Just wanted to share a lesson learned, maybe it will save someone else a lot of work. I had my coupe painted, and work done on the front shroud or bonnet surround, by a reputable shop in the area. I had done all of the usual rust repairs myself, but the front end of the body was beyond my skills to restore. I was very happy to hear that they thought they could save the original sheet metal, I would not have to buy the expensive and poor fitting repair panel. The shop did a fantastic job in the metal work, fitting up of fenders, doors, hood, and trunk, and painting (perfect shade of BRG). They also met the estimated price for the work, maybe a little over. However.....I sent the body to the shop on the chassis assembly, which was restored and looking almost perfect. I also sent a wooden dolly for the body, typical of what others have built for this purpose. They did all of the front end work, and body sanding/paint prep, with the body on the chassis. Now I've spent two weeks and counting to clean up the mess from the wet sanding, and some primer over spray. They did protect the frame assembly best they could, but it was in a body shop environment for several weeks, and a lot of work was done to the front end of my car. Thankfully they (we) removed the body from the frame and transferred it to the wooden dolly for the final paint. The clean up is tedious work, and I'm resisting taking everything apart to do this. When I told the shop owner "looks like I'll have a lot of cleanup to do", he told me of another customer he had, who removed the body from the restored frame assembly and wrapped the frame in bubble wrap, then put the body back on, before handing it over to the shop! If you're on a similar path with your restoration, think about this, I know I will next time....
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