Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hi V8 brothers,

I have a 56 Clipper Deluxe as you all know... .

The car has a Belgian license plate for daily use, so that means that the car may be used whenever I want, but it needs a yearly technical control inspection.
Last summer I had an appointment at the control station, they checked the car and made a positive decision for road safety and gave a green light for mechanical quality. The only remark was the poor state of the rockers, but because the car has an separate solid chassis, they won't keep it off the roads.

Yeah, it's visible that the lower side does has rust and also that the chrome parts aren't perfect anymore. There is a tear in the drivers seat cushion and the drivers door arm rest is worn.

When I lifted the car, indeed the underside of the fenders, the inner and outer rockers and also the rear fender/wheelwell is in a bad shape because of rust.

Since the inspection I was searching for a body shop who can redo the car.
Most of them don't want to do such old cars because of the big work it may be... .

Finally I've found a shop at Nieuwpoort, at the Belgian east-coast who would take a look at the car. I made an appointment, so I drove 55 miles at saturday to Nieuwpoort with the Packard to show him the car.

I mentioned him that all repair panels were available at the States to repair the car. Parts would cost +/- $ 500.-

He put the car on a lift for closer inspection of the underside of the car:

I quote the man:

Hmm, there will be a lot of work at the car, replacing the rockers will not be easy!! The body does has to be removed from the chassis for having a good access to the rockers. This will cause a lot of labour hours!! Keep in mind that when removing the old rockers and lower rear fender plate we might find unpleasant things there! I think this will run into 500 labour hours to repair it what means you may expect a price for metal works beginning at $ 25,000.- add approx $ 5,000.- for redoing the chrome and add approx $ 3,000.- for the seats and door panels. That results in $ 33,000.- excluding 21% VAT or a total amount "beginning" at $ 40,000.- repairing the car !!!

You have to know that for this minimum price the chassis will NOT be redone, there will NO work be done at engine or tranny nor the dash ( which is good ).

When I check American websites where cars are sold, I see that Clippers in a good to near perfect shape always are sold for prices lower than 15 till $ 20,000.-

Right now my question: Is it acceptable to make such big costs to a Clipper??
Do I come from another planet or is the price offered by that man totally absurd?

What do you think?

Advices?


Maybe I should better get rid of the car and buy something in a good ( better ) shape???

Help !!

Xavier

Those prices are INSANE!!! The shop that quoted you obviously does not want to do the work.

If you check BigKev's blog on this site, I believe he fixed all those trouble areas you describe by himself (his is a 54, but not much difference between it and your 56) and he's not a professional "body man."

JMHO,

Craig

I agree with Craig. The prices quoted are totally out of line unless perhaps you want a 100 point concours restoration. Rocker panel replacement does not require that the body be romoved from the frame and any body repairman worth his salt should be able to replace those at a very small fraction of the quote you received. Don't be discouraged. Shop around and I am certain you will find someone to do the repairs at a reasonabl eprice.

Stunning. I am assuming that a complete repaint of the car was included in that price--or was that just for the metal work?

In the last twenty years I have put new bottoms on at least a couple dozen 51-56 Packards. By that I mean: new metal at the back lower corner of the front fenders, new inner and outer rockers, new rear wheel openings and doglegs, and if needed the first several inches up of the rear quarter panels. It has not taken longer than 80 hours to do that down both sides of the car and there is no benefit to removing the body from the frame. Oh, and I make all those parts myself in that time.

Any postwar sedan that needs more rust repair than that should be abandoned as there are more than enough of them to go around.

Could we have some photos of the damage, especially the backside of the rockers where the floor braces meet the inner rockers?

More shopping is going to be necessary!

If that kind of expense had been necessary, I would have bought another car.
My two ?re.

Tom

I think most people have the work done over a long period of time so it doesn't bite as hard.

Or, they do the work themselves.

Get a set of rockers from mike dulinsky, and have the other parts made locally. I'm staring this same process now, and 500 hours is rediculous. 100 I think would be realistic and even on the high side. That is still going to cost a lot of euros, but not 500 hrs!
Are you in a local club or something in Belgium? Ask around with your car friends, or some local forums. You'll get way better estimates than that.
Regards from Munich, Mike

Good God

For that amount of money you could ship the car to the states, have the work done, shipped back and still have money left over to take a tour or two. I agree with a former poster, the man did not want to do the job. I have run into a number of nut jobs like these before. Just keep looking for somebody else.

Alk

Hey,

Thanks for the replies! It gives me back encourage... .

Ross makes an exactly description of what should be done, more specific these are exactly the rusty places which has to be replaced.
The given amount is including a repaint.

I will make some photos of the bad places next weekend, so I can post them here.

Searching for another bodyshop will my next challenge... .

The shop I've been visited is a "pro oldtimer restoration shop"
Pro prices indeed...

For who is interested this is his website, he has a lot of pictures of cars he had done, also all the projects in the shop seems pro quality. Maybe to Pro for me... .

Decan Classics Oldtimer restorations

Thanks at all !!

Grtz.

Xavier

I don't think the price is about the shop not wanting to do the job, but rather the shop's reputation. They could patch the rusted areas for less money, but the job would not meet their quality standards. I recently went to a local high end shop for an estimate to repaint the 55 Clipper. I had in mind a sand, mask, and shoot job with some dents being fixed. They don't work that way and came back with a $12K+ estimate. I am sure it would have been a first class job, but it was more than I paid for the car. I thanked them and decided to leave the car as is and polish it as best I could. That old lacquer paint will shine, even through all the blemishes and dents.

(o[]o)