Looking for a recommended panel beater in Port Stephens.

Hello,

Not sure about any located in Pt Stephens area, but there is one I can definitely recommend, Chatham Smash Repairs in Taree NSW who does excellent repair work and restorations on minis, just ask for Jill or Danny Berry 02 6552 4995

Cheers
Chris

There used to be one in Medowie not sure if still there he restored a cooper s for a guy close by you was a green car mocked up as s race car

i'm another one that would use Danny Berry in Taree, he does fantastic work

ground up body work plus paint usually $35000 or more for a mini, average cost of a full resto is approx. $100,000.A friend of mine does excellent work unfortunately 2 year waiting list.Plastic filler experts are much cheaper. We have all seen good jobs and bad jobs.
Allen

Here we go again

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=99452&p=1051633#p1051633

_________________
"Show me the Mini!"

yep reality upsets some people

Allen - I've followed your numerous posts where you provide advice to others who are doing their own bodywork on their Mini shell. It's clear to me you are experienced in this area and know what you are talking about so your information is appreciated.

What I don't understand, and perhaps you can elaborate, is how you get a figure of $100,000 for a full resto on a Mini. Perhaps on a Porsche, Ferrari or Shelby Cobra forum such a figure might make sense but this is a forum for owners and enthusiasts of the humble Mini. Some of us focus on originality and are willing to spend extra to maintain this condition while others simply want a nice looking car that is safe and reliable, so even your quote of $35,000 for bodywork and paint would scare most of us. You may have seen I made a similar post on the topic that 9YaTaH linked above.

It would be interesting to know what a reputable body repair shop experienced in Minis would charge for various work, from a bare metal job with some panel replacement to rectification of existing paint and panels. I realise this is usually kept private between the customer and provider for various reasons.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

I worked in a panel shop about 10 years ago.
and paint there STARTED at $25K, and if you wanted the doors gapped that was an extra $10K.

I know you can paint a car for less, but it won't be as good

its very possible to turn any rest into a bottomless money pit.
my recommendation is learn how to do this stuff yourself, I thought myself how to paint and painted my own car.
this alleviates the stress of scratching or chipping the paint, cause I applied it and can therefore repair it.
and there are paint shops that will hire out a booth, so not having anywhere to paint safely is not a valid excuse.

_________________

I am only a backyard hobbyist working on my own cars but I can understand why restorations can be expensive.
Allowing for the "charge what the market will bear" factor, "restoring" a car involves many different kinds of damage from accidents, rust and poor repairs that need individual fixes. It takes time to cut out, make repair sections and weld them in.

Look at Lyddo's restoration:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=97439

Ask Lyddo how much time he has put into that restoration and that gives an idea of the the labour costs involved.

Accident/insurance work is more like a production line process where the damage is predictable, the parts are available and the processes are standardised. The labour cost component is more "efficient" than for restoration work.

The thing is...some in the industry think it is a licence to print money, others just want to be recompensed for their efforts plus a profit.

Beware the "Sydney Rate"...words like..."we only charge $70/hour" and then take twice as long as what is required to complete the job...

$10K to do gaps? on what? a Roller? Ferrari?...

_________________
"Show me the Mini!"

Some interesting responses about restoration costs. Thanks everyone for your contribution.

When thinking about the figures quoted and attempting to analyse them I can't help but use some of the project estimation techniques from the good old working days. For a Mini restoration I can picture the following broad categories of cost. There may be more.

1. Labour - presumably an hourly rate for each of the levels of worker involved (spray painter, body worker, manager, etc.)
2. Parts - retail costs for panels is published on the Mini parts supplier websites so shouldn't be a secret
3. Materials - paint, filler, tack rags, polish, etc.
4. Depreciation on premises and equipment used plus power (if not factored in elsewhere) - spray equipment, booth, sander, hydraulic rams, electrical and gas costs, etc.
5. Profit (if not factored in elsewhere)

In theory a business should be able to put a figure on each of the above which I think would help the customer understand the total cost and perhaps make it easier to accept.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

I suppose if your a lawyer or doctor earning $250 an hour then paying someone $70 an hour sounds cheap. If your a pensioner or on minimum wage then not so much.

I see it if you add restoration to your business name you can charge silly money and milk people

We don’t work 52 weeks a year.
4 weeks annual leave
2 weeks of public holidays
2 weeks sick leave
So we only work 44 weeks a year without allowing for accruing a few days a year towards long service leave.
If the panelbeater is on $75000 plus super he/she actually costs $97000 to his/her employer.
That’s $59.58 per hour without any overhead at all.
No lights.
No rental for premises.
No workers comp.
NO PROFIT
Nothing
$70 per hour sounds like a bargain.

_________________
Find a job you love and you will never have to go to work !