Reputable MN body shops (my car got hit)

[olds70supreme]

Hello,

This weekend some yahoo in a pickup backed into my car in a gas station parking lot, so I need to look around for a decent place to get it fixed. I don't think the damage is all that bad, but with some of the horror stories I've heard I don't want to end up taking it to a place w/ a bad reputation. Anybody from MN or WI hang out here with some advice? Here are some pics. Also, this is repairable, right? It doesn't look too bad, and I would rather not have to track down a new fender if this one can be repaired.

[BumpaD_Z28]

First off NICE CAR !!!

2nd "I" think it would be better to get a "new" fender, not a overseas sourced replacement part (don't think that is available anyway), but a non rusty OEM fender to replace it with...

A "good" body man could save the fender but with the creases it would be interesting...

Just make sure you tell whichever shop you take it too that you expect EXCELLENT results, give them the idea/impression they are working on a 300K car and you expect the work to be the same caliber...

Oh and mention the fact that any "body filler" over about 1/16" thick is not acceptable !!!

Unfortunately I've had to go the rounds with a couple of different shops

[ColinOpseth]

That fender is toast, dude..

No can-do on the recommendation, dude. Very nice car, though.

[Dannyboy]

what a bummer man!
I know the feeling, it sucks

[mldeolde]

IT'S FIXABLE YES BUT MOST BODY SHOPS WILL WANT TO CHANGE OUT THE FENDER. TOO MUCH WORK TO MAKE IT RIGHT AND MORE MONEY IN A REPLACEMENT PART AND LESS HASSEL FOR THEM..............................

[Johnson]

East side option:
Doherty's Auto Body
651-644-7408
2210 Whitebear Ave.
Maplewood, MN

West side Option:
HEI Collision Center
200 West Main Street
Wacoinia, MN 55387
Phone: 952-442-1123

They're the best around, so you better treat them as such.

[NixVegaGT]

WOW. I'm really sorry man. I know I'm going to be really upset if mine ever gets hit.

I found a place near Discount Steel in on the west side of NE Mpls. It's called Classic Autobody. It's connected to their sister business Classic Limousine. I stumbled upon it this past weekend while picking up parts for the house in that area. I've been fretting over who to pick because I didn't want to just pick anybody.

My biggest fear is they aren't going to understand that you can't just buy body parts for our cars anywhere. Anyway I got a tour from a guy in on the weekend named Peter. They had a bunch of classics they were working on from '36 Mercedes 300 sel to a '70 Hemi Cuda fake. That one was all the way to the frame.

I got a really good feeling from the place but I've never worked with them. They said they'd make an estimate off of a bunch of pix of my car. They also had done a Vega in the past couple years. Anybody here worked with them?

http://www.classiclimo-mn.com/classic_a ... ation.html

Good luck man. Thanks for the posts, Johnson. I'll call Doherty's and see what I think.

[olds70supreme]

Hey, thanks everybody for all the replies. I've been calling all of the places recommended to me, but most are only open during the day, during the week. This is a problem, since I started a job 2 months ago that only allows days off after 6 months of employment. Since I work in Mankato, I might end up having to have the work done there, unless I can find a place nearer the Cities that is open on Saturday.

During my lunch hour today I drove to a place recommended for good work. After looking at the damage, than finding that their computer system doesn't go back to 1975, I was told that they were not interested in doing the work. Tomorrow morning I am going before work to another place near work for an estimate. This place was not recommended by anybody, but there has been a Monza parked in the lot or on the street almost everyday, hopefully it is the owner's and they can help me out.

If this doesn't work out I may just get a decent replacement fender, try to match it as good as possible, and use the damaged one as practice for my (now non existant) collision repair skills.

[AusRs]

Very nice car
If the fender is toast do NOT allow them to throw it away cut the fender at the swage line and keep it ........may help someone out on a rust repair someday !

[2lucke4u]

olds70supreme
Car is nice,,the fender not salvagable,just parts for fix-its later,,do the work yourself,,you would be suprised how easy it is,,you will think afterwards "why do they charge so much" I never built a engine before because of fear of failure,,,I built the first one,, and after that I have built over a dozen and none have failed,,wow it can be done,,same thing with body work and painting,,I could not do it untill ,,,I DID IT,,,
just a little pep talk,,the satisfaction in doing your own work is priceless,,good luck,,
Charles

[olds70supreme]

I most likely would do it myself ASAP, but since it was the other guy's fault insurance should pay for it to be done professionally.

[marco_1978_spyder]

Man, I tell ya, Hbodys are magnets for 'accidental' scrapes and dings.

Sorry to hear about it man. Its gonna suck, the day that kinda dent meets up with my red spyder.

In your situation, I would call around to a few shops and see the vibe you get on the phone, ask them if you can stop by for an estimate...do a couple right in a row, without any plans to accept any work from any of them, just get some estimates on paper, and see what you think of the shop.

Take the evening and review what was said to you and and the offers and go with who you feel was the best, or try another day of shopping around.

If the shop is very busy, that might not be a good thing.

If they dont remember your kind of car...or they remember them with any sort of 'reputation' stay away.
Any reference to pinto's should be an automatic disqualifier.

maybe theres a place that does more classic cars than typical late model shopping plaza fender benders?

[beakerztoyz]

why does everyone think that fender is toast?? it would be easiear to get another one yes but that one could be fixed by a good body man, he would have to use heat on it to reshape it and it would take hours to fix. another question that car looks like it was repainted {and a damn nice paint job} what about the shop that did that could they fix it??

[spyder_xlch]

It could be fixed but with alot of time and alot of skill. Time and skill aren't cheap. It would be cheaper to find a good fender or one that requires less work.

[olds70supreme]

I ended up getting a replacement fender (in great shape) to keep labor costs down. I plan on keeping the dented fender and practicing on it. Worst case scenario is I screw it up beyond repair, in which case I keep it for lower fender rust repair. Best case is I have a spare fender in decent shape and learned some metalworking skills.

Now for another question: I want to prep the fender myself before bringing it to the bodyshop for paint. The fender I bought is in very good shape, little to no filler will be required, even for a skim coat. I don't have my own spraygun, so I can't use that kind of primer. Is the automotive spray can primer compatible with paint the bodyshop would use, or would spraying it this way myself cause problems?