Auto body repair & detailing: 1957 chevy bel air ,labor cost only no paint, rear quarter panels, chevy bel air

Question
Hi there,
Replacing sheet panel on my 57 chevy like to know the going rate !
Both rocket arms
 front floor pans
 both rear quarter panels  
 right side rear deck
Thanks you
stan

Answer
Hi Stan!....Without seeing the vehicle in person, unfortunately, it would be very difficult for me to give you an accurate estimate of the cost to weld in all of these replacement panels, as many factors come into place....Some of these would be quality of the replacement parts, skill level of the technician installing them, ( some charge more time to compensate expenses for lack of experience ), door rates, etc....I tried to check out the average door rate in your State, but I can't seem to find a shop that lists it....In the Province of Alberta that I live in, the average going door rate is 75 Dollars an hour....From what I have experienced over my roughly 30 years in the Autobody trade, is that when doing a restoration, such as yours, the shops that I have worked at, will charge a " Straight Time " fee....This means, that if it takes, for example, 320 hours to complete, ( About 2 Months work ), they will charge you 75 Dollars an hour x 320 hours of labor....Total cost would be 24,000 Dollars....This is obviously a very substantial amount of money....What I would suggest, is to get as many estimates as you can, from reputable autobody shops in your area, and also see if you can find a qualified Autobody Technician, who is interested in doing this work on the side....I, as well as most of the Techs I have worked with that do this type of sideline work, charge on average 1/2 of the going door rate....So this is another option....If you have any further questions, please drop me another line...Thanks....Dave