Fellow fiends and Robert J. Donahue:
What is a B in very good condition worth? Discussing how to spend money
with any other person (*especially* with an lbc owner!) is a... subjective
experience. That won's stop me, however. Regarding the issue of a $4000
bill for body shop repairs on the roadster (yes, it seems on the high side
to me from what you've said; why not shop around and get some more
estimates?), and the $5000 BMH body shell:
Let me add my two cents worth (cheep!) by saying that although I have not
had personal experience with the BMH shells (and therefore the following may
be entirely false): I've *heard* that they don't come to your door ready to
paint and drive away. The report is that they are imperfect, maybe even
damaged in shipment, and will likely need some lead work or at the least
filler and sanding. This will add $$$ to the final bill, in the form of
additional labor, at your body shop.
I wonder if there is someone out there on the net who has gone the route of
buying the BMH body shell (for a B or a Triumph or a Midget...) and can
comment on his/her experience w/it. Final analysis: do your research! Shop
around. Your roadster doesn't sound *that* far gone that a new shell is
warranted. How are the floors? How is the trunk? Is the car bent? Is it
loaded with bondo?
Will "be careful what you wish for" Zehring
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