There's a certain amount of risk when taking a car to a body shop needing structural repairs. I took a '69 M code fastback to a "Mustang" shop in Alvaredo, Texas back in '90. He took a car that needed work, and absolutely destroyed it. The only thing I could salvage from the shell was cutting the rear quarters off.
My current Mach 1 is in need of major re-freshening. The paint has started to fade, and although the rust is minimal in most places, both doors and trunk lid need to be replaced. I was quoted $8 K for the body work and paint.
Although you can still find a complete driver '67 fastback for $15 K or even less, you never really know what you're getting until you strip it down to bare metal. A great looking paint job can start bubbling up in less than a year if it's been shot over rust. But of course you get to start driving right away.
I'm glad someone took a risk with his own venture capital to start a company that provides our hobby with a new supply of toys. Even though the price seems high, I think they will stabilize the prices of the remaining builder bodies. The repop shells will never command the price of a restored original R-code, but that's not what they're trying to do either. I doubt I'll ever actually buy one because I already have a ton of money in my '69, but it's nice to know the option is there.
My current Mach 1 is in need of major re-freshening. The paint has started to fade, and although the rust is minimal in most places, both doors and trunk lid need to be replaced. I was quoted $8 K for the body work and paint.
Although you can still find a complete driver '67 fastback for $15 K or even less, you never really know what you're getting until you strip it down to bare metal. A great looking paint job can start bubbling up in less than a year if it's been shot over rust. But of course you get to start driving right away.
I'm glad someone took a risk with his own venture capital to start a company that provides our hobby with a new supply of toys. Even though the price seems high, I think they will stabilize the prices of the remaining builder bodies. The repop shells will never command the price of a restored original R-code, but that's not what they're trying to do either. I doubt I'll ever actually buy one because I already have a ton of money in my '69, but it's nice to know the option is there.