6970GTX has answered the question at least twice

Wow, tough crowd.

I wonder what happened to the ' Save them all crowd' ?

Like I said. Talk to Holgar ( aka _ member sixpackbee )
I think he is more than capable to do what you want to do .

A friend of mine owns a shop and can help you.

https://www.erlingerrestorations.com/

He is in Arizona, but he also transports customer's cars all over the country.

Since he is in Arizona he has access to a vast supply of rust free parts.

Thank you for the info, everyone.

Did he relocate to The St Louis area for a while then
Move back out to Arizona and reopened his shop? If it is the same guy I am thinking he does outstanding work at a reasonable cost.

I think I know why your not getting the direct answer you want. Your asking for a complete restoration;paint,metalwork, bodywork, interior, weatherstripping and mechanical at a price that is just too low. The time required to do something like that is at least 600 hours of labor and the cost of the parts would add to that.
A good shop won't cut corners and put their name on it. You must sand down to metal, fix the rust, make the body solid and work from there. If you don't your waisting your money. You will have issues very soon down the road and you will be back where you started.

Everyone always says "I just want a driver".

The metal and bodywork is the same for a driver as show car. Are you not going to fix the rust? are you not going to straighten a fender? Are you not going to paint the car with good quality paint....
The diffrence in a show car or OEM correct is really the last 10 to 20 percent.
If you want a great shop that does it right and on time. call Precision Restorations in St Louis, 314-652-1966.
www.precisioncarrestoration.com

They are one of the largest shops in the country.

PM me if you want to chat about my experiences with restorations.
Regards,

Agree 100% about the bodywork. On this car especially, that's where the majority of the $$ will be.

Yes, that's him.

He did the final body and paint on my Daytona.

(Pictures of my car are on his website posted above)

Awesome work.

My next project car WILL be going to him out in Arizona.

Tough request. Best bet is to find a semi-retired body shop pro who has his own home shop and likes Mopar cars. I know a couple of guys like that who knock out a few project cars a year for customers who pay cash. They get some nice cash flow to supplement the SS checks and customers get quality work done that they don't have the time to do themselves.

Best bet to find those guys is to ask around at car clubs or car shows. In my experience, anyone who has employees and is paying retail rental rates for a big shop downtown is going to need to charge more than you want to pay.

One of the pitfalls going this route is if they're operating with no license or insurance, and "whatever" might happen, the money you thought you might be saving, could be for nought...
I've know a few guys that went this route, some make out great, some not so good regardless of the "glowing recommendation" they got from other enthusiasts

Yep that's super risky

Mike we need to talk

There is not a shop here in the US that will get that car done in a year maybe 2 yrs if your lucky

I now you want that car done but buying one done is a idea

I know what you are going threw Iam going though this with my 79 yr old dad he wants a 56 ford skyliner convertible to build like the one he had and he wont look at a car that's done for 30grand he almost spend 15 grand on one that had no top no interior and needed paint plus it needed all new brakes and suspension

He will do all the work him self and then pay to have it painted

I may no of a shop up by my dad that works only on 5 cars a year but I have never seen his work or talked to him only now what my dad has said about him and his work

Have you talked to Mike Ross about this? Just throwing that out there as he may know someone more local to you or someone that can do the job you're looking for. I still have a couple of photos of the car with the top down and you seat belting your kids in at Mike's place.......I'm sure you have a lot of great memories with the car and family so all the best getting that car restored.

MikeR

I agree with talkin to Mike

I was out in the shop trying to install some reproduction parts today and it made me wonder how a resto shop could ever make any money. I haven't had a single restoration part come into my shop yet that was good enough to go down an assembly line. Everything I've received so far for my project has required some sort of finish work on my end. Since I'm just working on my own car at my own pace this isn't a huge deal, but if I was trying to build a customer car this would be a huge problem. If I was building a car for a customer I would need to double the price of everything just to cover my time in fixing the chinese garbage called reproduction parts.

andy, i think you have just spoken volumes with that statement. as it seems there are only a few outfits that "make" items, and many more than that "sell" them, even paying more to think you may be getting a quality item is a crap shoot you won't have to work on said item to make it fit as it was intended. i sometimes even have to modify items i make for myself, following my own blueprints, in order to make "it" fit ! [i should know better, even when i'm the one in control]

They make money by doubling the original price once the car is not rolling so it is a pain in the rear to move out of the shop. The shop I went to,in their defense, did mention all repro part fit repair time is on me up front, $50 an hour. Drip rails are a real problem, I modified my car so they go on and off without damage.

I agree with the 12 month window, save for some extreme event, like a Zombie Apocalypse.

I also suggest http://hodgerestorations.com/

From personal experience, he will take the time to discuss all aspects with you

I'm a car builder out of Tulsa, Oklahoma with my own business and a passion for Mopar. Vintage vehicles are all we do. I'll send you a p.m.
I even offer Moparts member discounts. Lol.

Mr.Bricks Restorations. They are in Green Camp, Ohio. Just south of Marion. Close enough you can check on it from time to time. They restore almost any brand but he is a Mopar guy. He even races Mopars. Owners name is Tony. They have a facebook page you can check them out. They do most everything in house as far as upholstery, convert tops, ect. Great bunch of guys. I think you will be impressed with them if you check them out.