Walden Deuce "type" chop cost?

I am a 2-bit hack, and even I charge $75. I am going to have to raise it soon too, overhead is creeping up.

 

Wether it's a Brookville or an original 32 isn't gonna matter unless the guy who has the Walden/Brookville tries to pass it off as a real one. I'm sure any guy would love to have one...now or down the road!

 

No chop, whether it's done is steel or fiberglass, is ever the same. You can use the same patterns to make your cuts, but you can't guarantee that each panel will fit back together the same way every time. The worst thing that could happen is everyone would start forgetting what the stock roof height looked like on 3-window couple. Stitching together individual panels to make an entire body, is as different as night as day, when compared to using an "over-sized cookie cutter" they call the mold, to make a one piece fiberglass body.

 

I just delivered that car in bare metal to Florida and will attest that the chop and metal finishing on it were superb!



Marcy

 

I/ve installed two of Waldon's '36 roof inserts and they are perfect. On one car i used it as a 'jig' to straighten out a rough roof.

 

Make one.

 

I'm gonna order some hubs first of the week. I'll get the skinny on the deal with the pricing on the 3 window. I will report back if no one beats me to it.

 

All right guys. I know I'll will catch hell for saying this but what wrong with a Wescott. I know its glass but it has a filled roof, door hinges, cowl vent, fold out windshield, crank windows even the rear window, door handles. Mine was $14000 to the house. I know wescott went up but at $45000 for a walden, Sorry I just don't get it! I have guys all the time ask if its glass or steel. I would love to have one of Walden's bodys but if you do one right you will be looking at $100000K when your done. I'll just keep my tupperware, and lots of extra cash...........

 

Well looking at these prices it totally makes sense why dude run glass cars. Hell I am starting to think they are pretty smart for it! The price to chop the car from one of thse heavies is a bit ridiculous and it's way out of reach for most guys. I would rather take my car to KiwiKev and have him chop it which will yield the same result and do the rest myself over a long period of time.

The Walden Speed shop car looks great in fact it looks perfect but for ever big name out there that will charge you 10 g's to chop a car like that there are 10 guys equally capable and willing to do the work for a fraction of the cost. I told a Metal fabricator that does a lot of quality cars that you see at Good guys and such how much the Walden door skins were each and he said he would do both sides and fit them to the doors for that price!

 

Nothing wrong with a glass car if that's what you're into. It's about what's gonna hold it's value,I think. Metal cars bring the most money...

 

Well then,you're a lucky guy! There's something to be said for a shop that does the hard work for you,so you can finish and repair your car yourself. Not everybody is willing to wait 6 months for someone to shape a door skin and fit it. Waldens parts are ready to go and take little if any messing with. I've known quite a few people who have used their panels.
The Brookville bodies i've seen don't look as good as the ones that Waldens shop finishes. Sure there's other shops out there,and metal guys who can do the work,but the discussion was about Bobby's shop.

 

I'll quote Flat top Bob "do you want a duck or a decoy? go with henry " For that kind of dough you can find a real one and wack it. Look at Larrys 3w ,found in a ditch ,then built the heck out of it with a vision and gave birth to a dead old Ford, Fuck that's Cool!
I'm sure Bobbys and Brookville are Great and even better when worked over by a High End Pro shop. This is getting out of hand , whos going to beat the piss out of a 80-100k car on the track or hit the salt? or drive it daily and have a chance to get hit by a Honda or Kia . Ya got to wonder how many of them see the road not a trailer.
I would expect 3 to 5k for a choptop , condition of the body ,prep (paint ,lead,blaster or dipped) wood condition, lean posts or filler strip? Alot of conditions in affect and could be higher as well.

 

Oh I totally agree with you on a lot of that Bob. There's one thing that I have learned and that's time and money are inversely proportioned. Anytime I have went else where to get the same product at lesser price I have paid dearly in time for it. So in that sense you are completely correct. I am not trying to come off completely against the grain in regards to Walden's shop and work. I was simply trying to state that there are other options to paying for a '32 Ford Coupe if the $45,000 is just not in cards for your average working dude. My hopes are that when building my 5w I will be able to do it over a longer period of time but perhaps showing a couple guys that building your dream car doesn't have to break the bank as long as you are willing to hunt some deals and take a bit more time to do so.

So back to Walden's work, I can tell you form looking at those pics that it all seems top notch and if I were that range of spending $125 thousand on a build then it would be a no brainer. I would want the very best and that would certainly be worth looking into his 3w coupes and probably be done in two years or less because the fit and finish is on deck from the get go. I think that there is a market obviously for his work. It's just even if I bought a Walden 3 window from them I don't think that I could justify $10,000 for anyone to chop it when that money could go back in the the build in terms of paint and parts.

I was just trying to state my concerns and issues from my economic background and place in life. Not come off like it's ridiculous to spend the money on his product if you are comfortable with the price.

 

There is a Origianl Henry made full fendered 3 window in the HAMB classified right now for $50,000 and that's a full car with probably paint and wiring needed coming with your choice of some cool engines. To me that makes a shit load more sense then forking over the same amount for a repro body with far less included.

 

Obviously a '32 from Walden is a niche market. Probably not the "drive to Frisco" type. More of a car show type. Any of you know how much a Brizio '32 Coupe would run? Or does he just do Roadsters? What about a SoCal '32 Coupe?

 

I am guessing that most guys dropping that kind of coin on a car are not doing their own work regardless of what they are starting with. And that is not a knock just an assumption. So you have to factor in that they are getting a shop to build the car so even at that $50,000(with the extra's) you have to pay to get the top insert installed, chopped, body work done etc so you are now probably more like $80,000-$100,000 to get to the same point. So you are no further ahead if not behind in monetary terms but I guess you would be able to say it is an original Ford.

I would be interested to see how many of the bodies Walden sells end up being comlete builds in his shop or even other shops and how many are guys doing thier own builds. My guess would be most are being professionally built.

 

Some of you guys sound so stupid with the GOLD CHAIN and someone spending that kind of money aren't building them themselves bullshit.

First off get it out of your heads that building any 32 Ford is cheap I do not care who is building it. Starting with an original body even if stored in AZ is still going to need tons of metal work. you aren't comparing apples to apples with a Walden body vs and original. Look at the finish work. You can pay up front or in the finish work. You choose but it will be close and you will have a better base with a properly done metal worked car. Rather than having a paint shop correct the problems. Look at that car in bare metal. See any pits or witness marks from work?

To those who say I can build it myself cheaper explain the amount of money you have invested in metal equipment. Lets start with a jig, bead roller, planishing hammer, english wheel, shrinker, etc, etc. Than add the amount of labor. You might come up with something close but unless you have knocked out several your first two aren't going to be close as if they are you should be selling them cheaper.

Building a traditional Hot Rod finished to show standards costs right up there with any Easter Egg car that was bought. Quality costs money. Who has built an all steel car that they can show in bare steel for under $100k??? Traditional means lots of cash!!

 

Agree 100%! The only cheap cars are glass cars. Metal cost money!!!!

 

Both will build you a coupe and you better figure a buck and a half as a good starting point - if you don't go crazy!

As for a Brookville body - they ain't $23k. The bare body is $24k. Now you want a cowl vent? add $350.00. Door handles that work? $300.00 Stock seat style floor? $300.00 Front floor $200.00 Firewall? $850.00 Trunk latch? $100.00 Stock style dash? $500.00, windshield frame and hardware? $750.00
And then there is the crating charge $700.00
We're at $28,050.00 PLUS Shipping!

 

i know Brizio,s are HUGE $$$ read somewhere they average in the $250K range a buddy on mine owns one been afraid to ask what he paid for it

 

Expensive stuff!!!! I'll keep my '31,haha!

 

True. I guess I wasn't realizing the show car aspect but more of the driver type car. I can't imagine getting a show car ready and i certainly can't imagine 32 3 window's cost to get prepped foe a major show.

So now that we have mentioned all of the above we pretty much have concluded that the Walden body is out of reach for most people which was my initial impression. I think that's the point of this thread. Not the quality because everyone knows it's spot on but more the fact that Normal dudes are just not going to be able to swing it.

 

I am hoping to have less then $15,000 into my 5w body when It's all said and done. I know it's probably not going to be show quality especially with me doing the work but it's what I can afford. If I start making bigger money, I'd still be looking at that 3 window in the classified as my starting point.

 

I thought my build would be around 15k. I thought glass would be cheaper. I thought I could build it in a year. Well, I was wrong, it's been three years and I'm over 40k into it and I'm still not done. I have saved every receipt and still find it hard to believe, that's not counting labor. Live and learn, next time I will build with steel, even if I have to make the body myself! I can do anything I put my mind to, but this shit is expensive!

 

I know ... For a FACT ... that there are at least a few 1932 3W original body Deuce coupes here on the HAMB that had have MORE than 100 grand spent on them in the last 5 years.

And three of them are BLACK.

 

I dont care how you look at it,250k for a roadster or any 32 is stupid,those cars belong on look at me,i got more money than brains website,i get so sick at looking at brookville cars on the covers of mags,nice product but its no different than a shiny yellow glass body...

 

When you see Bobby's work in person the price structure becomes more understandable. You get what you pay for. If I had 45k to spare I would buy one of his rollers in heart beat.

 

I think if you live in CA and have the bucks you should check with the DMV about special construction vehicles which a Walden body is. I would add another few thousand for compliance to the new rules being imposed on these vehicles. How do you register a new 2010 3 window?...legally The bodies are perfect but you are going to face some challenges in getting it registered...just a thought.

 

It does seem really pricey when you compare the bodies but that is just how things go and people will pay it but I would charge around 3-4k for a chop like that.

 

For a start. I'd sat that's the low side for quality work.

Tell me about it. Electricity just went up a bunch. Gonna have to go up here to.

Please tell us how many hours you have in yours. How much you have in parts. What you are paying as far as overhead, i.e. power and rent/mortgage. That'll change a lot, time is money, then add the other stuff on top of it.