Beg a modern collision repair center to take on your project outside of
their usual insurance-based job order process.

Get in line at the one "rod and custom" body and paint shop in town.
Shortly after that get in line at the welfare office.

Take on the paint and body work yourself and incur frustration and unpredictable results based on a lack of training and inexperience.

The Next Best Thing to DIY Paint & Body
Aircraft paint remover on the back of the bare hand, microscopic dust
particles constantly tracked into the house, excessive time wasted at the
body and paint supply store, perpetually overloaded trash cans, and below average finished results are the 5 reasons I've decided never to do DIY paint and body work again. However, just because I will never pick up a disc sander again does not mean that I won't do it MY way when it comes time to get a project car painted.

In this article I'll show you how I was able to get my car painted by a professional tradesman in my own neighborhood, participate in the process, get a fair rate, and keep MY garage clean. Most importantly, this article will demonstrate that you can achieve a quality paint and body job despite working somewhat out of sequence. Let's get started

The Assessment
As mentioned in the right-hand sidebar, I noticed my neighbor Greg was doing a good amount of sidework in his own garage. One simple introduction and Greg dropped by my house the next day to size up my proposed paint and body project. Here's how the 1973 Torino looked before the 1 month adventure began.

Patched together over the past 7 years, the Torino was all there but still socially unacceptable. That's why it sat in the sideyard.		Here's a shot down the side, I could tell Greg was able to look through the discoloration to see a do-able project.
Originally equipped with a vinyl top, there were some trim holes would require filling and smoothing.		The typical brown stuff had infected the lower corners of the rear glass area. This would force us to remove the glass.
Both lower quarter sections were showing some rust. The sheetmetal was thin enough here to stab a screwdriver through with ease.		The rear valance needed some serious rework.

Tear Down
With the initial estimate complete at or around $2500 for rust repair, bodywork, jambing, and paint... Greg and I worked out a plan to tackle the project in stages. First, he requested the front clip be delivered to his house disassembled along with any other loose parts he could prep and paint in a batch (i.e., sideview mirrors, rear valance.) While he was working on the front clip, I would begin "detrimming" the rest of the car for delivery to his house week later.

With the air tools out, it was time to disassemble the front clip.		My father-in-law was in town to lend a helping hand. Always helps the motivation level to have someone to work with.
Everything was parted and stripped of emblems and hardware. I've always considered it "proper etiquette" to only make skilled tradesmen perform their skilled trade. Leave the monkey work for me!		It was just a short haul around the corner to Greg's house, so we loaded up my '78 F250 for a delivery.
There it is, stage one.		This is Greg's garage. I was skeptical too at first, but he showed me finished neighborhood project cars that trumped his tight work space.
While Greg was working over the front clip for a week, I put a little time in each night peeling off trim from the rest of the car.		Off with the rear bumper of course.
I wasn't going to run the factory rocker trim, so I pulled it all off. Obviously this would leave some more holes to be filled and smoothed.		Greg let me know the rear glass would need to be removed, so I worked on that.

(Front Clip Bodywork and Paint, Main Section Bodywork and Paint)