Hemmings Daily: Why does paint and bodywork cost so much? We break it down

A friend of ours, Jeff Murphy, dragged his unrestored '69 Mustang Mach 1 onto a trailer and sent it off to a restoration shop after it languished in his walk-out basement for the better part of 30 years. He was surprised when the estimate for the bodywork and paint elements of the project came this close to $40,000. At a glance, the dusty, but complete and seemingly solid pony car didn't need much. Sure, there were some rust bubbles behind the rear wheel openings and the dings and minor dents that come on a 50-year-old [View in Browser | Subscribe]( [Hemmings Daily] Monday, November 11, 2019 [Why does bodywork and painting cost so much? We break it down]( [Why does bodywork and painting cost so much? We break it down]( Posted by Barry Kluczyk - A friend of ours, Jeff Murphy, dragged his unrestored '69 Mustang Mach 1 onto a trailer and sent it off to a restoration shop after it languished in his walk-out basement for the better part of 30 years. He was surprised when the estimate for the bodywork and paint elements of the project came this close to $40,000. At a glance, the dusty, but complete and seemingly solid pony car didn't need much. Sure, there were some rust bubbles behind the rear wheel openings and the dings and minor dents that come on a 50-year-old ... [Read More]( [Sponsor]( [Hemmings Find of the Day: 1988 Dodge Grand Caravan]( [Hemmings Find of the Day: 1988 Dodge Grand Caravan]( Posted by Mike Austin - Original survivor 1988 Dodge Grand Caravan for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: One family owner, factory original paint and interior in excellent condition, PS, PB, PW, PL, air condition. Well maintained, everything works.Only driven in summer for last 20 years. Find more Dodges for sale on Hemmings.com...[Read More]( [Emerson Fittipaldi to be honored with Simeone's 2019 Spirit of Competition award]( [Emerson Fittipaldi to be honored with Simeone's 2019 Spirit of Competition award]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - He's won a pair of Formula 1 world driving championships, the first, at age 25, marking him as the then-youngest champion in the history of the sport. He's captured two Indy 500 wins as well, plus a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series title. On December 2, Emerson Fittipaldi adds one more accolade to his CV, when he's presented with the 2019 Spirit of Competition Award from the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Emerson, along with older brother Wilson, grew up immersed i...[Read More]( [Sponsor]( [SEMA 2019: Video walkaround of the Mopar booth and classic racing Broncos]( [SEMA 2019: Video walkaround of the Mopar booth and classic racing Broncos]( Posted by Mike Austin - We've got a fresh new video from SEMA with our own Dan Stoner. In this installment of our coverage from the 2019 show, Dan takes us to the Mopar booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center for a closer look at the Lowliner custom D200 pickup, a Hellephant-powered "Christine" Plymouth Fury, and the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. Then he heads out to the Ford Bronco tent for a closer look at some legendary off-road Broncos that competed in Baja racing and events like the Mint 400 back in the day. We've heard your comments...[Read More]( [New York City, 1960s]( [New York City, 1960s]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: circa 1960s Location: New York City, New York Source: via Jim and Chester's Garage What do you see here?...[Read More]( [Classics that I hated and loved at the same time]( [Classics that I hated and loved at the same time]( Posted by Jim Van Orden - Ever want to kick your car or blow it up? I felt that way about several of the two dozen cars I owned. Yet, despite their deficiencies, they grew on me. And when it was time to sell them, I had a lump in my throat. They were old friends, and I loved them. Take the bucket of bolts, as I called the 1977 Dodge Aspen station wagon. Despite being only five years old, it squeaked and rattled so loudly passengers screamed to be heard. The car looked ugly, too, its brown paint hiding fender rust, scratches, a...[Read More]( [Sponsor]( [This Day in Automotive History] THIS DAY IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY 11/11/1928: Two Studebaker Presidents average 85 MPH during 24-hour run, November 11-12 11/11/1940: The Jeep makes its first appearance UPCOMING EVENTS [CIGARS & CARS]( November 20, 2019 - Littleton, CO [Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, aka MCACN]( November 23, 2019 - Rosemont, IL [Cruisin La Verne Holiday Car Show]( November 23, 2019 - Old Town La Verne, CA [28th Annual Ponies under the Palms Mustang and Ford Show]( November 24, 2019 - Sarasota, FL [Vintage MG Club of Southern California ALL MG Parts Exchange]( November 24, 2019 - Santa Ana, CA [AAA Discount on Black Friday]( November 29, 2019 - Middletown, RI [See All Events]( [Sponsor]( FEATURED AUCTIONS [1975 Chevrolet C20]( [1975 Chevrolet C20]( [1956 Lincoln Premiere]( [1956 Lincoln Premiere]( [1963 Rambler 660]( [1963 Rambler 660]( [1969 Chevrolet Camaro]( [1969 Chevrolet Camaro]( [1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL]( [1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL]( [1988 Merkur XR4TI]( [1988 Merkur XR4TI]( [1970 Chevrolet Camaro]( [1970 Chevrolet Camaro]( [1966 Chevrolet Chevelle]( [1966 Chevrolet Chevelle]( [1958 Cadillac]( [1958 Cadillac]( [1975 Volkswagen Westfalia]( [1975 Volkswagen Westfalia]( PROMOTED LISTING [1994 Jaguar XJS]( [1994 Jaguar XJS]( [$18,550]( PROMOTED LISTING [1928 Studebaker]( [1928 Studebaker]( [Auction]( PROMOTED LISTING [1936 Ford]( [1936 Ford]( [Auction]( [factory original cast 8-9-1965 426 Hemi]( [factory original cast 8-9-1965 426 Hemi]( [$16,500]( [View All Classifieds]( FEATURED IN THE BLOG [Snake, charmer: Is the 1996-'98 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra a good buy?]( [Snake, charmer: Is the 1996-'98 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra a good buy?]( [A Mustang GT with a cargo bed - Ford's 1993-'95 F-150 Lightning]( [A Mustang GT with a cargo bed - Ford's 1993-'95 F-150 Lightning]( [See All Featured Blog Posts]( FOLLOW US: [Hemmings Instagram]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [Join us on Facebook]( [View our Flickr pool]( [View Newsletter Archives]( Hemmings Motor News will not sell or share your e-mail address with other companies. For more information about this newsletter, email webmaster@hemmings.com or write to: Customer Service, Hemmings Motor News, 222 Main St., Bennington VT 05201. If you do not want to receive this newsletter from Hemmings Motor News, you can [change your email preferences here](.