!! Looks like you have a great start!!