Hourly rates for restorations

[Chad Oolman]

I recently talked with the owner of a body / restoration business about doing some work on a 58 Cadillac, they do very nice work from what I have seen.  He told me they charged $50.00 per hour.  Can anyone tell me if this is typical?

[Johnny]

I recently talked with the owner of a body / restoration business about doing some work on a 58 Cadillac, they do very nice work from what I have seen.  He told me they charged $50.00 per hour.  Can anyone tell me if this is typical?

I dont know if it is typical, but be very careful before you enter into getting work done by a restoration business.  Im not trying to say they are scam artists, but do check out the businesses past history and try to get references.  What I am referring to is make it clear what work you want done, and get an estimate.  Many times when doing a restoration, other work might be needed when the intial work is begun, that wasnt evident in the beginning.

[Joe Abernathy #17524]

Sounds cheap to me.  Most shops I know charge between 65 and 75.  We charge $75.  Thats a deal when you figure the dealerships charge around $120 per hr.

[Brian Rachlin]

Chad,

Try to get a firm price versus an hourly basis.  $50.00 an hour is not bad, but whos to say how much of that hour is on your car?

There are many quality shops out there, but they are for people with deep pockets.

Also, I have heard of people getting charged for time spent on the phone, ordering parts, driving to the hardware store, etc.

Monitor the work, demand photos, and visit often, bringing snacks and goodies for the workers.  If they think you are an easy mark, you will get overbilled for sure.

I had an excellent restoration done by a professional shop, but we had a set price deal, not hourly.

Good Luck,

Brian

[Mark]

You indicate that some restoration customers get charged for time spent on the phone.  A friend restores old cars and he spends a considerable amount of time chasing parts - should he do that for free?  

He doesnt charge a mark up but he needs some sort of reimbursement for spending a hours chasing the elusive replacement parts that are no longer available new.  

If the owner doesnt want to get charged for that service he could get a list of parts from the restoration shop and provide them himself.  Again, this could be agreed upon at the start of the job.