Need a competent body person to inspect my project
 

Hi Guys,
I'm a long time reader, somewhat new member.

I'm in need of an excellent body person to inspect my project and give me a good estimate of quality of the body. It's a 71 Cuda.

I'll pay, of course, but I'll need proof of credentials.

Anyone give me a hand, or a lead? The car is located in Northern Illinois (rockford area)

thanks
Darren

Here's some local shops not to far off the beaten path of Rockford that I would trust. Im probably missing somebody but this is just a quick list. They are all Lat G members here;

Autokraft- WI./Kurt
Ring Brothers- WI./Jim or Mike
Roadster Shop- Ill./Phil
Schwartz- Ill./Jeff
Violetto Auto- WI./Telly

Non members;
Salvaggio design- WI./Dave
Muscle Car Restorations-WI.

yeah I would use any of them!!!! Not to mention great builders to have in your area!

71 Cuda,:woot: , post some pics,please

Cuda Body Work
 

I have a 1970 Cuda at The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Il (near Peoria). He'll be starting my car in a few weeks after he gets back from SEMA.

He's just finishing a new Ford pick-up that will be in the Ford booth and a 68 LS powered Camaro convertible that has many custom touches.

He's built a number of cars for SEMA and has won many World of Wheels paint awards.

It's a small shop, but they turn out some great work.

That's a good list. Thanks very much. I was trying a search for illinois and body shops etc, and came up with nothing.

Which of those is the general consensus would be the best choice to evaluate the body work already done on this car?

Just to clarify, I don't own it yet - I made an offer subject to inspection. I was pretty sleepy last night when I made that post..... :captain:

Is this a body guy as well, or paint only? Thanks for the post.

I doubt to many of those top shops will service you unless you pay big bucks. Especially right before SEMA. Their are inspection services throughout the U.S.

All of the above shop's are 1st. rate,Straight shooter's.Personally know Telly(awesome guy:thumbsup: )Scott Mock.

I agree Todd. He didnt mention he didnt own the car just yet.

To the OP, Any qualified shop can evaluate your car, but keep in mind that whover you call will most likely will want to do the work. Therefore if you have a "fly by night" shop evaluate it and then have another shop do the work, you could be asking for trouble.
Set a budget as to what you want to spend for body prep/paint (no modifications im assuming) and then add 15% to play it safe. (however thats not my case and most others here on this site :wow:) The shops that I MENTIONED should be able to see if your funds are realistic if they give you an "rough" estimate. Good Luck

Do you have a photo of the car?

I would start with a list of them all with phone numbers. Contact each one and talk to them and understand that Sema is around the corner. Maybe one of them will reach out big time to you and look at it, but remember SEMA is right around corner! Brandon

Very good point. I completely forgot it was already nearly November.

I went to SEMA in Nov 2001. It was....fantastic. And it's a whole convention center bigger now.

I got a PM from Mr. Norm's garage. THey are just around the corner.

Anyone use them? I know they have a rep for the newer stuff.

I do have photos. They are on a different computer.

It must be nice to have such a good selection of talent so close to home in Illinois. Does that increase competition?

I wouldn't be against sending the car to a good shop near the original owner's place. I'm 12 hours away so I'd have to be pretty comfortable with them or their rep.

Cuda Body Work
 

The Custom Shop can do complete restorations from stock to full blown custom body, paint, mechanical and interior work.

The 68 Camaro convertible they are building for SEMA is a great example of their capabilities. It features loads of C5/C6 Corvette components, cool paint scheme, carbon fiber, modern sub frame and suspension parts, subtle body mods, killer stereo and custom interior.

Id contact Kurt at Autokraft if your looking soon. He may be the only one I mentioned that may not be heading out to Sema.

If I read this correctly, you're considering a car that's hours away. In that case, I'd go look at it myself. First inspections are easy if you can actually get at the floors and under the carpet. I'd have an inspection shop go look at it either with you or right after you see it. Bring a flashlight and a magnet and look at everything you can: frame rails, floor, trunk, inside quarters, inside fender wells, lower exterior of the car, etc. It's harder with a full interior car, but even still I'd ask the owner if I can tear into it. You may decide this is the perfect car - in which case you'll pay the $$$ to get a professional opinion - or you may say pass.

Cars always look better in ads than they do in person. Sellers do that intentionally. Never buy a car sight unseen or you'll be sorry! For me, I wouldn't even take an inspector's opinon without doing my own inspection unless it was someone I knew real well and planned on restoring the car with side-by-side.

Real world story here - I've done a couple of inspections here in SoCal for members. One was for Scott Packhurst (sorry if I mis spelled your name Scott). Scott thought this was going to be a great buy. 2 hours and 30 pics later, we both agreed it was a pass. So it just goes to show you, even a Pro like Scott may like something in an ad, but upon further detailed review things may change.

Good luck!