Need advice: I’ve got a Cougar roof skin ready, and shops are charging me $120/hr to weld it on. That seems steep—especially since it’s a premade piece and not custom fabrication.
Has anyone seen better deals? I’ve read that many body shops charge $120–$150/hr, depending on their reputation and location. Pro welders might bill $130/hr, while independent or restoration specialists often hover around $120/hr for this type of work. In fact, average automotive welding wages are just around $26/hr—so assuming a lot of that price gets eaten by shop overhead.
Anyone know welders in the Central Valley (California) area who will weld on a roof skin for under $50/hr? Or can recommend someone reliable?
Perhaps get in touch with your local vocational school to see if they have an autobody class or welding class that is willing to take in projects for a small fee. Or, buy yourself a mig welder to do it on your own.
I had a guy do my quarter panel replacement a few months ago. He is very experienced and good at what he does. But he charges more well than $50.00 per hour. but still under $100. Remember you usually get what you pay for. Cheap metal work may lead to more money for prep before paint or unsatisfactory finished product. If there is a hot rod club in your area you might want to check with them. Oh, my guy does travel some but would not be willing to travel as far south as you are. He stays within an hour of his home.
Thanks, I agree you get what you pay for. But honestly, justifying $150 an hour is a tough pill to swallow. Around $50 an hour feels fair and justifiable for this type of work.
Want to have it done for less than the going rate? Open a shop, or do it yourself. Once you spend 60 hours of nights and weekends, the $2400 to have a shop do it professionally doesn’t sound too bad.
The cheapest option is almost never the best option
50 an hour feels fair…….what do you do for a living? One dollar per gallon of gasoline feels fair to me….however, this is 2025. The cheapest way is buy the equipment, learn to do it yourself, then sell the equipment.
Unfortunately changing the roof means a new headliner, front and rear glass seals, side seals, new window clips. It’s a lot of work that you will have to pay for, unless you do it yourself. The choice is yours and there are equipment costs to consider.
For a welder all you need is a mig welder that will weld up to an 1/8”. Just know MIG uses a shielding gas 75/25 CO2/Argon for mild steel. So you will want to make sure the welder you buy has the regulator and you will need to buy a bottle. I’d buy the biggest you can afford as it will last longer between refills and refilling a bigger bottle doesn’t cost much more than a smaller one. You will need to buy welding gloves, an auto darkening mask, grinder, wire brush, and a few other things. Are plenty of guides and videos on the net. You can also take a course on welding, as well as basic bodywork and paint.
If you have the place and time it really isn’t all that hard. Paying to have a car restored is a losing proposition unless the car is worth $100k and most of these are not. I know plenty that have more into their cars than they can ever sell them for. I will tell you your results may not be as good as a pro, but I’ve seen plenty of nice cars done in a garage and some done better than some of the crap I’ve seen by some shops. The other thing is people hand their car to a shop and it sometimes takes years, sometimes the car is held for ransom, and sometime the car disappears or some expensive parts get stolen.
One final thing by the time you are done you will spend some money in tools, but the way I\ve always looked at it is I’d have paid someone else anyway and next time I need them I have the tools.