Hey Guys, looking for a good reasonably priced body shop in socal, torrance area.

damage that needs repairing:




Also if some one could give me a guesstamte on the cost I'm looking at to have these dents popped out and have the area repainted?

Thanks.

 

Maaco - Vermont & 223rd

your best bet is Gardena.

 

I did say, *good* cheap body shop.. not crappy cheap body shop. :-p lol

 

maaco isnt crappy ?

 

Try the yellow pages, ask for estimates. I went to Beach Collision (I think that's the name) for super minor work and it was $30, so I can't tell you much. I can say that it'll be expensive no matter where you go. I'd find a relatively decent fender in a junk yard and have them fix & repaint that one. Maybe $200-$300, I dunno. For the rest I'd guess $100 a dent (pulling + painting).

DIY: I wouldn't do the repainting but you can bang the dents smooth and bondo them. You need to get underneath them somehow. If you can't then I'd just leave it to the shop. From there you hit them with a slapper. You could try the slapper & dolly kit from harbor freight and tools (just use the slapper). A slapper is wide, flat and curved back a little, so it's harder to screw up unlike hammers. Get it within 1/8" of perfect, sand off all the rust (and a minimum amount of paint if you must) with 220 grit, and apply bondo per instructions. You'll need a jar of bondo plus the plastic paddle. Sand smooth with 400-800 grit. To get it perfect you can color over it with a marker, sand it, and see what's left (still colored = dips). Then re-bondo and re-sand. When sanding you can also use coarser grit and work your way up to the finer grit to save time. The coarse grit works faster but it leaves a scratchy mess that you need to clean up with the finer grit. Once the spot is all set put a little primer on it to prevent rust, or just go to the body shop on the same day. Make sure you get a quote on the paint work before doing all this, since the amount might be an unpleasant surprise.

 

bondo = someone take a bat to that peice or what?

:AA:

 

you gotta pay good money for a quality job from Maaco.

 

right..^^..that's why there's that saying. "you get what you pay for."

:AA:

 

i wish that applies to everything. lol

 

why? that's not good you know..

:AA:

 

yup, somone took a bat to it.

Not sure about macco.. seems like they would do a crappy job.

 

yeah man hate to say it but "Good work isn't cheap, cheap work isn't good." kinda basic rules but for a quick spray take it to a maaco

 

so you got a new duce

 

well that isnt going to be a cheap endeavor. thats some fairly intensive body work. you can have it just filled with bondo and sprayed but its not the right way. someone is going to need to get in there and do some work. as for recomendations i dont have any in your area but dont think its going to be like a couple hundred dollars for quality work.

as for coloring with a marker its far easier to put a guide coat of spray paint (i mean like a light dusting just to get a guide no real coverage just little spots to know where your at)

 

Thanks for the input, I'm really just trying to keep it under 1k.

 

My body shop is Reflections off of Wilmington and 110. Google their phone number, good work, reasonable prices.

 

Custom One Auto Paint and Body in Lomita off Lomita Blvd by the Arby's. Painted my 81 rx7 and did insurance work on 90 T][. VERY Good quality work and fair price.

1 Day Auto Body on Western did bodywork and paint on REPU. They are higher quality than MAACO but still a volume shop. Their bodywork was good and the paint job was good but any filler on the roof is gonna crack eventually since it's a structural part and subject to flexing.

 

be careful with 1 day auto. they do cheap work but not always the best quality

at least down here anyhow

 

Congrats Alvaro!! Weren't we talking bout that last time! Nice to see you have the extra room for it.. I didn't or maybe I shoulda booted the Vert!

 

Hey Andy, thanks.. not mine.. *yet*. But will be booting the benz to make room. hehe