TheSamba.com :: View topic - Paint and Restoration shop recommendations in the Bay Area

Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:19 am

I am looking for some advice on where I should take my 91 Vanagon for paint and restoration. Mechanically the van is great, with a new motor, trans, clutch, coolant lines, fuel lines, breaks…. etc. It is now time to address the dents, minor rust and paint. The previous owner had the van painted. However it must have been done on the cheep. The rust was not addressed, and the widows were not removed.

What I am looking for is a shop that will do the paint job right. I would like to have all the windows removed, all the outside lights, handles, mirrors, vents, grills taken off the van. I want to have the rust and dents treated and the top painted. Basically I want a shop that will do the job right.

I have had only one estimate done so far by The South Bay Body Shop in Redwood City. I was quoted 4-5k, which seemed pretty reasonable for what they said they would be doing to the van. This is for a window out, rust and dent removal paint job. They said that it would talk about 6 weeks to complete. Does anybody now about this shop or had any one had any work done by South Bay Body Shop? The shop is located across from Fred’s garage in Redwood City.

I live in Santa Cruz but I am willing to drive to get the paint and restoration done right. However, just like the rest of us I do not want to spend an arm and a leg for it, like the 8-12k paint job from GW. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Also, pictures of any paint jobs that have been done by reputable shops would also be helpful.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:12 am

I had South Bay repair rust on the windshield frame a few years ago when my widshield was replaced. My windshield got re-damaged and Stacey replaced it a few weeks ago. I was curious to see how well the repair had held up through the years and it looked just as good as it did a few years ago when Narend repaired it.

Fast forward to today....(August 2012) A hit and run driver damaged my drivers rear panel and Narend gave me a quote to repair it. Ill be dropping it off to them soon. Been going to Freds Garage for about 8 years and Ive seen a few B4 and after full restorations done by South Bay. It seems they do "it" the proper way. The two full restorations I saw had all glass removed and the entire interior was removed and finished as well. New rubber new bumpers etc....

I was down at Freds for a service and happened to see one of the completed restorations...the guys were buffing it out when I was there. It looked beautiful. They also did a full in/out restoration on an older Bus for Freds Garage. It was being auctioned off to benefit Toms sons baseball team. It too looked great.

My own repair wont require any glass removal and they said there would be no issues matching or blending in the newer color to match the original.
Id give em a thumbs up...

Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:07 am

Thanks for the reply. When I talked to them, they seemed like they knew what they were doing, besides the fact that, Fred's recommended them. They said that they do some sort of fiberglass thing to keep the rust from coming back. This is along with a chemical treatment they do, again for rust prevention. It sounds good, however I do not know anything about this process or anyone that has had this done. I am assuming that it is a process similar to the way they do fiberglass hulls for boats.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:55 am

Not familure with the fiberglass thing. Alls I can say is I asked a bucket full of questions to Narend and he was happy to answer all of em....Im sure he'd be happy to answer yours too.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:57 am

Are there any other recommendations out there in Samba land for paint and body shops in the bay area. I would like to visit a few shops before I make my decision. Thanks

Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:05 pm

Gpeck96 wrote: Are there any other recommendations out there in Samba land for paint and body shops in the bay area. I would like to visit a few shops before I make my decision. Thanks

check out this thread

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=486455&highlight=richmond

Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:28 pm

Now are these shops simply body shops, or do they do restoration as well? I would like to have my van seen by a shop that can do some repair work. I have some window rot on the driver side window, above the stove and sink that needs to be addresses. Possibly cut out and replaced.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:30 pm

most places also do body work and restoration, call them up and ask away!

Fri Aug 31, 2012 3:41 pm

Since restoration has become such a popular activity there are places which will SAY they can do your work (after all, in once sense all body/fender repair and paint is restoration) but may not have much experience in the sort of rooting out of every flaw from original that the term "full restoration" implies.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:19 pm

I just want to get the job done right. Once again, South Bay Body Shop told me that they try to remove dents by using a slide-hammer and stud. They only use body filler when it is absolutely necessary. This is typical for most body shops. As for actual body panel replacement, I do not know. I think that a true restoration shop would be the kind of place where they are able to fab up replacement parts and panels. However, I do not know that for a fact. I hope that my restoration does not come to that. From what the guy told me from South Bay, my van was in pretty good shape.